Mike O'Connor

O'Connor's 2007 was ruined after offseason elbow surgery from which he was slow to recover, although he did manage 71.1 subpar innings at Double-A. With the Nationals continuing to add arms and improve their pitching depth, opportunities for fringe major leaguers like O'Connor are going to be scarce.

O'Connor was one of the unsung heroes of the Nationals 2006 season, filling every role asked of him on the patchwork pitching staff and putting up some surprisingly decent numbers despite his lack of a pedigree. His raw stuff may make Jamie Moyer look like Steve Carlton, but O'Connor found a way to get the job done (more or less), and until Washington drastically upgrades its talent base he'll be asked to get it done again this season. His outlook for the start of the season is clouded by offseason elbow surgery.