Now that the calendar year has turned to 2014, more and more people are preparing for their upcoming fantasy baseball draft. The goal each draft is to craft the best possible team together. To do so, a person must avoid any potential busts. While it is almost impossible to predict busts, here are a few players who have some alarming numbers that should be considered as red flags.
Mike Napoli
The catcher had a resurgence in 2013 when he hit .259 with 23 home runs. However, looking deeper at his numbers would indicate that he might have been just a little bit lucky all season long. He had a .367 batting average on balls in play (BABIP), which is well above his career average. Yes, it was due to him hitting more line drives, but a regression to the mean seems likely.Yasiel Puig
All season long in 2013, people were waiting for Puig to drop back down to earth. He did a little bit towards the end of the year, but for the most part he posted great numbers. Do not be surprised if 2014 does not go the same for him. He had the highest BABIP in baseball a season ago, and this was all done while swinging at too many pitches outside of the strike zone and not working counts. If he is going to be a legitimate .300 hitter for his entire career, he needs to fix that approach.
Michael Cuddyer
Cuddyer has always been one of the most professional hitters in baseball, but he had a crazy fantasy baseball season in 2013 for the Colorado Rockies. The right-handed hitter took advantage of Coors Field and some luck with a high .383 BABIP. Guys in their mid-30s, especially post-steroid era, simply do not improve the way he did in 2013. He’s still a productive player, but don’t be sucked into picking him too early on.
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