We've reached a point of the season where some players have been so dissappointing that there's really no way they can make it up to their fantasy owners. Here are 5 NL players that owners wish they hadn't invested so much in before the season: (I haven't included players whose dissappointment is primarily due to injury - Rendon, Pence, Wainwright, etc..)
Ian Desmond, SS, WAS
Desmond has quietly put together an extremely disappointing season for the Nationals in pretty much all areas. His high K% in 2014 was a concern coming into the season, but he has always maintained a BABIP well above .300 to keep his BA respectable. Until this year when his BABIP has dropped to .283 and his BA to an ugly .215. His LD% of 15.2% would be the lowest of his career (for a full season) and is the 8th lowest among qualifiers. His Hard% of 26.5% is also about 6% lower than his marks from the previous three seasons, so it's understandable that his BABIP has fallen. Unfortunately for Desmond owners, it hasn't just been his BA that has fallen off a cliff. After 3 consecutive 20 HR/20 SB campaigns, Desmond has compiled just 7 HR's and 2 SB's thus far in 2015. One would have to think that his 2nd half will be better than his 1st, but those who picked Desmond in the 3rd round this year will still probably wish they hadn't.
Jon Lester, SP, CHC
For now it looks like Lester's 2014 will remain a career year, as he has followed up his career best 2.46 ERA and 1.10 WHIP with a 3.74 ERA and 1.33 WHIP in the 1st half of 2015. His 1.97 BB/9 from last season appears to be an anomaly as he never before posted a BB/9 under 2.80 and that number is back up to 2.62 this year. Lester should be able to keep his ERA in the 3.00's but it is probably more realistic to consider him a mid-rotation fantasy starter rather than the ace that he was drafted as.
Marcell Ozuna, OF, MIA
After hitting .269 with 23 HR's and 85 RBI last season, Ozuna was drafted as a borderline top-30 OF this year, as many assumed he would continue to be a solid source of power. Well, so far it hasn't happened, as he still only has 4 homeruns and we're in July. Not only is his GB% up from last year, but his HR/FB% is down to 6.5% and he has done nothing to show that last year's 16.8% rate is repeatable. At least he was hitting for a decent average until recently, when he slashed .130/.167/.159 with a 36.1% K% over his past 19 games, a slump which has resulted in Ozuna being sent down to the minors. There's a very good chance he returns to the Marlins later in the season, but that is not reason for him to remain on your fantasy roster.
Jimmy Rollins, SS, PHI
No one expected Rollins to hit for a high average this year, but many did expect that his power/speed combo would make up for his lack of BA contribution. Instead, Rollins has regressed in all categories and it's very much uncertain whether he will ever return. To be fair, he still has some power and some speed, just not nearly enough to compensate for a .208 BA. With 6 SB's to date, he is nowhere near his 28 steals from a year ago, and his power has evaporated over the past month, as he has collected only 2 XBH's (both 2B's) in his last 77 AB's. Even if his .226 BABIP does see some improvement, Rollins might be better off on the waiver wire and is certainly not a top-8 SS like he was considered on draft day.
Julio Teheran, SP, ATL
Teheran has always shown strong home/road splits, but he has taken it to the extreme this season with a 2.04 ERA at home compared to 7.40 on the road. Unfortunately for Teheran owners, the overall results have not been good, as his 4.60 ERA and 1.41 WHIP so far this season are far worse than his stellar numbers from a year ago. There was reason to suspect that his .267 BABIP from 2014 would rise, but he has also lowered his K%, raised his BB%, and seen his xFIP rise above 4.00. It's safe to say that at this point Teheran is best used only at home and that that's probably not what owners were hoping for when they drafted him amongst the top 20 starting pitchers.
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