Jered Weaver, SP, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

April 2, 2007 @ 16:00:00

By Chris Kolb
Edited by Nicholas Minnix

On March 20, the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim made it official: Starting pitcher Jered Weaver (biceps) would be starting this season on the disabled list due to biceps tendonitis.

Background

Weaver finished last season with a stellar 11-2 record along with a 2.56 ERA, and the Angels had high hopes for him for this season. However, the team decided to start Weaver out on the disabled list rather than risk a further aggravation of Weaver's injury.

Weaver began throwing bullpen sessions by early March, and he worked his way up to batting practice while reporting no pain. He quickly progressed to simulated games and minor league games in late March. Currently, Weaver is scheduled to pitch in a Class A game for Rancho Cucamonga this Friday. The Angels are projecting Weaver to make his 2007 season debut on April 16 against the Boston Red Sox.

Despite being a rookie last season, Weaver immediately fit into the Angels' pitching rotation, and was dominant in the majority of his starts. He throws two main pitches: a fastball and a slider; however, he can also throw the changeup, as well as a curveball at times. His versatile repertoire is a big plus for the Angels, and is something they could sorely miss in the first couple of weeks of this season.

Table: Jered Weaver Statistics (2005-06)

Year	Level	IP	W	L	ERA	WHIP	SO
2005	A+	33	4	1	3.82	0.97	49
2005	AA	43	3	3	3.98	1.44	46
2006	AAA	77	6	1	2.10	0.95	93
2006	MLB	123	11	2	2.56	1.03	105

The Replacements

If fantasy owners are looking for another option to replace Weaver for the first part of the season, one that could be available at the start of the season is Cleveland Indians starting pitcher Jake Westbrook. Westbrook has a pretty good history in April, with a 4.28 ERA and 1.22 WHIP. Last season, Westbrook went 3-0 with a 1.69 ERA and 0.94 WHIP in three appearances against the Chicago White Sox, his likely first opponent. After that, he's likely to get a start versus the light-hitting Seattle Mariners or Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim.

If owners want to take a chance, they could look in the direction of the St. Louis Cardinals' latest reclamation project, starter Kip Wells. While not a popular choice by any means, Wells is a talented pitcher that has been ravaged by injuries the last couple of years. However, pitching coach Dave Duncan has turned former retreads into solid performers. Wells had a fantastic spring and is the No. 2 pitcher in the rotation. After a tough matchup with the New York Mets, Wells faces his former team, the Pirates, in Pittsburgh.

Fantasy Outlook

With that being said, Weaver is not expected to be out of the Angels' lineup for very long, so there is no reason to overreact and drop him from your team completely. Although Weaver could struggle a bit more this season, now that opposing batters have had a chance to see what he can do, he is still a quality starting pitcher that has excellent control. His statistics this season should help out almost any fantasy owner, and he likely came at a bargain in most drafts.

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Chris Kolb
Chris Kolb has been a KFFL contributor since 2006.

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