Baseball Sleeper Pitchers for 2011
Our second installment of Baseball's Sleeper Pitchers is back with five pitchers who should offer good betting value for the year. We stay away from the bigger names who everybody looks to bet and instead look for pitchers who are ready for improvement.Mat Latos was on our list last year and we rode him to huge profits until the end of the season when he lost several in a row as a huge favorite, so this year, we'll look to remove any pitcher from the list if they have won five units for us.
Looking to this year:
Daniel Hudson (Arizona): Hudson was a mid-season call up for Arizona and produced a fine 7-1 record and the Diamondbacks were 10-4 in the 14 games he started. He's still a bit under the radar due to playing for a low profile team in the West and has the makings of a star.
Jeremy Hellickson (Tampa Bay): There's a reason why the Rays traded Matt Garza to the Cubs and it was to open a spot for Hellickson, a high-profile rookie, who should find decent odds at the beginning of the year.
Ricky Nolasco (Florida): Our only repeat pitcher from last year, Nolasco remains an enigma, throwing several strong games in a row and then getting lit up early, which is one reason he typically has a high ERA. The Marlins were 15-11 in his starts last year and we'll give him another go.
Brandan Morrow (Toronto): Morrow is primed for a big season and should come favorably priced in many of his starts. He gave some glimspes of what he's capable of last year and Toronto was 15-12 in his starts a year ago.
Jordan Zimmermann (Washington): It's a bit hard to back any of the Washington pitchers, but the team is making some good moves, which should translate to a better record. The Nationals were 3-4 in Zimmermann's starts last year and he should continue to improve.
