Featuring picks and comments by Rob Dudek
Click on this banner to sign up for DraftStreet daily baseball leagues
As a hitter, I learned to hate pitchers. They were always trying to get me out. As a coach, pitchers gave me more grey hair than the other positions combined. At DraftStreet last night, two of them let me down again.
I used our livest longshot, Mariners rookie Brandon Maurer (9.15 points for $4,808) but struck out on my picks of Jeremy Hellickson and Mark Buehrle. My hitters were so good that I still cashed three times in the $2 330-man GPP. There’s nothing wrong with 10th, 11th and 13th for a total of $40 in consolation prizes. It’s still disappointing, as the safer play of an ace and a closer might have landed me three of the top five spots for a much larger payday.
Friday looks simple enough. Every team plays an evening game, which means the largest possible player pool. Weather-wise, it might be wet in Kansas City but there are no blizzards. Managers will use their most logical lineups. The most difficult thing? Pitching, of course.
After “too many” expensive SP on Thursday, there are precisely none tonight above $15,000, and a Maurer doesn’t come along every day. None of the options under $9,000 look particularly enticing.
It’s always free to join DraftStreet and you can start in free leagues. Then make a deposit — use the code SHHOOP to get a 30% bonus — and choose your level of play, from $2 entry fees up to $420. Good luck!
Best Bets (Pitchers)
It’s not just me. Even the unbiased Rob Dudek isn’t thrilled about tonight’s pitching options. “Josh Beckett ($12,218) and Tim Lincecum ($14,696) should be relatively safe plays. Jake Peavy is the most expensive arm at $14,853 and does look like the best shot at a monster game.”
Jordan Zimmermann ($12,845) is decent value. In a pretty good matchup against Homer Bailey ($12,612) the Nationals might outhit the Reds.
It’s no longer an “automatic” play to use every pitcher that faces the Houston Astros, but Ryan Dempster ($14,321) is averaging 8+ strikeouts per game and a W seems likely.
Live Longshots (Pitchers)
Somewhat reluctantly, we’ll go with Scott Diamond ($7,877) who went six strong innings against the White Sox last time. The southpaw may have trouble with the Rangers lineup, but a similar performance would be a bargain.
In the same game, Justin Grimm ($9,973) will try to repeat the performance of his life; he struck out nine Mariners in six IP. The Twins have some dangerous LH bats and we have no idea if the rookie righty will be consistent.
Relievers are cheap, and there’s some guesswork involved. The pairing approach makes the most sense to me. If you like Zimmermann, go with Rafael Soriano ($2,183) for the save. If you’re a Dempster fan, Andrew Bailey ($2,412) is logical, though Boston winning by more than three is a possibility. Lincecum is probably not going nine, so Sergio Romo ($3,180) has an above-average chance to close.