Sleeper Watch

After a solid 2003 campaign in which he posted a WHIP of 1.19 and an ERA of 3.77, Darrell May took a step backwards last year. Actually, that may be putting it a bit too mildly: with a 9-19 record, a 5.61 ERA and a 1.55 WHIP, May took a giant leap in the wrong direction. Fantasy owners who had taken a chance on the journeyman soon sent him packing to the waiver wire, wondering what went wrong. Now, the Padres are hoping that May can bounce back in 2005. Will a change of scenery do the trick?

At the very least, moving west from Kansas City to San Diego can’t hurt. PETCO Park was second only to Safeco among pitchers’ parks last year, and had the lowest home run index of any big league stadium. Of course, Kauffman Stadium also favored pitchers, but for a player who gave up the third-most round-trippers in the majors in 2004, every slight improvement helps.

Perhaps more significantly, May now has a far stronger team behind him. Playing for a Beltran-less Royals squad that wound up winning an AL-low 58 games, a lack of offensive support made a loser of May even when he did pitch well. In one stretch in September, the Royals were shut out in three consecutive games started by May. At the very least, the change of address should improve the southpaw’s won-lost record.

Also, don’t overlook the fact that May’s K/BB ratio, a solid 2.18, was virtually unchanged from the mark he posted during his successful 2003 season.

One thing is clear: Darrell May is about as far from being a sure thing as you can get in fantasy games. But any starter who calls PETCO home is worth watching, and for now, May is slated to be the fourth man in the Padres’ rotation. Keep an eye on him this spring; if he looks good, he’s worth considering in the closing rounds of NL-only drafts, or as a $1 flyer in auction formats.