It had to be done

I just released struggling Arizona Diamondbacks catcher Miguel Montero (left) from my fantasy baseball team (The Bottom Feeders) this morning after coming to the conclusion that this is what Montero needs to get his season going.

At this time, Montero is "hitting" .189 with a .283 on base percentage, a .264 slugging percentage, three home runs and 14 RBI. Given that we're more than six weeks into the season, I think that's more than enough time to give Montero to get his bat in gear.

Coincidentally, Diamondbacks manager Kirk Gibson must be thinking the same way I am because he recently dropped Montero to the No. 8 spot in the lineup. The only reason he wasn't dropped to ninth was because no National League manager ever bats a pitcher eighth.

So, why do I think Montero will respond to my dropping him from my fantasy baseball team? Just because as a fantasy baseball team owner, I'd like to think that my opinion matters to the real players I don't really own. I know that isn't true, but if Montero doesn't get himself going soon he may wind up being dropped by his real team -- or benched, at the very least. Catchers are given a certain amount of leeway when it comes to hitting the ball, but .189 is beyond the pale for most managers. The only reason Montero is even in Gibson's lineup is because he usually is a .285 hitter with good home run and RBI potential. What's happening this year is highly irregular, especially since his slump has dragged on for so long.

Still, you have to wonder how much longer Gibson will give Montero. I know I'm not giving him any more time to resolve his hitting woes, as I just picked up Kansas City's Salvador Perez to replace him. We'll see how that goes.