Joe Beimel

The Mariners picked Beimel off the scrap heap last year and were rewarded with a bullpen gem. Beimel had last pitched in the big leagues in 2011 because of Tommy John surgery, and he was one of two (Charlie Furbush) main lefties in the bullpen, limiting left-handed batters to a .188 average with a 17:2 K:BB. He stranded 76.0% of his inherited runners, the first not crossing the plate until mid-June. Beimel does not miss bats but has good control (10 unintentional walks) and keeps the ball on ground, generating weak contact and relying on good defense. He has used that formula much of his career to overcome peripherals (career 5.11 K/9, 4.49 FIP) that suggest luck, but last season he saw even more good fortune with a career-low .256 BABIP and a career-high 85.7% strand rate. Despite that, and his age -- Beimel will turn 38 in April -- the Mariners might bring him back if the price is right.

The Nationals traded Beimel to the Rockies late in the season for a pitching prospect, where he performed as advertised. He posted a respectable 3.58 ERA on the year, with a 2.3 K/BB. The Rockies declined to offer Beimel salary arbitration, and he is likely to find himself as a setup man or left-handed specialist with a new club in 2010. As a middle reliever with yawn-inducing stats, there isn't much incentive to put Beimel on your fantasy radar.

Sure, last year's 2.02 ERA was excellent, but the raw numbers masked a .278 average versus left-handed hitters, and Beimel's 1.45 WHIP and low strikeout rate (5.9 K/9IP) don't bode well for an ERA repeat in 2009. Still, he'll find work as lefty set-up man in a bullpen next season after he was let go by the Dodgers.

Beimel had another solid season as the team's left-handed bullpen specialist, appearing in 83 games (tied for third in the NL with teammate Jonathan Broxton) and posting a 3.88 ERA in 67.1 innings. Unfortunately for fantasy owners, Beimel's stuff doesn't translate into strikeouts (39:24 K:BB) and he isn't a threat to vulture more than a save or two over the course of the season. As a lefty who can get left-handed hitters out (.188 BAA in 2007), Beimel should be a workhorse again in 2008.

Beimel had last pitched a full season in the majors in 2003 when he received a January minor league deal from the Dodgers, but it didn't take long to establish himself as the team's primary left-handed option out of the pen. Despite his much-publicized incident in a New York bar in which he cut his hand and knocked him out of the playoffs, Beimel is expected back as the team's top left-handed reliever. His mediocre K/9 rate (3.9) leaves him with little fantasy value and essentially zero chance at spending any time as the team's closer.

Beimel lost his spot on the 40-man roster over the winter. With luck, he'll get a spring NRI and compete for a lefty specialist role in a big-league bullpen somewhere, with the associated minimal roto impact.

Beimel didn't impress the Twins at either Minnesota or Triple-A last year, but he's a lefty, so Tampa Bay signed him to a minor league contract. If he makes the team, it'll be as a situational lefty with almost no roto impact.

Beimel had a chance to shine as Pittsburgh's top left-handed reliever when Scott Sauerbeck was traded to Boston year, but instead struggled. In a team and career-high 69 appearances, he was 1-3, with an ERA of 5.05. He was also zero-for-five in save opportunities. Opponents hit .a robust 299 against him, the third-highest batting average allowed among NL relievers and he allowed 25 of his 53 inherited runners to score (47%), the second-worst percentage among NL relievers. Since he's a lefty, he'll probably get to pitch in the bigs again, but look for the Pirates find another situational southpaw to trust with the really important outs.

For the second year in a row, Beimel was more effective as a reliever than as a starter. He’ll open the 2003 season as the Pirates’ second bullpen lefty. Move along, nothing to see here.