Special Deliveries: 5 Under-the-Radar Pitchers Who Will Dominate in 2012

For all of the hype over the Albert Pujols and Prince Fielder signings this offseason, the truth is that Major League Baseball is a pitcher's league.

Last season, teams scored the fewest runs per game (4.28) since 1992, the year Dennis Eckersley won the A.L. MVP and the Atlanta Braves began their run of postseason appearances on the backs of their stud starting pitchers. 

It's not just No. 1 starters who are dominating. No. 2, No. 3 and even No. 4 starters are shutting down hitters, which is good news for fantasy owners in search of pitching value.

Here are five non-No. 1 starters who are likely to be steals this season. 

1. Corey Luebke, San Diego Padres

Corey Luebke has long been on the radar within the Padres organization, which drafted him with a supplemental first-round pick back in 2007. But because San Diego generally stinks and Luebke doesn't throw very hard, the left-hander hasn't been hyped much. His two- and four-seam fastballs hover in the low 90s, and he keeps hitters honest with a slider and changeup that are about eight MPH slower.

But what the left-hander lacks in pure stuff, he more than makes up for with pinpoint command and an ability to induce ground ball outs, which is a big deal with one of the best defensive infields backing him up. Maybe that's why he didn't need pitcher-friendly PETCO Park to do well. In fact, his ERA was better on the road (2.55) than at home (4.04). 

2. Derek Holland, Texas Rangers

Lost in all the Yu Darvish hype is Holland, a young pitcher who was also overshadowed in the Rangers' farm system by Neftali Feliz.

Holland is harder to overlook now. He has a nice low- to mid-90s fastball with good movement, a sharp slider as his out pitch and a curveball he likes to locate early for strikes.

After the break last season, the left-hander went 9-1 with a 3.06 ERA and finished the postseason with a 3.38 ERA in 24 innings of work. He seemed to get better as the season wore on, which is a good sign for 2012.

3. Brandon McCarthy, Oakland Athletics

Technically, McCarthy enters camp as a No. 1 starter thanks to injuries to Brett Anderson and Dallas Braden. But we all know McCarthy is past his supernova moment. That was back in 2006, when the Rangers dealt John Danks, among others, to the White Sox for him. Injuries killed McCarthy's chances in Texas, and the Rangers granted him his release in 2010. 

Enter Beane and Co., who recalled what made McCarthy the Sox's top pitching prospect entering 2005. The pinpoint location on his two- and four-seamers. His plus curveball. And the steep plane of his pitches thanks to his 6'7".

He stayed healthy last year and delivered a sound 3.32 ERA in 25 starts. His best month was September, when he had a 2.19 ERA with 30 strikeouts and just six walks. In fact, his final strikeouts-to-walks ratio was nearly 5-to-1. 

You know what they say about tall pitchers: It can take them a while to find their groove. Maybe, just maybe, McCarthy has finally found his. 

4. Erik Bedard, Pittsburgh Pirates

This season has all the right ingredients for a bounce-back year for the lefty. Judging from his history, pressure situations don't agree with Bedard. Injury woes followed the big contract with Seattle in '08. And last season, he wilted after the Mariners traded him to the fishbowl of Boston.

However, he did make 32 starts in '11, his most since 2006. This year, he gets to pitch in the DH-free NL for the first time. He'll pitch for a middling team that promises a low-pressure environment. And, thanks to A.J. Burnett joining the Pirates rotation, any pressure he may have felt is really gone now. I smell a good season for Bedard. 

5. Doug Fister, Detroit Tigers

Fister is the most obvious choice on this list. After being dealt to the Tigers at the deadline last summer, he went 8-1 with a 1.79 ERA in 70.1 innings of work. And while the Yankees were able to light him up in the LDS, the right-hander pitched well in his one ALCS start.

The 6'8" Fister gets a good downward plane on his low-90s fastball, and he has good command.

But his emergence is all about the development of his curveball, which is now one of the best in the bigs. According to FanGraphs, he got a called strike with the pitch more than a third of the time.

He is smart and unflappable, which means he should be able to adjust when opposing lineups hit him. I like his chances for an encore in Detroit.