The Stamp of Disapproval

Usually I’m calling out players and giving them my stamp of approval, but not today. There are four guys I talk about who might be on your team that are sure to disappoint you in the very near future. Two of them are pitchers that you can hear me rant on in the podcast and the two hitters I’ll expand on a bit more here.

First and foremost on this list is Brewers infielder Yuniesky Betancourt. I had the (non)pleasure of watching him play many years for my favorite team, the Mariners, and was always left disappointed. Always. Though he’s hitting .277 right now, he’s more likely to slip to or below his .266 career mark and hasn’t even hit over .260 since 2008. Only three of his nine years in the league did he top 60 RBI and he doesn’t steal bases or hit home runs (only topping 10 twice.) I know he’s a good value, having eligibility at each base position but his terrible track record leaves me wondering how he’s even doing this well.

I don’t trust John Buck either, and this is based on his past two weeks and career history. Last season he hit .192 in 106 games. Does that sound like a solid catcher to you? I didn’t think so. Since his offensive explosion at the beginning of the season he’s 6/36 (.167 avg) with just four runs and three RBI. He’s only topped 50 RBI three times in his career and his current .260 average is good for second-best in his career. I am so sure that his first two weeks were a fluke that I’m guaranteeing he won’t put up enough RBI over the rest of the season to hit 70. No way. Especially with top prospect Travis D’Arnaud waiting in the minors. Go pick up somebody like Carlos Ruiz instead who’s actually made an All-Star team.

These guys are everywhere and you can’t get sucked in by their allure. It’s important to vet your pickups if you don’t recognize the guy. It’s a HUGE red flag if he’s played at least five years, his career average is below .260 and he’s hitting .310. It’s like meeting a beautiful girl at a bar after five or six drinks. Sure she looks good now and might be fun for a couple hours but the next day you’ll be kicking yourself for the mistakes you’ve made. Even more importantly, when she calls you in two months DO NOT ANSWER YOUR PHONE. You’ve been drinking again and it isn’t a smart decision.

When you inevitably pick up that player because they are hitting well, expect their first start for you to be an 0/4 performance. Especially if you’re me adding JP Arencibia. There’s a reason I stashed Carlos Ruiz for a couple days and have Mike Zunino sitting in my NA spot. Sometimes the blind pickup works, and you end up with Matt Harvey. Other times it blows up in your face and you find yourself playing tug of war in your head on whether or not you should hang on to John Buck. Either way, it’s going to happen to everybody every season but if you want it to happen less often for you, take two minutes and do some research.

I’d rather pick up a good player on a cold streak than a bad player on a hot streak any day. I love you all, except Hawk Harrelson. Enough already.