Injuries and poor performances will undoubtedly strike just about every team, and, in many cases, rookies will be called on to fill the gaps. Fantasy baseball owners will always be curious about these pitchers as they try to determine whether they're sleepers, streamers or neither.
Few teams are willing to give rookie pitchers a chance to start right out of the gate. Concerns about workload (most rookies still have some form of innings limit) and a desire to delay arbitration eligibility usually cause clubs to stash their best pitching prospects in the minors for at least the first month or two of the season.