Amazingly, the 2007 campaign does not seem to have yielded any strong candidates for the Andy Sisco award. This award, as you remember, is given to the Royals pitcher who best embodies the spirit of Andy Sisco, posting terrible numbers despite coming off a good year that made everyone excited about his potential. The original statement of the award reads:

One player who fans have hope for in the upcoming season will horribly regress and live on only potential for the next season - The Mark Quinn/Andy Sisco award.

Blame for the current dearth of viable Andy Sisco Award candidates primarily lies with the 2006 pitching staff. Nobody with "potential" had a good season, so we were left with candidates who are in the middle of their careers. The selection process is further hampered by injuries to two of the preseason nominees.

The Candidates

Luke Hudson: A strong preseason favorite for the award, Hudson only appeared in one game this year. Many still harbor hope that he will make the starting rotation next year, a hope that is incompatible with the Andy Sisco award.

Joe Nelson: A little old for the award to begin with, Nelson did not appear this season.

Todd Wellemeyer: A serviceable reliever in 2006, Wellemeyer struggled early on with the Royals, posting an ERA of 10.34 in 15.2 innings. Unfortunately, he went on to post a 3.11 ERA in 63.2 innings with the Cardinals.

Scott Elarton: Doesn't really fit the profile since nobody thought he was any good. But, some thought he could eat some innings, and he was just so extraordinarily bad (10.46 ERA in 37 innings, with 21 BB and only 13 K) that he merits some consideration.

Jorge de la Rosa: His candidacy relies more on preseason expectations than on past success. After his slightly above replacement level performance in 2006, I'm not sure we were expecting much more than what we got this year. Also, he wasn't terrible.

Odalis Perez: He is who we thought he was, so I say we let him off the hook.

Denny Bautista: If the award could be given in absentia, he fits the profile. After showing flashes of his dynamite arm in early 2006, Bautista was traded to the Rockies, for whom he has thrown 8.2 innings with an era of 12.46 in 2007.

Tyler Lumsden: Another reach, Lumsden was seen by many as a rotation candidate for 2008 and an eventual 2-3 starter after being acquired for Mike MacDougal in 2006 and posting good numbers in AA. This year, however, he has regressed tremendously, with a 5.88 ERA in only 119.1 innings for AAA Omaha.

A key consideration in this debate will be Wellemeyer's success with the Cardinals: does it count against him, since he was successful, or does it count for him, since it was for the Cardinals? Alternatively, can we give the award to an injured player? In my opinion, the pitcher who best embodies the spirit of the award is Tyler Lumsden. But can we crown a minor leaguer? The decision is not mine to make.