17. Orlando Hernandez – New York Mets (41 years old)El Duque was incredibly unpredictable last season. He struck out a whopping 10.25 batters per nine innings…but he also allowed 10.25 hits per nine, almost four walks per nine, and just shy of two homeruns per nine. What can you say…he did it all. But not in the way that breeds confidence for a smart fantasy owner. Don’t get sucked in by the strikeouts, the rest of the package will come back to haunt you in the end.
Orlando Hernandez 2007 Projections
|
GP
|
GS
|
W
|
L
|
Sv
|
CG
|
Sho
|
IP
|
RA
|
ER
|
BB
|
K
|
WHIP
|
ERA
|
|
31
|
30
|
11
|
11
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
167
|
95
|
8
|
63
|
170
|
1.39
|
4.73
|
18. Dontrelle Willis – Florida Marlins (25 years old)Willis is most likely not the pitcher we saw in 2005 who won 22 games with a 2.63 ERA, but that’s not to say he isn’t an extremely valuable pitcher to own. He’ll give you 200 innings with an ERA under 4.00, double digit wins and upwards of 160 strikeouts. He has as much upside as anyone in the National League, but it remains to be seen whether he’s going to be a solid innings eating horse like Mark Buerhle, or the elite level pitcher he showed us in 2005. Either outcome works on a fantasy squad, so he’s definitely worth a reasonable investment.
Dontrelle Willis 2007 Projections
|
GP
|
GS
|
W
|
L
|
Sv
|
CG
|
Sho
|
IP
|
RA
|
ER
|
BB
|
K
|
WHIP
|
ERA
|
|
32
|
32
|
14
|
9
|
0
|
0
|
3
|
219
|
110
|
101
|
72
|
156
|
1.36
|
4.13
|
19. Matt Cain – San Francisco Giants (22 years old)Cain is one of the more exciting young pitchers in the game entering the 2007 season. As a rookie he was fourth in the National League with an 8.45 K/9 ratio, good for a total of 179 strikeouts on his way to 13 wins for the Giants. The problem is that he also walked an average of four batters per nine innings. But even though he’s a fly ball pitcher, he managed to keep his homeruns allowed down to just 18. Cain’s .272 BABIP suggests that he was somewhat lucky in 2006, but at 22 years old, there’s all kinds of upside for this kid if he can learn to harness his stuff.
Matt Cain 2007 Projections
|
GP
|
GS
|
W
|
L
|
Sv
|
CG
|
Sho
|
IP
|
RA
|
ER
|
BB
|
K
|
WHIP
|
ERA
|
|
29
|
29
|
10
|
10
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
172
|
82
|
75
|
84
|
155
|
1.33
|
3.94
|
20. Barry Zito – San Francisco Giants (28 years old)Zito signed a ridiculous deal in the offseason, cashing in on a Cy Young he won five years ago, and from a free agent pitching market defined by the demands of many, rather than the quality supplied. The innings pitched, the wins and the ERA have all remained fairly solid, but all of his peripherals have been trending downward. He is moving to a pitchers park, but the defense behind him isn’t exactly stellar either. Look for him to continue to be a solid second or third pitcher, but don’t pay for the hype.
Barry Zito 2007 Projections
|
GP
|
GS
|
W
|
L
|
Sv
|
CG
|
Sho
|
IP
|
RA
|
ER
|
BB
|
K
|
WHIP
|
ERA
|
|
33
|
33
|
13
|
10
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
213
|
107
|
99
|
93
|
151
|
1.35
|
4.17
|
