Fantasy sports are a lot like the actual sports themselves. Whether it is baseball, football or basketball there is always going to be players who are underperforming and players who are overrated. In this episode we are looking at the 10 most overrated players in fantasy baseball today.
* All stats updated as of Thursday
10. Coco Crisp Center Fielder, Oakland Athletics
Crisp is not only a fan favorite in Oakland but seems like he has a solid following in the entire baseball world. He wasn’t drafted extremely high when looking at his average draft position but to this point in the season he should be producing more. He is batting .270 and has only drove in 18 men. One of the main problems with Crisp is that he seems to be injury prone and hasn’t played more than 145 games since 2007. I suspect his batting average will rise over the next few months but as of right now hasn’t been the center field most were envisioning.
9. Billy Butler Designated Hitter, Kansas City Royals
Considering this guy was being drafted in the late-third, early-fourth is the only reason he is on this list. He is batting .263 on the year with five home runs and 31 RBIs. The home runs are down a considerable bit but the RBIs are still top-35 honors. The only problem I have with Butler is that he seems to be just a bit overrated. He is a good ball player but shouldn’t be getting drafted in the third or fourth round. Wouldn’t you rather have a guy like Edwin Encarnacion who was drafted around the same time and hits for similar average but has 14 home runs and the third most RBIs.
8. Cole Hamels Starting Pitcher, Philadelphia Phillies
Hamels was said to be the “ace” pitcher for this squad when the year started. He was being drafted early in the third round and has been a major disappointment to those who have drafted him. He is currently 1-8 with a 4.43 ERA to go with five consecutive losses to date. After a 2012 where he picked up 17 wins and a 3.03 ERA, most thought this was going to be a really exciting year. It also doesn’t help that the Phillies offense hasn’t been giving him any runs and has the sixth lowest run support in baseball.
7. Adam Dunn Designated Hitter, Chicago White Sox
After a 2012 with an eye popping 41 home runs fantasy owners thought they had their sleeper pick all figured out. Until the Adam Dunn of 2011 decided it was his turn to play baseball again. Okay, he is doing a lot better than he did in ‘11 but that is not saying much. Year to date, Dunn has 12 home runs and a batting average well below the Mendoza line at, .153. Once again, he was a sleeper pick so most owners who drafted him don’t even own him now but for those who banked on power numbers late and pitchers early are reaping the consequences.
6. Danny Espinosa Shortstop, Washington Nationals
A lot of people were very excited to see how Espinosa would do in the 2013 season after a decent 2012. Unfortunately these numbers have not been better or even close to the same as last year. He is batting .166 with only three home runs and 12 RBIs. He just announced on Wednesday that he is playing with an injured wrist and is going to need three weeks to be 100 percent. The 26 year old was expected to do big things but has not done so to this point. Maybe once he comes back from this injury he will right the ship.
5. Josh Hamilton Right Fielder, Los Angeles Angels
I will admit that I am one of the bigger Hamilton haters but he really isn’t doing much to change my opinion. For some odd reason Hamilton is a very big fan favorite in baseball and in the fantasy baseball world as well. He was being drafted in the late second round, which is ridiculous in itself. To this point he has compiled a batting average of .219 with eight home runs and 18 RBIs. These are not even better numbers than Dan Uggla! But for some strange reason fans decided to turn a blind eye to the fact Hamilton has slowly been digressing since 2010. I warned folks not to draft him, you’re the only one to blame if you did.
4. Albert Pujols First Basemen, Los Angeles Angels
Another Angel makes the list and for good reason. Pujols was a top 10 draft pick in most all fantasy leagues. His numbers? Not so top-10 looking. He has hit eight home runs on the season with 31 RBIs and a .253 batting average. These numbers are not horrible but considering when he was drafted, yes, they are horrible. Some people might say, “Well first baseman's are hard to come by in fantasy.”” To that I would say yes, but why take Pujols in the first when you could have a Freddie Freeman in the eighth round, who is putting up great numbers. Here is another guy I was not going to draft and I’m glad I didn’t.
3. R.A. Dickey Starting Pitcher, Toronto Blue Jays
The 38-year-old knuckleballer cracks the top three on this list that you don’t want to make. Once again this was a player I warned folks to stay away from. He was being drafted in roughly the middle fifth round and has disappointed greatly. He is touting a 4-6 record with a 4.85 ERA and 57 strikeouts to his name. I could go on for days about how knuckleballers shouldn’t win the Cy Young or why Dickey is the most overrated pitcher in the game today but I won’t. As Drake would say, “I hate to say I told you so. So I bite my tongue, but you know, you know.”
2. B.J. Upton Center Fielder, Atlanta Braves
As a Braves fan I have a first class ticket to the frustration that is, Bossman Juniors hitting. Drafted in the late fourth, early fifth, BJ might just be the biggest disappointment in baseball besides the Lol Angels. He has the lowest batting average of qualified batters at .146. He is also seventh in baseball with 62 strikeouts. The only reason he isn’t in the top five is because he has only played in two of the past six games. It kills me to say it but BJ is looking miserable at the plate. Only time will tell if he can come out of this deep slump.
1. Matt Kemp Center Fielder, Los Angeles Dodgers
A top-10 pick, who looked primed for another great season has easily been the most disappointing of all fantasy baseball players. He is batting at .251 with only two home runs, which is shocking! In fact, Dioner Navarro had more home runs than Kemp has on the year yesterday. I assume Kemp will pick it up as the year goes on but he is really in a slump right now. He is currently tied for ninth in all of baseball with 60 strikeouts. I for one did not envision this happening and am shocked by how bad he has been struggling this year.