Kameron Loe

Loe was victimized by a bit of bad luck in 2011 and was used sparingly down the stretch. He's an extreme groundball pitcher, getting 63 percent groundball rate, but still had a 7.63 K/9IP. The Brewers may need to rely on Loe more in short relief in 2012, but he'll likely check in with something close to the 72 appearances he made for Milwaukee last season.

Loe used a hard sinking fastball to provide good numbers in the Milwaukee bullpen in 2010. His groundball rate of 59.4 percent was one of the best in the majors and helped him to a 2.78 ERA. He tailed off a bit in the second half of the season and was a little lucky with his strand rate, but he still struck out 7.1 per nine innings. Loe will pitch in middle relief again for the Brewers in 2011.

The Rangers see something they like in Loe. We've yet to see what it could possibly be, as Loe was rocked again (136 innings, 162 hits, 56 walks, 78 K) as predicted after taking just a quick glance at his poor control and lack of strikeouts throughout his career. Elbow problems ended his season again, which at least saved the bleachers from needing another coat of paint to hide the damage from another failed Loe start. Ignore the rhetoric this spring, the guy can't pitch.

We cautioned last year that Loe's poor K/9 rate pointed to struggles ahead, and a mid-June elbow injury ended what was shaping up to be a poor season. He was being converted back into a relief role late in the year, but never returned to the majors. His past effectiveness against righties vanished, which could be a byproduct of a slider missing its bite due to elbow discomfort. Whether he was healthy at all last year remains to be seen, but Wes Littleton has effectively replaced Loe as Texas' designated righty-chewing reliever so it remains to be seen where exactly Loe fits on the Texas roster.

Loe found his niche down the stretch in the Texas rotation for eight starts (46 2/3 IP, 43 H, 17 R, 16 BB, 17 K) but the K/9 rate is a concern. Given his home park and lack of strikeouts, there's not much value here even if he starts the year at the back of the Texas rotation.

There's not a lot of velocity despite his big frame, but Loe posted solid numbers at both Double-A Frisco and Triple-A Oklahoma City in 2004, and figures to be one of the first in line to pick up starts if injuries dictate.