There are a lot of pitchers getting ready to play in Major League Baseball this year. A lot of these pitchers had great years last season, but are not quite there yet in terms of being labeled a "star."

Here are five flamethrowers that are in for great season in 2006 and ready to take on that label.

Dontrelle Willis, Florida Marlins
Dontrelle Willis had one for the ages last year, winning 22 games and falling just so short of the CY Young award, losing out to Chris Carpenter. He was able to win 11 games at home, which really helped him out. This year will be a very different story. The Marlins have dumped the payroll, and removed almost every one of their opening day players from last year. Plus, they have brought in former Yankees catcher, Joe Girardi, as manager. This was a great move because Girardi will really be able to help out Willis so that the rest of the team does better as well. Willis has the talent, and this year it will be tested.

Rich Harden, Oakland Athletics
Rich Harden had a solid year last year, holding opponents to just a .201 batting average. He also went 10-5, which was pretty good considering the fact that he was out with injuries a few times. His ERA is 2.54, and he stands at 26-16 for his career. All great numbers. I see high hopes for this kid this season. He is a little injury-prone, but I don’t see that hurting him in the long run. His hits per nine innings also seem to be decreasing every year. Stay tuned for a good season from Harden.

Zach Duke, Pittsburgh Pirates
This guy might be a little bit of a stretch. He is extremely young on a club that is rising and might have a chance in 2006. He won his first six decisions in the majors. He’s only 22 years old, and his ERA was incredible last year at 1.81. That’s awesome. Against Duke, left-handed batters hit just .146, which is a great number for a pitcher that young. He also gave up just three home runs last year. Duke will probably have another solid season, but I think it will take him just a little while to get settled and become one of the elite pitchers in baseball.

Scott Kazmir, Tampa Bay Devil Rays
Scott Kazmir, who was ranked fourth in the American League in strikeouts last season with 74, is one of the most underrated pitchers in all of baseball. In an interview with ESPN.com, Hall of Fame second baseman Roberto Alomar said of facing Kazmir in a batting practice session, "I've never seen a young left-hander who throws that hard, and his ball moves that much." It’s seems like nothing but good stuff for Kazmir coming into this season. I believe he has taken that step into veteran-hood where he is not like the new kid on the block trying to get along. Now he seems like he knows what he’s doing and it really looks like he can grow into a very talented player in baseball. Watch out because in 2006, something very talented this way comes in Kazmir.

Felix Hernandez, Seattle Mariners
Hernandez is closer to the category of "star" than, let’s say, Duke. A rookie in baseball last year, he had an impressive 2.67 ERA, but went 4-4 because the Mariners failed to produce. That could be a different story this year. Hernandez will eventually turn into an extremely talented pitcher. We will just have to wait and see how he progresses over the 2006 season.