Hochevar lands $3.51 million deal: CBSSports.com baseball insider Jon Heyman reports Royals SP Luke Hochevar avoided arbitration by signing a one-year, $3.51 million contract on Tuesday. (Updated 01/17/2012)
Injury Report
No information available at this time (Updated 2/23/12).
Fantasy Analysis
Hochevar had a career-high 11 wins in 2011, but he still hasn't pitched like the No. 1 overall pick in the 2006 draft. Hochevar did post a career-best 1.28 WHIP last year, so maybe there is still hope for the 28-year-old hurler. But you can leave Hochevar pretty much for AL-only Fantasy leagues on Draft Day. (Updated 01/17/2012).
02/20/2012 06:44 2012 Draft Prep: What you may have missed
Did you give up on your Fantasy Baseball team after the All-Star break last season? Well, you're not alone. But our Michael Hurcomb will tell you about some of the second-half surprises from 2011 and whether or not you should target those players on Draft Day this year.
02/18/2012 11:37 Royals agree to terms with 1B Hosmer, 3B Moustakas
The Royals agreed to contracts with first baseman Eric Hosmer, third baseman Mike Moustakas, outfielder Lorenzo Cain and right-hander Luis Mendoza on Saturday, two days before pitchers and catchers are due to report to spring training.
Luke Hochevar would be easy to overlook on Draft Day. Frankly, the only reason anyone would give him a second thought is because he's a former No. 1 overall pick -- you know, like Stephen Strasburg or Bryce Harper. But for as much as he has underachieved throughout his career, he made a few strides in the second half in 2011 that hint of legitimate growth. Though his season strikeout rate of 5.8 per nine innings was a career low, he was a legitimate strikeout pitcher over his final 10 starts, averaging 8.3 per nine innings. He also had a 3.49 ERA and 1.12 WHIP during that stretch, pitching at least six innings every time on the mound. Those aren't quite ace numbers, but they're certainly Fantasy-relevant numbers. They're also not so easy to dismiss given Hochevar's pedigree. Then again, 10 starts is an awfully small sample size, and age 28 is kind of late to be taking such a big step forward. You wouldn't want to overdraft a historically mediocre pitcher because of a few good starts, but if you're scrambling for a starting pitcher in the late rounds, Hochevar is a name to remember. (Updated 1/9/12)
Actual 
AccuScore Projections) Note: Points are rounded down.
= probable start