Danny Graves

By virtually every metric, Graves' second-half splits send out a warning signal. After the All-Star break, Graves had a 7.23 ERA, 1.98 WHIP, .349 BAA and an 11/8 K/BB ratio over 18.2 innings. He also took his first trip to the DL with a back injury. If you're in a keeper league, talk up his 41 saves this offseason (and try not to point out that 33 of them came before the All-Star break) and see if you can get full value for him.

Although the move to convert Graves from closing to starting didn't work, it was a noble experiment by the Reds. Given their financial situation and their cast of starters, one could argue that they *had* to take the chance. Nonetheless, it didn’t work out. Graves' velocity dropped significantly, as his fastball topped out around 87 mph as a starter after registering in the low 90s as a reliever, and he came down with shoulder soreness that ended his season. He'll be back as a closer in 2004. If at all possible, watch carefully how Graves throws this spring before pulling the trigger on him on Draft Day - there's a legitimate concern that he'll have residual soreness in his shoulder and that his velocity won't be back up.

Graves is fairly dependent on getting the ground ball and having his defense making the plays behind him. As such, he'll work with a smaller margin for error than your prototypical power pitcher. Still, his control has improved enough that his relatively low strikeout count isn't too damaging. He began his transition from closer to starter last September and is expected to be a starter for all of 2003.