" Every season brings surprises, and there are always a handful of players who give us a performance that is out of step with our expectations. Sometimes the difference is obvious, like when someone like Ryan Vogelsong, Vance Worley or Philip Humber suddenly becomes relevant in standard or even shallow formats. Other times, the change is more subtle, but it's still worth noting for the impact in could have on a player's Fantasy future.

We looked at a handful of such hitters in the last By the Numbers column, which highlighted four players whose skill set at the plate had changed appreciably over the last two seasons. This time, we will turn our attention to a quartet of pitchers who have experienced similar shifts in their statistical profiles. As with the previous piece, our focus will be on four separate skill areas and a player who has greatly improved in that area. For each of the players featured, we can find that with a little extra digging beyond the numbers, there are reasons to think that Fantasy owners can capitalize on each pitcher's recent progress. "