Felix Hernandez, 20, Seattle Mariners
King Felix was chosen as the GNUru's #1 most over-hyped pitcher heading
into the season. While Mr. Hernandez hasn't bombed, as indicated by his
5-4 record and 3.72 ERA, he certainly hasn't lived up to expectations.
While Felix has thrown some gems this year, his strikeout totals are
down and the wins have been difficult to come by.
Scott Kazmir, 23, Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Scott Kazmir is always a popular pick to become the dominant pitcher
many scouts believe(d) he can be. As the GNUru previously mentioned,
it's hard to have a fantasy ace that is on a bad team like the Devil
Rays. Even though Kazmir continues to help teams in the strikeout
department, his 5-6 record and 4.41 ERA make him a #3 or #4 starter on
a good fantasy team.
Ervin Santana, 24, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim
Yikes...the GNUru was actually kinder to Ervin Santana than he
should have been. Those that drafted Santana early are likely hurting
as Santana has been terrible! A pathetic 5-10 record to go with a 5.97
ERA has many owners shaking their heads- if they haven't already, they
should be considering dropping the pitcher!
Chien-Ming Wang, 27, New York Yankees
Chein-Ming
Wang continues to pitch like, well, Chien-Ming Wang. So long as your
didn't over-value Wang on draft day, you should be pretty pleased with
his results thus far. At 9-4 with a 3.36 ERA Wang is clearly a reliable
fantasy option but his lack of strikeouts will always keep him from
becoming a fantasy ace- but that's what the GNUru said back in spring
training.
Chris R. Young, 27, San Diego Padres
Ok,
I'll admit it. The GNUru was dead wrong about Chris Young. Not only is
Young 9-4 with a dazzling 2.00 ERA but he has also turned into a guy
who can strikeout a few batters. In 103 innings he has 99 strikeouts
and is on pace to eclipse the 200 K mark.
Jeff Francis, 26, Colorado Rockies
The GNUru thought Jeff Francis would come back down to earth after
a nice 2006. However, Jeff has surprised the GNUru with his 8-5 record
and equally impressive 3.87 ERA. Francis's sexiness was as a back of
the fantasy rotation guy and he has certainly excelled as a #4 or #5
starter.
Dave Bush, 27, Milwaukee Brewers
As a #5 starter Dave Bush has been adequate but that is only
because the Brewers have provided enough run support to produce 7 wins
for a guy with a 4.86 ERA. If not for the wins, Bush would be relegated
to the free agent pool!
Joe Blanton, 26, Oakland Athletics
The
GNUru was reluctant to include Blanton on this list and it appears as
if the GNUru's first instincts were correct. Blanton's 8-5 record and
3.28 ERA have been a nice surpise and if you followed the GNUru's
advice and selected him late, your team should be in great shape!
Zach Duke, 23, Pittsburg Pirates
Zach Duke is probably the biggest buster on this list. Duke's 2007
season has been a nightmare with his 3-7 record and 5.79 ERA. If that
wasn't bad enough, his 99 innings of work have yielded just 33
strikeouts. Thus far Duke has done nothing for his fantasy owners!
Gustavo Chacin, 26, Toronto Blue Jays
Well, I suppose the GNUru was right about Chacin but he can't take
to much credit as Chacin injury was not part of the equation. That
said, prior to the injury Gustavo was pretty bad with a 5.60 ERA in his
5 starts.