Natural Progression

Today we'll examine some pitchers who logged a good amount of second-half innings, yet had less than 175 innings pitched overall. These pitchers are primed to make the jump to the 200+ inning plateau in 2009 and could be in store for a career year because of it. Brian Matusz – He totaled 156 IP in three 2009 stops and added 175 to his resume last year. Matusz is a lock to be in the rotation all year and will look to build upon his flashes of success. A 3.63 ERA, 3.77 DIPS and 3.18 ERC in the second half last year show the potential he has, despite pitching in a tough AL East. A 7.88 K/9 ratio could creep over the 8.00 mark and make him a pitcher to own, albeit someone to bench against oft-encountered rivals Boston and New York. Jeff Niemann – He’s ended each of the last two seasons with between 174 and 180 IP while making 29+ starts. The two seasons were eerily similar to one another and at age 27 has little room to blossom. He’s a mediocre pitcher who, with 200 IP this year, could become slightly more relevant than he’s been in the past. Jonathan Niese – Niese made 30 starts last year for the Mets and is likely to repeat that number again this year. He can reach 200 IP this year if he can last a bit deeper in his starts. The 150 strikeouts he gave owners last year could creep up towards the 170 mark given 200+ IP. He’s someone to keep an eye on. Justin Masterson – Masterson was a massive bust last year, leaving many teams and living on the waiver wire for much of the season. Masterson’s ERA and WHIP were forgettable and his K/9 ratio was lower than expected. We’ll give him a mulligan last year since he spent....