There is now talk that Brandon Webb might actually begin the '10 on the DL since he's been feeling "stagnant" during his most recent mound sessions.  That being said….I would still take a flyer out on him, however, nothing higher than a 13th rounder.  The leagues I commission have 4 available DL spots, so my strategy would be to draft him midway-later through your draft and hide him on the DL.   Then by mid-May he should be counted on as the Dbacks 3rd starter and I project that he will improve as the season wears on.  

As I mentioned in my player spotlight of him, he has never depended on high velocity, so his recovery after these initial setbacks should be very rapid and I believe he should revert back to his CY Young form.

One major concern regarding Lackey is how will he perform pitching half of his games at Fenway?  Why a concern is that during his in nine career regular-season starts at Fenway Park, he is 2-5 with a 5.75 ERA.  True, he was opposing some potent Red Sox line-ups, but we all know Fenway is considered to be among the top-5 ranked hitter's park. 

Jake Peavy seemed to excel during his first three AL starts last season and I don't see why that should change.  His arm is fresher than it has been compared to the past few seasons and not too many has his polished command…..

I would not be afraid to reach for Sheets or Hamels based on those ADP's. Get Cole for a bargain price while you can.

Well.. it appears Webb might not even be available until May….And this is in the best case scenario….

That obviously doesn't bode well since last year his comeback got contiously delayed (and this was all before he finally decided to opt for surgery)…

I hate to say this as a major Dbacks fan….However, I bet Webb's days are numbered…Not just w/the Dbacks, but in general…I hope he can prove me wrong, but no way he reverts back to his CY Young ways…will be now mediocre at best….

frankiephilly said:

Numbered? I hope not. I hope he bounces back.

It has since been announced that Webb is slated to play catch on Monday: http://www.azcentral.com/sport…..coro/78023

The reason why I have reservations of his long-term prognosis is this…. During the '08 offseason Webb was offered a long-term extension by the Dbacks, however, it was rescinded after insurance companies expressed concerns over Webb's throwing shoulder…Sure enough, Webb was removed after the 4th inning of his only start of the '09 season (4/6 Opening Day) and subsequently throughout the season there were reports that he would return some time last May…Obviously…that never happened…Then every few weeks his potential return got delayed even further.  Some speculated that the Dbacks wouldnt even offer him his '10 option since he was still a major liability. 

The one major issue was that Webb waited until early August to have season ending surgery which consequently prolonged everything…Several contended he should have had the operation earlier, but Webb waited too long to get eventual 2nd, 3rd, 4th..etc opinions…

He was supposed to start '10 healthy, but he suffered major shoulder stiffness at the outset of Spring Training and it was believed that he would return as soon as mid-April….But now we've reverted back to '09 in the since that his comeback has been delayed again….

True, it might be promising that he's poised to play catch on Monday, but that doesn't necessarily mean that he will be pitching in a complete wind-up and at full-speed…. 

Therefore, I concluded since last year that the insurance company saw something structurally in Webb's shoulder that surgery coudlnt even correct and all of this has since been smoke and mirrors regarding any prospect of him having a complete/successful return…..

Now Webb has since been placed on the 60-day DL (to make room for Kris Benson on the DBacks 40-man roster)…Therefore, he's not projected to return back as early as 5/25, however, haven't we heard that one before?