Petco (are you out there LM???)

[DavidRis]

I'm getting ready to start my first Petco team.

What are some general idea's for how to win there????? I'm assuming it's pitching, right??? But I need to be pointed in the right direction, please.

Any advice from the experts would be most appreciated!!! The draft is tonight.

8)

Ris

[SCOTTBROWN]

http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/baseball/stratomatic/2006/team/team_other.html?user_id=3873

I actually believe you can get away w/ some cheaper pitching. You can afford to get pitching that gives up BP#s, even more depending on your div/league. Just get lots of OB and lots of doubles. You'll need some power but look for other extrabase hits. This is an auction league so that's why the team looks a little funny.

Oh, and get GREAT D.........

Scott

[DavidRis]

so are good pitchers over kill???? or would carpender, peavy be really good. I see that you dont need clemmons...but is it a waste to have 5-6mil pitchers.
As for defense....I have ichiro, A. Jones, Crawford so far for my outfield.
Any suggestions for the infield? are 2's ok???
:)

[LMBombers]

2's on defense are ok at any park. I would go with a couple of 5m SP and 2 or 3 (depending on the size of your rotation) lower priced value pitchers that may have some BPHR's on their cards.

I would get a couple of players with decent power and the rest high OBP, BA and doubles. Speed doesn't hurt in PETCO either!

BTW, I wouldn't call myself an "expert". I just post more often than some other people. :lol:

[Minoso Express]

I'm by no means an "expert" here, but I have been playing a Petco team lately so I've learned a few things here and there about what works there. Here's a link to a new Petco team that just cleared waivers:

http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/baseball/stratomatic/2006/team/team_other.html?user_id=5395

Some would say that stud pitching is a waste there, but I think it depends on the other parks in your division especially and throughout your league in general. In my division, we have a Coors, a Yankees and a SAFECO, so stud pitching wouldn't hurt, especially some SP without excessive BPHRs. If you are going to play mainly pitchers park teams, you should be able to get away with some less pricey pitching.

Webb and Zito I love in Petco, especially Webb-- he's great value for that park. Joe Blanton has been a gem for me (4.06 ERA, 1.15 WHIP) there, but I am playing mostly against pitching and neutral parks. Jon Garland, though others disparage him at Petco, has been great (3.17 ERA, 1.12 WHIP). Putz and Munter have been essential cheap relief guys for me in Petco. And Chris Reitsma has so far been absolutely lights out for me at Petco-- 0.59 ERA, 0.65 WHIP. Granted, it's a little more than a third through that particular season, but still. These are not numbers you expect from Reitsma, even in this park.

High BA is important, but not as important as the OBP and the doubles, as LMBombers has pointed out. Four of my starters are among the top 20 in doubles. Most of the starters, apart from Redmond and Helton, have running ratings of 14 or above (as LMBomber also pointed out, speed is important in Petco). Your catchers can be slow, as they are wont to be, but if possible get a couple of C's with high OBP.

One thing to be careful of is the slow start a lot of your high-price batters will probably have there. Jason Bay, Abreu and Jeter (all on the same team) had really slow starts for me, batting below the Mendoza line for about 15 games. Then, they turned it on and have been fine ever since. Jeter and Pat Burrell have been outstanding for me at Petco. Just be prepared to have more patience than usual. Petco's like that.

Good luck with your season.

[geekor]

there is nothing wrong with either approach. I have tried and won going with massive pitching and a cheap offense, as well as a great offense and cheap pitching. I've actually struggled more when I went down the middle in Petco.

But both Carp and Peavy should be great in Petco. Personally, I would LOVE to get a Pedro, Carp, Peavy, Vazquez rotation in Petco, it woud be lights out.

[DavidRis]

Ok guys, here is my team. It;s just the first draft but I think it's a good start. Thank you for all the advice as it's given me a place to start!
:)

http://fantasygames.sportingnews.com/baseball/stratomatic/2006/team/team_other.html?user_id=5703

Let me know what you think I should change!

[aircrewcdh]

Just my opinion, I have played pretty much exclusive in Petco. Your offense will hurt you. It is a definite that clark will get injured, I did not have too much success with ichiro at petco. jones is bad for the park because most of his hr's will be outs. your pitching will be good enough but not enough to compensate for your offense.

[LMBombers]

I think aircrewdch is right about one thing for sure. Clark will get injured and you need a viable backup 1B. I think the only other 1B you have is Vizcaino. He is not the answer as 1B backup. His defense is horrible at 1B and his bat won't make up for it. I expect Clark to miss around 20 games minimum over the course of the season.