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2009 Fantasy Baseball Search Featured Articles |
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2009 Prospect Watch – Starting Pitchers
3/28/2009 |
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8.
Neftali Feliz – Texas Rangers - Age:
20
2008 minor stats: 127.1 IP, 10-6, 2.69 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 10.8 K/9 Feliz probably has a very good memory of every single home run he gave up last year—after all, he only gave up three the entire year. His stuff is sick and his changeup is equally good. The only potential hole in his stat line is the 3.6 BB/9, but that’s not unusual for such a young pitcher with only 10 games of experience above Single-A. He is behind only Porcello on the minorleaguebaseball.com prospect ratings. The Rangers are caught between their desire to not rush their future ace, which Feliz undoubtedly is, and the fact that their pitching staff may be the worst in the majors with little hope outside of Feliz and Derek Holland (see below). The team’s offense may be good enough to keep the team in moderate contention in the very weak AL West, and if that’s the case and the bottom of the rotation is stinking it up as expected, Feliz could see the callup he seems to deserve. The Atlanta Braves will regret giving up Feliz in the Teixeira deal someday very soon. 9. Derek Holland – Texas Rangers - Age: 22 2008 minor stats: 150.1 IP, 13-1, 2.27 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 9.4 K/9Just like his minor league teammate Feliz, Holland can probably discuss every home run of 2008 in great detail, because he also gave up only three home runs—one every fifty innings. Holland has gained almost four mph on his fastball since being drafted and throws a changeup with great precision, to the tune of an above-average 2.39 BB/9. He is the Shields to Feliz’s Kazmir—they will both be at the top of the rotation within two years, but Holland will always be the stronger command and control pitcher. If things really go bad for the Rangers rotation this year, both Feliz and Holland will get a shot by the break, but his maturity may give Holland the first crack. 10. David Huff – Cleveland Indians - Age: 242008 minor stats: 146.1 IP, 11-5, 2.61 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 8.8 K/9Like most of his Indians counterparts, Huff is more of a finesse pitcher than an overpowering strikeout pitcher, but his control is solid and his changeup draws comparisons to a certain other lefty with a destructive and deceptive mid-70s changeup who used to pitch in the AL Central. Uber-scout Jason Grey fawns over Huff and how strong his command is over all four of his pitches, and a 1.78 BB/9 is without question something to brag about. Huff’s relatively advanced age and college experience at UCLA indicate he could have quick success at the top level. Unfortunately Huff had a bit of arm soreness that limited his ability to properly audition in spring training, but the Indians rotation is filled with upheaval. Even if you assume Carmona will regain a solid grasp on his spot, and Reyes will continue to pitch like the stud he’s been so far in the spring, you can throw Pavano, Sowers, Laffey, and Lewis into a hat, and when some or all of them prove to be ineffective it will likely be time for Huff. One final note about picking up these midseason callups: They will be treated with the most delicate of kid gloves, skipped at the sign of the smallest injury, and are guaranteed to get shut down within 30 IP of their 2008 innings total, so tread lightly and be ready to make a move. But sometimes taking a risk is what makes this game fun, so enjoy the young talent we’ll see in 2009, and good luck. |
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