Jason Motte 2009

I think I have a new favorite player going into 2009. Jason Motte. Motte is a 26 year old former catcher, who has been pitching for only two years. The switch to pitching was clearly a good idea! At Memphis he complied an absurd 110 strikeouts and 26 walks in 66 2/3 innings. He didn't drop off at all once he reached the major leagues - 16 strikeouts and 3 walks in 11 innings! At worst he's going to be a dominant middle reliever for the next few years. He's got the potential to be better than that. If you're in a standard format Yahoo league, guys like this are crucial to your success. You can draft a team full of stud hitters, spot play underrated starting pitchers, and bring your ERA and WHIP down to reasonable levels, while adding to your strikeout totals and wins totals by using dominant relievers like Motte when they're home or in good pitchers' parks against relatively weak offenses.