ESPN

Not only have the New York Yankees been a disappointing team in the standings this season, they've also been largely disappointing for their fantasy owners as well.

Fourteen members of the Bronx Bombers ranked in the top 300 on ESPN's final average draft position list. That means a good chunk of the team's real roster was drafted in ESPN leagues at the beginning of the season.

Of those 14, just four of them have produced a ranking on ESPN's Player Rater that is equal to or better than their respective draft position.

Granted, injuries have had a lot to do with some of the disappointments, but regardless of the reason, the production in most cases was not what owners expected.

(Stats and Player Rater info through games of Sept. 22.)

Johnny Damon, OF: It was thought that the 34-year-old would see further slippage in his numbers this season, especially given last season's back ailment. For a little while it looked that way, as he was hitting worse than .200 with only one homer on April 19. But he then went on a tear that hasn't let up. With his .307 average, 16 homers and 29 steals, he'll improve his numbers in all five of the standard roto categories this season. He's been a big bargain considering that his average draft position was 151st, and he's been the 28th-best player overall in the Player Rater. On average, he was the 36th outfielder drafted, but he ranks ninth at the position.

Bobby Abreu, OF: Although 2007 was his worst statistical season since becoming a full-time player, he still produced enough to warrant being selected 55th overall on average, the 15th outfielder off the board. He ranks 34th on Player Rater and 13th at his position, so fantasy owners have gotten what they have expected out of him.

Mariano Rivera, RP: Even though Francisco Rodriguez has more saves, Rivera's overall production across the five fantasy categories rank him as the No. 1 closer this season, a nice return considering he was the seventh stopper off the board on average. His average draft position was 79th, but he's ranked 16th overall, a nice return on the investment.

Jason Giambi, DH: Giambi came into this season with very limited expectations and an average draft position of 219, ranking seventh among designated hitters. But he's shown that he still has something left in the tank when healthy, as he seen by his 31 homers. Not limited by plantar fasciitis as he was last season, Giambi even was able to pick up first-base eligibility again. He ranks 20th this year among first basemen and second to Jim Thome among designated hitters. In short, he's returned the value of a player drafted five rounds ahead of where he usually was picked.

One last note about the hits: Mike Mussina has provided a huge return in the leagues in which he was drafted with a late-round pick or scooped up early out of the free-agent pool. He wasn't picked enough on draft day to rank in the top 300 in average draft position, but the numbers say that he has been the 22nd-best fantasy starting pitcher this year.

Robinson Cano, 2B: Cano's season has bounced back somewhat since the break, but his recent benching for not hustling is just the latest setback in what is proving to be a long season. Cano's batting average on balls in play has corrected sharply this season, contributing to his batting average decline (.264 average this year compared to a .300 career mark). It's quite possible that he's just not a consistent .300-plus hitter going forward and instead will settle in around .280. His fantasy numbers are bad any way you look at them. He was drafted 50th overall on average and fifth at second base, but his owners have gotten the 25th-best second baseman and a player who ranks at No. 290 overall this year.

Jorge Posada, C: Posada usually was taken among the first 100 players and was the fifth catcher off the board on average, but his season was torpedoed by a shoulder injury. Obviously, some bad luck was involved and you can't predict injuries, but then again, it generally isn't wise to invest heavily in a 36-year-old catcher who has a lot of mileage on him.

Hideki Matsui, OF: He's been battling knee problems for most of the season, and even when he's been in the lineup he's rarely been at 100 percent. He had surgery on his right knee after last season. This year, his left knee has been giving him problems, which eventually led to surgery as well. To his credit, he did everything he could to gut it out and stay on the field, but the numbers tell a sad story for his owners. He's ranked No. 342 on the Player Rater despite an average draft position of 105, and ranks 92nd among outfielders despite generally being picked among the top 25 players at his position.

Chien-Ming Wang, SP: Sometimes fluke injuries happen, and you can't do much about them. Of all things, Wang had to suffer his season-ending foot injury on the bases in an interleague game. Unfortunately, Wang was on average the 28th starting pitcher off the board -- around pick No. 137 -- but was just another example of things' not going the Yankees' way this season.

Phil Hughes, SP: The hype machine was on overdrive, as Hughes was the 43rd-ranked starting pitcher in average draft position. But he lost a huge chunk of the season to injury for the second year in a row and was ineffective when he did pitch. It's way, way, way too early to give up on him, and we need to be patient here, but he certainly didn't do his owners any favors this year.

Melky Cabrera, OF: Not only did Cabrera not live up to his status of being No. 215 in average draft position and No. 56 among outfielders, he even was demoted to the minors. The numbers show that you would have been better off with an empty roster slot than playing Cabrera's .242 average in more than 400 at-bats. What he cost you in batting average was enough to outweigh any of his meager contributions in the other roto categories.

Alex Rodriguez, 3B: Even when you have a great season, it doesn't always meet expectations. A-Rod was the No. 1 overall pick in most fantasy drafts before this season, but thanks in part to missing some time with a quad injury, he's not even the No. 1 player at his position as of this writing. That honor goes to David Wright. Rodriguez's fantasy production has ranked 12th overall in the big leagues, so it's not as if he's been disappointing. Part of the reason he went No. 1 was that he was a "safe" play, but he hasn't been the No. 1 fantasy player.

Andy Pettitte, SP: Technically this was a miss, but you could just as easily call it a "break-even." Pettitte's average draft position was 211, and his numbers rank him at No. 226 this season. On average, he was the 53rd starting pitcher taken on draft day, and he ranks 65th for the year. For the most part, owners got what they were expecting.

Joba Chamberlain, RP/SP: Take away the rotator cuff tendinitis, and there is no question that his production takes a hit. However, Chamberlain's average draft position was 161, and he was taken before a lot of closers. He ranks at No. 210 for the season, so although he did provide some solid production, it didn't quite live up to his draft status. Again, blame the injury bug.

Derek Jeter, SS: On average, Jeter was the fourth shortstop off the board on draft day, and he's the fourth-ranked shortstop now thanks to a strong September. However, he still needs a strong push to reach 100 runs. But look at his position another way: Jeter's average draft position was 32, but he ranks only 93rd on the Player Rater, meaning he went three to four rounds too early, even if he was ranked appropriately among his peers at short. The .300 average is still there, but the homers and steals are on the decline.

Jason Grey is a graduate of the MLB Scouting Bureau's Scout Development Program and has won two Tout Wars titles, one LABR title and numerous other national "experts" competitions.