Brad Penny

Penny appeared in 22 games out of the bullpen for the Giants after spending April in Japan. With the move to relief, he was unable to improve his strikeout rate (3.2 K/9 in 28 innings). His 6.11 ERA and 5.31 FIP indicates that it is very unlikely that Penny will be able to find any organization willing to give him a major league contract. His average fastball velocity (92.4 mph) and control (2.9 BB/9) are still above average, but he will probably toil away in the minors for most of 2013 as a reliever.

While Penny didn’t blow anyone’s socks off in 2011, he did manage to provide the Tigers with a reliable end-of-the-rotation option to turn to every fifth day. Penny finished the season 11-11 with a 5.30 ERA, 1.563 WHIP in 31 starts. Most impressive for Penny was ability to stay injury free for the Tigers, hurling 181.2 innings, which marked the first time he reached the 180-innings plateau since 2007. Despite the surprising display of durability, Penny didn’t provide much punch, finishing with a miserable 74:63 K:BB ratio. The 33-year-old signed a one-year deal with the Softbank Hawks to pitch in Japan for the 2012 season.

A strained lat suffered in May lingered ... and lingered ... and lingered. Penny was unable to return after the injury and was limited to just nine starts for the Cardinals last season. On the plus side, his 1.5 BB/9IP was the best mark of his career. He'll compete with Armando Galarraga for the No. 5 spot in the Detroit rotation after signing with the Tigers. Moving to the AL won't help his fantasy value, but his outlook is more dependent on his health.

Penny was hit hard in Boston last year, but turned it around in a big way after signing with San Francisco in August. A switch to the National League was no doubt a big help, but Penny was also quite fortunate once he joined the Giants, as his strikeout rate (4.32 K/9IP) was abysmal (he had a .211 BABIP in San Francisco). His fastball velocity is among the best in baseball (averaged 94.0 mph last year), but without a plus second pitch, he's unable to miss many bats. Penny rejected the Giants' contract offer during the offseason before taking a one-year deal to pitch with Dave Duncan and the Cards in St. Louis.

After winning 16 games in back-to-back seasons, Penny was awful in 2008, going 6-9 with a 6.27 ERA and ugly 51:42 K:BB in a season limited to 94.2 innings by shoulder problems. Penny didn't exactly finish on a high note either, going 3-7 with a 7.59 ERA after April and then disappearing from the club after being left off the postseason roster. He's likely looking at a one-year deal in order to rebuild his market value and at that price, there will be plenty of suitors. Draft him late and hope a short contract gets him on the treadmill.

Penny had a solid 2007, going 16-4 with a 3.03 ERA in his third full season with the Dodgers. Despite the back-to-back 16-win seasons, there is some concern, as both Penny's strikeout and walk rates took a turn for the worse. In addition, though his first half/second half splits weren't as severe as the year before, Penny still faded after the break in 2007 (10-1, 2.39 vs. 6-3, 3.84). His K:BB after the break regressed to an ugly 53:39 and his conditioning has been called into question, but Penny should be good for another solid season in 2008.

After starting the All-Star game for the N.L. and sitting at 10-2, 2.91 at the break, Penny was 6-7, 6.25 thereafter as hitters teed off of him to the tune of a .317 average. There was no obvious injury noted, but some observers pointed to his conditioning and concentration as potential reasons. Penny has the stuff to be a solid No. 2 starter and his second-half slide could leave him undervalued in 2007 fantasy drafts, so consider him a sleeper.

Penny's season was slowed by his return from an upper-arm nerve injury, and occasionally he still had problems getting the forearm loose before starts. With a full offseason of rest, he could be as good as new again in 2006. He went late and cheap in our mock drafts and auctions this offseason, but he has the potential to significantly outproduce his cost to you.

Penny was shut down at the end of last season with irritation to a nerve in his upper right arm. The Dodgers hope that offseason rest will be enough to get his arm healthy.

He set a career high in wins, but despite being mostly healthy, the season was a slight step back for Penny, and he even lost his spot in the postseason rotation to Carl Pavano at one point. With Josh Beckett's emergence as an ace, Penny'll once again be counted on as the No. 2 starter, but he's still got some growing to do before he'll be a solid top of the rotation guy.

Penny battled a sore arm off and on most of the year, not a big shock given the massive increase in his workload the season before. He managed to avoid surgery, though, which is nice. Given Jeff Torborg's usage patterns with his young starters, Penny might not be so lucky in 2003, but he could just as easily rebound to something closer to his 2001 numbers. If you can get him cheapish he's probably worth a gamble.