Fantasy talk: Trevor Cahill status report

Trevor Cahill hasn't really been a consistent pitcher so far in his brief MLB career. He is still extremely young (24 years old), and still has a lot to learn. He has a lot of upside, and if he can gain some sort of consistency, he could possibly be Arizona's ace for year's to come. 

Cahill was drafted by the Athletics in the 2nd round of the 2006 draft. He pitched very well in the minors, and was quickly promoted to the big leagues. He started the 2009 season in Oakland's starting rotation, and didn't really have a great year. He posted a 4.62 ERA in 32 games started, and only racked up 90 strikeouts. The following season he had a breakout year, winning 18 games while posting a 2.97 ERA in 196.2 innings pitched. He made his first All-Star team, and at 22 years old, he looked like a rising star in the game. In 2011, Oakland expected him to be their #2 pitcher behind Gio Gonzalez but Cahill did not have a successful season. He posted a 4.16 ERA in 34 games started, and only had 147 strikeouts. He also put up a 9.3 H/9 ratio, which is startling for fantasy owners. Last off-season, the Athletics surprised the baseball world by trading Cahill to the Diamondbacks. Cahill was 23 years old at the time, and many figured that he would be part of Oakland's future plans despite his poor 2011 campaign. The Diamondbacks paid a hefty price in order to acquire Cahill, sending 3 players to Oakland, most notably Ryan Cook and Jarrod Parker. 

Once the 2012 season started, I expected Cahill's numbers to improve because he would be facing National League hitters, who are generally worse than the sluggers in the American League. Cahill hasn't been spectacular, but has pitched like a #3 starter this year. He currently has a 3.86 ERA in 156.1 innings, and has a 6.6 SO/9 ratio, which is not appealing to fantasy owners. Cahill is what he is, a control pitcher who relies heavily on his sinker and change up. I really hope that he develops some consistency, but even if he doesn't, luckily for him, age is on his side. I doubt that the Diamondbacks would give up on a 24 year old pitcher whom they paid a lot for. In fantasy, Cahill isn't really a great pitcher to have unless he starts racking up the K's and lowering his unimpressive walk ratio, which is 3.4 BB/9.