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As we all know, it is spring training time. We will see rotoNews such as this...

'Jeff Samardzija was lit up for seven runs -- five earned -- over 3 2/3 innings against the Rangers on Monday.'

Samardzjia owners ofthe past know that he is prone to outings like this. In a sense, Samardzjia is preparing his owners for what is to come...again.
He had six games in which he gave up at least five runs. It is easy for us to forget, during drafting season, the up's and down's in how a pitcher arrives at a 3.81 ERA.
In effect, Samardzjia is doing us all a favor during drafting season. He is reminding us that in-season, he makes his owners tear hair out of their heads.

Here is another guy who is getting us warmed up for the real season...

'Carlos Carrasco was rocked for eight runs over 1 2/3 innings in Monday’s Cactus League start against the White Sox.'

Carrasco is teaching us that 'shit happens'.
If he had done this with his first start of the year, his owners would be on the boards crying that they need 20 some-odd scoreless innings to recover from such a horrible start and blah, blah, blah...
Carrasco had ONE start in which he gave up more than four runs last year.
Unfortunately for his owners, it was a start in which every Carrasco owner would start him.
A juicy matchup at home vs Min, that turned ugly fast and Carrasco giving up, ironically, eight runs in that one as well.
Shit happens.
Thanks for the reminder, Carlos.

We have so many hitters that an 0-4 performance from our hitters is met with a shoulder shrug.
We only complain about hitters if injured or having constant under performance.
Pitchers don't get that luxury.
They are villians if under performing even once.
Their Managers don't get any latitude as well.
When we have a pitcher who is struggling in the fifth inning with a 10-4 lead, we are imploring that Manager to keep him in the game.
We know our pitcher is struggling, giving up four earned runs in four and two thirds, but LET US GET SOMETHING OUT OF THIS.
This scenario with my pitcher struggling with a good lead in the fifth inning happened three times to me last year.
Once, the Manager gave him the hook.
Twice, the Manager left the hurler in.
The W was received in one game. In the other, my starter gave up two more hits, was charged with three more runs and I was wishing the Manager had pulled him.
For real baseball, the most important inning is the ninth inning.
For fantasy owners, the fifth inning is just as important.

One thing we do not get prepared for in-season play is Closers.
Closers pitch in the middle of spring training games so that they can face Major League hitters, not the also-rans at the end of games.
This makes it tough on us.
We have to wait on the Manager to give us a hint in how they will play the ninth inning.
The pussy managers will infer that they will go with a committee.
Its been said by many, done by few.
It just buys time for the Manager to decide who he really wants to Close.
Driving us crazy.
Which also serves to get us ready for the regular season.
We'll be driven crazy, a lot.

Piggybacking this post a little bit........

When the draft season opened, a fella like Matt Strahm was being selected in the early 20's rounds.
There was speculation that he could start for KC and he threw well for the Royals last year.
At the same time, Sergio Romo didn't have a team and wasn't a Closer. An afterthought for drafts.

With their teams taking shape, Strahm has tumbled in drafts. Kansas City has signed Starters and Strahm is now considered just another middle reliever.
Romo has signed with the Dodgers and been anointed their set-up man or CIW.
I thought about this as they were each drafted together in the 38th round of a DC draft today.

In the meantime, because of that early reckoning by drafters, Strahm's adp...375
Romo's?....642
This is another case in which the ADP lies to the poorer player who depends on ADP as being reliable

sooooo, the value pick is Romo?

and no, that will never get old.

carassco getting his health checked.....uh oh

NorCalAtlFan wrote:sooooo, the value pick is Romo?

and no, that will never get old.

carassco getting his health checked.....uh oh

See? See! See

You brought it up!

It's what I mean about 'value'. Strahm is the same pitcher now as he was in December.
A lot of drafters made the mistake of placing more 'VALUE' on him than they should have.
Reality was, there was little or no 'VALUE' at all!
He runs the gamut of being drafted as early as the 19th round to not being drafted at all.
And he's still the same fella who had nice numbers with KC last year.

And all those radio guys who said he carried 'value' before, now never mention his name.
Always right as long as the have the power of omission.

Carrasco is worrisome.
Salazar too.
So is Dahl. That injury is worse than reported, I fear.
Where do we take Carrasco?
Salazar?
Dahl?
Desmond?
Brantley?
Murphy/Wolters?
Any Mets pitcher?


We'll get more info during the next two weeks, but it's shaping up to be the later we draft, the more advantageous.

1st of all- the mets doctors (that is fast becoming an oxymoron) say that all their pitchers are fine- nothing to see here - and nothing to worry about. and carrosco getting hurt is like the alphabet giving up those runs- same o same o.