Jason Schmidt

Given a $47 million contract prior to the 2007 season, Schmidt managed just six mediocre starts for the Dodgers before being shut down due to a dramatic drop in velocity. Schmidt eventually underwent surgery for a torn labrum (among other shoulder-related issues) and missed the balance of the season. Schmidt is optimistic that he will be 100 percent by spring training, but given the nature of the injury, we'd advise caution. Track his progress leading up to this season and slot him on cheatsheets accordingly, but as of now, we're not optimistic that he'll ever be close to the "old" Schmidt.

Schmidt's decreased velocity may mean he’ll never turn in another season like his 2002-2004 campaigns, but he's still more than capable of getting the job done. The .845 K/IP he had last year will do that for you. Because he stayed in the NL and joined Los Angeles, Schmidt should still have plenty of fantasy value. He has a career 2.93 ERA and .204 BAA in Dodger Stadium. With an offense likely to score more runs than the Giants, expect Schmidt's win total to creep back up as well.

Shoulder and groin injuries cut short his season and dampened his numbers a bit. When healthy, he's a top-15 guy in the NL, even if the terrific control he had in '03 looks like a memory. Play up the missed time and grab him for '06.

Schmidt put up dominating numbers until he succumbed to nagging injuries in mid-August 2004. When Schmidt is on—he held NL hitters to a meager .202 average—he's still sure to post staggering numbers, and with a full offseason of rest and top conditioning, he's worth the big bucks on draft day.

Schmidt might have been the best starter in the NL last season, with a marked improvement in his command and his usual strikeout-an-inning work. Unfortunately, his right elbow objected, and he underwent surgery on it in October to repair a torn tendon. While Schmidt is expected back in April, do not base your forecasts for him on his 2003 line. He's likely to pitch much less and at reduced effectiveness, even if he manages to make the Opening Day roster. A good pitcher to let someone else have in 2004.

In his current environment in Frisco's Pac Bell Park, Schmidt helps you in a lot of fantasy categories. He's posted 13 wins in each of the last two seasons; he posted a 3.35 ERA and sub-1.2 WHIP last year; and he's averaged a strikeout an inning over the last two seasons (8.5 K per 9 IP in 2001, 9.5 last year). If he continues to call San Francisco his home, expect all of those performance levels to at least stay the same if he's healthy, and he'd be worth a pick in the top half of your draft. If he's on your fantasy team, think about rotating him in and out of your lineup depending on whether he's pitching at home or not; Schmidt posted a 2.37 ERA in 16 home starts last year, as opposed to 5.02 on the road – one of the most extreme home-road splits in the league last year.