Three Fantasy Baseball Busts In 2012
You can’t predict them all correctly. A lot of talented baseball players have turned in great seasons in 2012, but these three have been disappointments for most of the year in fantasy baseball leagues. This does not mean you should avoid them in the future, but as far as 2012 goes, they left a pretty sour taste in the mouth of owners everywhere.
Matt Moore. In 2011, Moore instantly became a hit by taking the league by storm late in the year. Then, in the playoffs, he dominated the Rangers and threw eight shutout innings. All of a sudden, it looked like the Tampa Bay Rays had another star player on their hands. While that still may be the case, it didn’t happen in 2012. He is currently 8-7 with an ERA just under 4. That doesn’t sound like terrible numbers, but for a player who was going top 30, fantasy baseball owners probably expected more.
Closers in general. It would be hard to pick out just one closer who has disappointed in 2012, so here is a list of a few of them. Mariano Rivera, Brian Wilson, Ryan Madsen and Drew Storen all suffered injuries early in the season that has prevented them from providing really any significant fantasy baseball value. Then, closers like Heath Bell, John Axford, Jordan Walden and Sergio Santos are just a few that have completely blown their opportunities to be successful. This is a big reason why you avoid taking closers early in fantasy baseball drafts in the first place, but that is for another day to discuss that.
Philadelphia Phillies Veteran Aces. Both Cliff Lee and Roy Halladay have had 2012 seasons to forget. The two have combined for all of seven wins for a team that was expected to be a World Series contender. Needless to say, they are not contending for much of anything his season. Not only is the reliable duo not winning, but they aren’t doing much of anything like people are used to. Combined, their strikeouts are down, their walks are up and their ERA is around four. Not exactly what people expect from a pair of former Cy Young Award winners.
Fantasy baseball is always going to be a bit unpredictable, but this season there seems to be a lot of players, especially pitchers, who have never really hit their groove. The great thing about baseball is, all of these pitchers could return to expectations in 2013.