Fantasy Baseball Cold Streaks: Hitters and Pitchers Trending Down

We just looked at fantasy baseball hitters and pitchers trending up, and now are going to check out some hitters and pitchers trending down.

We are using FanGraphs to look at stats from the past two weeks (May 4-18). For the trending down players, we are looking at players with poor numbers in that stretch. 

We'll keep the focus on notable fantasy assets, not sparsely-owned players. Let's get right into it.

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Hitters Trending Down

Manny Machado - San Diego Padres

Machado has the worst batting average (.077) among qualified hitters in that two-week timeframe.

He has four hits over 58 plate appearances. Machado has a double, homer, five runs scored, two RBIs, four walks and 15 strikeouts in that span.

Machado has struggled for a good portion of the season, and is starting to be let go in fantasy leagues now. Before dropping him, try selling him in a trade. You'll be selling him low, but his big name should net you a return better than what you can find on the waiver wire.

He's been a consistent player over his career and should get going at some point, so I also like the idea of buying low on him. It won't cost too much now, and could pay off big down the road, so look into that possibility.

Tyler Soderstrom - Athletics

Soderstrom has a .109 average over the past two weeks.

He has five hits, including three doubles and a home run, in that stretch. Soderstrom has five runs scored, one RBI, four walks and 11 strikeouts as well.

Soderstrom is sitting at 86% rostered right now, so he won't net you as much in a trade as Machado would. He's still tradable in all leagues, but a better trade asset in deeper leagues.

He'd bound to improve at some point, so buying low isn't the worst idea, especially if you can stash him, or don't need to be starting him daily. And again, trading him away, even as a sell-low asset, is better than dropping him for someone on the waiver wire.

Ozzie Albies - Atlanta Braves

Albies has cooled off after a nice start to the season. He has a .118 average over the past two weeks.

He has five singles and a homer for his hits in that stretch, plus four runs scored and three RBIs. Albies also has two walks and nine strikeouts in that span.

Albies was a sell-high candidate a couple weeks ago, and the past two weeks of play show why. Now, he could probably be bought low.

I'd be OK with trading for Albies, but am expecting production closer to what he's done of late than what he was doing earlier this season. See what Albies would cost, and consider the move, especially if you have a need at second base.

Ian Happ - Chicago Cubs

Happ had a whopping 25 strikeouts over the past two weeks, which is a lot of negative fantasy points.

He had a .160 average over that stretch, collecting eight hits, two of which were homers. Happ also had 10 runs scored, five RBIs, 11 walks and a stolen base in that stretch.

Happ is owned in 96% of leagues yet, but could be dropped in more leagues soon - I'm surprised it hasn't happened yet. I'd look to sell him now, in case his struggles continue.

You could look to buy low on him, but he's part of a loaded fantasy outfield spot, so I'd really only want to acquire him in deeper leagues. There's similar fantasy assets on the waiver wire.

Taylor Ward - Baltimore Orioles

Ward had a .186 average over the past two weeks, and he also racked up 19 strikeouts, so not much has gone right for him.

He had two doubles among his eight hits in that stretch. Ward also had just one RBI, although he scored 11 runs and walked 16 times.

Ward is owned in 93% of leagues now, but has been let go in a good amount of leagues. He's not a huge trade asset, especially in deeper leagues, but I'd look to trade him before dropping him outright.

Better days should be ahead for Ward, but only buy low into him if you have a need in the outfield in your fantasy leagues. There's similar fantasy production you can find on the waiver wire.

Pitchers Trending Down

Framber Valdez - Detroit Tigers

Valdez has allowed 16 runs over the past two weeks, which is tied for the most in the league in that stretch. 

He's allowed 13 earned runs on 19 hits and seven walks over just 14 2/3 innings, and that's in three starts. He's 0-2 with 13 strikeouts over that stretch.

Valdez is owned in most fantasy leagues yet, but he's another rough start or two away from being let go. He's a buy-low candidate now, especially if you think better days are ahead, which they should be.

He likely won't cost too much in a trade, so he's an intriguing asset to look into acquiring. Trading him away now isn't the best move as his value is lower, but on his bigger name, you still might get a solid enough return to part with him.

Robbie Ray - San Francisco Giants

Ray has allowed 15 runs (13 earned) over his past three starts in the past two weeks.

He went 1-2 and had an ugly 7.80 ERA over 15 frames in that stretch. Ray allowed 22 hits and eight walks, while only striking out 10 batters. To make matters worse, he left his most recent start after being hit by a comebacker.

Ray can be a good fantasy asset at times, so now is a chance to buy low on him in a fantasy trade. Him leaving his last start complicates things, and his poor results of late are concerning too, but I still don't hate the idea of acquiring Ray.

At least inquire about his cost, just in case you can snag the veteran hurler for super cheap.

Shane Baz - Baltimore Orioles

Baz has been tagged for 14 runs (13 earned) over his past three starts.

He's 0-3 in that stretch, and has 13 strikeouts over 17 1/3 innings. Baz gave up 16 hits and 11 walks in those three outings.

Baz has struggled most of this season, and is way down to 34% owned in fantasy leagues. That makes him only a trade option in deeper leagues, and more an asset to keep tabs on to possibly add down the line.

Better days should be ahead, but fantasy owners are going to need to see better results before they can start trusting Baz again.

Noah Schultz - Chicago White Sox

Schultz is 0-2 with an ugly 8.78 ERA over his past three starts. 

He's allowed 13 runs on 14 hits and nine walks, and only covered 13 1/3 innings in those three outings. Schultz has 12 strikeouts along the way.

Schultz was a decent fantasy asset for the first few starts he made in the big leagues, but has regressed of late. The young pitcher is just a bit too inconsistent to trust in more fantasy leagues right now.

He's down to 37% owned, so he's a streaming option in deeper leagues only for now. We'll see if Schultz can ever find his way and be worthy of standard league streams again. Move on from Schultz for now, but be watching his progress in case he takes off ever.

Eury Perez - Miami Marlins

Perez is 0-3 with a 7.31 ERA over his past three starts. 

He's allowed 13 runs on 12 hits and 12 walks over 16 innings in that stretch. Perez has struck out 19 batters along the way.

Perez has made a couple good starts this season, but has mostly struggled. In time, you'd think he turns things around, but he's really hard to trust right now.

At 84% rostered, he's starting to look like a standard league streaming option. The time to buy low on him is now, but know there's risk involved in that, especially in standard leagues. Keep holding him in deeper leagues for now, but if he doesn't get rolling soon, he'll be droppable in those leagues too.