Patterson Looks To Bounce Back From Injury

The Washington Nationals starter John Patterson will try to bounce back from an injury plagued 2006 season. Last season he made just eight starts and went 1-2, all because of a strain in his right forearm that led to surgery on his elbow due to a nerve problem.

Patterson has just 17 wins in the majors. His best season was in 2005 when he went 9-7 and posted a 3.13 ERA in 198 1/3 innings. He also had a major-league high 15 no-decisions due to lack of run support.

He has great potential but he has been unable to stay healthy since he began his career in 1997. If he gets 30 plus starts, he should throw over 200 innings, average a strikeout per inning and post an ERA under 3.00.

Patterson has reported to spring training in good health and the Nationals will look to him to be their ace. He is penciled in to start opening day.

Advice: Proceed with caution on draft day, select Patterson in the middle to late rounds. If he stays healthy, he could reward owners with decent ERA, WHIP and strikeout numbers, but pitching for the Nationals will produce a low win total because lack of run support. Monitor his progress through spring training.