Fantasy Baseball: Weekly Slump Report (May 18)

It's been a bad week for the fearless men behind the plate.

The Cardinals, Cubs, and Red Sox catchers were among the worst in baseball with their sticks.

And they will need to turn it around—or the backups will soon be calling the game while the former starters watch from the dugout.

So, who else is currently slumping in the majors?

1) 1B/OF Michael Cuddyer, MIN

Cuddyer was only 2-for-21 with an .095 AVG this past week, and the Twins slugger didn’t send any of his teammates across the dish while only touching the plate once himself.

Minnesota’s first baseman/outfielder is only hitting .258 this season.

Cuddyer is still projected to hit 24 home runs and finish the season with a .271 AVG.

And though the recent slump might be a concern for a few fantasy owners, it’s way too early to give up on him.

2) C Yadier Molina, STL

The Cardinals catcher was only 2-for-19 with a .105 AVG this past week, and there's been a slight drop in Molina’s ownership recently.

Overall, Molina is 33-for-122 with a .270 AVG for the season and is projected to hit .310 with 10 home runs this season.

Fantasy owners shouldn’t be concerned and should let Molina ride out the slump.

3) 2B Aaron Hill, TOR

The Toronto Blue Jays second baseman was 2-for-19 and had a .105 AVG this past week.

In addition, Hill has hit .178 over the last 30 days.

Fantasy owners might want to sit Hill until he can break out of his slump.

4) C Victor Martinez, BOS

Martinez can’t be happy with his swings this week, going 2-for-17 for a .118 AVG.

The Boston Red Sox placed him behind the plate in 2009, forcing their former captain to the pine.

And Martinez’s production is not what the Red Sox were hoping for when they made the switch and he must make a quick turnaround if he wants to be re-signed by Boston.

On May 17, Martinez hit two home runs (one from each side of the plate), possibly signaling a turnaround.

5) C Geovany Soto, CHC

The Cubs catcher was only 2-for-17 and had a .118 AVG this past week. Soto didn’t drive in a single run and only stepped on the dish once.

Soto saw a slight drop in ownership by fantasy managers this past week, and the bad week might have reminded owners of Soto’s terrible 2009 season.

The recent slump might concern some, but I wouldn’t jump the gun because of a bad week.

Soto has done well over the last four weeks, hitting .314 with 19 RBI, which is reason enough to let him fight through this recent string of bad at-bats.

6) 2B Rickie Weeks, MIL

Weeks was 3-for-25 and had a .120 AVG for the past week.

Milwaukee’s second baseman is carrying a .250 AVG and five home runs this season and is projected to hit 20 home runs and finish the year with a .267 AVG.

Fantasy owners aren’t dropping Weeks, as he is likely being utilized as a backup guy on most rosters.

7) OF Carlos Lee, HOU

Carlos Lee was 3-for-24 and had a .125 AVG this past week after a short resurgence.

He's had a disaster of a start and has been in a season-long slump.

Fantasy owners are losing confidence in him and are dropping Lee from their rosters.

Lee has a terrible .193 AVG for the season; and it’s hard to believe that he's going to hit his projected 27 home runs and 100-plus RBI at this point.

8) OF Franklin Gutierrez, SEA

The rain is falling on Seattle’s Franklin Gutierrez.

The Mariners outfielder was only 2-for-16 with a .125 AVG this past week.

Some sunlight peaked through the clouds, as one of his two hits this past week was a home run.

The lack of production is likely related to his recent back spasms.

Gutierrez has hit four dingers and has a .299 AVG so far this season; fantasy owners should weather the storm and stick with him.

9) OF Austin Jackson, DET

Detroit’s favorite new face had a less than desirable week for the Tigers, as the would-be 2010 Rookie of the Year went 3-for-21 for a .143 AVG (and without a single RBI).

The wheels were bound to come off—especially after having such a phenomenal start to the season—and some fantasy managers have panicked as his ownership took a slight drop this week.

The strikeouts are still a problem with Jackson, but they haven’t affected his overall season average of .331.

10) SS Jose Reyes, NYM

The New York Mets shortstop had a tough week, going 5-for-31 with a .161 AVG.

Reyes showed some of his frustration at the plate when he was ejected for arguing balls and strikes in Monday’s game against the Washington Nationals.

The shortstop is only 33-for-149 for a .221 AVG this season—but despite his poor start, it appears as though fantasy owners are standing by him.

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