May 4, 2006, 2:10 PM

FLB: Rookie Report

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Cockcroft By Tristan H. Cockcroft
ESPN Fantasy Games
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Each week, the Rookie Report takes a look at the most prominent recent additions to major-league rosters, as well as players who recently made their debuts.

Rich Hill, SP, Cubs: He's the kid with the devastating curveball who made four spot starts for the Cubs in 2005, and he'll rejoin the major-league rotation beginning on Thursday. In case you don't remember him, Hill is the guy once tabbed as a "wild Barry Zito," and that's actually not an unfair comparison. Hill's curveball might actually be tougher to hit than Zito's, as he has averaged 12.5 strikeouts per nine innings for his minor-league career, but he's considerably wilder, with a 4.7 walks per nine ratio. In other words, he's a real work in progress, despite his impressive 1.44 ERA and 33 strikeouts in four starts for Triple-A Iowa this season. Hill's best long-term role might be as a situational reliever, where he wouldn't need great command of so many pitches, but with his stuff, he's well worth adding in NL-only formats as a starter. He's a high-risk, moderate-reward type.

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