Fantasy Baseball: 11 Players Who Disappointed in 2017
Starling Marte, OF, Pittsburgh Pirates
Preseason ADP: 23.11
If we solely look at the statistics for Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Starling Marte, it's clear that he had a disappointing season. It's hard to put a positive spin on a .275/.333/.379 triple slash with 7 homers, 31 RBI, and 48 runs scored. The 21 stolen bases were nice, but it's not like that made up for everything else -- especially since he was fresh off a 47-steal campaign in 2016.
It gets even more disappointing when remembering he was popped for performance-enhancing drugs in the middle of April, forcing him to sit out for 80 games and likely leaving a huge hole in your lineup that was supposed to be occupied by a early-round draft pick.
And to make matters even worse, Marte was selected prior to a number of outfielders who enjoyed big years, with a couple being some dudes named Giancarlo Stanton (39.85) and J.D. Martinez (85.82, although he did miss the start of 2017 with an injury).
Something good that we can pull from Marte's shortened season is that his plate discipline has improved a bit. His chase rate settled in at 33.0%, which is a new single-season career best and a stark contrast from the 39.4% and 39.2% rates he posted in the two seasons prior. However, the outfielder paired that with the lowest hard-hit rate (26.2%) and the highest soft-hit rate he's ever posted (29.0%).