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        <title><![CDATA[Pitchers - RotoCommunity.com]]></title>
        <description><![CDATA[Fantasy Baseball and Fantasy Football user generated community with unique player pages, player stats and fantasy information]]></description>
        <link>http://www.rotocommunity.com/</link>
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                <guid isPermaLink="false">4474-881</guid>
	            <title><![CDATA[Wells, Randy: A Step Back for Wells?]]></title>
	            <link>/Fantasy-Baseball/Pitchers/wells-randy.htm</link>
	            <description><![CDATA[
	            	            With some luck, someone in your league will pay for Wells' 3.05 ERA, but it probably shouldn't be you unless the value is too good to pass up. He puts too many runners on and relies on his defense too much for fantasy owners to expect a similar ERA, his biggest asset last season, and he provides little to get excited about in other categories. 12-0-4.40-1.28-110 in 180 IP	            ]]></description>
                <category><![CDATA[Pitchers]]></category>
                <pubDate>Thu, 18 Mar 2010 02:14:19 -0400</pubDate>
            </item>
	        	        <item>
                <guid isPermaLink="false">4476-877</guid>
	            <title><![CDATA[Tillman, Chris: Tillman]]></title>
	            <link>/Fantasy-Baseball/Pitchers/tillman-chris.htm</link>
	            <description><![CDATA[
	            	            Place Tillman on your watch lists to begin the year. He's done nothing at the major league level to warrant fantasy consideration.	            ]]></description>
                <category><![CDATA[Pitchers]]></category>
                <pubDate>Sun, 14 Mar 2010 15:57:24 -0400</pubDate>
            </item>
	        	        <item>
                <guid isPermaLink="false">4477-876</guid>
	            <title><![CDATA[Bergesen, Brad : Bergesen]]></title>
	            <link>/Fantasy-Baseball/Pitchers/bergesen-brad.htm</link>
	            <description><![CDATA[
	            	            Bergesen has had a level of success in the majors. He was having a solid rookie campaign -- 3.43 ERA, 1.28 WHIP -- before a shin injury prematurely ended his season in July. He'll make a nice late round, Al only selection. 	            ]]></description>
                <category><![CDATA[Pitchers]]></category>
                <pubDate>Sun, 14 Mar 2010 15:46:10 -0400</pubDate>
            </item>
	        	        <item>
                <guid isPermaLink="false">4480-875</guid>
	            <title><![CDATA[Rzepczynski, Marc: Rzepczynski ]]></title>
	            <link>/Fantasy-Baseball/Pitchers/rzepczynski-marc.htm</link>
	            <description><![CDATA[
	            	            Rzepczynski (Pronounced Zep-chin-ski) is someone to keep an eye on in AL only formats. He should crack the Blue Jays rotation and and get a chance to show what he's got.	            ]]></description>
                <category><![CDATA[Pitchers]]></category>
                <pubDate>Sun, 14 Mar 2010 15:43:01 -0400</pubDate>
            </item>
	        	        <item>
                <guid isPermaLink="false">4481-874</guid>
	            <title><![CDATA[Francis, Jeff: Francis]]></title>
	            <link>/Fantasy-Baseball/Pitchers/francis-jeff.htm</link>
	            <description><![CDATA[
	            	            Former ace Jeff Francis returns to the rotation after a year on the sidelines. With the pressure off of him, look for Francis to be a capable streaming option in good match-ups.	            ]]></description>
                <category><![CDATA[Pitchers]]></category>
                <pubDate>Sun, 14 Mar 2010 15:37:58 -0400</pubDate>
            </item>
	        	        <item>
                <guid isPermaLink="false">4478-873</guid>
	            <title><![CDATA[Romero, Rickey: romero]]></title>
	            <link>/Fantasy-Baseball/Pitchers/romero-rickey.htm</link>
	            <description><![CDATA[
	            	            Ricky Romero faded down the stretch in 2009, as most rookies do, but he does possess the raw skills to make him an impact player. I like Romero as a back-end-of-the-rotation guy in deeper leagues, but if he can't put it all together on a consistent basis, he'll be useless. In 10-12 team formats, keep him off your draft lists and place him on the watch list to start the season. Make him prove he can do it first.	            ]]></description>
                <category><![CDATA[Pitchers]]></category>
                <pubDate>Sun, 14 Mar 2010 15:31:53 -0400</pubDate>
            </item>
	        	        <item>
                <guid isPermaLink="false">4475-872</guid>
	            <title><![CDATA[Marcum, Shaun: MARCUM]]></title>
	            <link>/Fantasy-Baseball/Pitchers/marcum-shaun.htm</link>
	            <description><![CDATA[
	            	            Before undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2008, Marcum was one of fantasy's most underrated pitchers. He'll deliver excellent ratios and around a 7 k/9. He'll go forgotten in most drafts, but savvy drafters should gamble on him, as he could be a huge surprise in 2010.	            ]]></description>
                <category><![CDATA[Pitchers]]></category>
                <pubDate>Sun, 14 Mar 2010 15:28:20 -0400</pubDate>
            </item>
	        	        <item>
                <guid isPermaLink="false">4479-870</guid>
	            <title><![CDATA[Bumgarner, Madison: Another Giant Ace]]></title>
	            <link>/Fantasy-Baseball/Pitchers/bumgarner-madison.htm</link>
	            <description><![CDATA[
	            	            Bumgarner has huge upside and is an excellent option in NL-only leagues in 2010. He could easily emerge as a mixed league option as well. He is a must grab in keeper leagues. I strongly believe he will make the rotation out of spring, and while the Giants likely will put him on an innings limit, he should pitch enough to be a fantasy asset. 10-0-120-3.90-1.25 in 150 IP	            ]]></description>
                <category><![CDATA[Pitchers]]></category>
                <pubDate>Sat, 13 Mar 2010 15:39:24 -0500</pubDate>
            </item>
	        	        <item>
                <guid isPermaLink="false">4483-869</guid>
	            <title><![CDATA[Bard, Daniel: A Talented Young Arm]]></title>
	            <link>/Fantasy-Baseball/Pitchers/bard-daniel.htm</link>
	            <description><![CDATA[
	            	            Bard is a great one dollar investment in AL only leagues. He has tremendous upside, and is a great option in keeper leagues. Bard is a nice way to finish off your roster. 5-2-80-3.00-1.20 in 75 IP	            ]]></description>
                <category><![CDATA[Pitchers]]></category>
                <pubDate>Sat, 13 Mar 2010 15:21:48 -0500</pubDate>
            </item>
	        	        <item>
                <guid isPermaLink="false">781-868</guid>
	            <title><![CDATA[Lohse, Kyle: Your Lohse]]></title>
	            <link>/Fantasy-Baseball/Pitchers/Lohse-Kyle.htm</link>
	            <description><![CDATA[
	            	            Why bother? Pitching for a good team would make you think he'd be a source of wins, but he went 6-10 last season. With the exception of the one good season, his numbers tend to vary from mediocre to boarderline terrible. 10-0-100-4.60-1.35 in 180 IP	            ]]></description>
                <category><![CDATA[Pitchers]]></category>
                <pubDate>Fri, 12 Mar 2010 21:16:02 -0500</pubDate>
            </item>
	        	        <item>
                <guid isPermaLink="false">1185-867</guid>
	            <title><![CDATA[Penny, Brad: A Penny Saved?]]></title>
	            <link>/Fantasy-Baseball/Pitchers/Penny-Brad.htm</link>
	            <description><![CDATA[
	            	            He's got Dave Duncan by his side, is pitching for a good team, and finished last year off strong.  That sounds like all the ingredients for a nice sleeper option in 2010. Penny will be on a lot of my NL only rosters this season. 13-0-120-4.15-1.33 in 180 IP	            ]]></description>
                <category><![CDATA[Pitchers]]></category>
                <pubDate>Fri, 12 Mar 2010 21:11:11 -0500</pubDate>
            </item>
	        	        <item>
                <guid isPermaLink="false">807-866</guid>
	            <title><![CDATA[Motte, Jason: Waiting in Vain]]></title>
	            <link>/Fantasy-Baseball/Pitchers/Motte-Jason.htm</link>
	            <description><![CDATA[
	            	            Motte is as good a candidate as any to take over a closer's job in 2010. At worse, you'll get a solid set-up man who should collect plenty of strikeouts. He's a nice late pick-up. 3-8-70-3.50-1.25 in 70 IP	            ]]></description>
                <category><![CDATA[Pitchers]]></category>
                <pubDate>Fri, 12 Mar 2010 00:42:57 -0500</pubDate>
            </item>
	        	        <item>
                <guid isPermaLink="false">795-865</guid>
	            <title><![CDATA[Wuertz, Mike: Wuertz up?]]></title>
	            <link>/Fantasy-Baseball/Pitchers/Wuertz-Mike.htm</link>
	            <description><![CDATA[
	            	            Wuertz got four saves last season but there's very little talk that he is in line to close except as an emergency ninth inning guy. It's not that the 31-year old guy couldn't do it, we bet he'd be good. But the A's organization has had opportunities to do this in the past and hasn't done it. Ergo, more of the same.  Which isn't bad.  Wuertz will only win a couple fewer games than one of the low-K starters like Zach Duke or even Jon Garland and if he strikes out 102 again, he may surpass their K totals.  Fine pitcher and great in a set-up role. 6-5-2.75-1.25-90. 75IP.	            ]]></description>
                <category><![CDATA[Pitchers]]></category>
                <pubDate>Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:52:50 -0500</pubDate>
            </item>
	        	        <item>
                <guid isPermaLink="false">712-864</guid>
	            <title><![CDATA[Perez, Chris: Closer not waiting?]]></title>
	            <link>/Fantasy-Baseball/Pitchers/Perez-Chris.htm</link>
	            <description><![CDATA[
	            	            Perez was thought to be the closer of the future for the Cardinals but battled injuries during spring training of 2009 to allow Jason Motte to unseat him in the competition against Ryan Franklin. When Mark DeRosa became available, Perez was sent to The Tribe where ankle problems ended his season. 

With the Indians unlikely to compete and Kerry Wood with an $11 million option that vests if he finishes 55 games, speculation has been rife that Perez will become the close sooner rather than later. 

Whether Perez will succeed or not if given the chance is another question.  There's no question he has the stuff, but as long as he is walking 4.47 per nine (in the majors, it was six (!) in the minors). And he has shown a tendency to give up the long ball.  Still, in most formats a potential closer with an obvious possibility for a vacancy is sorely tempting.  3-10-3.50-1.35-75. 60IP	            ]]></description>
                <category><![CDATA[Pitchers]]></category>
                <pubDate>Thu, 11 Mar 2010 00:35:43 -0500</pubDate>
            </item>
	        	        <item>
                <guid isPermaLink="false">741-862</guid>
	            <title><![CDATA[Maholm, Paul: Mahalo Maholm]]></title>
	            <link>/Fantasy-Baseball/Pitchers/Maholm-Paul.htm</link>
	            <description><![CDATA[
	            	            On a better team, Maholm would have probably found himself moving into the role that Ron Villone has filled for so many years as a lefty swing man. He's extremely hard on left-handed hitter who struggle to make the Mendoza line off his stuff, but right handers do rather well, thank you. Here's another problem with in-play totals (dear reader, you know what Maholm is, right? a four pitch lefty junk balling ground-baller who doesn't prevent hits and relies on his infield defense to bail him out of situations).

Theoretically, according to Voros McCracken pitchers have no control over whether a ball hit in-play becomes a hit or not, so riddle me this:

BABIP

Year vs.L vs.R
2005 .107 .218
2006 .319 .327
2007 .293 .291
2008 .218 .262
2009 .224 .306

It sure looks like he has a different level of control over his results when facing lefties and righties, doesn't it? 

9-0-4.25-1.40-115.185IP	            ]]></description>
                <category><![CDATA[Pitchers]]></category>
                <pubDate>Wed, 10 Mar 2010 23:53:10 -0500</pubDate>
            </item>
	        	        <item>
                <guid isPermaLink="false">1056-861</guid>
	            <title><![CDATA[Garland, Jon: A Garland Briefer than a Girls....]]></title>
	            <link>/Fantasy-Baseball/Pitchers/Garland-Jon.htm</link>
	            <description><![CDATA[
	            	            Even a lesser pitcher gets a bump going to the NL. It seems like the 30-year old Garland has been around forever, and basically he has, with over 1800+ major league innings pitched coming into 2010. Garland only seems to have been consistent because his numbers have been consistently outside what we would like in a fantasy pitcher. Yet even Garland posted his highest strikeout totals since 2006 and highest strikeout rate since 2003 after moving to the NL.  

He probably has some value in San Diego with the benefit of PetCo behind him, but it's important to not get to excited about his strong finish with the Dodgers which came against very mixed lineups of non-contending teams. Garland was pretty reliable for wins on some strong White Sox teams in the mid 'oughts and then again in 2008 for the Angels as many years he approached seven innings per start and the extra decisions that means. With a weak San Diego team, he's unlikely to be a terrific source of wins and the strikeouts are still substandard for a fantasy starter in most formats (although in non-innings limited formats you can get away with these types). 12-0-4.25-1.30-105. 200IP

	            ]]></description>
                <category><![CDATA[Pitchers]]></category>
                <pubDate>Wed, 10 Mar 2010 23:06:47 -0500</pubDate>
            </item>
	        	        <item>
                <guid isPermaLink="false">1095-860</guid>
	            <title><![CDATA[Duke, Zach: Lame Duke]]></title>
	            <link>/Fantasy-Baseball/Pitchers/Duke-Zach.htm</link>
	            <description><![CDATA[
	            	            Zach Duke came up at age 22 and posted a 1.81ERA and a shiny 10-3 record for the Bucs. In the process he struck out 6.2 per nine innings and people complained. That rate turned out to be optimistic and Duke hasn't been able to generate so much as a five per nine rate ever since.

The old Axiom is that a pitcher can have a single year below 4.5 strikeouts per nine and still succeed, but under 4.5 and you reall have no shot. Duke has been south of that number since 2006, and you'd be hard-pressed to call what he has done a success.  He has excellent control and throws a lot of ground balls and that was what helped him to a 4.05 ERA last season.  Given that he turns 27 in April, you wouldn't exactly say that he can't succeed. But if you bet against that strikeout rate in and of itself, you'd be right 95% of the time.  8-0-4.50-1.40-80. 180IP

	            ]]></description>
                <category><![CDATA[Pitchers]]></category>
                <pubDate>Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:50:14 -0500</pubDate>
            </item>
	        	        <item>
                <guid isPermaLink="false">749-859</guid>
	            <title><![CDATA[Perez, Oliver: A fine Mess You've Gotten Us Into, Ollie]]></title>
	            <link>/Fantasy-Baseball/Pitchers/Perez-Oliver.htm</link>
	            <description><![CDATA[
	            	            Although the usual thing to say about Ollie is walks, walks and more walks, here's a nifty set of numbers.

12.67-0-3.59-1.27-198

That's Ollie's season averages when he pitches at least 150 innings. He's still just 28 and they say he's healthy and throwing well. I don't know what to do with that, because you surely aren't paying for it. 

If you can stash him on your bench and see what he looks like it might not be a bad play - it's surely going to be an inexpensive one. 7-0-4.50-1.45-120K. 130IP	            ]]></description>
                <category><![CDATA[Pitchers]]></category>
                <pubDate>Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:22:28 -0500</pubDate>
            </item>
	        	        <item>
                <guid isPermaLink="false">823-858</guid>
	            <title><![CDATA[Cahill, Trevor: It's all about the age.]]></title>
	            <link>/Fantasy-Baseball/Pitchers/Cahill-Trevor.htm</link>
	            <description><![CDATA[
	            	            If you listened to me last season, you took Brett Anderson instead of Trevor Cahill. I surmised that Anderson's superior control would translate more easily to the major leagues straight from double-A ball than Cahill's supposedly superior stuff. That proved out and Cahill had a workman like, but disappointing year of serving up the long ball and not striking people out.

The usual thing to say about Cahill here is that despite his worse than average performance, he was "lucky" because of his in-play results (a .276 BABIP). And most fielding independent rates show him with an ERA of a half run worse than his 4.76. I sound like a broken record on this, but Cahill's in-play hits were 7.96/9IP. That's a terrible number, In 2007 when he was in A-ball, he gave up 7.00/9IP. Yet his BABIP in 2009 was a "great" .276 and his BABIP in 2007 was a "terrible ".313. Again, as in so many cases, BABIP is an artifact of K-rate (too much math to go into here).

I love Cahill, because despite jumping all the way to the bigs from double-A at the age of 21, he had given up 8 home runs in 238+ innings in the minors and gave up 27 in 178+ major league innings with a 13.4% HR/FB. Cahill struck out a reasonable number of folks in August and September (until his collapse at the end of the month which is typical for a young pitcher). 

It's not clear he'll even win a job with the signing of Jason Jennings and Brett Tomko. But there's nothing wrong with his game that would make a marked improvement unlikely. 12-0-4.05-1.35-135.200IP

	            ]]></description>
                <category><![CDATA[Pitchers]]></category>
                <pubDate>Wed, 10 Mar 2010 18:05:27 -0500</pubDate>
            </item>
	        	        <item>
                <guid isPermaLink="false">792-854</guid>
	            <title><![CDATA[Braden, Dallas: Striking Oil in this Episode of Dallas?]]></title>
	            <link>/Fantasy-Baseball/Pitchers/Braden-Dallas.htm</link>
	            <description><![CDATA[
	            	            In his Minor league career Braden missed double digit strikeout rates in any extended time only twice. Once,upon his promotion to Double-A at age 21 (6.6/9IP) and again his brief triple-A stint in 2008 (9.1/9). So it give you some hope that his 5.68 per nine in 280+ major league innings is just the product of being rushed.  Maybe.

Although measures like FIPs and DIPs show Braden as being unlucky - FIP showing him as a 3.73 ERA vs. his actual 3.89, Braden was actually very lucky. Considering how much he gets the ball in the air, 42.6% of the time and his low HR/FB of 4.7 it's a wonder that he didn't give up twice as many home runs.  And looking forward to 2010  he *ought* to give up more unless he gets his strikeout groove back on.

Watch Braden's K rates closely, if he seems to have some of his minor league zing, you'll want to pounce. He pitches in a good park and with an improved offense behind him. But otherwise, moderate your expectations. 10-0-4.10-1.35-100. 160IP	            ]]></description>
                <category><![CDATA[Pitchers]]></category>
                <pubDate>Wed, 10 Mar 2010 17:27:59 -0500</pubDate>
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