Bobby Seay

Seay was a very effective reliever for the Tigers last season until he ran out of gas at the end of the season and struggled through the month of September. Seay improved his strikeout rate last season but also had an uptick in his walks allowed. He'll open the season as Detroit's top option to neutralize left-handed batters, a role that doesn't offer much value to fantasy owners.

The Tigers used Seay primarily as a lefty specialist last season and had to be happy with the results. It was the first time Seay, a former first-round pick, has made it through a full season on a major league roster. He'll be back in the same role this season.

The Tigers signed Seay to a minor league contract this winter. The team is in need of a second lefty for their bullpen and since no big names have been brought in during the offseason Seay will have a chance to compete for a bullpen spot this spring.

Seay signed a minor league contract with Detroit and will compete for a spot as the team's second lefty in the bullpen this spring.

Seay may never be worth the loophole bonus money he got as a high schooler in 1996, but he proved himself as a serviceable bullpen lefty in 2004. As a mid-inning reliever with Tampa Bay, he won't have much fantasy impact, even in deep AL-only leagues.

Seay put up decent numbers last year, but, due to a badly-timed bout of shoulder tendinitis, never did get a chance to entrench himself in the Devil Rays' bullpen. He'll get a chance to claim a situational lefty role again this year; we all know how much fantasy impact that role has, so you can safely keep Seay very, very low on your draft list this year in AL leagues.

Although he was injured for much of the year, Seay was quietly successful when he did pitch in 2002, posting a 4.08 ERA in 25 games split between Double-A and Triple-A. The ERA is a little misleading on the high side; in 15 innings at Triple-A, Seay gave up 15 hits, only two walks, and only one homer while striking out 14 batters, but he still posted an ERA of 6.00 in that span. The Devil Rays do not have a lot of left-handed options in the pen; with a healthy and effective spring, Seay could easily claim a bullpen spot, though it may not have high roto impact. He may be running out of chances, as kids born the year Seay was drafted (1996) are in second grade now.