Jamie Moyer

Moyer began last season in the Phillies' rotation, but lost his spot due to some midseason struggles and the addition of Pedro Martinez. Moyer really struggled with the long ball, posting his highest home-run rate since 2004 with the Mariners. He pitched fairly well out of the bullpen and in a few spot starts down the stretch for the Phillies but then was lost for the year at the end of September with torn tendons in his groin and lower abdomen. Moyer underwent surgery and was readmitted to the hospital in late November for a procedure to clean up a small collection of blood in the area where he had his surgery. At the time of this writing, Moyer was scheduled to have minor surgery to repair the meniscus in his left knee in January. He is expected to be a little behind schedule entering spring training, but should be able to compete for the fifth spot in the Phillies' rotation. His $8 million salary for 2010 probably makes him the favorite for the job if he is able to get healthy.

Moyer, who turned 46 since Philadelphia’s World Series victory, was a surprisingly effective fantasy starter last season. He posted his best season since his 21-win campaign in Seattle (2003), going 16-7 with a 3.71 ERA, 1.33 WHIP and 123 strikeouts in 196.1 innings over 33 starts. The Phillies re-signed him in December and as long as he doesn't show any signs of slowing down in spring training, he's worth selecting at the end of drafts as a starter who won't hurt your ERA and WHIP who could reach 15-plus wins again if he stays healthy.

Even at 44 years old, durability is hardly an issue for Moyer, as he made it through his 20th MLB season with 14 wins in 2007. The soft-tossing left-hander was a stabilizing force for a rotation that was in flux all season. Moyer was especially good for the Phillies down the stretch, pitching in big games and helping the team push towards the playoffs. While his stats weren't beautiful, Moyer was the Phillies' second-best starter throughout the season (behind Cole Hamels). He was able to register 133 strikeouts, his highest total since 2002. Moyer is not a top-flight starter any more -- and hasn't been for years -- but he is still really good in important games and can deliver some value as an endgame filler in NL-only formats.

Like the Energizer Bunny, Moyer just keeps going and going. It appeared for much of 2006 his battery might have finally run out, as he went just 6-12 with a 4.39 ERA for Seattle. A trade to the NL helped his numbers, and Philadelphia signed him to a two-year deal in October. Moyer's assortment of changeups and breaking balls will frustrate young hitters and make veterans wait for him to come over the plate.

Title Moyer's 2005 "A Tale of Two Cities." In Seattle, Moyer was marvelous, going 10-0 with a 2.95 ERA. On the road, however, he allowed 19 more runs in 32 less innings than at home for a 6.11 ERA. Moyer's success is linked to home runs. Without a big fastball, Moyer must be nearly perfect with his location. If he's off, it's batting practice for opponents. Spacious Safeco Field bailed him out last year as he gave more than three times as many home runs per nine nine innings on the road than he did at home (1.7 per nine innings on the road; 0.5 per nine innings at home). Even if Moyer scales back the road dingers, he doesn't offer much fantasy help with his low strikeout total and likely mediocre ERA - and the risk is to the downside at age 43.

Father Time might have finally caught up to Moyer in 2004, in the form of the long ball. He gave up a franchise-record 44 HR last year, 26 more than his career average. Most of Moyer's 2004 stats closely resemble his 21-win 2003, including a similar H/IP ratio when you subtract home runs and nearly identicle walks and strikeouts. But thanks to the taters, he allowed nearly 40 more earned runs. Without a 95 mph fastball to bail him out, a soft-tosser like Moyer has to be nearly perfect and he left the ball up in the zone too much. Combine that with bad defense and less run support and it's not hard to fathom how a pitcher goes from 21-7 with a 3.27 ERA to 7-13 and a 5.21 ERA in one year.

Moyer again used his low-80s fastball and even mystifying changeup to again baffle hitters in 2003. He finished 21-7, the second time in three years he's reached at least 20 wins. Despite his age, 41, he didn't tire down the stretch, winning six of his last seven starts and posting a 1.70 September ERA. He won't rack up many strikeouts, but doesn't walk many either.

Moyer was a key re-signing in the offseason and is the ace of the Mariners' staff. He has a great ERA and WHIP, is durable (started 67 games in the last two seasons) and goes deep into games (four complete games and two shutouts in 2002). He doesn't receive the run support that Freddy Garcia gets, which is why he only had 13 wins last season, but there is no reason why he can't have another sub-3.50 ERA with 15-18 wins.