Byung-hyun Kim

After alternating between the starting rotation and the bullpen since his big league debut in 1999, Kim, for the first time, spent the entire year as a starter, racking up a career-high 155 innings. The results weren't pretty: a 5.57 ERA and .823 OPS-against. Kim, when he's going well, is an excellent source for strikeouts thanks to his unorthodox delivery, but he's simply too inconsistent to rely on. With the Rockies looking pretty thin in the bullpen, it's possible they could change Kim's role yet again to see if he can recapture some of his past effectiveness.

Kim revived his career in 2005 as a starter with the Rockies. He initially pitched out of the bullpen until he became disgruntled and forced his way into the rotation. The move worked out, as his ERA dropped by a run and his walks per nine innings dipped from 4.9 to 3.9. He's a free agent and the Rockies are interested at a reasonable price.

After a season beset by leg injuries, ineffectiveness, and a loss of velocity, Kim's role with Boston in 2005 is a mystery. He's only 26 so there's still time for him to carve out a decent major league career. We expect he'll claim a role in the bullpen, probably in long relief, as the Red Sox burn off the last year of his contract. We would not be surprised to see Kim flipped during the season for some organizational depth or a needed spare part for the major league club.

Kim will be given the opportunity to win a starting spot, but also has value in a trade should the team have other needs. His main competition for the fifth spot in the rotation will be Bronson Arroyo. There may be residual animosity toward Kim for flipping off the Fenway fans during the playoffs, but if he's effective, that won't matter.

In 2002, Kim did a great job of getting over his two blown saves in Yankee Stadium in the 2001 World Series, nearly doubling his save totals (from 19 to 36) and maintaining his peripherals (1.07 WHIP, 9.9 K's per 9 IP). The Diamondbacks were peddling Kim in the offseason as part of their payroll retrenchment, and, wherever Kim winds up, he may be recast as a starter rather than a closer in 2003. Check Kim's team in the spring to find out what they're doing with him; if he's a closer, bid or draft presuming 30-plus saves, but if he's trying out for a rotation role, check his late spring starts carefully to see where you should take him in your roto league.