by honestiago1 » Thu Sep 07, 2006 10:20 pm
The high-priced pitchers are usually worth the cost (exceptions: Valenzeula's bad year; Orel's bad year; SRogers' bad year).
Someone like Higuera simply doesn't have an unusable year (though he can have a fairly average one). In that case, you KNOW the worst case scenario. Jack Morris doesn't really have a shutdown year, 80s-game wise, but he doesn't have any years that are absolutely awful -- he'll get you 12-15 victories almost by default. All of Carlton's cards are good, as are Soto's (though this guy usually gets hammered for HR's in just about every league -- come playoff time, though, he can be clutch). The big guns simply give you more innings, allowing you to shorten up your bullpen to 2-3 guys.
Among the middling pitchers, some good gambles (IMHO) are:
Swan (some great years)
Barker (really only one extremely bad year)
Beattie (can be VERY good, due to high K rate, but a bit more or a gamble than the above)
CYoung (the guy is just a usable pitcher; his poor years are by and large still effective against LHP'S; perhaps a bit pricey at 3.37M, but he has two VERY good years)
Tanana (not really a middling guy, but a solid 3-4, especially if you put him in a low-HR park [as opposed to freakin] Tiger, where he actually pitched).
Among relievers, Henke is always good, and usually great. Lefferts, to me, is a bargain, as are Clear and ALopez (though they do have some AWFUL years there). ECK seems overpriced. I'd rather plunk down for 2-3M pitchers than one at 7M (for the same amount of money, I can gamble with Kern, Clear, Assenmacher, and Agosto). Sutter is a GREAT reliever, and cheap (one very bad year, though).