Al Leiter

Leiter pitched most of 2004 with a slightly fraying labrum and tendinitis in his pitching shoulder and it finally got to him over the second half. His record on August 4 was 7-3 with a 2.12 ERA, but he closed the season by going 3-5 and surrendering 37 ER over his last 70.3 IP. He went past six innings in just eight of his 30 starts and racks up a heavy pitch count by refusing to give in to any batter, evidenced by 191 walks over the past two seasons.

Leiter's first half was horrible, as he got away from being aggressive on the mound and found himself nibbling at the corners, leading to higher pitch counts and additional men-on-base. Leiter's sore right knee may have prevented him from landing properly and caused his pitches to miss the plate, ultimately forcing him to disabled list for three weeks in July. He used that time off to change his workout routine, lose 10 pounds to take pressure off his knee, and to alter his pitching strategy to be much more aggressive on the hill. Leiter went 7-2 with a 2.15 ERA from July 20, when he came off the disabled list, to the end of the year.

Leiter's win total has been hurt by an abject lack of run support the past two seasons. In 2002, he received just 4.01 runs of support per start, ranking 41st of 44 National League qualifiers. His strikeout-to-walk ratio remains solid.