Pitch or Ditch for Tuesday, August 31
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 day. 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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ZACH’S PICKS
Beckett @
Matusz – I just don’t trust Beckett despite favorable matchup.
Jackson @
Masterson
Mazzaro @
Hughes – Mazzaro’s been pitching well enough of late that I’ll throw him out there, even @NYY.
Romero @
Niemann – After imploding last time out, I’m sitting Niemann vs. hard-hitting Jays.
Galarraga @
Duensing – Galarraga’s home/road ERA splits are drastic…3.11 at home vs. 6.44 on road.
Lee @
O’Sullivan
Haren @ King
Felix
Gallardo @
Harang – Welcome back, Harangatang! Now let’s see you earn PoD consideration.
Niese @
Minor
Zimmermann @ An.
Sanchez
Karstens @
Dempster
Carpenter @
Wandy
Correia @
Kennedy – Can Kennedy dominate Pads in back-to-back starts? We’ll see.
Kendrick @
Monasterios
Rogers @
Bumgarner
CORY’S PICKS
Beckett @ Matusz – Matusz
better lately, but conservatism rules this time of year
Jackson @
Masterson
Mazzaro @
Hughes – Hughes better on the road, but it’s the
A’s
Romero @ Niemann – Niemann
fading even before the DL stint
Galarraga @
Duensing – Duensing very tough at home
Lee @ O’Sullivan -
perfect fit for Lee to rebound
Haren @ King
Felix
Gallardo @
Harang
Niese @ Minor
- Niese very erratic, OK only if chasing wins over
ERA/WHIP
Zimmermann @ An.
Sanchez
Karstens @
Dempster
Carpenter @
Wandy
Correia @
Kennedy
Kendrick @
Monasterios
Rogers @ Bumgarner
- Bumgarner strangely struggling at home, but Rox awful on the
road
mlbtstufantasy411
Currently in a playoff push, last week of season, came all the way back from 12th to nab 5th seed(using PoD, thank you guys!!). Need some last week magic so I ask you:
1)Have both Pierre and Quentin, are either going to lose AB’s since Manny is in town?
2)Can I ditch Luke Scott for hot swinging Mike Morse or is that just silly?
Thanks again, love the show.
dmestre,
Nope, I don’t think Manny’s arrival will significantly affect the playing time of Pierre or Quentin as he’s expected to take over full-time DH duties. It’s an absolute killer to Andruw Jones’ value though. Maybe the White Sox will be a tad more inclined to give Pierre or Quentin a day off here and there as Jones remains an above average defender, but they’ll still get their ABs. As for Scott vs. Morse, absolutely hold onto Scott.
Zach
Another Manny question. i am in a big fight for a playoff spot in one of my point leagues. At OF right now, I have Kemp, J.Upton and Werth, with Ortiz in my Util spot. Do you see Manny as an upgrade over either of these guys? I can’t afford to drop a pitcher because there isn’t anyone better available. I know what he’s capable of, but his attitude scares me to death, even if he’s trying to prove himself for a new contract for next year. Also, moving back to the AL might slow him down getting aclimated to those pitchers again. Plus, will his leg, or whatever it was that’s kept him on the DL so much this year, let him hit regularly? So many questions….
Would you drop Torrealba for Soto? It’s probably the only improvement I can make right now since the Free Agent market is so barren in my league.
Glenn–NY
Playoff time, I got a 1st round bye. Ian Stewart just hit the deal of my 16 team mixed league (H2H 5×5 Non-Keeper). The wire has Wigginton, Kouz, Inge, and Alex Gordon. What is your recommendation guys?
dblbogey,
I think Manny will be solid down the stretch but it would be crazy to expect him to duplicate his 2008 performance with the Dodgers where he batted close to .400 while averaging an RBI per game. Then there are all the question marks you mentioned. If adding Manny means you have to drop one of those four hitters, I hate to say it but I’d pass.
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Glenn,
Absolutely! Soto is a huge upgrade over Torrealba, particularly in the power department.
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Ben,
All of those guys are very streaky but Wigginton and Kouz would be my top two choices. I’d probably lean towards Wigginton (better ballpark, better overall numbers) but you can really take a week by week approach here. Their values are that close.
Zach