Homer Bailey, Jenrry Mejia and Dustin Moseley: NL Starting Pitchers

In today’s look at a few NL starting pitchers, I touch on two former top prospects, and a pitcher many people have not heard of.

Homer Bailey | Reds | 7% Owned (Y!) | 0% Owned (ESPN)
After looking major league worthy for the first time in his career during the 2010 season, Bailey has yet to pitch for Cincinnati this year thanks to a shoulder injury. After three rehab starts in the minors, Bailey is scheduled to make his 2011 debut tomorrow, a.k.a. Thursday. Bailey’s return means Sam LeCure, who pitched well for the Reds, will be forced back into the bullpen. We don’t know if Bailey’s continued shoulder troubles will hurt his stuff and his fantasy numbers, but it doesn’t mean that Bailey isn’t worth adding if you need to take a chance on a pitcher and can’t afford to wait. Bailey’s fly ball tendencies could get him into trouble when he pitches at home, but you’re not going to find a worse park for his style in the NL, so pitching him when he’s on the road is a much safer bet.

Jenrry Mejia | Mets | 0% | 0%
Mejia was the Mets’ top prospect before he pitched 39 innings for the club last season, and he started the 2011 campaign where he belongs: the minors. Unfortunately, it looks like Mejia will end his season on the DL, thanks to what doctors are calling a completely torn MCL in his throwing elbow. Ouch. If you own Mejia in a dynasty or large keeper league, you still may want to hold on to him; Mejia is only twenty-one-years old, and while his major league stint was below replacement, he still showed some good raw “stuff.” If you’re in a relatively shallow keeper league, you can feel pretty safe letting him go, as we may not see him in the majors until 2013.

Dustin Moseley | Padres | 8% | 7%
Like his counterpart Tim Stauffer, Moseley isn’t much to look at, but he can deliver some decent fantasy numbers if you give him the chance. Moseley’s arsenal of sinkers, cutters and curveballs isn’t going to blow hitters away, but it will allow him to induce ground balls and pitch efficiently. Moseley doesn’t walk many batters, allowing him to maintain a K/BB rate above 1.50 while striking out a batter every other inning (on average). Thanks to Petco and the Padres’ defense, Moseley could help your ERA as a spot-starter.