Today's Fantasy Rx

Anaheim Angels: #5 starter; primary contenders: Aaron Sele, John Lackey, and Kevin Gregg.

Unless Anaheim deals Ramon Ortiz or Jarrod Washburn, both of whom offer more immediate upside than even Lackey, the Angels only have one open rotation spot for Sele, Lackey, Gregg, Scot Shields, and Chris Bootcheck. Now, while Shields can return to the bullpen and Bootcheck could use more minor league seasoning, the other three pitchers deserve long looks in spring training.

Sele's $8.5M contract makes him the prohibitive favorite, but considering Anaheim cut Kevin Appier despite owning Appier almost double the amount remaining on Sele's deal, money won't determine the winner here. Let's look at a quick breakdown of their projected primary skill ratios:

Pitcher		K/9	BB/9	HR/9
Sele		4.1	3.1	.9
Lackey		6.7	2.9	1.0
Gregg		5.9	2.5	.9

As Sele owns the worst dominance and control of this trio, I just don't see him earning a rotation spot unless an unexpected injury opens another hole. Gregg, despite owning the best control here, has only started 27 games above AA. I don't believe he requires more minor league experience prior to succeeding in the majors, but he simply doesn't offer Lackey's upside. As the other two also lack his World Series' experience, John Lackey is the favorite to open the year in Anaheim's rotation and should merit a bid around $10 in standard AL leagues.

Today's Fantasy Rx: Anyone drafting early in the spring should consider the following players sleepers since they likely will win significant roles but still aren't guaranteed starting jobs: Anaheim's John Lackey.