Sleeper of the Week

At first glance, it would be easy to say that Brett Myers made very little progress in his sophomore season. After all, after posting an era of 4.25 as a rookie, that mark rose to 4.43 in 2003. His whip hardly budged, climbing very slightly from 1.42 to 1.46. Clearly, these numbers aren’t what fantasy owners had hoped for from one of the game’s brightest pitching prospects.

Nonetheless, a closer look reveals that Myers did indeed make strides in several key areas. Not only did he allow opposing hitters a lower on base percentage and fewer home runs per inning this year, but his control improved dramatically. After posting a very pedestrian 1.13 k/bb ratio in 2002, Myers was able to raise this number significantly to 1.70. Often, this statistic will show improvement in a young pitcher earlier and more reliably than era or won-lost records. Myers’ 6.67 k/9 compared with just 4.25 a season ago is also a very good sign.

Does this mean that Myers is due for a breakout season in 2004? Maybe, maybe not, but in any case, the potential is there. Keep the Phillies’ young righthander in mind on draft day.