RotoGraphs Audio: The Sleeper and the Bust 2/24/2015
by Paul Sporer
February 24, 2015
Episode 198
The latest episode of “The Sleeper and the Bust” is live!
In this episode, Paul Sporer and Eno Sarris discuss a potential position change for Kris Bryant, Joba Chamberlain back to Detroit, and Lucas Duda dealing with an oblique issue. Then they discuss Eno’s Pitcher Ranks and finish up by beginning the NL Central team-by-team previews with Chicago and Cincinnati.
Relevant work:
As usual, don’t hesitate to tweet us or comment with fantasy questions.
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Question I’d like answered: I’m curious about the strategy of taking a Chapman+company high this year and “combining” him with a lower strikeout-good ratio pitcher. Here is my logic. In friend of Fangraph’s Howard Bender’s Mock Draft Army, Cueto and Chapman are being drafted close together by ADP. Henderson Alvarez is going pick 293, roughly in LaTroy Hawkin territory. So I combined Chapman&Alavarez and Cueto&Hawkins.
Chapman combo: 245IP,10 W, 2.86 ERA, 1.10 WHIP,225 K, 36 SV
Cueto combo: 248 IP,11 W, 3.48 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 229 K,29 SV
Yeah, I’ll admit it, I took the Fans on Alvarez, but I think he COULD be the next Fister/Porcello type. But 36 saves could be bearish on Chapman. But I took both Steamer projections for the next group,which I think Steamer could be bullish on Hawkins’s health.
I am curious on combining an elite closer with a good ratio, but perhaps low K starter. If you took a Chapman and a Alvarez or say a Betances and a Porcello, doesn’t it make sense? You are getting the ratios and saves at the cost a marginal difference in Ks and IP. Even if you wanted to go, less extreme: Maybe a Cliff Lee or Iwakuma with a still elite closer while passing over the traditional #1 stater,
I’ve been thinking the same thing. I guess it depends on league size, but someone like Henderson Alvarez may be too low on the K’s. I like the Iwakuma pairing though. Something to consider is that at the time you need to select Chapman (4th-5th) a good SP may have slipped and selecting that SP (maybe a Greinke, or even Kluber is there are some who don’t believe in your league) with someone like Zach Britton or Mark Melancon in later rds may be even better.