Yunesky Maya

Maya, who was signed as an undrafted free agent from Cuba in 2009, appeared in 10 games for the Nationals (making five starts) and spent most of 2011 in Syracuse. In 58.2 major league innings, Maya has not impressed with his 4.74 FIP. While he has above average command, his repertoire does not induce many swinging strikes. He features a fastball that averaged averaged 89 mph along with a slow curveball, slider and a change-up/splitter. His Triple-A ERA is inflated because of a 63.5 percent strand rate, and we expect him to spend most of 2012 there again.

The Cuban was thoroughly unimpressive in his big league debut, but he didn't have much time to acclimate himself to the pros and in Livan Hernandez the Nationals have the perfect person to mentor him and help him adjust. He'll come into spring training in the hunt for a rotation spot, but given his lack of top-shelf stuff and reliance on the defense behind him, he's not someone you want to invest heavily in until he's had at least a taste of success on the mainland.

Maya was one of Cuba's top starting pitchers the last five years and defected in September 2009 and plans to sign with a MLB team for 2010. He had a 1.23 ERA and four strikeouts with one walk in 7.1 innings in the 2009 World Baseball Classic. He's seen as major league ready and could contend for a spot in a major league rotation as early as next spring, but may need some time at Triple-A.