Anthony Reyes

Reyes won the fifth starter spot with a strong spring and came down with an elbow injury in late May. He underwent Tommy John surgery as well as ulnar nerve transposition surgery in his right elbow, which figures to sideline him for much of the upcoming season. He's a candidate to return in the season's second half if things progress perfectly, but there's really not enough upside here to foot the bill on draft day.

Reyes may have resurrected his career after a mid-season trade to the Indians, going 2-1 with a 1.83 ERA in six starts down the stretch before shutting things down with a minor elbow injury. There was no structural damage so he should be back ready to compete for a rotation spot this spring. He'll need to miss more bats (15 Ks in 34.1 innings with Cleveland) if he's to take the next step up so don't go crazy on draft day based on his performance down the stretch.

High pitch counts and inconsistency once again did Reyes in last year, culminating in a 2-14 record and 6.04 ERA. Reyes lost his first 10 decisions and was finally sent down to Triple-A in June. A six-game stint with Triple-A Memphis went fine, but then again, Reyes has never had any problems with minor league hitters. He was a little better in his return, including a seven-inning start (the only time he lasted that long all season), but he does not look like he’s growing into the ace the Cardinals hoped he’d be. In each of his three seasons in the league his walk rate has increased and his strikeout rate has decreased. At 26, there’s still some hope for Reyes, but he’ll need to turn things around soon.

Reyes had an up-and-down rookie season, culminating in a strong start in the World Series opener. He has nothing left to prove in the minors, but control problems and high pitch counts made it difficult for him to get beyond the fifth or sixth innings in most starts. He’ll work on his control and stamina in the spring and should settle in nicely in the St. Louis rotation. For a couple of bucks on draft day you can do much worse.

Reyes recorded 9.51 strikeouts per nine innings in 23 starts for Triple-A Memphis in 2005, then made four highly effective appearances for the Cardinals. The right-hander, who clocks in the mid-90s, has the inside track to land the Cardinals' fifth spot in the rotation in 2006. He's had injury problems in the past, but if healthy will show NL hitters why he is one of the most promising prospects in all of baseball.

The Cardinals may have found an answer to their problems of drafting college pitchers only to see them suffer major injuries after they sign. Instead, sign college pitchers like Reyes who had arm troubles in college. Kidding aside, the Cardinals couldn't have imagined a season like this from Reyes, who struck out 102 in 74-plus innings. He also struck out eight consecutive batters in one game en route to a Southern League-record 15 strikeouts. He has the advantage of being older than most of his lower-level opponents, but a season in Triple-A in 2005 ought to show exactly what he has ... especially if he can stay healthy.