Matt Clement

Clement hurt his right shoulder and bicep, which cut short his season in June and later evolved into offseason rotator cuff surgery. After an All-Star appearance in 2005, it's been all downhill for Clement. Prior to the June injury, he was putting up career-worst numbers across the board. He's hoping to pitch again by the All-Star break, but that's a best-case scenario.

For the second consecutive season, Clement tailed off after the All-Star break. In 2004, it was a tight shoulder. Last season, Clement was just not the same after getting hit with a comebacker in a July game against Tampa Bay. He became much more hittable in the second half (.273 BAA after All-Star break, .252 before) and stopped striking batters out (6.0 K/9 after All-Star, 7.5 before). There's nothing physically wrong with him, but the Red Sox have been shopping him this offseason, and he could land as another team's starter.

Clement got off to a terrific start last season, posting a 2.91 ERA and 123 K in 117.3 IP in the first half. Tightness in the right side of his upper back, neck and shoulder derailed him in the second half, though, to the tune of a 5.90 ERA and 32 BB in 63.7 IP, but he still struck out 67 over that span. Assuming the shoulder issue wasn't a sign of something more serious, Clement should continue his career growth with the Red Sox.

After a breakthrough year in 2002, Clement's numbers were down a bit in 2003, but not by much. His strikeouts fell off slightly and with them his K:BB ratio from 215:85 to 171:79 in three fewer innings pitched, but his 2003 command was still very respectable. The Cubs picked up his 2004 option this November, and there's no reason he shouldn't post another 13-15 wins with a respectable ERA and good strikeout numbers.

This is what our Marlins' writer had to say before last season about Clement: “Clement still has that great Kevin Brown-esque slider, but hasn't yet been able to harness his stuff effectively in the majors. He'll come into spring training hoping to hang on to the fifth starter's job against the Marlins onrushing kiddie corps. One interesting bit of trivia- Clement won only nine games in 2001, just as Brown did in his third full season in the bigs. In Brown's fourth season, he put it all together and went 21-11. Something to keep in mind for your auction endgame.” And put it together he did. While Clement only won 12 games thanks in large part to the Cubs' anemic attack, he posted an ERA of 3.60 and a K/BB ratio of 215/85 in 205 IP. Moreover, he gave up just 162 hits all season. In other words, 2002 was no fluke. Expect him to repeat or even improve upon his numbers in 2003.