Eric Stults

A reliable yet undistinguished part of San Diego's rotation, Stults' run of six consecutive quality starts in the first half belied what was a bland campaign. Granted, his control was exquisite, as he posted marks of 1.8 BB/9 and 0.8 HR/9 innings pitched; but on the other hand, he only struck out the occasional batter (5.8 K/9) and perhaps put the ball in play too often (.274 BAA) for his success to be sustained. As further evidence, the 34-year-old lefty's average fastball declined for the third year in a row to 86.7 mph. Still, as long as Stults is taking the mound half of the time in spacious Petco Park, some value can be found in the Padres' starter.

Stults spent the first month and a half of the season in the White Sox organization, before they designated him for assignment and the Padres claimed him. What followed was likely better than anything the Padres could have hoped for as he pitched 92.1 innings and posted a 2.92 ERA. When looking at his peripheral numbers, however, it's hard to see how he pulled off this feat as he only struck out 13 percent of the batters he faced, which is a low rate for any pitcher. Moreover, the average velocity on his fastball fell from 90.5 mph in 2011 to 87.7 in 2012, which is never good. The odds of him repeating his 2012 performance in 2013 are slim as he has a career 4.81 xFIP and 1.70 K/BB ratio, which shows a real lack of command with his pitches. If he breaks camp as a member of the San Diego rotation, it would hardly be surprising to see him replaced in April following a disappointing start to the season.

Stults shuttled between Triple-A and Los Angeles for the fourth consecutive year in 2009, posting a 4.86 ERA in 50 innings with the Dodgers that included a 33:26 K:BB ratio. It's highly unlikely that he'll ever earn an extended stay in any team's rotation and should be nothing more than NL-only filler for the most desperate of owners.

The 29-year-old Stults had a steady year for the Dodgers in 2008, posting a very respectable 3.82 ERA in the hitter-friendly Triple-A Pacific Coast League before appearing in nine games (seven starts) for the Dodgers. Stults was 2-3 with a 3.49 ERA in 38.2 big league innings, including a shutout of the White Sox in June. Stults is probably too hittable to be much more than a swingman/spot starter, so he can be ignored for fantasy purposes on draft day.

Stults failed to impress in 2007, posting a 5.82 ERA in 38.2 innings. He's simply far too hittable to ever project him from being anything more than he is now: a Triple-A pitcher capable of a handful of meaningless innings. Look for Stults to spend most of 2008 pitching for Triple-A Las Vegas.

Stults unexpectedly held the Mets to a run on two hits over six innings in his first big league start, but his overall lack of upside relegates Stults to Triple-A/major league spot-starter status. He could conceivably be the team's first call-up from Triple-A in 2007, but he's a long shot to make more than a handful of big league starts.