One of the hardest things to Fantasy baseball The owners have to cut the bait of a player they hoped to become a superstar this season. A cold start makes sense for anyone and fantasy pundits always preach patience when it comes to April baseball. But sitting here in mid-May and still not showing any signs of breaking up?
It’s time to say goodbye, and yes, Victor Robles, we’re watching you.
Formed as a 16-year-old from the Dominican Republic in 2013, Robles has long been a hypnotized prospect in baseball. Even before physical maturity, he exhibited the Tool Big League GMs greed, and after landing with the Nationals Rookie League team, he landed on Baseball America’s top-100 prospects list. His success campaign in 2019 was impressive. He scored 14 home runs and stole 24 bases, and fantasy owners were drooling at the thought of his 20-homer, 40-steal ability.
Problems arose in 2020 as the Robles lost plate discipline and struggled regularly to get good wood on the ball. He started swinging on more pitches overall, and his swings outside the zone were skyrocketing. He started swinging through very high pitches and as the contact rate decreased, the concern grew. Despite a drop in both barrel and hard-contact rates, like many other players struggling in the short season, the Robles received a pass.
The faith was renewed after a strong spring in this season. Robbles appeared to be dialed in at the plate, and manager Dave Martinez even announced that he would bat in the leadoff this season. The fantasy owners were once again dripping saliva, especially at the premiums of the stolen locations. Unfortunately, once regular-season games begin, he returns as the 2020 Robles. His contact was weak and his barrel rates were down, although he was walking and coming on base at about 35 percent of the time. He was a disaster on the basepath, caught stealing three times in five attempts.
The calendar has flipped by May, and things are even worse. Robles is still uncontacted and has been dropped to eighth in the order. If he manages to reach the base, the red light is on. In fantasy, it’s time to say goodbye, because he’s doing more harm than good by staying in your lineup. If you do not have the courage to cut it completely, park it on your bench or explore the trade market. But to expect a comeback in 2018 seems like a waste of your time.
Howard Bender is the vice president of operations and head of content FantasyAlarm.com. Follow him on twitter @rotobuzzguy And catch him on the award-winning “fantasy alarm radio show” on SiriusXM Fantasy Sports Channel from 6-8 pm for all your own go to FantasyAlarm.com Fantasy baseball advice.
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