Chien Ming Wang

When the Yankees first signed Chien Ming Wang to a 1.9 million dollar contract as a minor leaguer a few years ago, they placed high value on his smooth delivery and arm action. His mechanics were such that the Yankees believed that he would be a very durable player with low risk of ever ending up on the disabled list.

Photo by the AP

The Yankees were shocked when Chien Ming Wang needed shoulder surgery during his time in the minor leagues. And his bout with shoulder tendonitis last season was further cause for concern.

But Chien Ming Wang bounced back to pitch relatively well late in the season, and the Yankees are counting on him to have a good year in 2006.

Before Chien Ming Wang started having shoulder problems in the minor leagues, he regularly reached 97 mph on his fastball. For most of the 2005 season, his fastball hovered in the low 90s.

There's no question that Chien Ming Wang can be a top-of-the-rotation starter with a low 90s fastball. The key is his sinker, which drops so quickly that Chien Ming Wang is arguably the best ground ball pitcher in the major leagues. His ball sinks so quickly that other pitchers like Jaret Wright have said that Wang has the "heaviest" ball around. "Heavy" referring to how much the ball drops at the end of its flight.

Chien Ming Wang was born on March 31, 1980, making him 26 years old for the 2006 regular season.

Let's hope that he becomes the number one starter for the Yankees for many years to come.