Shawn Hill (SD) – Hill had his contract purchased by the Padres on Sunday and is slated to be the team’s No. 5 starter. Hill battled forearm stiffness this spring before the Nationals finally got fed up and cut him loose on March 18. Picked up by the pitching-starved Padres, Hill seemingly lands in an ideal situation, with the Padres rotation (even Chris Young) looking shaky outside of Jake Peavy. Hill has gone just six innings in two outings for the Padres this spring, so he’ll probably be lucky to go more than four or five when he takes the mound for the Padres fifth game of the season. If on the off chance Hill can stay healthy, he’ll probably do well in Petco Park. In 2007, Hill had a 3.42 ERA in 16 starts for the Nationals, compiling a solid 65:25 K:BB in those 97.1 innings. Hill underwent elbow surgery in September (non-TJ), and another visit to Dr. Andrews is always a possibility, but he may be worth using in NL-only leagues by May if he’s not on the DL by then.
Max Scherzer (ARI) – Scherzer was placed on the 15-day DL on Sunday, but with the move being retroactive, Scherzer will start his first game on April 14. Scherzer battled some shoulder stiffness this spring, only appearing in three Cactus League games and tossing 8 2/3 innings. Note the 9:1 K:BB in those frames though and I’m not too concerned. The hype seems to have dissipated a bit with Scherzer this year, but we saw last year how dominant he could be – 10.6 K/9 in 56 innings, including 32 K’s in 22 September innings. This after compiling a 13.4 mark in Triple-A prior to last season’s call-up. Scherzer has No. 1 starter ability when he’s healthy and on his game.
Jason Hammel (COL) – The Rockies on Saturday acquired SP Jason Hammel from the Rays in exchange for RHP Aneury Rodriguez. Hammel seems destined to open in the bullpen, but there’s also the possibility he replaces Franklin Morales in the rotation. Hammel has always impressed scouts with his stuff, though the results just haven’t been there. Perhaps he’s benefit from being jerked back and forth between starting and relieving, but he still needs to string together a few strong outings early in order to solidify his spot. Guys with 5.90 career ERAs and a 140:96 K:BB won’t get a whole lot of slack. Hammel did improve his GB% from 40.9% to 46.9% last season, a mark he’ll need to continue to look to drive upward considering his new home park.
Willy Tavares (CIN) – Tavares apparently will miss Opening Day with a minor illness. Darnell McDonald (really) will leadoff and be followed by Jerry Hairston. Goods news here for Johan Santana, as we’re not exactly talking Joe Morgan / Pete Rose there. The Reds losing out on Gary Sheffield should help Tavares owners sleep a little better at night, as that is one less body to rotate with Jerry Hairston, Chris Dickerson, and Tavares. Still, Tavares had best improve on last season’s .308 OBP if he wants to be out there every day, Dusty or no Dusty.
Bronson Arroyo (CIN) – Arroyo’s carpel tunnel will push his first start back, but he’ll still be on the Opening Day roster it seems. Arroyo will start his first game on April 12, with Micah Owings moving up in the rotation. The Reds have also elected to not carry Homer Bailey (2.61 ERA, 20:4 K:BB) as a reliever, optioning him to Triple-A on Sunday. We’re not quite convinced Arroyo is near 100%, so keep close tabs on Bailey down in Triple-A. Arroyo allowed a whopping 14 hits over 4 2/3 innings in his last start, so bench him in all formats until he proves he can consistently get guys out. Arroyo was 8-4 with a 3.47 ERA after the break last year, something he’ll hope to build on if the carpel tunnel doesn’t worsen.
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