Week 1 is in the Books.... Don't Panic!

By Minda Haas on Flickr (Original version)UCinternational (Crop) [CC BY 2.0], via Wikimedia Commons

We're now one full week into the baseball season and panic has already set in for many.  Some players have suffered really unfortunate injuries, however the majority of worry seems to be surrounding under-performing players... under-performing for one week mind you.  As people are reaching out for guidance, I've seen some pretty crazy questions; here are just a few example's:

• Should I cut Hosmer?
• Should I trade Correa for Story and Grichuk?
• Should I drop Wacha for Rich Hill?
• Drop Ian Desmond for Didi?

The list goes on, but you get the point.  Let's take a step back for a moment and ask yourself: "whats different today compared to 1 week ago?"  Unless you have Schwarber, Choo, or a few other players that have had tough injuries, the answer should be: nothing.

One week does not make a season and history will show that patience is a critical virtue in fantasy baseball.  How many times have we all picked up someone off of waivers that you couldn't believe was dropped?  Then that person turns things around, and you get to reap the rewards all year for someone else's hasty decision. Don't be the person that regrets the early season "panic move".

If this random one week sampling happened in the middle of June, no one would bat an eye. Obviously we all want our teams to succeed, but the season doesn't end after one week.  If you want to make lineup moves, that's fine; but you shouldn't value your players differently than you were prior to the start of the season just because of one bad week.  Let your team have a little more time to get things together and then make a proper evaluation.  Now, if another owner is panicking and offering you a trade that is too good to pass up, by all means take it.  Just don't be the guy that gives up everything for nothing.

If you are the unfortunate owner of Schwarber specifically, it will be a big hole to fill, but in most formats, there are likely undrafted serviceable catchers still on waivers. Cervelli and Hundley both have low ownership in most single catcher formats and are off to nice starts.  They are full time catchers on good offensive teams, and while they aren't Schwarber, they could be reasonable replacements.

Please do yourself a favor: if you absolutely feel the need to make a major roster move because someone isn't performing to your expectations, take a look at your pre-season cheat sheets and remind yourself that just seven days ago you expected your superstars to carry your team to a championship.  That can still happen if you give it time.