Among major league pitchers, A.J. Burnett is the sixth-highest paid in all of baseball. With that salary comes lofty expectations, yet Burnett finished 90th in the majors in ERA (5.26), 66th in wins (10) and 51st in strikeouts (145).
Needless to say, Burnett didn't live up to that $16.5 million contract, but hey, at least he's not delusional about it.
"Last year it really hit me how important I am to this team," Burnett told the New York Post. "I am not saying that we didn't win the World Series because of me, but I know if I had been right, it would have been a lot easier chore. I never knew how important I was to a team. That's not being cocky or arrogant; it's the way it is. I mean, what did I do to help?"
Despite his less-than-stellar regular season, Burnett still did have a chance to "help" in the playoffs, but he surrendered five earned runs in six innings against Texas in his only postseason appearance.