Jeremy Sowers

Sowers had another disappointing season (4-9, 5.58 ERA, 1.488 WHIP in 22 starts) and will need to re-establish himself if he's to earn himself a spot in the Cleveland rotation. The Indians figure to have a few spots up for grabs and Sowers will most certainly be in that mix but he's far from a sure bet to crack the rotation out of spring.

Sowers started off slowly in April, got worse in May and eventually had to have his corner man throw in the towel to stop the bleeding in June when he was demoted to Triple-A with a 1-6 record and a 6.93 ERA. His struggles continued at Triple-A before he started to turn things around in late July, eventually earning himself an emergency start at the end of the season for Cleveland. There is a chance that the hitters have figured him out after a nice debut in 2006, as he's never really had great strikeout numbers above Double-A. He'll battle Cliff Lee, Aaron Laffey and possibly Adam Miller for the last spot in the Tribe rotation.

Very few rookie pitchers live up to the hype they come with. Sowers was dominating Triple-A Buffalo when GM Mark Shapiro decided it was time for his young left-hander to try his craft for 14 big league starts. Sowers did not disappoint his boss, winning seven of those starts, while posting a 3.57 ERA in 88.1 innings. Smartly, Shapiro shut Sowers down in September, limiting his innings to 185 (the most he had ever pitched). With all he has going for him, it's really hard to see Sowers not succeed. He has the potential to win 13 or more games in 2007 and maybe a lot more.

The Indians' top choice in the 2004 draft, Sowers did nothing to sour Cleveland's notion that his polished style and control will move him up the ladder fast. In a single season, Sowers moved from Single-A Kinston all the way to a start for Triple-A Buffalo. He's likely in a position to get a call or two to Cleveland in 2006, where he won't hurt himself with walks and won't give up many cheap home runs -- he allowed 23 in three seasons in college and just 13 in 27 starts last year.

Sowers, a hard-throwing, left-handed pitcher out of Vanderbilt, turned down a contract of nearly $1.5 million in bonus money from the Reds a few years ago and stayed in school. Now beginning his career in the minors with the Indians, there's a lot of hype over the young pitcher. His strengths include his ability to pitch inside combined with a great changeup and slider. He's at least two or three years away from the big league club, but should be a name to remember.

He’s not big, he doesn’t throw gas, but he’s a consistent craftsman, making him the top left-hander in this draft. His fastball can touch the low 90s and his mental approach to pitching should serve him well in the pros. He's likely as close to majors as any of the 2004 draft class.