Joe Saunders

2013

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2012

In terms of durability, Saunders has proven to be one of the most reliable starters in baseball over the last four seasons. Saunders doesn't offer much to fantasy owners with his low strikeout rate (career 5.02 K/9IP over 986.2 innings) and it would be wise to consider his 4.38 xFIP as a baseline rather than the 3.69 ERA he posted with Arizona on the strength of a 78 percent strand rate and .271 BABIP. Saunders returned to the D-Backs by signing a one-year deal in January, where he should chew up innings in the back of the rotation and afford the team's pitching prospects additional development time.

2011

We always like to think that moving to the National League will significantly increase a starting pitcher's strikeout rate. In Saunders' case, the improvement wasn't overwhelming as he only pushed his mark from 4.8 K/9IP over 120.2 innings with the Angels to 5.4 after he was sent to the D-Backs as part of the Dan Haren trade. His greatest value to Arizona is tied to durability (95 starts since 2008) and that he's a left-handed starter in a rotation that is otherwise entirely right-handed. Given the uncertainty of the D-Backs' bullpen and his propensity to pitch to contact in a hitter-friendly park, Saunders is volatile commodity best left to those in NL-only and very deep mixed formats.

2010

The differences between his 2008 and 2009 sound small - a half-dozen singles, nine homers, 11 walks - but they add up to a lot of runs. Saunders' pitch-to-contact style can be effective, but he needs to walk few hitters and allow few homers for it to work. The truth lies between his last two seasons; Saunders is a worthwhile, if unsexy, fantasy pitcher.

2009

Saunders was supposed to battle Ervin Santana for the final rotation spot in spring training last season yet, like Santana, Saunders found a spot in the rotation and refused to give it back. Unlike Santana, there's a fear that Saunders won't be able to repeat his breakout performance, in no small part due to his inability to miss bats (4.68 K/9 in 2008). That fear is partially addressed by an above-average ability to induce ground balls, but don't be surprised to see him fall off the pace some in 2009.

2008

Saunders was a pleasant surprise for the Angels last season, throwing 107.1 innings while going 8-5 with a 4.44 ERA and earning a spot in the starting rotation. He isn’t overpowering (69 strikeouts), but he does throw from the left side and has very good command of his fastball. Saunders will battle Ervin Santana for the fifth spot in the starting rotation, but even if he wins it, Saunders’ numbers aren’t good enough for him to be a consistent fantasy contributor in most formats.

2007

At age 26 and lacking dominant stuff, Saunders is what he's going to be, a command southpaw who does a lot of things well, and should open the season as the team's sole lefthanded starter, pending Bartolo Colon's availability. The Angels' strong bullpen makes him a decent bet for six-inning wins.

2006

The Angels 2005 minor league pitcher of the year, Saunders has the inside track on the fifth starter's job heading into camp. Mike Scioscia has stated his preference to have at least one lefty in the rotation. Look for Saunders to win the starting job and experience inconsistent results with flashes of promise throughout the season.

2005

Anaheim's No. 1 draft choice in 2002 spent 2003 on the disabled list with a torn rotator cuff. His overall California League performance in 2004 was mediocre, but the recovery process from a torn labrum takes time beyond the return to the field. It'll take improvement in 2005 before he's considered fully back on track.

2004

Anaheim's No. 1 draft choice in 2002 spent 2003 on the disabled list with a torn rotator cuff. His doctors recommended therapy over surgery, and it's anybody's guess as to how Saunders responds in 2004.

2003