We looked back at the surprising pitchers for 2017 earlier this week, and now we will break down the pitchers who disappointed. This was a crazy season in which many of the elite pitchers went down with an injury at some point. I will try and balance injury with ineffectiveness to determine the pitchers who let fantasy owners down. You won't find pitchers such as the San Francisco Giants' Madison Bumgarner and the New York Mets' Noah Syndergaard on this list, because injuries derailed too much of their season.
1. Chicago Cubs Starting Pitcher Jon Lester -- A season after pitching to a 2.44 ERA, the veteran left-hander moved up draft boards and was taken as a top 10 pitcher in March, according to FantasyPros.com. However, Lester's ERA increased by almost two runs, as he finished this season with a 4.33 ERA. He made as many starts as he did in 2016 but finished with 20 less innings, which caused him to strike out almost 20 less hitters. The positive for Lester was his durability, but between an increase in ERA and drop-off in strikeouts and wins, he didn't come through for fantasy owners.
