Shaun Marcum

Marcum got off to a good start last season, with a 3.39 ERA and 1.17 WHIP through his first 13 starts, but an elbow injury knocked him out for over two months, and he struggled to find his control the rest of the way. Marcum has finished with an ERA of 3.70 or less in each of the last four seasons he has finished, but he has also topped 200 innings just once and 30 starts twice. He will likely get a multi-year deal this offseason, but his injury history will probably make him a little more affordable than other starters available on the open market.

Marcum was having a great 2011 season until a disastrous September (5.17 ERA) and postseason (16 ER in 9.2 IP) combined to ruin everything. Home runs were usually his downfall, but a dip in his strikeout rate didn't help. He'll enter 2012 as Milwaukee's third starter, and it remains to be seen if fatigue from going over the 200 innings mark, or an unreported injury might have been the cause of his late-season struggles.

Marcum battled some midseason elbow inflammation and still managed a very fine season in the meatgrinder that is the AL East. He didn't miss a beat in his return from Tommy John surgery, posting career-high BB/9IP, K/9IP and HR/9IP rates. He'll benefit greatly from a move to the NL Central following an offseason trade to the Brewers.

Marcum's bid to return at the end of the season never materialized with the Jays falling out of contention but he's fully expected to be ready for the start of the 2010 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery late in 2008. Marcum showed a lot of promise as a 26-year old in 2008 (9-7, 3.39 ERA, 1.163 WHIP, 7.3 K/9IP) and will be given a chance to win a rotation spot this spring. His win total may not be much to get excited about in a tough AL East for the rebuilding Jays but he could put up above average numbers in the other categories if he lands a rotation spot.

Marcum is expected to miss most, if not all, of the 2009 season after Tommy John surgery to repair an elbow injury. He was 9-7 with a 3.39 ERA, 123 strikeouts and a sterling 1.16 WHIP before his season ended in September. Most pitchers recover well from Tommy John surgery so his outlook for 2010 remains bright, but you can cross him off your draft day plans for 2009 unless you're in a keeper league and can afford the extra roster space for the future.

Marcum pitched well for the Blue Jays once he was given a spot in the rotation before fading (1.904 WHIP, 7.27 ERA) in four September starts. Prior to the late-season struggles, Marcum had an 18-start stretch where he went 9-2 and posted a nice line of 111.1 innings, 85 hits, 28 walks, 79 K and 2.91 ERA. There's some upside here, particularly if he can keep the ball in the park a bit more often.

Marcum began the year in the bullpen at Triple-A Syracuse, but found himself back in a starting role quickly before being promoted for good in early July as a member of the rotation. His numbers in the minors, including a nice 60:9 K:BB in 52.2 innings, show promise, but he struggled with his control a bit during his first prolonged exposure in the majors. A nice September with 22 strikeouts and six walks in 23 innings helped, and there's some upside here as a fifth starter if he can keep the ball in the park.

After a nine-start audition at Double-A New Hampshire, Marcum struggled a bit at Triple-A Syracuse, but still posted solid peripherals. He'll likely spend another half-year in the Syracuse rotation, but he's someone to keep an eye on this spring.

A third-rounder in 2004, Marcum continues to post ridiculous K/BB ratios. He made 25 starts in 2004, split between two levels at Single-A, and racked up 155 K in 148.3 IP while walking just 20. He'll be 23 in 2005, and should see Triple-A Syracuse toward the end of the year.

Marcum, the Jays’ third round pick in 2003 out of Southwest Missouri State U, was both a shortstop and a pitcher. The organization intends on developing him as a pitcher and his hard slider could be a plus-pitch and he works in the low 90s with his fastball. He had some eye-popping numbers for Short-Season Auburn posting a 1.32 ERA in 21 appearances as a relief pitcher and racking up a 47/7 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 34 innings. He should be low Single-A to begin the year and the 2003 results suggest the team will probably try him as a starter in his first full year.