It’s Week 14 of the Major League Baseball season. If by now you haven’t cut the dead weight from your team, you pretty much deserve to lose in your league. If at this stage in the game you’re not sure who your dead weight is, well, you’ve come to the right place. Here’s a list of the Top-five guys you SHOULND’T have casting a dark cloud over your chances of fantasy baseball dominance.
Tyler Colvin Colorado Rockies 1B, OF
Last season seeing Tyler Colvin on the free agency wire would have been absolutely ridiculous behind his .290 average and 18 home runs. This season? Not so much. Colvin is hitting a dismal .173, which has become a massive blight when considering the fact that the Rockies are hitting .272 as a team, which is the fifth-best team average in the Majors. Colvin is struggling big time this season as he is sitting at three home runs and nine RBI, a mere shadow of what he was able to put together in 2012. Cut him loose as fast as possible.
Mark DeRosa Toronto Blue Jays 2B, 3B, OF
It’s weird to think that between 2006 and 2009 Mark DeRosa was a fantasy baseball warrior, averaging roughly 17 home runs, 78 RBI and a .281 batting average. Well, the years have finally caught up to DeRosa, who serves as a platoon player for the Blue Jays, batting .210 with only four home runs and 21 RBI. Might be time to put DeRosa out to pasture if you still have him hanging around the clubhouse.
Ryan Roberts Tampa Bay Rays 2B, 3B
Ryan Roberts is certainly having a rough season in 2013, but then again, so are the Rays as a team. Roberts just spent the last few games in AAA Durham with the Bulls to get him more at-bats and hopefully boost his average upon his return. Well, his trip didn’t exactly help. Roberts is hitting .235, the second-worst average of his career next to last season when he was traded to the Rays from Arizona despite the fact that he was having his second-best offensive surge of his career with the Diamondbacks. While Roberts’s struggles may seem regular, he of all people would benefit from a move back to the National League. Until that move is made, cut him loose.
Tim Lincecum San Francisco Giants SP
Remember when Tim Lincecum was nearly unhittable and won back-to-back NL Cy Young awards for his efforts? Well, that was certainly the “freaky franchise” of old, who has been flat out freakish on the mound since last season. This year he’s sitting at 4-8, having lost six of his last eight starts. On top of that he’s on pace to breaking his career-worst 5.18 ERA and 1.47 WHIP as he’s currently posting a 4.64 ERA and 1.43 WHIP. Until Giants’ manager Bruce Bochy does the right thing and demotes him to the bullpen, stay away from “Big Time Timmy-Jim.”
Joe Saunders Seattle Mariners SP
Joe Saunders is having an incredibly weird season in 2013. Most critics thought a move back to the American League West Division would help relive his glory years from his time with the Los Angeles Angels. Nope! Saunders has been all over the map. Pitching great in a few starts and then getting shelled in most of the others. He’s currently sitting at 5-8 with a 4.98 ERA and 1.45 WHIP. Despite his best efforts he’s managed to put up worse numbers than Lincecum… with the exception of that one win. Either way, it’s not a good sign, and should be fixed immediately.