🤮 Biggest Fantasy Baseball Busts: Can They Rebound in 2027?

[u/ASmithFS]

https://www.rotoballer.com/fantasy-baseball-busts-mlb-players-who-underachieved-2026/1957912?rb

[u/NoleContendere]

Never drafting Julio Rodriguez again. Every single year he disappoints.

[u/ASmithFS → u/NoleContendere]

Yea he wont be a first round pick again for sure

[u/hapticeffects → u/NoleContendere]

He was my last keeper, and I held him over Caminero, Kurtz, PCA & Crochet. Fortunately someone dropped Kurtz when he was hurt and I'll be swapping them heading into next year.

[u/BadCompany22 → u/NoleContendere]

I think a lot of people are just frustrated because they drafted guys like Vlad or Corbin Carroll super early and now they’re just sitting there with nothing to show for it. Sometimes dudes just have off years, but I wouldn’t drop them unless you’re totally out of it. A lot can change after the All-Star break, especially if they get healthy or start hitting again. I’m still holding on most of my “busts” unless I really need the roster spot.

[u/MichaelGoulet]

Bradish Ragans. Was THRILLED to draft both behind Sale.

[u/ASmithFS → u/MichaelGoulet]

Bradish was a major disappointment!

[u/GLC911 → u/ASmithFS]

I dropped Bradish before the trade deadline and won my 5x5 roto league by 0.02 in era and 0.01 in whip. Had him on a $1 contract and got flamed by everyone in the pool. Flags fly forever 🏆

[u/soccerperson → u/GLC911]

absolutely nuked my whip. was a struggle to finish with a league avg whip after what he did

[u/HR_King → u/ASmithFS]

Your expectations were far too high. I wasn't disappointed at all.

[u/istealllamas → u/HR_King]

Why? When healthy, Bradish had consistently put up ace numbers before this year. It's one thing to think he might get hurt and not give you volume, but I don't know why anyone would have expected him simply to pitch badly.

[u/HR_King → u/istealllamas]

Odd take.

2022, 4-7, 4.90 ERA

2023 his only so-called ace year

2024 pitched 39 innings

2025 pitched 32 innings

2026 stats mirrored 2022

Your expectations were way out of line

[u/istealllamas → u/HR_King]

Yeah, he was mid in his rookie year, as many players are. Then basically every single time he took the ball for the past three seasons, he was awesome. Yes, injuries, as mentioned, but on net, a 2.77 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 268:69 K:BB in 240 innings. I'd say your take was far odder given that you apparently expected him to perform poorly because... why exactly? A 4.90 ERA as a rookie in 2022?

[u/HR_King → u/istealllamas]

Because he had barely pitched the prior two seasons. So, who was right, you or me?

[u/istealllamas → u/HR_King]

Well, first off, I haven't seen any evidence that you predicted a bad season for Bradish in advance. Nor have I heard any reason from you that he wouldn't pitch well -- not availability, but quality of innings. "Because he had barely pitched the prior two seasons" is a reason to expect continued injury issues, not poor pitching. He had come back healthy after Tommy John at the end of the prior season and looked like an ace. Plenty of guys have come back from TJ and been good thereafter. So again, what do you have to offer here except your ex post facto conclusion that you were right?

[u/HR_King]

Skenes, for sure. Yes, he can bounce back.

[u/drosse1meyer → u/[deleted]]

https://giphy.com/gifs/WrJ8x0niiblWEoo7hE

[u/BAF_DaWg82]

Cal Raleigh wooooof

[u/torgu]

This years championship is the one I'm most proud of because I had to do it with Vlad/Tucker/Kirby all weighing me down

[u/orionics → u/torgu]

Who did you "hit" on?

[u/torgu → u/orionics]

A rotation of frankenaces anchored by Rasmussen and Fried helped me lock down most pitching categories, and Yandy/Merrill were just enough to help me win a couple hitting categories each week in conjunction with my other struggling stars

[u/ASmithFS → u/torgu]

Wow that's impressive!

[u/ASmithFS]

Happy Monday!

While it's always fun to talk about the biggest breakouts and league winners, sometimes we have to look at the players who let us down. Let's take a look at some of the biggest busts of the 2026 season and determine if they will return to form in 2027.

Who let you down in 2026?

[u/drosse1meyer]

Some more ideas:

Marte, Betts, Acuna, Skenes, Chisolm

[u/strahlend_frau → u/drosse1meyer]

I don't think Betts was that bad, however, I regret holding onto Acuña as long as I did despite being a Braves fan.

[u/Warm_Shoulder3606 → u/strahlend_frau]

Betts was really good down the stretch, his performance in points leagues was crazy good start of august thru the rest of the year

[u/strahlend_frau → u/Warm_Shoulder3606]

Yeah I had Betts the whole season, he had a slump but he was definitely one I held onto

[u/ASmithFS → u/drosse1meyer]

Skenes was bad!

[u/DHVF]

I had a league winning hitting core this year but Skenes and Webb having down years cost me the chip in the end 😔 it happens but Skenes in particular having the year he had just seemed unfathomable in March

[u/MCHDeAnza]

Eugenio (stuck with him way too long), Rooker, and Kirby for the most part. Oh and Yelich and Webb.

At least Otto Lopez came through for me. Still came in 11th of 14 tho.

[u/ASmithFS → u/MCHDeAnza]

Rooker was injured, he gets a pass

[u/MCHDeAnza → u/ASmithFS]

Sure, maybe. But I watched almost A's game in the first half and his strikeouts were excrutiating.

[u/alexgndl]

I know I'm biased here as a Blue Jays fan but I really do think Vladdy's gonna be alright. He was clearly working through some injury stuff and like you said, he had eye surgery last week. He seemed like he was genuinely in his head a lot this season and was visibly upset a lot whenever he struck out/lined out. I think he gets back to his old self next time we see him on the field.

[u/welltimedappearance → u/alexgndl]

I think he will bounce back but he's been drafted too high for years IMO. Basically only one really good season over the past five years (6 ago being the 40+ HR season). Even that good one was basically 30/100, which isn't exactly elite for where he tends to be drafted. That year he had the slash line to go with it, but otherwise it seems people draft him thinking he'll go back to 40ish HRs with a high AVG and he's just not that. Maybe one of them, but not both

[u/2scoopsofJCB → u/alexgndl]

He is dead to me.

[u/akj80]

My dynasty championship last year built around Cal, Vlad, Tucker, Rooker, J-Ram definitely did not pay off as expected this year…

[u/mrnerdles]

I drafted cal and skenes. Still came in 3rd in the league somehow

[u/koalafishmutantbird]

Riley Greene for me

[u/alamarche709]

I was one RBI on the final day away from winning the championship this year after drafting these first 12 picks:

(4) J. Soto

(17) G. Henderson

(24) K. Marte

(37) B. Rooker

(44) R. Devers

(57) C. Ragans

(64) F. Valdez

(77) B. Rice

(84) W. Adames

(97) E. Suarez

(104) E. Perez

(117) E. Sheehan

[u/NSFAnythingAtAll]

Managed to win a league despite Machado, Teoscar, and Skenes.

[u/pitline810]

Willy Adames deserves a mention methinks

[u/QueasyFinger1316]

Cal Raleigh had a rough year.

Admittedly, tough to follow up what he did the previous season.

[u/HHSquad]

I won the championship despite keeping Tucker and drafting Bradish high.

[u/Pleasant-Swing4277]

Will there be a 2027 season? Thought the current CBA was up after this year.

[u/ASmithFS → u/Pleasant-Swing4277]

Let's hope

[u/Scubahill]

6 player keep league - definitely keeping Julio. As a Mariners fan, the risk of me dropping him and he then having the MVP year he’s capable of, to too great.

[u/CastroValley]

AI sloppy🤮

[u/Afflict10n5]

I don’t know if I’m touching any of these guys, aside from Raleigh - the injury serves as a reasonable enough explanation.

I think in our game that some explanation for poor performance is better than no explanation for poor performance. In that respect, that makes Tucker and Vlad absolutely terrifying. If Vlad had the back issue, I feel like we would know more about it.

Julio…. I’m just done with in general.