by Eric Stashin (aka The Rotoprofessor)

As the sample sizes start to grow the impulse to cut bait on a slow starter increases.  How long do we stand pat, or do we move on and grab the latest hot young prospect (or whoever you can find sitting on the waiver wire)?  Let’s take a look at three veteran pitchers to try and determine if it’s time to “Ditch ‘Em” or if we should “Stick With ‘Em” for a little bit longer:

Jose Quintana – Chicago Cubs
2018 Statistics – 19.2 IP, 7.78 ERA, 1.78 WHIP, 7.32 K/9, 5.03 BB/9

I have always been lower then most when it comes to Quintana, as seen by ranking him outside the Top 30 starting pitchers in our preseason draft guide.  Here’s a quick excerpt of what was said at the time:

“While he showed more strikeout stuff overall, with a 9.87 K/9, and he could maintain a slightly higher mark in the NL, the underlying metrics don’t support it (8.4% SwStr%, 28.4% O-Swing%).  Couple those limitations with an unspectacular groundball rate (44.8%) and the questions are going to be there.” Read more

by Eric Stashin (aka The Rotoprofessor)

The Cardinals’ Matt Carpenter is quickly becoming one of the most asked about players.  It makes sense, considering the expectations entering the season compared to the miserable numbers he’s produced:

.174 (12-69), 2 HR, 10 RBI, 10 R, 0 SB

After giving him a pass in 2017 due to injuries, has the time come to finally lose hope?  Obviously the story is different if we are talking about an OBP format (.322 OBP), but even then there are questions.  Let’s dive in and take a look:

Batting Average/On Base Percentage

The struggles have been two-fold:

• “Luck”
• Strikeouts

Read more

by Eric Stashin (aka The Rotoprofessor)

No one wants to make the mistake of giving up on a struggling player too early.  You’ve taken on a lot of bad, wouldn’t you want to help offset that with the inevitable rebound?  Of course not every player is able to rebound strong, and sometimes they are simply destined to disappoint for the entire season.  Should we stay the course?  Should we give up?  Let’s take a look as we determine whether some struggling starters are worth trying to buy low on or not:

Jon Gray – Colorado Rockies
2018 Statistics – 26.2 IP, 6.75 ERA, 1.65 WHIP, 8.10 K/9, 2.70 BB/9

Gray is often downgraded due to calling Coors Field home, and while he does own a 1.35 HR/9 this season has that really been the biggest issue?  Not quite, as it’s easy to point more towards poor luck than anything: Read more