Mound Musings: Arms to Watch in the AL East

It's that time again! Spring training is underway, and fantasy fans are beginning the search for value plays. The next six weeks I'll throw some names out there for your consideration, covering one division each week. When the dust settles, we should be looking at Opening Day, and hopefully have a value-laden pitching staff heading into the 2016 season. Let's get to it with:

Seven Arms to Watch in the AL East

Marcus Stroman (TOR) - The diminutive Stroman -- he's 5-foot-9 -- isn't that scary on the mound as he looks in for a sign, but all that changes when he cuts loose with some extremely nasty stuff. He suffered a torn ACL in his left knee last March and missed most of 2015, returning in September, and then pitching into the playoffs. He won all four of his regular-season starts, posting a grand 0.96 WHIP and an equally impressive 1.67 ERA over 27 innings. While his 18 strikeouts weren't up to his standards, that can be excused as he shook off the rust. Stroman features an electric fastball and a power slider that can be devastating. He throws strikes and misses bats. The Jays may be a bit conservative with his innings and pitch counts, but they have a deep bullpen to help manage his workload, and with his skillset and that offense, I suggest you jump on board for a potentially awesome ride.

Kevin Gausman (BAL) - Last year the Orioles weren't doing Gausman any favors with their yo-yo usage -- a start, a relief appearance, a trip to Triple-A and then back for another appearance of a type to be determined. All told, Gausman made 25 appearances with the Orioles including 17 starts. His 1.32 WHIP and 4.23 ERA were pedestrian, but don't let those stats scare you away. Keep in mind, Jake Arrieta posted similarly poor numbers while toiling for the Orioles, and then flourished after moving on to the Cubs. Gausman is the most talented pitcher in the Baltimore system, and I have a hard time believing the Orioles will continue to impede his growth. With luck, the lackluster stats from last year will soften his 2016 price tag. With another team I would consider him a safer bet, but the Orioles refused to even listen to offers this offseason (there's a very good reason for that), and I am an enthusiastic buyer on draft day.

Matt Moore (TB) - Someday Moore is going to stay healthy long enough to get in a groove and stay there. He hasn't pitched a full season since 2012, and his numbers in 12 starts last year were pretty ugly: 1.54 WHIP and 5.43 ERA with just 46 strikeouts in 63 innings. However, there may be a silver lining in his cloud. Most of that damage occurred when he made six starts in July before being sent to Triple-A Durham to get his arsenal together. Returning from April 2014 Tommy John surgery, those first few starts featured a distinct lack of command and pitches that floated into the middle of the zone with little movement. When he returned in September, he made six more starts, posting a 1.16 WHIP with a 2.97 ERA. When he has everything in synch, he can dominate opposing hitters and log strikeouts in bunches. In fact, at times he can generate so much movement that the strike zone moves around on him, and batters just stand and wait, hoping for something hittable. He's a notorious slow starter, so be patient and maybe even stash him on your bench early, but he has a very high ceiling.

Henry Owens (BOS) - This is a speculative pick. First, Owens will need to win a starting spot -- Joe Kelly is probably the favorite for the fifth spot in the Red Sox rotation -- and he will need to throw more strikes. Kelly has the better arm, but his secondary pitches aren't consistent, and he can be hit hard at times. Owens, a southpaw, has an ordinary fastball in the low 90s, but he has a strong curve and an excellent changeup when he gets them over the plate, especially when he gets the fastball over early in the count. Lefties often need a little more time to master their command, and at age 23, he could be getting close to the next level. Perhaps having David Price around will help. Owens is someone to monitor this spring. See how he compares to Kelly, but if you have a deep roster, even if he doesn't break camp in the rotation, he could be a good stash candidate.

Nathan Eovaldi (NYY) - When a starting pitcher can average nearly 97 mph with his fastball, it's hard to ignore his upside. He opened a lot of eyes when he came up with the Dodgers a few years ago, but his command and secondary stuff kept him from reaching anything near his obvious potential. Instead, he became an appealing part of a few deals, and landed with the Yankees last season. As in the past, without much to keep them at bay, he was battered by left-handed hitters, but his command improved and as the season progressed, he threw his developing split-finger pitch with more confidence. Lefties had a more difficult time with that offering, and his groundball rate soared. If he progresses further with his repertoire, he could be a nightmare for opposing hitters, and a windfall for his fantasy owners. Look for improving pitch counts allowing him to get deeper into games, and an increasing strikeout rate. The pieces are coming together for Eovaldi, and there may not be many more chances to acquire him at a discount.

Michael Pineda (NYY) - Pineda was one of those guys who looked magical 95 percent of the time, but sometimes found ways to turn gold into lead like a wayward alchemist. His velocity was where you would expect, and he kept the walks in check, but while he generally displayed control, command was occasionally another story. The dominant Pineda could become a hit factory without notice, and many of those heart-of-the-plate hits ended up over the wall. Great starts turned into disasters in a flash. His 1.23 WHIP and 4.37 ERA were by-products of feast-or-famine innings and outings. I clearly remember his stuff when he broke in with Seattle. He showed it frequently last season. It's there, and it's good enough to make Pineda an upper-tier starting pitcher if he can maintain his focus. I considered giving this spot to Luis Severino, but I think there's a chance Pineda offers more value on draft day. He's worth taking a chance.

J.A. Happ (TOR) - A real value list always needs a $1 flyer, and Happ gets that distinction in the rough and tumble AL East. Now 33, he showed a good deal of promise in 2008-10, but he has been a back-of-the-rotation fixture for most of the last several seasons, including a few years with Toronto. Happ split last season with Seattle and Pittsburgh, posting a respectable 3.61 ERA. He still walked a few too many before joining the Pirates, but he cut back on the long balls so the baserunners didn't result in as much damage. He has become something of a savvy veteran -- his stuff is just average -- and the Jays may have seen something in his performance with the Pirates as they tendered him a three-year contract during the offseason. It depends on how much other owners in your league pay attention, but the luster left Happ long ago, so he could be a useful discovery at the end of many 2016 drafts. Remember, he's not going to be your ace, but he is likely to be better than most late-round options.

The Endgame Odyssey:

Here we'll cover some notes and observations on the closer scenarios across baseball. For the next six weeks, the focus will be on the division featured in Arms to Watch.

In many ways, talking about the bullpens in the AL East is an exercise in describing how the rich get richer. Toronto enjoyed generally exciting performances out of young closer Roberto Osuna, but then acquired Drew Storen. It's not guaranteed, but I expect Storen to close while Osuna's role is a bit cloudy. He could certainly serve as a strong setup man (assuming he isn't anointed the closer) or he could be given a shot at joining the rotation. ... Similarly, the Yankees benefited from a stellar performance out of lefty Andrew Miller, leaving Dellin Betances to his ideal role as a setup man. They got flamethrower Aroldis Chapman, who would be expected to step in as the primary closer, but his status for Opening Day is in question. ... The Red Sox weren't to be outdone. Koji Uehara did a solid job last season, but with his fragile health history and advancing age, Boston purchased the services of perennial standout reliever Craig Kimbrel. ... Are we seeing a pattern here? Actually Baltimore may be standing pat, but that is with the very competent Zach Britton on the job, backed up by righty-specialist Darren O'Day. ... Only the Rays would appear to be saddled with questions. Brad Boxberger returns after saving 41 last season, but he also served up a lot of walks and far too many home runs. Boxberger may have been overworked last season, but the primary threat to his role, Jake McGee, is gone, and there isn't a clear cut heir. The most likely would probably be Alex Colome, who is building a positive impression since moving to the pen, or maybe Enny Romero, but he needs better command to be trusted in the ninth inning.

Next week, we'll look at Seven Arms to Watch in the NL East.