Sleeper of the Week

After being traded to Atlanta, Mike Hampton will certainly be on every fantasy owner’s offseason radar, but some might wince at the thought of acquiring a starter who posted a 6.15 era and a 1.79 whip last season.

Perhaps even more frightening is the fact that Hampton walked more batters (91) than he struck out (74). Still, escaping Colorado and heading to the Braves could rejuvenate Hampton, who after all posted an excellent 3.14 era, 15 win season for the Mets in his last season before heading to the worst pitcher’s park in the league. The year before that, Hampton was even better, posting 22 wins along with 177 k’s and a fantastic 2.90 era, all career bests.

The big question now is whether Hampton can regain that form. Was his two-year exile in Colorado just a bump in the road to a very solid career, or are Hampton’s days of dominating over for good? Other pitchers have been able to resurrect their careers elsewhere. The late Darryl Kile, for example, lowered his whip from 1.75 - a mark very close to Hampton’s - to a very solid 1.18 after moving to St. Louis. Kile’s k/bb ratio also shot up from just over 1-to-1 to more than 3-to-1 that season.

Bouncing back from such dismal numbers certainly isn’t impossible, and Hampton is in a great environment to return to his full potential. Don’t expect miracles, especially not right away, but don’t dismiss Hampton out of hand, either.