Fantasy Baseball 2012: 10 Great Pitchers You Can't Count on for Wins

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I have never been a fan of wins as a barometer of how good a pitcher is. Heck, just this past weekend Ervin Santana got a victory after giving up SEVEN earned runs. SEVEN!!

That alone speaks volumes of how telling wins can be.

Regardless of my hate on the statistic, they do play in fantasy and are quite valuable. A couple weeks back, I had nine quality starts from my squad and ZERO wins. Them the brakes.

This piece showcases 10 great pitchers this season that cannot be counted on for wins.

Cliff Lee

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2012 wins: zero

Clearly the most glaring and nothing to do with his numbers. His 3.18 ERA and 1.05 WHIP are very good and should have netted him at least ONE win.

This is one of those odd anomalies, and maybe it is karma coming back to get him after acquiring 14 wins in 2004 with a 5.43 ERA.

Jordan Zimmerman

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2012 wins: three

Zimmerman has finally made it to the show and is part of a dynamic Nats rotation. His ERA is below 3.00, and yet he only has three wins.

Zimmerman pitches in front of a great team, and with Harper now firmly entrenched at the top of their batting order, the Nationals should net him more wins.

Edwin Jackson

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2012 wins: three

Sticking with the Nats. How does a pitcher with a 1.01 WHIP and an ERA of 3.02 only have three wins you ask?

Well, he has won both his starts in June, so all of April and May netted him one win. That win was also on a complete game, two-hitter.

Come on, Washington.

Zack Greinke

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2012 wins: seven

Zack Greinke has notoriously been the guy to lead this category, but this season seems to be different.

Granted, last night he pitched eight innings giving up one run and got the no-decision.

A month ago he also pitched eight innings while giving up no runs and still got the no-decision.

Back in 2010 from April 5 to June 8, Greinke had zero victories. During that stretch he had nine quality starts and four games where he gave up one run or less.

Them the brakes.

Just to prove how out of whack wins are, 17 days after his first win of the season (back in 2010) he gave up six earned runs and got the victory.

The more you know...

Tim Lincecum

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2012 wins: two

Granted, this has a lot to do with his ERA of 6.00. After winning 29 games over the past two seasons, Lincecum's time will come.

He is too talented to not dominate.

Anibal Sanchez

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2012 wins: three

If you were to tell me at the beginning of the season that Sanchez would have three wins by June 14, I would have been quite surprised.

I mean, wins are wins, but with a 3.40 ERA, 1.13 WHIP, 8.39 strikeouts per nine innings and the offense that he has in front of him, three is very disappointing.

Jon Lester

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2012 wins: three

Lester has struggled this season, and when pitching in the AL East, wins are tough to come by.

Lester, throughout his career, has been quite lucky in the win column and has always put up high win totals.

Not this season, especially with an ERA of 4.57.

Maybe you wouldn't sweat so much if you were in shape, Jon...I kid.

Matt Moore

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2012 wins: three

A super talented 22-year-old, Moore has not had as great a season as expected. That being said, he has still pitched well enough in many games to have more than three wins.

Moore has pitched in five games this season where he has given up two earned runs or less without earning the victory.

Things will pick up M & Ms.