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When the 2014 fantasy baseball season started, the hottest hitter in the game was Seattle Mariners 1B Justin Smoak. The slugger racked up six hits through the first three contests, while slugging two home runs and two doubles. He also added seven RBIs with five runs to his amazing early-season stat line.
Unfortunately, Smoak has seriously cooled off since that point. His average has continued to plunge and he has only amassed two RBIs in the last 10 games. The first baseman has gone 3-20 (.150) over the six games alone and has struggled lately even making contact. Smoak has also been striking out a ton, as he has 15 strikeouts in 13 games this season. He has literally fallen apart this month.
So can Smoak be a reliable fantasy starter after his recent slump?
The safe answer is that he cannot. He has never been a reliable fantasy contributor throughout his five professional seasons and the 26-year-old’s recent cold-stretch simply shows how unpredictable his fantasy numbers can be.
Fantasy is all about consistency, and if a stick can’t produce on a reliable basis, he just is not worth the weekly starting spot. There are always options on the waiver wire, especially at first base, so don’t feel like you have to hold onto Smoak all year because of his torrid start.
It is time to let the Smoak Moster go free.
Adam McGill is the Senior Fantasy Sports Writer at Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @adammcgill83, like him on Facebook, or add him to you networks on Google here or here.
