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dlk9s
215 Posts |
 Posted - 04/11/2006 : 10:37:56
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My relief pitchers are weak. Very weak. I think I only have 1 save so far (yeah, it's only one week, I know). My starting pitchers were pretty bad after our auto-draft, but I've made a couple moves and they are ok now.
That said, I'm wondering if I should even bother worrying about my relievers because of the way our league scoring works. It's a roto league, not head-to-head, so stats are cumulative. Here are the pitching categories:
Wins
Strikeouts
ERA
WHIP
Saves
So, loading up on starters will hurt a team in Saves, but help in K's and Wins. ERA and WHIP are iffy, as reliever won't have much impact here.
I am highly considering sacrificing Saves for W's and K's - lose one category, win two. And I have Kerry Wood sitting on the DL.
Thoughts?
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asgsjb
2331 Posts |
Posted - 04/11/2006 : 15:36:32
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I don't like the strategy, especially if you have limits on the number of innings your pitchers have. Even if you go have-assed on closers, you can stay in the middle of the pack and get yourself some points. Why guarantee yourself only 1 point in any category when with minimal effort, you can at least get yourself 5 or so points?
With innings limits, using only SP's will guarantee you burn up your innings fast. Having closers gives you balance so you can get stats in categories like Saves, have some impact on strikes, ERA and WHIP and keep your innings pitched under control.
In roto, the only pitchers with "minimal" impact are middle relievers. But even with them, if you need to manage innings pitched and have impact on strikes, ERA and WHIP with an occasional Win or two, even middle relievers (the good ones at least) can help you.
My Yahoo league starts 2 SP's, 2 RP's and 3 P's (either SP's or RP's). I try to start 3 closers at the least (in some, I start 4) and use the other spots for SP's. That process has usually given me great stats in all pitching categories (assuming I drafted well).
Hope this opinion helps. |
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dlk9s
215 Posts |
Posted - 04/11/2006 : 22:17:19
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Excellent points.
It's been a few years since I've played fantasy baseball (can you tell?) - I've been a football guy lately - so I wasn't really thinking about IP limits.
We have a 1600 IP limit for our league. Right now, I have 7 SP and 3 RP (auto draft - yay). If I played every SP every time they played, by my rough calcuations I should just squeak under the limit (approx 25 weeks = 64 IP per week).
I could probably ditch a starter at some point if a decent closer is available. Currently, I have Capuano, Mussina, Glavine, Westbrook, Lieber, Lackey, and Sosa as my starters, with Kerry Wood on the DL (will probably dump Sosa when Wood is back). If I got rid of another SP, it would be Lieber, or, of course, I could try to work a 2-for-1 trade. Surprisingly, my starting pitching isn't all that bad - I picked Glavine and Capuano off the waiver wire when some other owners dumped them and grabbed Sosa as a FA to replace Wood. They all did well this weekend, so I've jumped from 9th to 4th (yeah, I know, it's only been a week) My RP stink, though.
Thanks for the tips. |
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asgsjb
2331 Posts |
Posted - 04/11/2006 : 23:26:08
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My pleasure.
Try focusing on the fill-ins. Gagne got hurt...so Baez becomes the closer. Foulke starts stinking...so Papelbon becomes the closer. Todd Jones gets hurt...Rodney gets the chance. Keep your eyes on injuries, etc. and get ready to pounce on any potential closer. You will be able to nab some during the season and they will help carry you to at least some respectable Saves numbers at the end of the year. |
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dlk9s
215 Posts |
Posted - 04/12/2006 : 13:09:07
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quote:
Originally posted by asgsjb
My pleasure.
Try focusing on the fill-ins. Gagne got hurt...so Baez becomes the closer. Foulke starts stinking...so Papelbon becomes the closer. Todd Jones gets hurt...Rodney gets the chance. Keep your eyes on injuries, etc. and get ready to pounce on any potential closer. You will be able to nab some during the season and they will help carry you to at least some respectable Saves numbers at the end of the year.
Unfortunately, Baez was already on a roster, and guys got Papelbon and Rodney before I could (I grabbed Weathers). I'm looking at Todd Jones when he comes back from the DL, since he's available. Long term, I may grab Gagne again if he can make a comeback.
Fortunately, Nathan finally got a save last night. Moved me from last to second last in Saves. [:D]
I think I'll try to work a trade at some point. I checked out the guy with the best RP and he desperately needs hitting, which I have. |
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asgsjb
2331 Posts |
Posted - 04/12/2006 : 23:25:10
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| Nathan is a great closer. Weathers is an undervalued closer...not top-tier, but darn good. If you can add Jones now, you will have another closer available to you who, at worst, will be a serviceable closer...at best, he will be as valuable as Weathers. That's not a horrible threesome of closers to go to battle with. |
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wtexas
USA
13355 Posts |
Posted - 04/13/2006 : 22:31:39
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quote:
Weathers is an undervalued closer
You're opinion is much more generous than most folks.
2006 Baja Buddies NFL Playoff Challenge Champion |
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asgsjb
2331 Posts |
Posted - 04/13/2006 : 22:50:45
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| My thoughts on Weathers are this...it seems like Cincy is dying to get another closer in there. They keep talking about Ryan Wagner and they keep giving 1 or 2 other guys a few save opportunities. But in the end, Weathers ends up being their most reliable closer for the time being. So he's risky to the degree that a few others will take some of his saves and because there's always the risk Cincy will finally give Wagner the shot. But until then, Weathers is going to get some saves...thus, he is a bit underrated. I picked him up as a free agent in 1 league and he was just dropped outright in another league. He gets little respect, but he gets you the saves we fantasy players need....for cheap. |
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Crash Davis
USA
13151 Posts |
Posted - 04/14/2006 : 14:51:20
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quote:
Originally posted by wtexas
quote:
Weathers is an undervalued closer
You're opinion is much more generous than most folks.
True. I don't care for Weathers or his home park. I think he's best suited for middle relief but you can't argue with the results so far. Is there a meltdown on the horizon?
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Are relievers important in my league?
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