I continue my look back at LABR 2014 with a look at the pitching staff after reviewing our hitters previously. Before jumping in, it is worth noting that we had a series debate both on the plane to Phoenix and in the draft prep war room at the Hyatt as to whether to roster one anchor or two. We went with two but because there is no I in TEAM, I will not discuss who took what side of the issue. The pitching staff we hope carries us to a fourth LABR AL title looks like this:
Starters
Felix Hernandez $28: The A in SMART stands for Anchor and boy did we get one. In any given year, guys like Verlander or Scherzer might beat out King Felix for the Cy Young but no one is more reliable to throw 200+ innings, register 200+ Ks and provide strong ratios. He is an anchor’s anchor.
Jon Lester $16: While his WHIP may be a tad high, you know you will get wins, K’s and a solid ERA from this pitcher who takes the ball every 5th day and tosses it for a very good Team. Between King Felix and Lester, we should have 400 K’s in the bank right off the bat.
Wei-Yin Chen $5: He missed almost half the year last year and still managed 100+ K. Chen is hardly a star but at $5, I am more than happy to roster a guy in his contract year who has a decent (yet unspectacular) history and will be motivated to stay in the rotation to maximize his return. I see a guy who will likely give us a 100% percent return on our $5 investment.
Felix Doubront $3: With Dempster not pitching in 2014 and Peavy already hurt, there is sure to be room for him in the Boston rotation. I look at his 167 K from 2012, increased experience and a pitcher with a rotation spot for a good team and I see the makings of a tidy profit.
Scott Baker $2: We risked little with this $2 buy but could get a nice reward. Baker appears healthy after surgery and injuries cost him most of the last two years. He is a pitcher with a history of good ratios but trouble with the gopher ball. Pitching in Seattle should help reduce the number of those flies that turn into big flies.
Brad Peacock $1: Peacock is my pick to be the Corey Kluber of 2014. Yes, Houston will not win a lot of games so that hurts Brad’s shot at wins. However, his swinging strike percentage on his top two pitches both exceed %15 – a monster figure. It was that stat that lead me to Kluber and now leads me to Peacock. Bottom line - I just like the upside.
Relievers
Joe Nathan $20. The SMART system says get a reliever on whom you can anchor your team. We did that with the most consistent reliever in baseball now that Mariano’s Cooperstown clock is ticking. When you add in the fact that Nathan moved from a hitter haven in Texas to a pitcher haven in Detroit, you have every reason to think success will continue.
Casey Fien $2: Over the last year and a half, Fien has thrown 97 big league innings, struck out 102 and posted a WHIP under 1.00. Worth $2? You bet.
Luke Hochevar $2: Made sense at the time but he is out for the year so not much to discuss. At least we now have $102 FAAB rather than $100 with which to play.
Edward Mujica Reserve: This was the steal of the late game. Over the last three years, the “Chief” has posted a combined 2.88 ERA and 1.02 WHIP. Add in the fact that he saved 37 games last year for the Cards and is behind the most brittle of closers in Uehara and you have huge profit potential.
Al Alburquerque Reserve: Any time you can land a guy who has blown away 88 hitters in 62 innings over the last two year and you have serious profit potential. Add in the fact that he handcuffs Nathan for us and the pick looks even SMART-er.