2009 FBS Sleeper Player: Max Scherzer

Team: Arizona Diamondbacks
Throws: Right

Position: SP

Another lightning arm, Scherzer has one of the brightest futures of any young pitcher in the major leagues. The question is when he will realize that potential. The skills, however, have never been under question. After an amazing career at the University of Missouri, Scherzer moved on to the minor leagues and mowed batters down at an amazing clip. In just 20 minor league starts, Scherzer was 8-5 with a 2.83 ERA, but it is his 210 strikeouts in just 159 innings that really opens your eyes. Scherzer appeared in 16 games for the D'Backs (7 starts), and was 0-4 but had an impressive 3.04 ERA and whiffed 66 guys in just 56 innings. So you can see that his success has already started to translate to the majors. He has been slowed this spring by an enflamed elbow, and hasn't made a start yet but it doesn't appear that the team is overly concerned about it. He might miss the first couple of turns in the rotation, but in April the fifth starter is often skipped. As long as Scherzer is healthy, he should be blowing away major leaguers again by the middle of April, and then after that the sky is the limit.

Prediction: 14-8, 3.31 ERA, 185 Ks, 1.32 WHIP