Comeback players?

People banking on Mark Prior having a huge comeback year now that he's playing in a pitcher's ballpark, should dampen their expectations. According to the North County Times, Prior's rehab is going well, but he is not expected to make it back to the majors until June. In a recent bullpen session he only threw fastballs. Prior is stilll a decent sleeper pick, but with his injury history it is too risky to him even in the middle rounds of a draft. http://www.nctimes.com/articles/2008/03/02/sports/padres/14ce20ce3068becb882573ff007b79a0.txt

The A's shelled Barry Zito on Saturday. Zito, a former ace for the A's, let us eight runs in 2/3 of an inning. Many Roto fans thought Zito would excel after leaving the A's to pitch in the DH-less National League, but Zito struggled all year. A quick look at Zito's three year trend, with particular attention to his strikeout numbers, suggests that he is not poised for a major comeback.

Chan Ho Park, a non roster invitee to the Dodgers camp, is trying to make the team as a middle reliever. Although a long shot, Park is off to a good start as he pitched two scoreless innings on Saturday against the Mets.

John Patterson made his spring debut for the Nationals on Saturday, and appears to be in good health. But buyer beware: Fantasy managers expecting Patterson to repeat his 2005 season (3.13 ERA, 1.19 WHIP) may find that Patterson's stats will not hold up as well now that the Nats are leaving pitcher-friendly RFK.