Sleeper Watch

His ERA last season was over 5.00, his WHIP was a hefty 1.59, and he won’t be back in the big leagues until July at the absolute earliest. Nonetheless, picking up Pirates SP Sean Burnett might not be a bad idea in dynasty formats.

Through mid-July of 2004, Burnett was one of the hottest young pitchers in the game, with a 2.18 ERA and four wins in six decisions despite playing on a team that wound up 32.5 games out of the division lead. His success didn’t come as a huge surprise to insiders: the former first-round pick had put up excellent minor league numbers. At A-level Lynchburg in 2002, the young lefty posted a record of 13-4 with a 1.80 ERA, a WHIP of just 0.97, and a K/BB mark of nearly 3-to-1 (96/33). The following year at AA Altoona, Burnett was again impressive, with a 1.17 WHIP and 3.21 ERA while winning 14 games. His K/B ratio remained solid at 2.96, and he gave up just two home runs in 27 starts.

Unfortunately, Burnett’s rookie campaign was derailed by arm trouble, and he finished the year with an 0-3 slide in five forgettable starts before being shut down in August. On September 21, he underwent Tommy John surgery.

So far, Burnett’s recovery is going well, but he has yet to throw a baseball again. He should begin making soft tosses next week, and if all goes well, might be able to return to action after the All-Star break. That’s a best-case scenario, however, and fantasy owners probably shouldn’t include Burnett in their plans for this season. Picking him up for a buck (or a late-round pick) and stashing him away on your dynasty roster, on the other hand, might be a risk worth taking. If Sean Burnett is able to return at full strength (or better, as has seemed to be the case with several other pitchers coming off the same procedure), he could be a very solid fantasy contributor in 2006 and beyond.