Clayton Kershaw, starting pitcher for the Los Angeles Dodgers, was a star player in high school before being drafted by the Dodgers in 2006. His high school record was 13 wins to 0 losses, a 0.77 ERA, and 139 strikeouts in 64 innings pitched.
Cliff Lee, starting pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies, was originally drafted by the Montreal Expos in 2000 but he never played with them. After two seasons in the minor leagues, the Expos traded Lee to the Cleveland Indians, who sent him to the minors for most of another season. They called him up in September to pitch in just two games and 10.1 innings. Lee again spent most of the 2003 season in the minors, playing in just nine games for the Indians that season.
Cole Hamels, starting pitcher for the Philadelphia Phillies, was drafted by the Phillies in 2002. He started his career in 2003 in the minor leagues but injuries curtailed his playing time in 2004 and 2005. In 2006, he was called up to the Phillies and he pitched in 23 games for them. Hamels statistics in his first year in the major leagues include 132.1 innings pitched, 9-8 record, 4.08 ERA, and 145 strikeouts to 48 walks.
Felix Hernandez, starting pitcher for the Seattle Mariners, was first signed by the Mariners in 2002 when he was only 16. He spent the 2003 and 2004 seasons in the minor leagues, coming up to the Mariners in 2005 at the age of 19. In his first season in the major leagues, Hernandez played in 12 games, pitched 84.1 innings, and had an ERA of 2.67 with 77 strikeouts to 23 walks.
Justin Verlander, ace starting pitcher for the Detroit Tigers, was first drafted by the Tigers in 2004. The following year, he played primarily in the minor leagues, pitching in just two games for the Tigers. In 2006, his rookie year, Verlander played in 30 games and pitched 186.0 innings with an ERA of 3.63, a 17-9 record, and 124 strikeouts to 60 walks. Those numbers earned Verlander the American League Rookie of the Year award in 2006.
Mark Buehrle, starting pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays, was first drafted in 1998 by the Chicago White Sox. He spent the 1999 season in the minor leagues. The following season he was called up to the White Sox and he pitched in 28 games for them. In 2000, Buehrle pitched in 51.1 innings and had a 4-1 record and a 4.21 ERA with 37 strikeouts to 19 walks.
R.A. Dickey, starting pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays, was last year's NL Cy Young award winner. He has had a career in and out of the major and minor leagues since 1996 when he was drafted by the Texas Rangers. Dickey was called up to the majors by the Rangers in 2001 but he played in just four games with them that season. He spent seven years (2001-2006) with the Rangers organization and played in just 76 games with them. His only full season with the Rangers was in 2003 when he played in 38 games, with 116.2 innings pitched, a 5.09 ERA, 9-8 record, and 94 strikeouts to 38 walks.
Hiroki Kuroda, starting pitcher for the New York Yankees, started playing professional baseball in Japan. His father was also a professional player in Japan. Kuroda played in Japan from 1997 through 2007, when he was offered a contract with the Los Angeles Dodgers. During his time in Japan, Kuroda won a Gold Glove and he led his league in wins and ERA.
Andy Pettitte, starting pitcher for the New York Yankees, first signed with the Yankees in 1991. He started in their minor league teams, pitching in the minors from 1991 through 1994. In 1995, Pettitte pitched in 31 games for the Yankees. That season, he had a 12-9 record, with a 4.17 ERA and 114 strikeouts to 63 walks. He stayed with the Yankees through 2003, becoming a free agent after the 2003 season ended. While with the Yankees, Pettitte won the American League Championship series MVP award in 2001 and the Warren Spahn award in 2003.
CC Sabathia, ace starting pitcher for the New York Yankees, was an outstanding athlete in high school, playing baseball, basketball, and football. In his senior year, he had a 6-0 win-loss record with a 0.77 ERA. Although Sabathia was planning to play football for the University of Hawaii, he changed his plans when he was drafted by the Cleveland Indians in 1998. In 2001, the Indians called Sabathia up and, at age 21, he became the youngest player in the major leagues at that time.