STARTING PITCHING: JOSH JOHNSON is dominant when healthy, but he’s made only 88 starts over the past five seasons. His shoulder feels great after surgery last year, and he expects to take the mound on Opening Day. MARK BUEHRLE followed his former manager and signed a 4-year, $58M deal with Miami. The 33-year-old lefty was 13-9 with a 3.59 ERA last year, his 11th straight season of 200+ IP and 10+ wins. RICKY NOLASCO once again had 10 wins and a strong K-to-BB ratio (3.4), but also sported an 8.18 ERA and 1.61 WHIP in his final eight starts.
ANIBAL SANCHEZ posted a second straight productive season, fanning 202 batters in 196.1 innings. He did give up twice as many HR (20) as he did in 2010 though. CARLOS ZAMBRANO will begin 2012 in the rotation, but where he ends up is anybody’s guess. If Guillen can motivate him, Zambrano has plenty of innings left in his 30-year-old arm.
RELIEF PITCHING: The signing of HEATH BELL to a three-year deal gives the Marlins a reliable long-term closer for the first time since Robb Nen in the mid-’90s. Bell’s numbers could suffer a bit with the move to a smaller ballpark and an alarming drop in strikeout rate (11.1 in 2010 to 7.3 in 2011), but he still throws 94 mph. STEVE CISHEK will be the main set-up man for Bell and could see a handful of saves, converting all three
STARTING PITCHING: ROY HALLADAY won the Cy Young Award in 2010 in his first year in Philadelphia, but he was even better in 2011, posting a career-best 2.35 ERA and also reaching a personal best with 220 strikeouts. CLIFF LEE was also outstanding in his first full season in a Phillies uniform, tallying six shutouts, which included a stretch of three straight blankings midway through the year. He wasn’t afraid to pitch in Citizens Bank Park, going 11-3 with a 1.94 ERA at his new home. Like Halladay and Lee, COLE HAMELS also notched a career-best ERA (2.79) and held batters to a .214 average. Although he has the stigma of being oft-injured, Hamels was able to start 30+ games for the fourth straight season. VANCE WORLEY was impressive once he was inserted into the rotation, going 11-3 with a 3.02 ERA as a starter and fanning 73 over 74.2 innings of his final dozen starts. JOE BLANTON rounds out the rotation, but he could be limited a bit after an elbow injury cost him much of the 2011 season.
RELIEF PITCHING: Not willing to shell out the big money for inconsistent and oft-injured closer Brad Lidge, the Phillies decided to spend their dough on JONATHAN PAPELBON instead. The former Red Sox closer was 31-of-34 in save chances last year with a career-high 87 strikeouts and just 10 walks. With the departure of free agent Ryan Madson, ANTONIO BASTARDO assumes eighth-inning duties. The southpaw allowed a microscopic .144 opponents’ BA, won six games and saved eight others last season. JOSE CONTERAS (age 40) returns for his seventh-inning duty and appears healthy enough to pitch following last year’s season-ending elbow surgery. He is 9-of-10 in save chances since 2010.
opportunities last year and fanning 55 batters in 54.2 innings. MIKE DUNN is the lefty set-up man in this bullpen. He has great stuff (100 K in 86 career innings), but remains extremely wild (53 walks in those 86 IP).
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