Brandon Claussen is a left-handed starting pitcher for the Cincinnati Reds. His fastball tops out in the low 90s, and his “slurve” pitch is constantly talked about by Reds' television broadcaster Chris Welsh. Claussen came to the Reds from the New York Yankees in 2003 as part of a trade for Aaron Boone.

Claussen blew out a ligament in his left elbow and underwent Tommy John surgery in 2002. But really, who hasn't?

Claussen's wrap is that he can't put hitters away. He gets a couple strikes on a guy, nibbles around, and ends up walking him. His pitch counts get high and he's out of the game in the sixth inning.

Still, he had a respectable year in 2005 compared to the likes of Eric Milton and Ramón Ortiz, and after a decent spring, he ended up the Reds' number three pitcher going into the 2006 season.

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