Fantasy baseball starting pitchers: the Frugal 15
Moore won't be cheap ...
The Freshman 15 often bloats college students. The Frugal 15, however, gives fantasy baseball players some tasty treats without expanding their budget's waistline.
Last year I shared some of my favorite bargain starting pitchers. Not a bad gathering; I'll humble-brag that I hit on five of the nine listed.
On this year's initial cost-effective docket, I'm excluding hyped arms like Matt Moore and Yu Darvish. Time to aim higher but also deeper, complete with tiers. This is only the beginning of your SP value hunting, but it's a noteworthy jumping-off point.
Fringe No. 1s and No. 2s
Adam Wainwright, St. Louis Cardinals - A name, of course, but still a hesitant selection in many circles. I'm taking the plunge. Keith Hernandez and Nicholas Minnix aren't ignoring him.
Gio Gonzalez, Washington Nationals - This carryover from last year will fan around 200 regardless of uniform.
Max Scherzer, Detroit Tigers - An FIP buy: Many still overlooking his steady standout K/9, ever-improving BB/9 and second-half ground-ball boost.
Brandon Beachy, Atlanta Braves - Doubt equals opportunity for cheaply snagging this double-digit K/9.
Cory Luebke, San Diego Padres - Uni will scare win chasers away. Take advantage.
Ubaldo Jimenez, Cleveland Indians - You really think he's not even worth a SP4 pick? Think again.
Brandon Morrow, Toronto Blue Jays - Mock Draft Central's participants aren't high on him. The industry circle isn't fooled.
Undervalued or forgotten
Anibal Sanchez, Miami Marlins - With his health a fading issue, you can't afford to ignore him at his reasonable cost.
... but Luebke, and others, will.
Bud Norris, Houston Astros - Forgot him on my brief list last year. An egregious omission, but it's not like I ignored him.
John Danks, Chicago White Sox - Unsurprisingly, barely on the radar because of his 2011 surface stats. Check out his 2011 second-half peripherals and FIP before passing judgment.
Jonathon Niese, New York Mets - Sure, he's a Met, but GB-K/9 combo sniffing a perfect storm.
Luke Hochevar, Kansas City Royals - Another second-half growth case that'll come dirt cheap in most places
Tim Stauffer, San Diego Padres - Grounders plus PETCO equals a confident low-end buy.
The Oakland Athletics rotation, with Dallas Braden trailing. Brett Anderson is a long-term stash, but Brandon McCarthy, Jarrod Parker and (likely) Brad Peacock all have investment-worthy skills.
Juan Nicasio, Colorado Rockies - With proper rehab, we're talking SP2 upside.
Next week, I'll supplement this with a smattering of deserving options far off the radar. You think I missed anyone here or someone that should be on the megasleeper list? Maybe they'll make it to the next group.
KFFL Baseball
- Bookmark our fantasy baseball coverage, including our Fantasy Baseball Hot Stove reports and Burning Fantasy Baseball Questions!
- Mastersball has returned to KFFL! Lord Zola's Roundtable and Tumbling Dice will expand your fantasy baseball minds!
- Congregate on Facebook, Twitter and our forums to start your 2012 planning.
- Drop us a line at any of these to let us know what you'd like to see from us for the 2012 season. We aim to give you the most informative, entertaining fantasy baseball experience, and we need your help to expand our mission!
