Trolling for Pitching: N.L. Edition

Anonymous wants to know about a couple of pitchers who have fallen way off of our collective radar:

Anibal Sanchez and Josh Johnson will be returning soon. What are your thoughts about these two Marlins?

Are they worth a pickup in NL-only leagues? Do you see mixed-league potential for either?

In both cases, it's hard to guess.

Neither pitcher has thrown in a game yet. Johnson is throwing in extended spring training yet. Sanchez hasn't done so, but Fredi Gonzalez says that Sanchez is "close to pitching in a game." Amazingly, Johnson might make it back by July, with Sanchez returning around the same time.

Both are certainly worth taking a shot on when they return (or, if you can claim or bid on DLed pitchers, before that). They're probably not going to be worth grabbing in mixed leagues at the beginning except as spot starters in favorable match-ups.

But who knows? Your instincts certainly are correct. Track these two, watch what happens in the minor league rehabs, and watch for reports of their velocity as well as their K/IP and BB/IP totals. Control and command are going to be very important for both and their success in the majors. If they struggle with these elements of their game in the minors, they'll struggle in the majors as well.