Team By Team Report: The Most Disappointing Players
Continuing the series from last week where we went through the most surprising player on each team, this week we will give the most disappointing player on each team, and if they can turn it around.
AL East
New York Yankees, Ian Kennedy. After not making the trade for Johan Santana in the offseason, Yankees GM Brian Cashman said that the team was committed to their young arms, including Kennedy. I would think if Cashman had a mulligan he might take the deal. Kennedy was awful (and that is being nice) in his starts at the big league level, as he was 0-3 with a 7.42 ERA in eight starts. In many of them he didn't even last the five innings required to be eligible to win the game. He is still a young guy, so he has time to turn his career around, but I would not take the chance on him in 2008 at all.
Boston Red Sox, Dustin Pedroia. After winning the AL Rookie of the Year and batting .317 in 2007, expectations were high for Pedroia. Through the first two and a half months of this season, he can only be described as a disappointment. His batting average sits at .262 and that is only because he has been hot this past week or so. This is a bit of a stretch for a disappointment, but the Sox have been so good, it was a tough choice.
Tampa Bay Rays, Carlos Pena. Not a tough choice at all here, but many should have seen this one coming. After a career season last year, Pena was due to a huge correction in 2008, and we have seen just that. Even before he got injured, Pena's batting average was atrocious at .227, 55 points below his season average in 2007. He was still hitting for some power, but there was no way he was going to replicate last season's 46 bombs. If you won Pena, I would hope he hits a little hot streak when he returns and then trade him off as soon as possible.
Baltimore Orioles, Jeremy Guthrie. After having a decent ERA and a strong second half, many had some expectations for Guthrie. And although the Orioles haven’t always been giving him a ton of run support, Guthrie’s record is still 3-7. He might go on to win 10 games, but I would certainly stay away from Guthrie.
Toronto Blue Jays, A.J. Burnett. With all the great pitching the Blue Jays have gotten this season, it really hasn’t been from Burnett. His record is at .500, but his ERA is nearly five. He hasn’t taken his yearly trip to the DL yet, so if you have him, work on dealing him quickly.
AL Central
Cleveland Indians, Travis Hafner. Although his stats had been declining, many had high hopes that Pronk would return to his 40+ HR form. However, his stats were falling even farther before he suffered a shoulder injury that has kept him out of action even to now. He just turned 31 so, I’m not sure that a return to his power numbers is in the cards.
Minnesota Twins, Delmon Young. In my opinion, the most disappointing player of the year. A guy that came into the league with 30-30 potential written all over him, Young has struggled to hit with any power in 2008. In fact, he didn’t hit his first homer of the year until early June. He is still hitting for a decent average, and has been stealing some bases, but the total lack of power has made many fantasy owners sick to their stomachs.
Detroit Tigers, Justin Verlander. Another colossal disappointment, Verlander is one of the best young arms in baseball. In his first two seasons, Verlander won 35 games. In his first 14 starts this season, he has just three wins. He has been pitching better of late, but for the most disappointing in Detroit, there was no competition.
Kansas City Royals, Billy Butler. One of the better hitting prospects in baseball, Butler was expected to bring plenty of pop to the punchless Royals’ lineup. Well, it turned out it was Butler who had no punch. In his first 53 games, Butler left the yard just once. He could only muster a .263 average, and that combination earned him a trip back to the minors. When he returns I would take the chance on him, even though he had a horrible first two months of the season.
Chicago White Sox, Nick Swisher. Traded to Chicago in the offseason, the White Sox traded for Swisher to bring some extra lumber to the South Side. You didn’t expect Nick to bring you a batting title, but you certainly didn’t expect him to hit .215 either. Until a recent power streak, he wasn’t even hitting home runs. I believe Swisher will have a pretty decent second half to get his average over .250, but this wasn’t what anyone expected.
AL West
Oakland Athletics, Daric Barton. After his brief callup at the end of ’07, The A’s wanted Barton to take over at first and give them some instant offense. It wasn’t expected that Barton would ever hit 40 homers, but he is well below expectations with only five as of June 16th. He was expected to hit over .300, however, and his average today sits at .227. Not sure what to expect from him in the second half, but if the A’s hope to hang around.
Seattle Mariners, Kenji Johjima. How this guy got a contract extension this season, I will never figure out. Not only do the Mariners have one of the best catching prospects in Jeff Clement, but Johjima has been hitting around .210 all season long. Now the M’s are stuck with this guy for another three seasons. UGH!
Texas Rangers, Kevin Millwood. His record may be over .500, but his ERA is almost 5.00 and he hasn’t been near what the Rangers thought they were getting when they signed him. Stay away from Millwood in all formats.
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Chone Figgins. I hate to put him on here due to injury, but Figgins has been unable to stay on the field this season. Whenever he finally gets healthy, expect Figgins to go back to his usual hitting and stealing self.
NL East
New York Mets, Carlos Beltran. It seems like Beltran is just another in a line of guys who got a big contract and got comfortable and lazy soon after. His average is about where it has been throughout his career, but his power numbers are way down in 2008 and you have to wonder if it was the offseason knee surgeries, or if this is what to expect from now on.
Atlanta Braves, Mike Hampton. Is this the worst contract in history? Hampton continues to steal money as he hasn’t pitched yet this season, and I’m not sure he will. It was even worse this year, as he pitched pretty well during the spring and got people’s hopes up.
Philadelphia Phillies, Brett Myers. One of the most frustrating players in fantasy, Brett Myers will look like Cy Young in one start, and a little leaguer the next. When do you start him? When do you sit him? You never do know.
Florida Marlins, Jeremy Hermida. After hitting a grand slam in his first at-bat, expectations have been very high for Hermida throughout his career. He still hasn’t started to realize that potential, and he hasn’t been displaying the power he is capable of.
Washington Nationals, Lastings Milledge. When he was traded for Ryan Church and Brian Schneider, it was believed that the Nationals got a steal. However, Milledge has been struggling to reach the lofty production that he has been deemed capable of, and outside of stealing bases, he hasn’t been impressive at anything.
NL Central
St. Louis Cardinals, Jason Isringhausen. You knew the end of Izzy’s effectiveness was right around the corner, but it still hits hard when it happens. Isringhausen has always made saves interesting, but he nailed down most. Izzy couldn’t finish the deal seven times this season, including three in a row before landing on the DL. He’ll be back soon, and we shall see if he can rebound.
Chicago Cubs, Ted Lilly. Lilly has started to recover his consistency, but at the start of the year, Lilly forgot how to get people out. He had a career year in 2007, and many expected an even better year in 2008. Lilly is now 7-5 and looks like he could win 15+ games again this season.
Houston Astros, Roy Oswalt. The longstanding ace of the Astros staff, Oswalt’s stats have been going in the wrong direction for three years now. Not only does he currently have a losing record, but his ERA is close to 5.50. I think Oswalt’s days as fantasy relevance might be over.
Pittsburgh Pirates, Ian Snell. The best pitching prospect in Pittsburgh since Oliver Perez, Snell has had a terrible time with consistency and walks. Snell has been continually done in by the big inning, and after getting his ERA under last season, I expected much more from Snell this year.
Cincinnati Reds, Homer Bailey. One of the best pitching prospects in all of baseball, the Reds have thought they had a pitcher that would help them back to relevance. Unfortunately, Bailey has never been able to get anyone out at the major league level, and he is starting to look like one of the bigger busts in recent memory.
Milwaukee Brewers, J.J. Hardy. After a breakout year in 2007, the Brewers were hoping that Hardy was able to repeat his 26 HRs. Unfortunately, he has been unable to do so, reverting back to his career numbers of single digit homers and a batting average under .250.
NL West
Los Angeles Dodgers, Andruw Jones. Not too much to say here that hasn’t already been said. After a terrible year in 2007, Jones fell even farther from grace at the beginning of this season. In 42 games, Jones is hitting .165 with just two homers and 7 RBI. It is certainly time to cut ties with Andruw, perhaps permanently.
Colorado Rockies, Jeff Francis. After winning 17 games last season, Francis is the most disappointing pitcher in baseball. Not only is his ERA 5.50, but he has just two wins this season. Was he a product of the Rockies’ magical run in 2007? As of right now, it seems like the m
San Diego Padres, Khalil Greene. The Padres shortstop had a breakout year in 2007 as he hit 29 homers and hit well (for him) at .254. 2008 has been a disaster for Greene as he is hitting just .226 and has only hit six long balls. He is just one of the reasons the Padres are near the bottom of the NL standings.
San Francisco Giants, Barry Zito. Perhaps the worst pitching contract in MLB history, Zito has been borderline on embarrassing. He has walked more guys than he has struck out and his record is 2-10. That’s $7.25 million per win, not bad!
Arizona Diamondbacks, Justin Upton. The Diamondbacks have been pretty successful again this season, so this is a bit of a stretch but after his amazing start to the year Upton has been disappointing in the last six weeks. He had five home runs before April 15th and now sits at just eight two months later. He has an incredible future in front of him, and could break out at any time.
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AL East
New York Yankees, Ian Kennedy. After not making the trade for Johan Santana in the offseason, Yankees GM Brian Cashman said that the team was committed to their young arms, including Kennedy. I would think if Cashman had a mulligan he might take the deal. Kennedy was awful (and that is being nice) in his starts at the big league level, as he was 0-3 with a 7.42 ERA in eight starts. In many of them he didn't even last the five innings required to be eligible to win the game. He is still a young guy, so he has time to turn his career around, but I would not take the chance on him in 2008 at all.
Boston Red Sox, Dustin Pedroia. After winning the AL Rookie of the Year and batting .317 in 2007, expectations were high for Pedroia. Through the first two and a half months of this season, he can only be described as a disappointment. His batting average sits at .262 and that is only because he has been hot this past week or so. This is a bit of a stretch for a disappointment, but the Sox have been so good, it was a tough choice.
Tampa Bay Rays, Carlos Pena. Not a tough choice at all here, but many should have seen this one coming. After a career season last year, Pena was due to a huge correction in 2008, and we have seen just that. Even before he got injured, Pena's batting average was atrocious at .227, 55 points below his season average in 2007. He was still hitting for some power, but there was no way he was going to replicate last season's 46 bombs. If you won Pena, I would hope he hits a little hot streak when he returns and then trade him off as soon as possible.
Baltimore Orioles, Jeremy Guthrie. After having a decent ERA and a strong second half, many had some expectations for Guthrie. And although the Orioles haven’t always been giving him a ton of run support, Guthrie’s record is still 3-7. He might go on to win 10 games, but I would certainly stay away from Guthrie.
Toronto Blue Jays, A.J. Burnett. With all the great pitching the Blue Jays have gotten this season, it really hasn’t been from Burnett. His record is at .500, but his ERA is nearly five. He hasn’t taken his yearly trip to the DL yet, so if you have him, work on dealing him quickly.
AL Central
Cleveland Indians, Travis Hafner. Although his stats had been declining, many had high hopes that Pronk would return to his 40+ HR form. However, his stats were falling even farther before he suffered a shoulder injury that has kept him out of action even to now. He just turned 31 so, I’m not sure that a return to his power numbers is in the cards.
Minnesota Twins, Delmon Young. In my opinion, the most disappointing player of the year. A guy that came into the league with 30-30 potential written all over him, Young has struggled to hit with any power in 2008. In fact, he didn’t hit his first homer of the year until early June. He is still hitting for a decent average, and has been stealing some bases, but the total lack of power has made many fantasy owners sick to their stomachs.
Detroit Tigers, Justin Verlander. Another colossal disappointment, Verlander is one of the best young arms in baseball. In his first two seasons, Verlander won 35 games. In his first 14 starts this season, he has just three wins. He has been pitching better of late, but for the most disappointing in Detroit, there was no competition.
Kansas City Royals, Billy Butler. One of the better hitting prospects in baseball, Butler was expected to bring plenty of pop to the punchless Royals’ lineup. Well, it turned out it was Butler who had no punch. In his first 53 games, Butler left the yard just once. He could only muster a .263 average, and that combination earned him a trip back to the minors. When he returns I would take the chance on him, even though he had a horrible first two months of the season.
Chicago White Sox, Nick Swisher. Traded to Chicago in the offseason, the White Sox traded for Swisher to bring some extra lumber to the South Side. You didn’t expect Nick to bring you a batting title, but you certainly didn’t expect him to hit .215 either. Until a recent power streak, he wasn’t even hitting home runs. I believe Swisher will have a pretty decent second half to get his average over .250, but this wasn’t what anyone expected.
AL West
Oakland Athletics, Daric Barton. After his brief callup at the end of ’07, The A’s wanted Barton to take over at first and give them some instant offense. It wasn’t expected that Barton would ever hit 40 homers, but he is well below expectations with only five as of June 16th. He was expected to hit over .300, however, and his average today sits at .227. Not sure what to expect from him in the second half, but if the A’s hope to hang around.
Seattle Mariners, Kenji Johjima. How this guy got a contract extension this season, I will never figure out. Not only do the Mariners have one of the best catching prospects in Jeff Clement, but Johjima has been hitting around .210 all season long. Now the M’s are stuck with this guy for another three seasons. UGH!
Texas Rangers, Kevin Millwood. His record may be over .500, but his ERA is almost 5.00 and he hasn’t been near what the Rangers thought they were getting when they signed him. Stay away from Millwood in all formats.
Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim, Chone Figgins. I hate to put him on here due to injury, but Figgins has been unable to stay on the field this season. Whenever he finally gets healthy, expect Figgins to go back to his usual hitting and stealing self.
NL East
New York Mets, Carlos Beltran. It seems like Beltran is just another in a line of guys who got a big contract and got comfortable and lazy soon after. His average is about where it has been throughout his career, but his power numbers are way down in 2008 and you have to wonder if it was the offseason knee surgeries, or if this is what to expect from now on.
Atlanta Braves, Mike Hampton. Is this the worst contract in history? Hampton continues to steal money as he hasn’t pitched yet this season, and I’m not sure he will. It was even worse this year, as he pitched pretty well during the spring and got people’s hopes up.
Philadelphia Phillies, Brett Myers. One of the most frustrating players in fantasy, Brett Myers will look like Cy Young in one start, and a little leaguer the next. When do you start him? When do you sit him? You never do know.
Florida Marlins, Jeremy Hermida. After hitting a grand slam in his first at-bat, expectations have been very high for Hermida throughout his career. He still hasn’t started to realize that potential, and he hasn’t been displaying the power he is capable of.
Washington Nationals, Lastings Milledge. When he was traded for Ryan Church and Brian Schneider, it was believed that the Nationals got a steal. However, Milledge has been struggling to reach the lofty production that he has been deemed capable of, and outside of stealing bases, he hasn’t been impressive at anything.
NL Central
St. Louis Cardinals, Jason Isringhausen. You knew the end of Izzy’s effectiveness was right around the corner, but it still hits hard when it happens. Isringhausen has always made saves interesting, but he nailed down most. Izzy couldn’t finish the deal seven times this season, including three in a row before landing on the DL. He’ll be back soon, and we shall see if he can rebound.
Chicago Cubs, Ted Lilly. Lilly has started to recover his consistency, but at the start of the year, Lilly forgot how to get people out. He had a career year in 2007, and many expected an even better year in 2008. Lilly is now 7-5 and looks like he could win 15+ games again this season.
Houston Astros, Roy Oswalt. The longstanding ace of the Astros staff, Oswalt’s stats have been going in the wrong direction for three years now. Not only does he currently have a losing record, but his ERA is close to 5.50. I think Oswalt’s days as fantasy relevance might be over.
Pittsburgh Pirates, Ian Snell. The best pitching prospect in Pittsburgh since Oliver Perez, Snell has had a terrible time with consistency and walks. Snell has been continually done in by the big inning, and after getting his ERA under last season, I expected much more from Snell this year.
Cincinnati Reds, Homer Bailey. One of the best pitching prospects in all of baseball, the Reds have thought they had a pitcher that would help them back to relevance. Unfortunately, Bailey has never been able to get anyone out at the major league level, and he is starting to look like one of the bigger busts in recent memory.
Milwaukee Brewers, J.J. Hardy. After a breakout year in 2007, the Brewers were hoping that Hardy was able to repeat his 26 HRs. Unfortunately, he has been unable to do so, reverting back to his career numbers of single digit homers and a batting average under .250.
NL West
Los Angeles Dodgers, Andruw Jones. Not too much to say here that hasn’t already been said. After a terrible year in 2007, Jones fell even farther from grace at the beginning of this season. In 42 games, Jones is hitting .165 with just two homers and 7 RBI. It is certainly time to cut ties with Andruw, perhaps permanently.
Colorado Rockies, Jeff Francis. After winning 17 games last season, Francis is the most disappointing pitcher in baseball. Not only is his ERA 5.50, but he has just two wins this season. Was he a product of the Rockies’ magical run in 2007? As of right now, it seems like the m
San Diego Padres, Khalil Greene. The Padres shortstop had a breakout year in 2007 as he hit 29 homers and hit well (for him) at .254. 2008 has been a disaster for Greene as he is hitting just .226 and has only hit six long balls. He is just one of the reasons the Padres are near the bottom of the NL standings.
San Francisco Giants, Barry Zito. Perhaps the worst pitching contract in MLB history, Zito has been borderline on embarrassing. He has walked more guys than he has struck out and his record is 2-10. That’s $7.25 million per win, not bad!
Arizona Diamondbacks, Justin Upton. The Diamondbacks have been pretty successful again this season, so this is a bit of a stretch but after his amazing start to the year Upton has been disappointing in the last six weeks. He had five home runs before April 15th and now sits at just eight two months later. He has an incredible future in front of him, and could break out at any time.
Visit fightingchancefantasy.com for more great information and articles like this. Email me any time at fightingchancefantasy@gmail.com and I guarantee a response within 18 hours.
