BY ERIC NGUYEN – FAN FUEL BLOGGER
As we get closer to Opening Day, it is time to look at players around the entire MLB that are worth keeping an eye on during the 2012 season.
Here is my list of five pitchers to watch in the American League in 2012.
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1. Yu Darvish, SP, Texas
The Japanese sensation cost the Texas Rangers a total of US$111.7 million. Despite the spotty track record that comes with paying big bucks for star pitchers from Japan (most recently being Daisuke Matsuzaka), the Rangers paid the price after they realized that star C.J. Wilson would not be re-signing.
Darvish comes with so many questions. How will he handle the size of the MLB ball? How will he respond to the four-day rest as opposed to pitching once a week in the Japan? How will he fair against batters that are far more powerful and patient?
Projection: He’ll sparkle in his first few starts, but once a scouting report gets established, he will get hit (and hit again). He’ll strike out at least one batter per inning, but besides that, don’t expect him to sparkle in his first year in the MLB.
2. Justin Verlander, SP, Detroit
Cy Young Award, Triple Crown, and MVP Award. Is there anything he didn’t do last season? Justin Verlander improved in every single way possible and went from being a top-tier pitcher in the AL to an elite pitcher in the AL.
Verlander pitched for a strong team, but his performance last season proved that he would have won playing for anybody. Despite Victor Martinez’s season-ending injury during the off-season, the Tigers went out and more than replaced him by adding elite slugging 1B Prince Fielder.
Verlander’s 2011 season stands out in comparison to his career totals, but is this just the beginning for the 29-year-old?
Projection: The fact that the AL Central is quite weak outside of the Tigers will favour Verlander. He should once again compete for the AL Cy Young Award, but his stats will be inflated by the fact that he’s pitching in a relatively weak division offensively.
3. Michael Pineda, SP, New York
It cost the Yankees their top prospect in catcher Jesus Montero, but New York is hoping that Pineda can become a long-term solution for their ever-struggling pitching rotation. Outside of CC Sabathia, it seems as if the Yankees’ offence has to carry the team to victories themselves.
Pineda should slot in as the No.2 starter and needs to prove that his hot first-half in 2011 was no fluke. He joins a team that should provide him with plenty of offence, but say goodbye to the pitching haven that is Safeco Field.
Projection: He will be an overall effective addition to the rotation. With his high K/9 rate and dangerous repertoire, he should pitch well enough that his ability to win games will not be co-dependent on the Yankees’ offence.
4. Mariano Rivera, RP, New York
Perhaps the last year that fans will get to hear the famed “Sandman” theme as he enters the game, the best closer in MLB history is likely playing his last season.
Projection: Armed with arguably the most devastating cutter in history, the future first-ballot Hall of Famer will continue to defy father time and be as clutch as ever in the ninth inning despite his declining K/9 rate.
5. Ricky Romero, SP, Toronto
After a dazzling 2011 season that saw Romero put up the MLB’s 14th best ERA amongst all qualified pitchers, Romero will look to prove that the year was no fluke. Romero’s strong endurance and respectable K/9 rate shows that he has all the tools to become an elite starter in the MLB.
It doesn’t help, though, that Romero is pitching in a relatively loaded AL East division.
Projection: Blue Jays fans will still likely wish that the Jays drafted superstar SS Troy Tulowitzki instead. Romero has a good chance at improving his K/9 rate, but his 2.92 ERA from 2011 is likely the ceiling and he should experience a slight regression in that category in 2012.
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