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6 MLB Players to Avoid

6 MLB Players to Avoid
Tyson Ross is a risky pick with his injury risk and new hitter-friendly home park

Tyson Ross is a risky pick with his injury risk and new hitter-friendly home park

The season is months away, but fantasy baseball content is beginning to roll out in more steady streams and we know that some of you are looking forward to your drafts. If you’re anything like me, the draft is going to get closer and you’ll procrastinate thinking you can wait another day or two to prep. Well, that day was yesterday for me (first three rounds of an auction draft took place) and I wish I had formed a list earlier of players I wanted to target and avoid.

Like I said last week, there’s no reason to wait when it comes to jotting down some targets or players to avoid. You can use our Cheat Sheet Creator and it would take you just minutes to do this. As for the players to take note of, we’ve asked our featured pundits below who you should be avoiding in your drafts based on their recent moves.

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Q1. What pitcher that changed teams will be impacted the most in fantasy due to their new home?

Tyson Ross (SP – TEX)
“Outside of Chris Sale there aren’t many new homes for impactful fantasy pitchers. However, of those that did move, Tyson Ross may in line for the biggest drop. Coming off a major shoulder injury and thoracic syndrome outlet surgery, many may look to Ross as a sneaky comeback candidate with the Rangers, but Arlington Park was the 6th-worst for pitchers in the MLB in 2016 (Petco Park in San Diego was 12th, somehow). Oh, and there’s that injury. His peripheral stats were always impressive (9.73 K/9 in 2015), but even in his best year (2014) he only finished around a top 20 SP. I doubt he’s taken until the end of drafts, but when you add in that he could start the season on the DL, I may shy away completely.”
Matt Hayes (Razzball)

Tyson Ross signed a one-year deal with the Rangers this offseason. In doing so he moved to both a tougher park and much tougher league to pitch in. Not only will those who draft him have to be weary of an injury, but even if healthy, Ross will have a much harder time being successful. Unless he slides way down the draft board, Ross is a player that I likely won’t have many shares of in 2017.”
Justin Klein (The Fake Baseball)

Taijuan Walker (SP – ARI)
“Not a lot of movement from this position, at least not from the SP category, until recently when the Seattle Mariners traded Taijuan Walker to the Arizona Diamondbacks. I like the upside Walker has because you can see the talent from time to time, but you can’t ignore the fact he’s allowed 52 home runs over the last two seasons (304 IP). The 52 bombs are the 9th most in the majors over that span and the most among pitchers with at least 300 innings pitched. The move away from the AL West with pitcher-friendly parks like Safeco Field, Oakland Coliseum and Angel Stadium, to his new home at Chase Field, with visits inside the NL West to Coors Field, doesn’t seem like a positive. Chase and Coors were 2 and 3 in ESPN HR Park factors in 2016.”
Chris Meaney (FNTSY Sports Network)

Lucas Giolito (SP – CWS)
“I’ll say Giolito with the caveat that we’re just speaking about 2017, though there’s a long-term impact as well. Not only is he leaving the NL for the AL, but going from the NL East (Easy) to a strong AL Central. The White Sox are rebuilding and no longer have Adam Eaton’s defense to offer its pitchers, on top of the hitter-friendly park. Giolito has upside, I get it, but the hurdle just got about a foot higher.”
Nick Mariano (RotoBaller)

Q2. What hitter that changed teams will be impacted the most in fantasy due to their new home?

Jean Segura (2B,SS – SEA)
“Segura’s triple slash in the warm confines of Chase Field was .325/.362/.529. His average and OBP held up fairly well on the road, but his slugging percentage dropped 61 points — and that included several trips to Coors Field. While he’ll still be a solid fantasy asset, Chase Field was second in ESPN’s Park Factors for run scoring, while Safeco checked in at 20th. That’s not an ideal switch, even if the bats behind him are a bit better.”
Nick Mariano (RotoBaller)

“Already a top candidate for regression, I’m likely to avoid Jean Segura with his move over to the Mariners. His 203 hits last season were good for 3rd in the MLB, but that was a jump of 59 from 2015. His power spike (20 HR, 41 doubles in 2016) resulted in his ISO nearly tripling, something inconsistent with anything he flashed at any level. I doubt he’s as bad as his 2015 numbers (.257/57/6/50/25), but his .353 BABIP means we’re unlikely to see his 2016 slash line, either (.319/102/20/64/33). Combine the regression with Safeco Field and a lineup filled with holes, and I’m targeting Segura almost three rounds later than most Experts.”
Matt Hayes (Razzball)

Jorge Soler (LF,RF – KC)
“I love that Soler will almost certainly get every chance to play and succeed if he’s healthy in Kansas City this season. That said, he’s moving from one of the best parks for right-handed power hitters to one of the worst. On top of that, he’s moving from one of the most stacked lineups in baseball to a lesser one that has a manager who routinely gives up his team’s chance at a big inning to scratch across a single run. I expect a much better year for Soler in terms of volume, but unless he comes at a discount on draft day, I’ll be staying away from him in most redraft formats.”
Justin Klein (The Fake Baseball)

Brian McCann (C,1B,DH – HOU)
“It’s hard to say anything too negative about McCann as he’s one of only five catchers to have 13 plus home runs over the last three years. It was a strong move from the Astros to get a LHB in their lineup, but 46 of McCann’s last 69 home runs have come at Yankee Stadium. Evan Gattis could also steal some at-bats vs LHP.”
Chris Meaney (FNTSY Sports Network)

Thank you to the experts for giving their offseason fallers. Be sure to give them a follow on Twitter and check out our podcast below. Subscribe to get updates each time a new episode is available.


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