Kyle Farnsworth
Age: 30 Years Old (Turns 31 in April).

Three-Year History, three-year splits and last year's splits.

SEASON Team W L ERA G SV BS IP H R ER HR BB SO
2004 Cubs 4 5 4.73 72 0 4 66.2 67 39 35 10 33 78
2005 Tigers-Braves 1 1 2.19 72 16 2 70.0 44 18 17 5 27 87
2006 Yankees 3 6 4.36 72 6 4 66.0 62 34 32 8 28 75
2007 Bill James 4 3 3.77 67 2   62.0 55     7 27 67
2007 CHONE     3.49       67.0 58 28 26 8 26 72
2007 Marcel 3 4 4.15   6   65.0 61 32 30 8 26 64
2007 ZiPS 4 2 4.16 72     67.0 60 34 31 9 29 67

SEASON Team K/9 BB/9 K/BB HR/9 AVG WHIP BABIP LOB% FIP
2004 Cubs 10.53 4.46 2.36 1.35 .263 1.50 .341 71.6 % 4.39
2005 Tigers-Braves 11.19 3.47 3.22 0.64 .182 1.01 .261 83.6 % 2.93
2006 Yankees 10.23 3.82 2.68 1.09 .250 1.36 .327 71.4 % 3.82
2007 Bill James 9.73 3.92 2.48 1.02 .239 1.32 .308   3.91
2007 CHONE 9.67 3.49 2.77 1.07 .235 1.25 .300 77.8 % 3.90
2007 Marcel 8.86 3.60 2.46 1.11 .250 1.34 .308 73.3 % 4.12
2007 ZiPS 9.00 3.90 2.31 1.21 .241 1.33 .295 72.0 % 4.24

Outlook: Well, I mentioned Farnsworth's pattern at the beginning of last year. Odd years - good/great seasons, even years - mediocrity. I also said that while he has been uneven, the general direction of his seasons has been better. Well, he proved me correct on both counts. 2006 was definitely a step down from 2005 but you know what, his peripherals still weren't horrible. He gave up a line of .243/.315/.376/.691, which again, wasn't nearly as bad as his last bad season (2004) when it was .260/.348/.426/.769 which was then a far cry from his previous off seasons (2002: .293/.370/.558/.924 and 2000: .291/.392/.476/.864).

Looking forward to 2007, there's still a lot to like about Farnsworth. I mean, come on; with that arm and his propensity for the strikeout (9.69 K per 9 for his career - always a nice way to get out of a tight spot), he should be perfect for those high-leverage situations. However, back issues, mental toughness questions and the inability to be used consistently on back to back days have taken him out of Torre's circle of trust and as such, we'll have to wait and see about his continued use in those high leverage situations. Finally, it was interesting to hear that Farnsworth was working on a changeup and a sinker. Ron Guidry suggested it at the end of last season as a way to keep hitters from sitting dead red and Kyle's been working on it. If he can pull it off, great - otherwise, I just hope that he doesn't hurt himself because 2007 should be a very good for Kyle Farnsworth.

Please post your predictions for the following stat line in the comments section:

G Innings W L BB KSVBlSv ERA