Pitch or Ditch for Friday, June 11
Pitch
or Ditch is a strategy for (ideally) daily mixed leagues in which you
pick up
starters on a day-to-day basis based on how well they are pitching and
their
upcoming matchups, then cut them in favor of new guys the next guy. The
concept
is that the shallower the league, the more quality starting pitching is
available on the free agent wire, so rather than drafting expensive
starters,
it’s better to build a strong offense and bullpen and let the free agent
wire
populate your starting staff during the season. As a bonus, a handful of
“PoD”
guys emerge each year as worth keeping all year long, like Jair Jurrjens
last
year or Cliff Lee in ’08.
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POD
Category Chart
CORY’S PICKS
J. Garcia @
R.Lopez
Dickey @ Guthrie -
Dickey deserves to start vs. the weak O’s
Atilano @ Westbrook
Ohlendorf @
Verlander
Myers @
Pettitte – very tough matchup
for Myers but he’s been exceptional lately
Moyer @ Lackey -
not trusting Lackey vs. a tough Phillies lineup
An. Sanchez @
Shields
Hudson @
Liriano
Peavy
@
Wells – not giving up on Wells, but he’s been struggling
lately
Hochevar @ Arroyo – gotta go
with Hochevar while he’s hot
Harden @ Narveson – maybe
an NL lineup will get Harden back on track?
Romero @ Jimenez -
awesome matchup
J.Vargas @
Correia – neither are great,
but both worth using in S.D.
Pineiro @
Billingsley
G.Gonzalez @
Lincecum – Gio has been very
reliable of late, roll with it
***Zach says “I’m passing on Harden. He’s been too erratic and the Brewers offense is pretty solid, ranking 9th in the Majors in runs scored. Peavy @ Wrigley is a little risky considering his tendency to serve up gopher balls but if you took Jake on draft day you might as well stand by him. Agree on rest.”
mlbtstufantasy411
I have Justin Upton on all 4 of my point league teams. He is currently fifty-something in scoring, just among the outfielders, which makes him a #5 OFer. Is this guy EVER going to start hitting? Could this be the dreaded sophomore slump and his big breakout season won’t begin till next year? Marlon Byrd is available in a couple of my leagues, as is Willingham in another. Can I actually give up on Upton this year? We do lose half a point for Ks, which certainly doesn’t help. Thanks
I have questions on two players. Should I dump them or wait on them. Aaron Hill is still batting under 200 hold trade drop? Justin Upton is another guy that isn’t up to expectations, same question?
Hey got a keeper question. My position player I am going to keep is utley. I can pick 1 pitcher. Here are the 4 I would choose from. Josh Hohnson, King Felix, Strasburg or Cain. Im leaning towards Josh Johnson..or should I go with Strasburg?
Is it time to drop Ellbury? I have him and Cruz. I also have Elvis and Reyes. I have kept both of them cause I was worried about Reyes` health. It`s a ten team league and no one wants to trade for any of these guys. They are killing me cause they take my pitcher or dish spots. What should I do?
Shane
How did Miguel Montero do in his rehab game yesterday? Is it certain he will be recalled this weekend? Thanks
dblbogey,
Nah, you can’t possibly give up on Upton right now. He’s still hitting for power and stealing bases so the AVG is really the main issue here. No, he probably won’t hit .300, but I expect him to raise that AVG up to at least the .265-.270 level. He remains the superior option to Byrd or Willingham.
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oroyalfan,
See above on Upton. He’s definitely a hold. As for Hill, I’m generally not high on him and view last season as very fluky. See if you can get someone halfway decent via trade but if that doesn’t work I honestly have little problem with you dumping him, of course assuming you have a quality fallback option. Hill’s shown little to suggest that he can turn things around anytime soon.
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Adam,
Right now, I’d lean towards Johnson too but let’s see how this season plays out. There’s still three and a half months left. Too early to seriously think about keepers.
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Shane,
Drop Ellsbury? You’re kidding, right? That’s a decision you’ll almost certainly regret. There’s got to be better ways to open up POD slots than to drop a player you likely drafted within the first 3-4 rounds! Have patience despite the injury frustrations.
Zach
dblbogey,
Montero is 4-for-11 with two RBIs in three rehab games at Triple-A Reno. Reports say he could return to the D-Backs by the end of the weekend, but even if he’s not back by Sunday the wait shouldn’t be too long.
Zach