Fantasy Baseball 2012: Six Guys To Avoid From AL Central

Yesterday I took a look at six potential sleepers in the AL Central.  Today we will look at six guys in the division to pass on.  These guys either had a good year in 2011 and I think it will be tough to repeat or they had a bad year in 2011 and I think that trend will continue.  Get out your sharpies to cross these guys off your lists.

1. Jeff Francoeur - The Royals outfielder came back from the dead in 2011 to post an .805 OPS with 20 homers, 22 steals and 87 RBI's.  He also signed an extension to remain with the team until after 2013.  I am pretty sure Dayton Moore will be kicking himself because of that deal sooner or later.  2011 was the only season he had double digit stolen bases and he hasn't hit 20 homers since 2006.  The word "fluke" jumps out at me. 

2. Jhonny Peralta - Peralta had a big year in 2011.  He had a slash line of .299/.345/.478 with 21 homers and 86 RBI's out of the shortstop position.  It was definitely a resurgence for a guy who hadn't had a comparable year since 2008.  When the top tier shortstops are off the board, opt for J.J. Hardy, Alexei Ramirez, Derek Jeter or Stephen Drew and leave Peralta for the next guy.

3. Adam Dunn -  I have heard people say they expect Dunn to bounce back and attribute his 2011 struggles to a new position, a new league or finally getting a big contract.  None of these reasons are correct.  The reason why Adam Dunn struggled was because he couldn't hit a fastball.  Plenty of large slugging players in their early 30's faltered. See Cecil Fielder who hit 39 homers at age 32 and never again hit 20.  Maybe you remember Steve Balboni who dropped to a .192 batting average and 17 homers at age 33.  Being a White Sox fan, I hope I am wrong, but I am not going to be the guy to roll the dice on the 32 year old Dunn.

4. Justin Morneau - Speaking of slugging lefties, Morneau is another guy to let your neighbor take.  It sure seems like injuries have derailed what was a great career.  Concussions are a scary thing for athletes and have taken the careers of Steve Young, Troy Aikman, Eric Lindros, Corey Koskie and have caused Morneau and Sidney Crosby a lot of trouble trying to come back.  You can find better options at first base and utility.

5. Fausto Carmona - 2007 seems like so long ago.  Carmona teamed up with CC Sabathia to give the Indians a strong 1-2 punch that almost led them into the ALCS.  Since then he has struggled mightily in three seasons.  Last year he went 7-15 with a 5.25 ERA while only striking out 109 batters in 188.2 innings.  Towards the end of drafts somebody is going to call out his name.  Make sure it isn't you.

6. Carlos Quentin - Who knows if he will be in the AL Central for long, as the rumor mill is swirling around him.  The guy has extra base power.  Last year he had 31 doubles and 24 homers in 421 at bats.  The at bats are the important thing in that sentence.  He has never stayed healthy enough to get 500 at bats in any of his major league seasons. When it happens once or twice you can hope for a resurgence.  When it happens every year, you can pretty much expect him to miss significant time.  Throw in the fact that he hits for a low average, is prone to extended slumps and doesn't steal any bases and you can cross him off your list... except the "do not draft" one.   

Next time we will be taking a look at the AL East.