Will Jeremy Bonderman make an impact for any MLB team in 2011?

09:25 PM ET 01.06 |

Former Tigers right-hander Jeremy Bonderman is on the scrap heap of free agent starters right now after a 5.53 ERA in '10 and a 5.19 ERA the last four seasons. Is he even worth a look for the Yankees or any other team?

I'll just say it straight out: if Jeremy Bonderman signs a major league contract worth any amount of money with any MLB team (including the Yankees) I will rip that team. Here's why.

You have to notice that 5.19 ERA figure above. Bonderman hasn't had one bad season, he's had four. To compound the problem, he hasn't been healthy, missing time with injuries each of the last four season since tying for the AL lead with 34 starts in 2006. 2006 was Bonderman's one good year, as he went 14-8 with a 4.08 ERA and 202 K's in 34 starts in 214 innings. Bonderman had an outstanding 8.5 K/9 that year, but he has a career 7.1 K/9 and just one other year over 8.0. It's not like Bonderman might have great upside in '11 if healthy. Bonderman's downfall is interestingly hits allowed. He has allowed 3.1 walks per 9 innings, a decent ratio, and 1.1 homers per 9 innings, which is acceptable (but then again, he pitched his home games at Comerica Park), but he has allowed 9.5 hits per 9 innings in his career, very suprising for a strikeout pitcher. Even in his good (not superb) 2006 season, he allowed exactly a hit per inning (9.0 H/9). His only season in which he had under a hit per inning (8.2 H/9) was 2004, when he posted a 4.89 ERA. Was was interesting about that year is that in 7 starts he had an 11.92 ERA and he had a 2.97 ERA in his another 22 starts. He gave up 7 runs three times, 6 runs three times, and 5 runs once. That season shows Bonderman's problem throughout his career: he's a decent pitcher, but sometimes he just implodes. he has allowed 5 runs or more in a game at least 6 times every season of his career besides '08 and '09 when he appeared in a combined 20 games (12 starts). Roy Halladay has given up 5 or more runs in a start 6 or more times in a season just 1 time in the last 6 seasons. Felix Hernandez has just 1 such season on his entire career resume (2006).

Here's the bottom line with Bonderman: he's an inconsistent pitcher with little upside. If you're lucky, he'll give you a 4.00 ERA. He's a former 19 game loser and a 2-time 14 game winner, which says it all. He's been all the way down, but never really been an ace-type pitcher. Will somone offer him a minor league deal? Of course. Just don't expect too much.