Much like Wednesday's "sleeper" suggestions, the term "bust" in fantasy baseball can be relatively broad. A player can hit 25 home runs and be considered a bust because fantasy owners expected 40. A trendy youngster can struggle and get sent down to the minors, resulting in a completely different type of fantasy bust. We'll breakdown all the different types of potential busts throughout Spring Training. In the meantime, this is our pre-Spring Training Potential Bust Team. These players are risky based on their average draft position. Questions? Hit me up on Twitter @briansflood.
Catcher
Travis d'Arnaud, Mets - d'Arnaud has been a prospect for so long, and involved in so many blockbuster deals, that he's already a household name despite only 99 major-league at-bats. Don't rely on a rookie catcher, who is playing in a pitcher's park, when it comes to your fantasy team.
First Base
Chris Davis, Orioles - There is a legitimate chance that Davis was a late bloomer and will hit 50-plus home runs again this season. There is also a legitimate chance that he'll hit about 30 homers and disappoint fantasy owners who draft him in the first round. Davis had a career high of 33 before blasting 53 bombs in 2013, making him too risky for a selection in Round 1.
Second Base
Jurickson Profar, Rangers - Profar is a future superstar who could emerge as a perennial first-round pick in fantasy leagues. He's also a 20-year old who hit only .234/.308/.336 over 286 at-bats last season. Profar should have some growing pains before emerging as a star, but an overzealous owner will take him too early in almost every fantasy league.
Shortstop
Troy Tulowizki, Rockies - Tulo is a phenomenal baseball player. In fact, he'd be in my Top-10 overall players if everyone in the league were guaranteed to be healthy. Unfortunately, health is not guaranteed and Tulo will disappoint fantasy owners at some point in the season. He's only reached 500-plus at-bats three times in his seven-year career. Fantasy owners are better off with a safer option in the early rounds.
Third Base
Chris Johnson, Braves - Johnson ranked second in the NL by hitting .321 in 2013. We're not really sure how he finagled such an improvement after posting a .274 average over four seasons with the Astros. Johnson doesn't have much pop, hitting only 12 home runs in 514 at-bats during his breakout year. Considering the 29-year old doesn't offer any speed, a return to a sub-.300 batting average will result in a disappointing fantasy campaign
Outfield
Michael Cuddyer, Rockies - Think Cuddyer will lead the NL in hitting again? In 13 seasons, he's only hit above .300 once. Yes, his .331 average was tops in the NL in 2013. But Cuddyer's previous career-high was .284 in 2011. He has a legitimate chance to drop 40 points in batting average and still have a respectable fantasy season. Let someone else over pay for Cuddyer's services.
Giancarlo Stanton, Marlins - Stanton really only helps fantasy owners in the power categories, and often struggles to stay healthy enough to contribute at all. He might have the prettiest right-handed swing in the game but he's severely overrated for fantasy purposes.
Carlos Gonzalez, Rockies - Sorry Rockies fans, but both Cargo and Tulo make the "Potential Bust Team." Gonzalez underwent an emergency appendectomy and hernia surgery in January and had lingering finger issues in 2013. He's also battled leg, foot and back injuries throughout his career and is too risky to build a fantasy team around.
Starting pitchers
Cole Hamels, Phillies - Hamels has already been ruled out for Opening Day with shoulder tendinitis. That's enough to scare me away for fantasy purposes.
A.J. Burnett, Phillies - Don't let the fact that the Phillies over paid Burnett confuse you into thinking he's still a top-notch fantasy pitcher.
Hisashi Iwakuma, Mariners - Iwakuma won't throw for 4-6 weeks due to a strained tendon in is right hand. There are enough healthy pitchers that it's simply not worth the risk to draft an injured one.
Hiroki Kuroda, Yankees - Kuroda's overall stats from 2013 will rank him among the high-end starters for fantasy purposes. A closer look reveals a 6.56 ERA without a victory over his last eight starts of the season. Kuroda is 39 years old and when pitchers get old, it happens very fast. You don't want him on your roster if the decline continues.
C.C. Sabathia, Yankees - Sabathia is still the No. 1 starter on the Yankees, but he's far from an "ace" compared to other great pitchers around the majors. His name recognition and rumored weight loss could lead to fantasy owners reaching on draft day, hoping for a bounce-back season. Sabathia's 4.78 ERA last season was a career high he's far from a sure thing to bounce back.
Closer
David Robertson, Yankees - Robertson has, arguably, the hardest job in the history of New York professional sports as Mariano Rivera's replacement.
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