Daniel McCutchen

McCutchen might be the only pitcher ever to enter a game with a 14.73 ERA, throw 3.2 innings, and then leave with the exact same earned run average. That's the way his early season went, however, after outperforming Kevin Hart in spring training to win the team's No. 5 starter spot. It was thought that McCutchen could eventually take a regular turn in the rotation, but the control he showed in the minors never materialized with Pittsburgh. McCutchen holds a lifetime 3.51 K/BB minor league mark compared to a 1.46 K/BB ratio in 104 innings with the Bucs. His career 5.45 ERA and 1.538 WHIP accurately reflect how he's pitched in parts of two big-league seasons. As a result, it doesn't look like the right-hander will amount to anything more than a spot starter or long reliever.

Following a very similar career path as Ross Ohlendorf, McCutchen debuted with the Pirates last season, albeit in a much smaller sample size and with less initial success. Still, he's consistently had good command throughout his minor league stops (career 1.9 BB/9IP in the minors) and McCutchen misses just enough bats (7.3 K/9IP) to be a potential back-of-the-rotation starter, especially in Pittsburgh where the Pirates' starting spots usually turn into a revolving door by midseason. At 27, there's not a ton of upside and he's a shade on the old side, but McCutchen should stick as a long reliever if he doesn't land a place in the rotation out of spring training.

McCutchen, who was traded from the Yankees to Pittsburgh last summer, has the makings of a decent back-end starter at some point for Pittsburgh. At 26, McCutchen features a lifetime 2.99 ERA in the minors and 1.09 WHIP. He featured a K:BB ratio of 99:18 at Triple-A Indianapolis, showing control that hasn't been common in the Pirates' system. Despite being relatively old for the minor leagues, McCutchen will probably see a callup at some point in 2009. Unfortunately, it's tough enough recommending any Pittsburgh starting pitcher, let alone one with no major league track record at age 26.