PROJECTED 2013 SEASON STATS
| YEAR | G | GS | IP | BB | K | W | SV | HD | ERA | WHIP | K/9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
  | 2012 Statistics | 28 | 28 | 174.2 | 56 | 180 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 3.81 | 1.22 | 9.27 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013 Projections | 32 | 32 | 195.0 | 82 | 191 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 3.74 | 1.32 | 8.82 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013 Outlook: Samardzija, a two-sport star with Notre Dame, finally put forth a season in 2012 that justified his choice of baseball (over football) as a career. Following a successful year in relief, he was transitioned back to the rotation, resulting in a surprisingly healthy number of strikeouts (180, with a 9.27 K's-per-nine ratio that ranked fourth best in the game) and a 3.09 ERA in his first 10 starts. Having been tasked with professional highs in starts (28) and innings pitched (174 2/3), Samardzija tired somewhat around midseason, but he finished the year on a high note, with a 2.58 ERA and 1.02 WHIP in 11 second-half starts before being shut down for the year in early September. It was the addition of a splitter -- it was responsible for 100 of his 180 K's and limited foes to a .128 batting average -- that spawned Samardzija's breakthrough, and supports his candidacy for another step forward statistically in 2013. You could make both a pro and con argument: He could be capable of a larger workload this season, just as his 86 2/3-inning bump from 2011 to 2012 might come back to haunt him. But with his strikeout ability and rapidly improving command, we're optimistic about his chances. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| YEAR | G | GS | IP | BB | K | W | SV | HD | ERA | WHIP | K/9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | 2012 Statistics | 31 | 31 | 189.2 | 58 | 168 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 4.03 | 1.22 | 7.97 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013 Projections | 33 | 33 | 205.0 | 64 | 176 | 12 | 0 | 0 | 3.91 | 1.32 | 7.73 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013 Outlook: The good news is that last season Jackson spun his career best in both strikeout rate and walk rate. The bad news is that he surrendered more homers than normal. The end result was a typical season ERA-wise for the well-traveled veteran, who will now pitch for his seventh team in six years (and the eighth team of his career). Averaging 32 starts over the past six seasons, Jackson's durability makes him a safe play in deep leagues, but he does not have the upside to help much in mixed formats. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| YEAR | G | GS | IP | BB | K | W | SV | HD | ERA | WHIP | K/9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | 2012 Statistics | 18 | 18 | 103.2 | 32 | 96 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 3.91 | 1.18 | 8.33 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013 Projections | 24 | 24 | 147.0 | 46 | 137 | 9 | 0 | 0 | 3.67 | 1.24 | 8.39 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013 Outlook: Garza was on quite a two-year run for the Cubs before a stress reaction in his elbow ended his 2012 prematurely. His 293 strikeouts from the beginning of 2011 through July 21, 2012 (his final start), ranked ninth best among National League starters. Increased reliance upon his slider contributed to the K's -- and perhaps also the elbow issues -- as he threw the pitch 23 percent of the time in 2011 and 26 percent in 2012, with 51 percent of his K's in those two seasons coming on that pitch. Winter reports on his health were good and all signs pointed to him being ready for spring training, though perhaps with him a couple days behind the Cubs' other starters. If Garza is indeed healthy, he'll be one of the sneakier, albeit riskier, middle-round options, great on a rate/per-game basis in points leagues, and the Cubs likely will be pleased because they've had a desire to trade him for some time. A trade might do him some good: On any other team, his skills might spawn a greater win total for the right-hander. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| YEAR | G | GS | IP | BB | K | W | SV | HD | ERA | WHIP | K/9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | 2012 Statistics | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013 Projections | 23 | 23 | 134.0 | 33 | 121 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 3.96 | 1.27 | 8.13 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013 Outlook: Baker, who succumbed to Tommy John surgery last April 17, was signed this winter by the Cubs, who hope he might be ready to claim one of their rotation spots during the season's first half. A command specialist who averaged at least three strikeouts per walk in each of his past six healthy seasons, the right-hander has a skill set that, health willing, could result in better ERA (4.15 career) and WHIP (1.26) numbers than he had previously shown. However, Baker does face challenges, most obviously the recovery from major surgery, but also the fact that he's a fly-baller at greater risk in Wrigley Field than Target Field. Even if he returns to full health before Memorial Day, he'll be prone to the occasional stinker, so consider him a more attractive stash in NL-only than deep mixed formats. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| YEAR | G | GS | IP | BB | K | W | SV | HD | ERA | WHIP | K/9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | 2012 Statistics | 26 | 26 | 156.0 | 54 | 119 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 4.27 | 1.20 | 6.87 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013 Projections | 23 | 22 | 124.0 | 44 | 98 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 4.65 | 1.40 | 7.11 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013 Outlook: Last season, there were only two pitchers who threw more than 150 innings with a WHIP 1.20 or lower and finished with an ERA above 4.00: Mike Minor at 4.12 and Wood at 4.27. The primary reason for Wood's travail was a bloated HR/FB, made worse as a fly-ball pitcher. Normally, the conclusion is that Wood is a sneaky target, as his ERA should drop as his home run rate corrects. But absent from the analysis is a .244 BABIP, which should also correct -- but in the wrong direction. With such a wide range of potential 2013 outcomes, Wood is best used early at Wrigley Field while there is still a chill in the air and the homers are tougher to come by (at which point you can decide whether he is still viable as the weather warms). | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| YEAR | G | GS | IP | BB | K | W | SV | HD | ERA | WHIP | K/9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | 2012 Statistics | 38 | 16 | 125.1 | 46 | 122 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 4.16 | 1.27 | 8.76 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013 Projections | 38 | 12 | 96.0 | 36 | 90 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 4.69 | 1.42 | 8.44 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013 Outlook: Villanueva parlayed a workman-like performance as a late-season rotation fill-in for the snake-bitten 2012 Blue Jays into a two-year, $10-million deal with the Cubs, where he'll probably return to his previous swingman role on a team just as likely to have future rotation vacancies. What changed for him last year: improvement upon his slider, responsible for 72 of his 122 whiffs. That made Villanueva a bit of a strikeouts sleeper, and that's his upside in NL-only formats or from a matchups angle. Matchups-wise, he has a 3.52 career ERA against sub-.500 teams, so if -- or when -- he moves into the Cubs' rotation, he could become a sneaky plug-and-play type. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| YEAR | G | GS | IP | BB | K | W | SV | HD | ERA | WHIP | K/9 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
 | 2012 Statistics | 29 | 21 | 123.2 | 32 | 96 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 5.09 | 1.38 | 6.99 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013 Projections | 26 | 26 | 146.0 | 40 | 97 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 4.38 | 1.35 | 5.98 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2013 Outlook: Signed to a one-year, $7 million deal by the Cubs, Feldman will serve as a back-of-rotation innings eater, perhaps serving an NL-only matchups consideration in the right spot. At times he can run hot -- he had 12 quality starts and a 3.00 ERA over a 15-start string in 2009 -- but generally speaking, Feldman tends to play to the competition, as his 1.27 WHIP against sub-.500 teams (1.50 against teams .500 or better) in 2012 shows. Here's the problem: While he escaped the hitter-friendly confines of Rangers Ballpark, Wrigley Field isn't exactly a pitcher-friendly venue, meaning while the shift to the National League might increase his number of possibly useful matchups, don't assume there'll be a lot more. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| YEAR | G | GS | IP | BB | K | W | SV | HD | ERA | WHIP | K/9 | ||
 | 2012 Statistics | 7 | 7 | 29.2 | 11 | 21 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 6.37 | 1.65 | 6.37 | |
| 2013 Projections | 6 | 6 | 27.0 | 12 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6.00 | 1.74 | 5.67 |
| YEAR | G | GS | IP | BB | K | W | SV | HD | ERA | WHIP | K/9 | ||
 | 2012 Statistics | 5 | 5 | 24.1 | 11 | 16 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 8.14 | 1.81 | 5.92 | |
| 2013 Projections | 6 | 5 | 28.0 | 13 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 6.11 | 1.75 | 5.46 |
| YEAR | G | GS | IP | BB | K | W | SV | HD | ERA | WHIP | K/9 | ||
 | 2012 Statistics | 5 | 4 | 19.2 | 7 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5.49 | 1.83 | 5.03 | |
| 2013 Projections | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| YEAR | G | GS | IP | BB | K | W | SV | HD | ERA | WHIP | K/9 | ||
 | 2012 Statistics | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | |
| 2013 Projections | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| YEAR | G | GS | IP | BB | K | W | SV | HD | ERA | WHIP | K/9 | ||
 | 2012 Statistics | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | |
| 2013 Projections | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| YEAR | G | GS | IP | BB | K | W | SV | HD | ERA | WHIP | K/9 | ||
 | 2012 Statistics | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | |
| 2013 Projections | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| YEAR | G | GS | IP | BB | K | W | SV | HD | ERA | WHIP | K/9 | ||
 | 2012 Statistics | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | |
| 2013 Projections | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| YEAR | G | GS | IP | BB | K | W | SV | HD | ERA | WHIP | K/9 | ||
 | 2012 Statistics | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | -- | |
| 2013 Projections | 0 | 0 | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
