Fantasy talk: A.J. Burnett Status report

A.J. Burnett was a massive bust for the Yankees from 2009-2011. He signed a big deal with them before the 2009 season and was a clubhouse cancer from day one. Last season he posted a 5.15 ERA in 32 starts and was very inconsistent throughout the entire season. Some say that the pressure of playing New York got to him and some others say that his skills just disappeared out of the blue. The Yankees went out and signed Hiroki Kuroda and traded for Michael Pineda for rotation help. Once they acquired those two players, Burnett became expendable. Burnett was shipped to Pittsburgh for practically nothing and I think it is safe to say that the Yankees wish they never did this trade.

Burnett did not get a warm welcome when he first started playing with Pittsburgh. In Spring Training, while taking batting practice, Burnett fouled a ball off of his eye and was forced to miss several weeks into the season while he recovered from his injury. Burnett was not a hot commodity in this years fantasy draft, but the fact that he was going to miss a few weeks before the season even started did not help his value. I seriously doubt that he was even drafted in your league when it first started.

Anyway, once he was fully recovered from his injury, most fantasy owners did not take a flier on him because of his hideous track record. I skipped on him as well, but he has shown the baseball world that he still has some stuff left in the tank. Right now, he is 8-2 with a 3.24 ERA. Not too shabby? Perhaps New York did get into his head. It appears that he has really found a home in Pittsburgh and hopefully he stays there for the next few years.

Fantasy-wise, some owners may still fear Burnett's track record and may sell him while his value is high. That's understandable but I suggest that you keep him. Throughout his career, like I said earlier, he has been very inconsistent. One start he will pitch a complete game and the next start he will let up 7 runs. This season he got rocked in one start, letting up over 10 runs. The rest of his starts have been great, and he has gone deep into every game. Overall, its a gamble to keep Burnett but I suggest you do so.