The Mostly Relievers Strategy

[DOUGHBOYS]

There is a fella in my current slow draft that is trying to be a throwback to the old days.
Back then, there was only one Overall contest, the Main Event.
In stand alone league, some drafters would 'game' the system with pitching.
They would draft two Starters, low in ERA and Whip, and a bunch of good relievers later in the draft.
The thought behind this was that the drafter could load up on hitting categories with 12-15 points in each category and receive 15 points in WHIP and ERA, high points in Saves, and punt W's and K's.

When a drafter does this today, it really doesn't work.
First, it gives him ZERO chance at cashing in the Overall contest.
I'm cheap.
If part of my entry money is for an Overall contest, then dammit, I want to be a part of trying to win the Overall prize.
Second, things aren't like yesterday's game.
We have a 1,000 innings minimum. Pitchers are not throwing well over 200 innings like they used to.
As stated before, Cory Kluber was the only pitcher, last year, even averaging seven innings per start.
To reach 1,000 innings, four starters of 170 innings pitched would be needed to go along with the five relievers throwing 60-70 innings.
If drafting four quality Starters, you may as well draft a couple of more and put yourself in Overall contention.

Let's look at his staff.....

Yu Darvish
Robbie Ray
Cody Allen
Andrew Miller
David Robertson
Josh Hader
Dellin Betances
Carl Edwards Jr.

These are 'pretty' pitchers.
Let's give them last years numbers in innings pitched, except for Hader. We will add 20 innings to his totals to match the other relievers taken.
We have around 746 innings.
His next pick will be his 25th pick.
If adding another quality reliever, he'll still only have 800 innings eaten.
And that, is without injury.
To qualify in innings pitched, he is going to have to draft number five Starters and ugly innings eaters.
These ugly pitchers will conspire to ruin what his top nine pitchers are doing.

This method only gives drafters 122 chances at maximum points.
A 15 in five hitting categories, a 15 in three pitching categories, and a one in W's and K's.
Having Allen as his only true Closer going into the season has already limited chances for a 15 in Saves.
His inability to draft another quality Starter has also forced his hand in innings to put his ERA and WHIP in danger.

This is just a tough way to go in any Overall event.
And really, it is left for only the best veterans to pull it off in a stand-alone league.
Major League Baseball is limiting innings for every pitcher.
That alone, is making it tougher and tougher on this strategy.
Add the fact that it gives us zero chance to win part of what our entry fee is going for and I believe that this is a lose/lose combination for our game.

[mbendar16]

The part I don't get of this drafter's strategy is why waste a pick on darvish and ray, whose main benefit is K's and not back it up. Taking hitters with those 2 picks and taking a Marcus Stroman innings eater type later would have made more sense to me.

[Gb2715]

I actually thought about this strategy and as I thought about I was coming up with the same conclusion. Not enough innings. Also how can I guarantee my hitters won't tank or get injured. If one power hitter gets popped for a suspension your done cause there goes RBI Hr and Runs. And if I have to have a pitcher like Barry Zito spot start to make up innings, that pretty much defeats the purpose.

[DOUGHBOYS]

It really is tough.
The landscape of hitting has changed as well. Hitting was easier to forecast in the past.
Most rookies didn't get a chance till late in the season back in the day.
Now, we have players like Judge, Bellinger, Nola, Hoskins, Trey Mancini, and others who are given chances early in a season and run with it.
This year, we have Acuna, Luis Castillo, Luke Weaver, and others who are counted on to follow in that groups footsteps, but the round drafted has already made then less of a bargain than their predecessors.

The players of yesteryear were more established. Managers loved status quo. Now, they just want status.
If an old pro like Adrian Gonzalez gets hurt, Pipp him.
Why Wainwright when we can Weaver?
There is absolutely nothing wrong with it. The best players should play.
It does make it tougher on us.
Continuity and consistency makes our jobs easier.

Really, if given the first 14 picks to draft my hitting lineup, I would be dubious in thinking I can manage 15's in every hitting category.
Shit happens.
Injuries, slumps, benchings, demotions, weather, 'rest', platoons, steroids, even pregnancies conspire to take away at bats from those 14 hitters.
It's a tough task, both on the pitching AND the hitting side.