John Thomson

Thomson was sidelined with mild fraying of his labrum late last season and also struggled with a blister problem. The injuries saw him shuffle between the bullpen and starting rotation and he posted a mediocre 46:32 K:BB ratio in 80.1 innings. He'll likely need to prove he's healthy in spring training for any chance to enter a starting rotation again. He's shown good control and decent strikeout rates when healthy, but he's suffered through two injury plagued seasons and may never re-gain his form.

Thomson's 2005 season got off to a good start by going 3-2 with a 3.42 ERA and a 32/14 K/BB ratio in the first two months before he injured a tendon in the middle finger of his right hand and missed three months. When he returned from the injury in August, he wasn't the same pitcher as he posted a 5.55 ERA the final two months. He still had a decent 61/28 K/BB ratio overall despite the injury. Watch his health this spring, because if he's back to full strength he could return to his 2004 form as he still showed good control and decent strikeout rates when healthy.

Finally outside the pitching-unfriendly environments of Texas and Colorado, Thomson posted the best ERA of his career under Braves pitching coach Leo Mazzone. Overall his numbers were pretty similar to his performance in 2003, which made his season a slight disappointment to some. Still, his K/BB ratio (133/52) remains steady and he should win another 12 to 15 games with an ERA around 4.00 in the Atlanta rotation.

Thomson was Texas' best starter, a moniker holding the same esteem as the "Best Episode of Moesha." We're curious to see what Braves pitching coach Leo Mazzone can do with Thomson. While Thomson's stats don't look strong the past few years, he's pitched in hitters parks and shown good command. He may surprise in Atlanta as a result.

Thomson was expected to improve dramatically when moving from Coors Field to Shea Stadium, but he didn't follow the script, going 2-6 with a 4.31 ERA. His base skills are still solid – depending on where he ends up, he could be a nice little sleeper.