Matt Chico

Chico came back from Tommy John surgery last season but failed to impress at Double-A, and truth be told his 2007 rookie numbers weren't all that great either. The Nationals' organizational preference for pitch-to-contact arms works against Chico getting much of another chance in the big leagues with Washington given his control issues, so even if he's fully recovered don't expect him to be much more than an emergency midseason callup if injuries deplete the rotation.

An elbow injury led to reconstructive surgery and prevented Chico from building on his 2007 performance. Depending on how late a start he gets this season and how his recovery goes, he could find it tough to even get back to that level of adequacy.

Chico broke camp on the big league roster and had the kind of growing pains you'd expect from a young left-hander with command problems, although he did end up leading all Nationals starters with seven wins. After a brief August demotion to work on his mechanics he reeled off five straight September starts where he walked two or fewer batters, however, giving some hope that he'll be able to improve on his numbers in 2008. He doesn't have a high ceiling, but Chico has a solid arsenal and a chance to develop into a solid mid-rotation starter.

The Diamondbacks allowed Chico to regain his confidence in High-A before giving him another chance at Double-A, and the decision paid off in a 3:1 K:BB ratio at the higher level. He struggled in four starts after being included in the Livan Hernandez deal though, raising a few more concerns about his makeup. If he can develop the maturity on the mound to match his repertoire, he could be special.

Chico wasn't the man in 2005. He struggled mightily at Double-A, and his declining strikeout rate is a definite concern. He still has a world of promise, but he needs to do well repeating Double-A in 2006.

Check out that Low-A K/BB ratio — yowza! Chico, a lefty who throws 97 mph and was a teammate of Mark Prior at USC, will get a promotion in 2005, likely to Double-A. He's still at least a year away from the bigs, but he's one to watch.