The Argument for drafting SP first

[TKOSpikes]

I am usually on the other side, as is most fantasy baseballers. I've just been trying to bend the other way these last few years because of the turn around for hitters. Now, I realize I'm talking weekly points league (specific to my main money league), and it's been the roto discussion that has detracted me from writing about this earlier. I think it's time now though, as I really like my team coming up to the AS break and our trade deadline. What's worse, is that I "should" have Dee Gordon instead of Dan Uggla (gone now, but my round 18 selection), and I've been "regretting" taking Scherzer instead of Felix, but that's being pretty stingy. Otherwise, I turned Polanco and McCann into Sale, and took advantage of Tyler Skaggs good stretch and Moreland's opportunity when Prince went down to get a slumped Rosario. The only other big deal was trading my Bruce and Ventura for Verlander (early), then flipping Verlander and Eaton for Shark and Heyward. I realize none of you know my originally drafted team (I do have a thread titled Nitty Gritty Time that has most of it...) but that's not what's important....

and maybe Jim can back me up here, since he went this direction in our MBBRL, but here's my team now and my whole point is that there are so many talented hitters out there, and although I understand the argument that streaming pitchers is "easier" than getting bargain hitters, I just find that the big hitters go through so many droughts, that it just ends up hurting you throughout the season and you don't have the fire power to make up for it. The top pitchers have about five bad games a season, leaving you with the only headache that is Wainwright losing 1-0 going the distance, and Scherzer only having 8 K's that day...

C - Rosario
1B - Moss
2B - Mookie
3B - Arenado
SS - Hardy
MI - Rendon
CI - Plouffe
OF - Billy Hamilton
OF - J-Hey
OF - JD Martinez
OF - Yelich
DH - Victor Martinez (real DH league... or no DH = 2nd Catcher)
UT - CJ Cron (must be a multi-position eligible)

Bench
Salty (actually starting this week (Sat-Fri), but will drop him next waiver run)
Rutledge (just added him, dropped Odor, hoping he keeps 2b job when Arenado returns. DJ LeM is at .266 now?)
Villar (been riding with him, but he's pretty bad, glad Mookie's here)
Bryant (stashing him for now)
James Jones (great fill in when Yelich was hurt and before I added JD, gives me room for options)
Schoop (starting this week as well but will drop this week too, likely)

SP - Kershaw
SP - Wainwright
SP - Scherzer
SP - Sale
SP - Samardzija

Bench
Rubby DLR (don't be stupid Boston!)


The only shitty thing is when I only have 5 starts and am facing 8, 9 or 10... but it's great not worrying about matchups or picking up 2-start options. I find there's always hot hitters somewhere to be found cheap... instead of waiting for the Wrights of the world to get right and such.


wow, didn't expect this to be this long and dragged out... sorry, kind of rambled there!

 

[TKOSpikes]

forgot to list Kenley Jansen and Street as my closers (hoping Street stays put, but probably unlikely)

 

[TKOSpikes]

Holy shit! I just loooked at the draft results and I took Plouffe over Todd Frazier! Gad Dommit! Insert Dee and Todd into this lineup and it's even deadlier! My point gets stronger.

 

[TDs3nOut]

I don't think that drafting a SP with your first pick is necessarily better or worse than drafting a hitter. Really all depends on how the players you draft end up hitting and pitching. For example, in how many leagues was Gordon drafted "too low" and Strasburg "too high"?

 

[tlance]

I think a balanced approach is best. If too heavy on one side or the other, you just don't have enough margin for error. Any strategy can work with the right sleepers, but it is tough to build that way, IMO.

 

[TDs3nOut]

I think a balanced approach is best. If too heavy on one side or the other, you just don't have enough margin for error. Any strategy can work with the right sleepers, but it is tough to build that way, IMO.

Definitely agree with that. One of my objectives in this year's draft was to get two pitchers who I thought I was likely to want to start each time out, so I took Wainright in the third round and Bumgarner in the sixth. I've started both of them each time they've started, which has worked out pretty well, though I wouldn't mind getting Bum's start last night back and it's probably never advisable to start Waino against the dreaded Cubbies!

 

[TKOSpikes]

I think a balanced approach is best. If too heavy on one side or the other, you just don't have enough margin for error. Any strategy can work with the right sleepers, but it is tough to build that way, IMO.

Like I said, I normally would agree... but the point is, you are only missing out on three or four hitters and it's really not that difficult to make up for it later, be it the draft or waivers. After the first four picks, everything else is kind of the same. Having aces that you need not care about, other than injury, gives you lots of options to mix and match hot/cold hitters. Mix and matching streaming pitchers bites you in the ass just as much I would think...

 

[Reverend Jim]

I have 3 redraft leagues this year and have used a different strategy on each. In the MBBRL, I went pitcher heavy and when I did draft a hitter, I only concentrated on runs, SB and OBP. My hitting is weak, but they give me the points where I need them.

In league 2 (roto) I took 4 closers with my first 10 picks (Kimbrel, Jansen, Uehara, Perkins), didn't take a pitcher until round 11, streamed everything possible the first two months, found a few gems in those streamers that have become regulars and now I just play the matchups from the guys I stuck with along with my 4 closers, Wade Davis & Betances for off days and fillin for closers when the go 2 days in a row.

League 3 (h2h) I took hitters in rounds 1-10, then took pitchers with a few sleeper hitters mixed in. Punted saves from the start figuring with all the starters & streamers I'd take K's & Wins each week, ERA & WHIP up in the air. Pitching wasn't a concern as I build a machine of hitters that takes 4-5 points weekly.

League 1-third place headed for second
League 2-first place and on cruse control right now
League 3-first place and should remain there until the playoffs

Point, taking pitching early, taking closers early, taking hitting early, it doesn't really matter. All that matters is if you are going to go with one of these strategies, research it, plan it out and Stick To It. You can't do anything about those picks that don't work and never look back at what you could have had until the end of the year (you'll kick yourself less if you're in the bottom). All you can do is lay your plan out, be aggressive with the waiver wire early in the first few months and hope for the best.

I agree you can make a case for taking pitching early, but I can also make a case for not taking it until round 11.

 

[MilkSpiller22]

I have 3 redraft leagues this year and have used a different strategy on each. In the MBBRL, I went pitcher heavy and when I did draft a hitter, I only concentrated on runs, SB and OBP. My hitting is weak, but they give me the points where I need them.

In league 2 (roto) I took 4 closers with my first 10 picks (Kimbrel, Jansen, Uehara, Perkins), didn't take a pitcher until round 11, streamed everything possible the first two months, found a few gems in those streamers that have become regulars and now I just play the matchups from the guys I stuck with along with my 4 closers, Wade Davis & Betances for off days and fillin for closers when the go 2 days in a row.

League 3 (h2h) I took hitters in rounds 1-10, then took pitchers with a few sleeper hitters mixed in. Punted saves from the start figuring with all the starters & streamers I'd take K's & Wins each week, ERA & WHIP up in the air. Pitching wasn't a concern as I build a machine of hitters that takes 4-5 points weekly.

League 1-third place headed for second
League 2-first place and on cruse control right now
League 3-first place and should remain there until the playoffs

Point, taking pitching early, taking closers early, taking hitting early, it doesn't really matter. All that matters is if you are going to go with one of these strategies, research it, plan it out and Stick To It. You can't do anything about those picks that don't work and never look back at what you could have had until the end of the year (you'll kick yourself less if you're in the bottom). All you can do is lay your plan out, be aggressive with the waiver wire early in the first few months and hope for the best.

I agree you can make a case for taking pitching early, but I can also make a case for not taking it until round 11.

there are 4 attributes for a successful fantasy season

1. Have a strategy on draft day and never contradicting it(yes you may have to adapt to the draft, but if you start pitcher heavy, you can't decide to go HR heavy mid draft).

2. Get lucky- you cant win or lose on draft day?? well if you get lucky with your sleepers and lucky with health then you certainly wont have to do as much to be a good team

3. Be active on the waiver wire/free agency... you cant have DLed players on your active lineup, nor can you have other players that should not be on your team anymore... you also have to find at least one Free agent stud to be a successful team.

4.(an extension of 3). dont fall in love with the players on your team... they are only a means for your success or failure... you have to know when to add a player and when to drop a player... and dont wait too long...


if you are successful in these four attributes then actual draft strategy means shit to a tree...

 

[TDs3nOut]

I have 3 redraft leagues this year and have used a different strategy on each. In the MBBRL, I went pitcher heavy and when I did draft a hitter, I only concentrated on runs, SB and OBP. My hitting is weak, but they give me the points where I need them.

In league 2 (roto) I took 4 closers with my first 10 picks (Kimbrel, Jansen, Uehara, Perkins), didn't take a pitcher until round 11, streamed everything possible the first two months, found a few gems in those streamers that have become regulars and now I just play the matchups from the guys I stuck with along with my 4 closers, Wade Davis & Betances for off days and fillin for closers when the go 2 days in a row.

League 3 (h2h) I took hitters in rounds 1-10, then took pitchers with a few sleeper hitters mixed in. Punted saves from the start figuring with all the starters & streamers I'd take K's & Wins each week, ERA & WHIP up in the air. Pitching wasn't a concern as I build a machine of hitters that takes 4-5 points weekly.

League 1-third place headed for second
League 2-first place and on cruse control right now
League 3-first place and should remain there until the playoffs

Point, taking pitching early, taking closers early, taking hitting early, it doesn't really matter. All that matters is if you are going to go with one of these strategies, research it, plan it out and Stick To It. You can't do anything about those picks that don't work and never look back at what you could have had until the end of the year (you'll kick yourself less if you're in the bottom). All you can do is lay your plan out, be aggressive with the waiver wire early in the first few months and hope for the best.

I agree you can make a case for taking pitching early, but I can also make a case for not taking it until round 11.

Interesting that you put together three good teams using three so very different draft strategies. I'm surprised that your League 2 strategy has worked out as well as it has. I would be skeptical of trying that!

 

[Reverend Jim]

Interesting that you put together three good teams using three so very different draft strategies. I'm surprised that your League 2 strategy has worked out as well as it has. I would be skeptical of trying that!

I did basically the same thing last year in this league, except I rotated 3 SP eligible relief pitchers in and out of my SP slots over the last two months. If you're better than average at playing the matchups and finding pitchers, it can work.
The key is RP and Infield hitters early. The only big OF I drafted in this league was Rios. My other 2 OF slots are now filled with Blackmon, Dickerson, Calhoun & Springer (one in Util, one sits).

My keeper league on the other hand, I'm trying to stay out of last. It's not all sunshine and roses in my world.

 

[TREFF]

I personally will always go pitching heavy. .maybe not the first round, but that's usually dictated by Draft position. Streaming pitchers can absolutely work, but it's much safer to have a strong 4-5 SP's then it is to find quality starts off the waiver. Far too often a juicy match up ends up costing you ERA and WHIP because, frankly, the dude was in waivers for a reason, he ain't that dang good.
Would I intensely debate the merits of pitching early? No, as Jim pointed out, so many different ways to build a team and they can all work. Pitching early is just what works for me and what I'm comfortable with.