Sleeper of the Week

Speaking of players coming to the major leagues from Japan, don’t overlook the signing of right-hander Keiichi Yabu by the Oakland A’s. At age 36, Yabu might not only be the oldest rookie in the big leagues this season, but just might also be a nice fantasy sleeper as well.

Before signing with Oakland, Yabu had spent his entire career with Hanshin of Japan’s Central League, where he accumulated a record of 84-106 in 11 seasons. His career WHIP and ERA marks stand at 1.26 and 3.57, respectively, including a WHIP of 1.23 and a solid 3.02 ERA last season. His K/BB ratio in 2004 was 2.08, down slightly from his career average of 2.19, but still strong.

Yabu’s role with Oakland isn’t clear yet, and probably won’t be until later this spring. After losing Tim Hudson, Mark Mulder and Mark Redman this off-season, a rotation that was one of the league’s best last year is now full of question marks. Yabu joins several other new faces such as Dan Haren as well as up-and-comers like Joe Blanton as possible options to start games for Ken Macha’s Athletics.

Predicting how Yabu’s numbers will translate to the major leagues is difficult, but if he does wind up winning a starter’s job, he’d make an interesting low-cost pickup. And should he find himself in the bullpen, he might turn into a worthwhile roster addition in leagues that count holds. With Jim Mecir, who led the team with 21 holds last year, retired, somebody has to fill the hole in Oakland’s relief corps.