2013 Fantasy Baseball Busts

Here are the top 2013 fantasy baseball busts that you need to avoid this year. Don’t waste a high draft pick on one of these overrated 2013 fantasy baseball players.

Giancarlo Stanton, RF, Miami Marlins – With the Astros now a member of the American League, the Miami Marlins stand a chance of being perhaps the worst team in the Senior Circuit this year. How can a club be expected to succeed after its ownership decided to trade away almost all of its star players? Slugger Giancarlo Stanton battled injury last season and still managed to put up solid numbers in 123 games played. The 23-year-old hit .290/361/.608, including 37 homers and 86 RBIs. Don’t get me wrong, Stanton is one of the brightest and most talented young superstars in the game, but this year could be a bit different.

With absolutely no protection in that lineup, it’s going to be an easy decision for opposing managers to stay away from his devastating power. I’d take the bat right out of his hands even if the game wasn’t on the line. Hitting in front of players like Justin Ruggiano and Logan Morrison doesn’t sound too promising, not to mention Stanton’s unhappiness with how the Marlin front office gutted his team like a fish. Even though he is very popular among fantasy owners, I would put some serious thought into staying away from him in your 2013 draft.

Evan Longoria, 3B, Tampa Bay Rays – Evan Longoria has had quite a successful half decade in the Major Leagues, clubbing 22 or more home runs in four out of his first five seasons and has also knocked in over 100 RBIs twice. But with the good often comes the bad. After spending significant time in each of the past two seasons on the disabled list (hamstring), the All-Star third baseman has earned an “injury prone” reputation. Appearing in only 74 games in 2012, the former Long Beach Dirtbag returns to a Rays lineup that has seemed to taper down in talent over the past few years.

We all know that Carl Crawford is long gone and now with the departure of B.J. Upton, do you feel comfortable with the protection that Matt Joyce and Ben Zobrist provide for Longo? I sure don’t. Many fantasy experts are expecting him to go in the mid second round, but I would strongly suggest exploring your options before drafting Longoria as your primary third baseman. Remember, from a fantasy standpoint, durability tends to get overlooked when it comes to big name players.

Ryan Howard, 1B, Philadelphia Phillies – Phillies’ first baseman Ryan Howard’s epic tear of his Achilles’ tendon during the final at-bat of the 2011 NLDS kept him off the diamond for more than half of the 2012 season. He also fractured a bone in his toe at the tail end of 2012, and even spent time on the DL in 2010 with ankle issues. Aside from his lower leg misfortune, there are many other reasons to avoid drafting Howard in 2013. Not only does he have a declining batting average, but his slugging percentage and hits in each of the past four seasons have also declined.

Howard’s home run totals the last seven years (2006-2012) looks like this: 58, 47, 48, 45, 31, 33 and 14. This scares me considering that he played over 140 games in 2010 and 2011, but his power decreased by nearly a third during that stretch. In all honesty, I am beginning to wonder whether Howard will even break the 30 home run mark this year, healthy or not. With first base being such a deep position in Fantasy Baseball, getting a younger and more durable player makes much more sense.

Adam Wainwright, SP, St. Louis Cardinals – Wainwright, 31, who missed all of 2011 after undergoing Tommy John surgery during Spring Training, is on track to be the Cardinals 2013 Opening Day starter. It’s hard to root against a guy who’s still trying to find his groove after every pitchers nightmare (Tommy John), but I have a hard time believing that he will return to his old self. Waino’s first season back (2012) wasn’t nearly as successful as many had hoped. He was having a hard time gaining a feel for his curveball, which he considers his “out pitch”. It almost appeared as if the right-hander didn’t seem confident in using that pitch quite as often as he should.

Wainwright finished 2012 with a 14-13 record and a 3.94 ERA, which are both disappointing by his standards. During the first half of the season he was 8 for 17 in quality starts, with a 4.56 ERA and 1.35 WHIP. He did improve as the summer progressed, going 10 for 18 in quality starts with a 3.49 ERA and 1.16 WHIP in the second half. Without sharpness on that curveball, he won’t be the ace the Cardinals are hoping for. Some fantasy rankings have him in the top 10 for starting pitchers, and although he does have 80 wins to 48 losses in his career, obviously most of them pre-surgery wins. I think I’ll take my chances elsewhere.

Fernando Rodney, RP, Tampa Bay Rays – At 35 years old, Rodney posted a microscopic 0.60 ERA and 0.780 WHIP while racking up 48 saves and more than a strike out per inning. If he were 25, you could consider him as the top relief pitcher in baseball, but this breakthrough season came out of nowhere. He hadn’t produced an ERA under 3.50 since 2005, and only posted a sub 4.20 ERA twice in his entire career. Though his WHIP last year was more than 0.40 points lower than his previous career best, this throws up a big red flag for me.

Was 2012 a fluke season for Rodney? Given his advanced age and the uncharacteristic nature of his late success, I see him as being a dangerous pick among the elite closers of the game. With the talented 26-year-old relief pitcher Jake McGee posting a 1.95 ERA in 2012, the Rays appear to be prepared to name him as the teams closer if Rodney either falters or is traded during the season. Rodney’s career has been far too inconsistent for me to trust him in back-to-back years.

Click here to read our newest fantasy baseball articles. Are there any 2013 fantasy baseball busts I forgot to mention? Any names that shouldn’t be on this list? Leave a comment below and let us know.