Garrett Mock

Mock's performance in the majors last season was as bad as his Triple-A performance was good. He lost some strikeouts but gained some groundballs at both levels, apparently in an attempt to buy into the organization's overall pitching philosophy, but he still doesn't have a defined role and until the Nationals decide whether his future lies in the rotation or the bullpen he may have trouble getting comfortable enough to take that next step. Keep an eye on him in the spring though, as he could surprise.

Regardless of his other numbers, striking out better than a batter an inning in his big league debut guarantees that the Nationals will give Mock a long look this spring. His control is still shaky and might always be an issue, but he does a good job of keeping the ball down and figures to fill in nicely as a back-of-the-rotation starter for Washington in 2009. He'll be 26 in 2009, but the knee injuries that have slowed his development the last couple of years have also saved some wear and tear on his arm, so he's got more of a ceiling than you might think.

Mock has been bothered by knee problems the last two seasons, slowing his development. When healthy, he's got a heavy mid-90's fastball and good cut fastball, but hasn't found enough control both around and within the strike zone to take full advantage of them. With the Nationals slowly improving their organizational depth on the mound, Mock has a lot of questions to answer before he'll put himself in line for a major league rotation job.

Although his strikeout rate remained solid Mock struggled a bit in 2006, a product of some unfair expectations that came from working out in the offseason with Roger Clemens and a lingering knee injury that eventually required surgery. He's expected to be fully recovered by this spring, and could get pushed into the major league rotation too quickly by the pitching-thin Nationals if he looks good once again in camp.