Relax Fantasy Players, It's Still Early!

Opening Day was very difficult for many starting pitchers and players. 

For example, Mark Teixeira, who received a $180 million contract from the New York Yankees, went just 1 for 4 on Opening Day and was booed every time he stepped on the field in Baltimore. This troubling day left some fantasy managers concerned as to whether Teixeira was really a Top 10 fantasy player. Another example is Astros star outfielder Carlos Lee. Lee got up to bat four times on opening day and failed to reach base.

There were a lot of pitchers who had high expectations for themselves in preseason.

One of them was CC Sabathia. Sabathia pitched poorly on opening day and was taken out in the fifth inning of the Yankees’ 10-5 loss to Baltimore. This is somewhat of a repeat performance by Sabathia from early 2008. Last year, Sabathia went 1-4 with a 7.88 ERA in the first month of the season. This eventually led to him being traded to the Milwaukee Brewers in July.

However, Sabathia’s performance would later improve and he would pitch very well for the Brewers. There is no doubt that Sabathia will be able to bounce back after his struggles on Opening Day.

Another struggling pitcher has been Cleveland Indians lefty Cliff Lee. Lee had the American League’s lowest ERA last year (an amazing 2.54). His first start this season resulted in a 12.60 ERA! Lee gave up 10 hits in just five innings, losing to the Texas Rangers. These numbers will disappoint fantasy owners, as they will hurt their teams in the short term.

But if the preseason rankings hold true, the top players should shine later in the season. Remember, it is just the start of the season. There is still a long year ahead of us.