Bruce Chen

2013

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2012

Chen turned in another productive season for the Royals in 2011 as he registered 97 strikeouts and 50 walks with a 3.77 ERA over 155 innings. His 1.94 K/BB ratio was his highest since 2006, when he was with the Orioles. One reason for his success is his slider, which he threw nearly 28 percent of the time, the most in his career. If owners can deal with the lack of strikeouts, Chen should once again be a valuable back-end starter in deeper leagues after returning to the Royals on a two-year deal in November.

2011

The veteran Chen pitched well for the Royals in 2010, but remains an unsigned free agent with Kansas City continuing its rebuilding process. The 33-year-old posted an ERA+ of more than 100 for the first time since 2005 after three consecutive sub-80 seasons. His 2010 BABIP of .272 is line with his career average, so a regression isn't necessarily a done deal.

2007

The soft-tossing Chen came back down to earth in 2006, as he was knocked out of the rotation early on and finished with a 6.93 ERA and 1.74 WHIP in 98.2 innings. Still, there's plenty of teams desperate to fill out their rotations; Chen could get a spring training invitation somewhere in 2007, but don't expect big things even if he makes a major league roster.

2006

In a season of ups and downs for Orioles starters, Chen was easily the brightest spot and most consistent pitcher of the rotation. The journeyman posted a respectable 13 wins, 133 strikeouts, 3.83 ERA and 1.267 WHIP in 197 1/3 innings. Still relatively young, he should maintain a decent ERA while putting up solid-if-unspectacular strikeout numbers as a middle-of-the-rotation starter in 2006.

2005

After having success at Triple-A Ottawa, Chen was called up at the end of the season. He'll be given an opportunity to win a starting spot in spring training, but with the Orioles likely to bring in at least one high-profile free agent pitcher in the offseason, Chen will likely be cast aside in favor of youngsters Daniel Cabrera, Erik Bedard, Matt Riley and Kurt Ainsworth.

2004

Chen keeps popping up on teams, but hasn't stuck with any of them. He has signed a minor league deal with the Blue Jays, and has a pretty good chance of getting called up for a spot start or a long relief role.

2003

Chen has now completed 80% of his tour of the NL East, frustrating managers with his potential every step of the way. He pitched better with the Reds, and better in relief. He still might get a chance to start this spring. One promising note - through all of his struggles, Chen's strikeout rate remained high - 80 Ks in 77 2/3 IP.