Dallas Braden

Braden was limited to just three starts thanks to shoulder woes that required surgery in early May. Repeating his solid 2010 (3.50 ERA, 1.157 WHIP) seemed unlikely given his shaky peripherals, and seems even less likely now with the shoulder surgery thrown in for good measure. He gets the benefit of pitching in a pitchers' park for half of his starts, making some decent WHIP and ERA numbers likely if he's healthy, but there's little upside here otherwise with another poor supporting cast in place.

Braden's improved control led to a tidier WHIP than his previous norm, and his return from a midseason DL stint due to elbow soreness went well (98.2 innings, 84 hits, 55:27 K:BB upon his return). He's managed to hover around a 3.65 ERA over his past 52 starts, and the list of pitchers that have accomplished that in the AL is a pretty short one. His peripherals don't indicate his run of success should continue, but he's got a good home park and an improving offense in support of him in 2011 that should result in a few more wins if he manages to make 30 or more starts.

Braden entered the season as the A's Opening Day starter, but managed just 22 starts as he battled a litany of injuries including an ankle rash that ended his season in late July. His trend of not missing many bats (81 K in 136.2 innings) when healthy continued, which makes the prospect of him repeating a sub-4.00 ERA unlikely. He'll enter the spring as a lock to make the A's rotation, particularly with Josh Outman sidelined until the All-Star break, but he's really nothing more than an innings eater for a team that figures to struggle to score runs again.

Braden made 10 starts for the A's in 2008, which helps to explain their season-long struggle to fill out a rotation. He doesn't miss nearly enough bats (just 41 strikeouts in 71.2 innings) to have anything more than occasional success.

Braden shuttled back and forth between Triple-A and the majors, but had ultimately pitched his way out of the A's rotation by the end of the year. He's got a healthier Dan Meyer and an emerging Andrew Bailey to compete with now, so don't expect much in 2008 unless he comes back with a strong showing this spring.

Braden got a late start to the year due to a shoulder injury following an impressive 2005 season. His most meaningful action was in the Arizona League, where he made six impressive starts (21 innings, 12 hits, three walks and 36 Ks) but that was against much weaker competition than he had faced the year before. He'll turn 24 in August, and needs a solid year at Double-A Midland (where he threw 97 innings at in 2005) before we can see what kind of career he might have.

After an outstanding seven-start run at High-A Stockton, Braden rose quickly through the ranks, only to regress a bit at Double-A Midland (104 H, 32 BB and 71 K in 97 IP). He'll need to pass the dreaded Double-A Litmus Test that all pitchers must face before a major league career comes into view.