by Denorien » Sat Oct 29, 2005 11:56 am
It is tough to get a feel for how a LF4(+3) can hurt you without actually rolling the dice. But I can tell you that it is minimal - though there will be a little bad luck here and there at the wrong times. The LF arm doesn't come up much and I wouldn't worry at all unless you plan to play in Dunn with a left handed staff. Covington is listed as a 2R, but don't be afraid to play him against lefties, his chances are fine. Roenicke is great - especially against a lefty pitcher that hammers lefties. But against a righty starter, you will see HAL pinch hit for Covington against the first lefty reliever and then you'll have Roenicke batting against righty relievers in the late innings. If you are playing in a $100 mil league, you can afford another left handed hitter/outfielder to pinch hit for Roenicke in this situation. But with $ 80 mil and below, just play Covington full time. He should do ok in a pitcher's park, but if you can put together a more balanced team for a park like '59 CHN, you will be better off. Three seasons of Covington for me on balanced teams:
610 90 12 45 138 54 0 5 .264 .548 .322 (and 13 triples)
547 104 13 49 113 72 0 8 .272 .605 .355 (and 11 triples)
529 85 11 25 115 45 6 4 .280 .522 .340 (and 21 triples!)
Even though he only had 25 HRs in that third season, he was still very productive. That team made it to the finals (though I was swept 4 straight).