Jimmy Gobble

The days in which Gobble was viewed as a starter seem to be all but passed, and he has solidified himself as a late-inning reliever and left-handed specialist, and he allowed lefties to hit just .241 against him in 2007. He still has a great curveball, and his 26-year-old body should be able to handle the career-high 74 appearances last season. In fact, he's probably poised for a repeat performance, coming in the seventh or eighth inning and picking up holds.

Gobble solidified his place on the roster by playing the swingman role to perfection, starting when injuries and ineffectiveness created an opening, or serving in middle and long relief when no starts were available. He had trouble with the long ball, but struck out nearly a batter per inning. At 25 and left-handed, Gobble is a decent commodity, but one who would probably be giddy if he repeats his 2006 numbers.

Gobble didn't have a good year, but no day was worse than Aug. 6, when he allowed eight runs and seven hits over two innings against Oakland. Proving it was no fluke, he came out three days later and allowed four runs on two hits and two walks while recording one out against Cleveland. He had stretches of effectiveness, but Gobble's final line wasn't impressive. Since he was worthless as a reliever, the Royals made him a starter in September, and he was decent. On the plus side, he turned the corner on a 2004 statistical oddity (only 49 strikeouts in 149 innings), striking out 83 in 112 innings combined between Triple-A and the majors. Expect continued work as a Quadruple-A swingman.

The amazing part about Gobble's 2004 season is he won nine games despite having a season high of five strikeouts in a game. The lefty's confidence wavered but his control never did, walking 2.61 batters per game. He'll need to find a way to get more batters to miss if he wants to return to the middle to bottom of the rotation. An improved defense behind him would also help.

The Royals were adamant that they wouldn't rush Gobble, going so far as to say he wouldn't even get a September call-up in 2003. That all changed when injuries decimated the rotation and the pennant race was still on. Gobble responded, showing flashes in his nine starts. The Royals will take it easy on this youngster in hopes that he will grow to become a No. 1-type starter.

Already considered a good prospect, the 21-year-old lefty cemented his status with a very good season in Double-A in 2002, striking out 52 and walking just 19 in almost 70 innings. His curve is the best of his three quality pitches and should have Kansas City eating him up by late 2003 if not earlier.