Mike Maroth

Maroth got off to a solid start last season before suffering an elbow injury that forced him to the disabled list for more than three months. When he returned, the Tigers decided to move him to the bullpen since his arm strength was not where it needed to be. Manager Jim Leyland says Maroth will be a part of his five-man rotation entering this season and Maroth has said his arm strength is back. His performance in spring training should indicate just how well his arm is feeling. Until then he's a bit of a risk for 2007.

Maroth improved his command slightly last season but didn't make strides anywhere else. Expect more of the same in Comerica, or worse if he's traded.

Maroth had a losing record in 2004 but that still represented a marked improvement over his disastrous 2003. His 85–88 mph fastball means he'll never blow away any hitters, but he has an excellent change-up that can be very effective when he gets ahead in the count. The Tigers should continue to improve in 2005, meaning Maroth could post a winning record, but his unimpressive strikeout totals and high ERA make him a not very valuable fantasy commodity.

Maroth became the first pitcher to lose 20 games since Brian Kingman in 1980. Many people said that Maroth would have fared better on a team that wasn't as atrocious at the 2003 Tigers, but honestly you could say that about any of their pitchers. His low strikeout total and high BAA (.299) suggest that he probably wouldn't fair that well on even a great team. Although his win-loss record was worse at home than on the road, all of his other stats were worse once he hit the road, suggesting that a change of scenery isn't the answer here.

Maroth's ERA was twice as big on the road (3.18 home, 6.36 road), and now the left-center power alley at Comerica Park is 25-feet closer. And, while he didn't allow a slew of hits last year, his strikeout numbers were thoroughly underwhelming. Sounds like a pass to us. Sometimes Maroth looks good enough to make you think he might be a poor man's Kirk Reuter, but the point to remember is that a full Reuter isn't worth that much in the first place.