Kerry Wood, P, Chicago Cubs

March 13, 2006 @ 14:29:34

By Anthony Agolia
Edited by KFFL Staff

Chicago Cubs pitcher Kerry Wood was once viewed as one of the premiere starters in all of fantasy baseball. But after posting 13 wins, 233 K and a 3.40 ERA in his rookie season (1998), he has topped this win total only once, when he won 14 games in 2003. He has started more than 30 games only twice in his career, in 2002 and 2003, and as a result, those are the only two times he's ever pitched 200 innings. But fantasy players have been intoxicated by his strikeout numbers, as he has struck out more than 200 batters all four seasons he has made at least 25 starts.

Wood is now entering the most questionable stage of his enigmatic career. He has only made 32 starts in the past two seasons combined, and is coming off two offseason surgeries, one to his throwing shoulder and one to his right knee. He isn't throwing off a mound yet, and the earliest he is expected to return is May.

The role he will play with the Cubs upon his return is unclear. When he went down with the shoulder injury last season, there was a great deal of speculation that he would be moved to the bullpen in 2006. He seems to be a perfect fit as a closer, except that Chicago was very impressed with the job pitcher Ryan Dempster did in that capacity last year. While the Cubs would like to have him in the rotation, they are concerned at this stage of his career he cannot handle the workload. On the other hand, Chicago's starting rotation could use his help. After ace Carlos Zambrano and the ageless Greg Maddux, the Cubbies have pitchers Mark Prior, Jerome Williams and Glendon Rusch. Prior's health situation is nearly as perilous as Wood's, Rusch had a 5.37 ERA in the second half of last season and Williams was dealt from San Francisco because he was too inconsistent to pitch every five days.

Thus, Chicago has not yet determined what do with Wood when he returns, but the most likely scenario is middle relief, and if he proves to be healthy in that role, there are three scenarios in which he could re-emerge as a fantasy force again this season. One, if Dempster falters, Wood should become the next Cubs closer. Two, if either Rusch or Williams implode, Wood should return the rotation. Three, if Prior returns to the disabled list, Wood would again return to the rotation. Another interesting twist is that in scenarios two and three, even if Dempster is excelling as the closer, it is conceivable that Chicago might move him into the rotation and install Wood as the closer, since Dempster himself was once a starter.

We would not recommend drafting Wood in mixed leagues this spring if you do not have a disabled list spot on your roster, except in the deepest leagues. He might not be pitching until June or July, and there is no guarantee he will start or close. Your best bet is to let someone else draft him and wait for him to hit the waiver wire. If you have the room, stash him on the disabled list and see what happens. After all, he is very similar to Prior in that in any given year, he could just put it all together and be the best pitcher in fantasy.

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Anthony Agolia
Anthony graduated with a B.A. in Philosophy from James Madison University in 2002, and is currently attending Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law. His aspirations include becoming the GM of the NY Mets and establishing the MLBPA (Major League Beer Pong Association). He strongly believes that the Yankees are the devil, the words flammable and inflammable shouldn't mean the same thing, and that there is no intelligent life anywhere in our universe. He has been with KFFL since 2005.

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