Prior to the 2011 season, in which Alexi Ogando made the all-star team as a starting pitcher, Tommy Hunter was supposed to be a starter coming out of spring training. Instead, he had a groin injury late in the spring that forced the Rangers to thrust Ogando into the rotation as a temporary fix. It ended up being anything but temporary.
Ogando was fantastic as a starter before hitting the proverbial wall after the all-star break as he quadrupled his career-high for innings pitched before being moved back to the bullpen late in the season and for the playoffs, where he was equally dominant.
Of course, last year he found himself back in the bullpen but now the front office has decided early on that he'll be a starter in 2013, something Ogando pushed for. And at least one big-time fantasy writer, ESPN's Eric Karabell, says Ogando will be a sleeper to look out for in 2013.
Here's Karabell's comments on the 29-year-old pitcher:
Yu Darvish will be the ace, and a Cy Young Award contender at that, but watch Alexi Ogando deliver 175 strong innings, plenty of strikeouts and an ERA of 3.25, with no second-half fade this time.
So there you go, go ahead and make plans to take Ogando when your draft rolls around in a few months.
