Felipe Paulino

Paulino spent all of 2013 working his way back from 2012 Tommy John surgery, so much of the right-hander's work remained on the non-competitive level. When he did begin making rehab starts in the minors, he maintained a strikeout rate in the range of 20-23 percent, but had several command issues that he struggled with and walked almost as many batters as he struck out. But despite rehabbing him for over a full year, the Royals had little use for Paulino and let him walk via free agency. The White Sox signed him to a one-year deal in December, where he will look to secure a spot in the back of the rotation.

After a strong spring campaign, Paulino earned a spot in the rotation in 2012 and was pitching well until injuries completely derailed his season. Over seven starts, he ran up a 3-1 record with a 1.67 ERA and 39 strikeouts in 37.2 innings. But after failing to avoid a comebacker to the mound, Paulino strained his groin and landed on the disabled list. During his Double-A rehab stint in late June, he then felt pain in his elbow and was diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament which put him on a collision course with Dr. James Andrews and Tommy John surgery. Though he signed a new deal in November, Paulino's rehab will likely keep him out until at least the second half of the 2013 season. The 29-year-old right-hander has decent strikeout potential and solid groundball rates, but needs to show good control following surgery to make his case for a rotation spot again.

Few pitchers have the ability to frustrate their team and fantasy owners like Paulino. His 95 mph fastball and sweeping slider make him someone eyes are drawn to, yet his hunger for home runs and walks continues to drive them away. It took the Rockies only 14.2 innings to give up on him and his 7.36 ERA as they shipped him to the Royals in a move as curious as the one that previously brought him to Colorado from Houston. From there, he cut out the fatty home runs from his diet, his BABIP leaned out (.327), and he once again became a tempting starting pitcher. If Paulino can take the next step and cut his walk rate, he will likely have turned the corner and become a legitimate starting pitcher. Until then, he'll continue to tease and have owners scratching their heads asking what's going on with the hard-throwing righty who misses bats.

Unsurprisingly, most fantasy owners bailed after Paulino rattled off seven consecutive losses to start the year last season. You wouldn't know it by looking at his WHIP and ERA, but Paulino made huge strides in 2010, dropping his HR/9IP from an ungodly 1.84 to a miniscule 0.39. That progression alone, if it sticks, will be his biggest asset during the Denver summer. He had a brief stretch of brilliance before an injury (yes, another one) shut him down for the season. Paulino will have every chance to win a rotation spot in spring training with the Rockies, and he's got the stuff to succeed despite lacking consistency in the past.

Paulino began his season in the rotation, rattling off three impressive starts to begin his first major league campaign in two years. The team opted to move him to the bullpen, where he promptly imploded. The strikeouts are for real, but he's going to have to learn how to avoid big innings if he ever wants to stick as a starter. Given the current state of the Astros' rotation, the team will give him a chance to prove himself in 2010. Like any young strikeout pitcher, he comes with the usual cautions: expect flashes of brilliance mixed in with WHIP-killing stretches of mediocrity.

Paulino just couldn’t get off the DL last year, as a combination of three injuries forced him to miss the entire season. He suffered a pinched nerve in his throwing arm in March which lingered all season. While rehabbing the pinched nerve, he suffered right rotator cuff tendinitis, and his injury-riddled year was topped off with bursitis in his right shoulder discovered two weeks after the tendinitis. Even with all the injuries, he’s still one of Houston’s brightest pitching prospects, and he will compete for a spot in the rotation during spring training. If he's unable to stick as a starter, the Astros may decide to make room for his triple-digit fastball in their bullpen.

Paulino had a nice year at Double-A Corpus Christi, going 6-9 with a 3.62 ERA and an impressive 110:49 K:BB ratio in 112 innings. He earned a September callup, and while the results weren't particularly special, his 11 strikeouts in 19 innings as a pitcher who never pitched above Double-A was encouraging. He'll compete for a spot in the Opening Day rotation during spring training.

He's a one-pitch prospect, but oh, what a pitch. Paulino has reached 100 mph with his fastball, and that's been enough to vault him onto prospect lists. He's not showing up in the majors until at least 2008, but if you need a deep-reserve-list name, he's a good one.