At least some form of disappointment comes with every baseball season. (Well, maybe not the 1985 Tigers or the 1998 Yankees, but you get the idea.) In fantasy baseball,
the disappointment comes when players we think will be solid contributors have subpar seasons. With news that Seattle's Erik Bedard will undergo surgery on his shoulder and miss the remainder of this year, we take a look at some of this season's most disappointing players.Erik Bedard, Mariners. After only starting 15-games in an injury-shortened 2008 season, there were high hopes for the lefty returning to the power pitcher he was with the Orioles. But after an excellent start (5-3, 2.82 ERA, 1.19 WHIP), another injury-plagued season came to an unhappy ending ... after just 15 starts.
Chris Young, Diamondbacks. Keeper league owners have been waiting for a couple years now for the fleet-footed outfielder to flash the skills he showed as a rookie in 2007 when he hit 32 homers and stole 27 bases. Young reached a new low this week when he lost his starting job (hitting .194 may have been one reason) and was demoted to the minors.
Garrett Atkins, Rockies. In 2006-07, Atkins averaged 27 homers, 115 RBI and hit .315. But that was before the dreaded humidor started leveling the playing field in the Mile High City. His performance dropped off slightly last season, but he still managed 21 homers and 99 RBI. But nothing could prepare his fantasy owners for this year's slimmed-down .222 average, seven homers and 35 RBI. Talk going on an Atkins diet ...
Chris Davis, Rangers. After wowing fantasy owners with a .285 average, 17 homers and 55 RBI in a half-season with Texas, big things were expected from the 23-year-old slugger. Problem was, he just couldn't make contact. Davis was on pace to set a single-season strikeout record when he was sent to the minors early last month with his average hovering around the Mendoza Line. Things are looking up though. At Class AAA Oklahoma City, he's hitting .321 with a .542 slugging percentage. Even more important, he's cut his strikeout rate in half (42% in the majors vs. 21% in the minors).
