Empty the Bench

The drafts are over, but the early weeks of a fantasy season are often more critical than those pre-season rankings and selections. Each year there are multiple waiver wire and free agent additions that contribute to an eventual championship. No matter how well you drafted, if you remain stagnant as a fantasy owner you will not win a competitive fantasy league.

One of the best ways to stay on top of all the options out there is to maintain a well stocked, informed ‘Watch List’. The following players could make good immediate adds, but we recommend all fantasy players add these starting pitchers to their watch lists and remain ready to pounce if the early returns show promise. Those of you in NL and AL-only leagues, several of these guys might already be gone. However, all of them are available in over 50% of Yahoo! 12-team mixed leagues.

Daniel Cabrera, Baltimore Orioles

A lot of scouts liken Cabrera to a right-handed Randy Johnson. We don’t expect a Cy Young type of year, but the comparison is apt. Daniel is 6′7″ tall, imposing and has nearly unhittable stuff when his control is on. When. That’s the catch with this kid, as he has struggled with control for his entire young career. He was demoted after a few months in 2006 because he was walking about 8 batters per 9 with a very poor 1.58 WHIP.

Still, a guy who can post 157 Ks in 148 innings at the tender age of 24 (as he did in last season) is always a player to keep an eye on. Cabrera had a decent 4.04 ERA and cut his walk rate in half over the last two months of the season and the Orioles are banking on the duo of Bedard and Cabrera to be their two studs for years to come. For your fantasy squad Cabrera is a fantastic low risk, high reward starting pitcher.

Boof Bonser, Minnesota Twins

If your league rewards bonus points for owning guys named ‘BOOF!’, Bonser is a must add. At 24 years of age, the Twins had enough confidence in BOOF! to start him in game two of the ALDS after an impressive second half (2.63 ERA, 1.01 WHIP in September, 84 Ks in 100.1 innings on the year). BOOF! posted a nice 3.65 ERA in 65 innings after the All-Star break and at 25, he could be ready to put up an entire season of those numbers.

As a Minnesota fan, I will always associate Mr. Bonser with the trade that sent A.J. Pierzynski to the Giants in exchange for Francisco Liriano, All-Star Joe Nathan and BOOF!. That has to go down as the best MLB trade of the last decade. Regardless, BOOF! is an overlooked gem who should be a bona fide fourth or fifth starter in most 12-team mixed leagues, and a necessary addition to AL-only teams. Expect an ERA that hovers just under 4.00, .75 Ks per inning and 12+ wins.

Rich Hill, Chicago Cubs
As strange as it may sound, Rich Hill is a much better fantasy prospect this season than the more highly touted Kerry Wood and Mark Prior. Thanks, Dusty Baker. Hill is one of the better young strikeout pitchers in baseball, and his September of last season was eye opening. In that month he posted a 1.93 ERA and 3-1 record, but more importantly Rich notched 50 Ks in just 42 innings. Hill was a rare bright spot in another disappointing Spetember for Cubbies fans. The fly-ball-to-ground-ball ratio is always something to keep an eye on, especially in Wrigley Field, but Hill has the stuff to be a great early season addition if he puts it together in 2007. With a healthy Derrek Lee, the addition of Alfonso Soriano and a more Sabermetric-friendly lineup, Chicago should put up some runs this year and Hill could be a double-digit wins pitcher.

Nate Robertson, Detroit Tigers

Yes, his glasses look stupid. Really stupid. David Byrne stupid. Elvis Costello stupid. Whatever, get over it. Robertson passed the mythic ‘500 innings’ plateau in 2006, and could be in for a breakout season. The 500 innings mark is to a starting pitcher what the third season is for an NFL wide receiver or the age of 27 is for an MLB power hitter: the time when breakout seasons typically happen. Robertson pitched surprisingly well over the first half of 2006 only to regress into mediocrity in the second half, but he’s a young guy and that’s to be expected.

The strikeout numbers may never blow you away, but he is durable and certainly capable of posting a 14-win, 3.75 ERA season. His peripherals should also be palatable, so if you’re in need of an inning eater at the back of your fantasy rotation, put Nate on your watch list.

Adam Loewen, Baltimore Orioles

The second member of Baltimore’s rotation to make this list, and the second guy with major control issues. If Cabrera and Loewen can benefit from the tutelage of Leo Mazzone (See John Smoltz, Tom Glavine, Greg Maddux, Russ Ortiz, Denny Neagle, Mike Hampton, and Jaret Wright), Baltimore could have an extremely formidable 1-2-3 punch at the top of the rotation. For fantasy purposes, Adam represents a bit of a reach at this point, but is a prime candidate for your squad’s watch list.

Don’t look at Loewen’s 2006 numbers, watch him pitch if you want to see his potential. The 62 walks in 112 innings just killed his numbers. Like Cabrera, Adam really showed his promise over the final two months of the season and reduced his free passes with a K/BB around 2/1 and a 4.50 ERA. The guy is just 22 going into 2007 and has a superior pitching coach, so steady improvement should be expected over the next few years and an ERA around of 4.00 wouldn’t be a total surprise.

Matt Garza, Minnesota Twins

Yep, I’m a homer. Minnesota Twins fan, born and raised. But don’t let that deter you from giving Garza serious consideration in mixed leagues or even making a move in an AL-only league. The Twins sent him down to the minors to start the season, but not because of his stuff. Minnesota just wanted him to build up his innings and confidence early, and they are expected to recall Matt at the end of April. Garza will be a number two or three starter in the MLB for his career, and could be a great end of the rotation guy for fantasy teams in 2007. Garza has absolutely dominated the minor leagues at every level and he has little left to prove there.

The 23-year-old’s fastball hits 98 and his slider is just nasty. Whenever he adds a quality offspeed pitch, things will start to click. Command was an issue in 2006, as it is with most pitchers his age, but the upside is sky high. I think every MLB scout knows Garza will be a good pitcher, the only question is: will it be this year?

Zack Greinke, Kansan City Royals

ETB is pulling for this kid to return to, or improve upon, his 2004 form. Zack suffered through emotional and psycholgical problems throughout 2006 and ended up with a very disappointing season that was cut short. We do not advise an add by any means, but put Greinke on the watch list and see what the talented youngster can do. If he gets hot, you should feel comfortable using him for spot starts versus weaker lineups.

Greinke still has the physical tools that made him the 6th overall pick in 2002 and allowed him to post a 3.97 ERA and 1.17 WHIP in 2004, but the psychological aspect of the game has been troublesome for Zack. He’s on anti-depressants and, reportedly, is fully recovered from the emotional problems that plagued him in 2006. With his head is back in the game, Greinke could make a bid for comeback player of the year on a sentimental and statistical level this season.