FanPost

Elite Pitching Gets More Valuable


Kris Medlen, Brandon Beachy, Jarrod Parker, Patrick Corbin. All four of these pitchers will be heading towards Tommy John Surgery.

They also have something else in common. All four are pitchers fantasy drafters would be taking in a hitting first draft strategy.

This draft strategy relies upon the quality of the starting pitcher pool being deep. Unlike the closer role where the replacement closer still gets Saves, a replacement for a high end #3/low end #2 SP does not get the stats of the pitcher he replaced.

Theoretically, that replacement pitcher is by definition worse. This makes him riskier and hence the hitting first strategy so.

If this holds true, then drafting elite starting pitching early should become less risky as the pool of acceptable later round fantasy SP worsens by the exclusion of Pat Corbin types and the inclusion of "promoted" #3 & #4s.