As the baseball media was becoming acquainted with Johan Santana officially being in a New York Mets’ uniform, the Seattle Mariners were quietly acquiring one of the most dominant pitchers in the American League.

After starting off the 2007 season with a lackluster month of April (3-2 record but a 6.09 ERA), Erik Bedard found the groove and finished strong before his season was cut short due to an oblique injury.

In only 182 innings pitched last season, Bedard was fantasy gold posting a whopping strikeout total of 221 & a K per 9 ratio of 10.9. He even flirted with a sub 3.00 ERA until he allowed 6 earned runs in the start in which he injured his oblique. 

Prior to that final start, Bedard was having possibly the best stretch of his career. From June 10 to August 21, Bedard was 9-0 with a 2.25 ERA and 115 K in 88 innings pitched.

In terms of a fantasy impact, expect his rations to be solid again this year.  Bedard posted a WHIP of 1.09 and his BAA (Batting Average Against) fell from .258 to .212 (from 2006 to 2007), while pitching in the tough American League East where he was facing the monstrous lineups of New York and Boston. 

Bedard brings a deceptive delivery with a plus fastball, and teaming with Mel Stottlemyre, Seattle’s new pitching coach, should help him as well. 

Also, with the young King Felix Hernandez establishing himself last season, Bedard will have to compete for the number one spot in the rotation, so this could be an added motivation for success for both pitchers. 

Overall, expect Bedard to win roughly 15-16 games and strikeout around 215-230, with solid ERA and WHIP ratios. 

Many of you might know from my Santana post that I love pitchers who produce the K’s, and Bedard has shown he can do that.  He is in the process of vying for fantasy ace status, but he might just be a tad behind Santana and Jake Peavy when selecting a starting pitcher.

One caution you may want to consider when selecting Bedard in your fantasy draft is that he has never broken the 200 innings pitched plateau, so if he were to remain healthy for the entire season, there is the possibility that he could tire at the end of the season. However, if you see this trend coming, trading away Bedard to fill your fantasy needs in the latter stages of the year could push you to a fantasy championship.

Derek Rang

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