Life after Strasburg in Fantasy Baseball
August 28, 2010 by Chris Davies
Filed under Baseball, Featured
So you drafted Stephen Strasburg in your fantasy league. It seemed like the best pick you could make in round 10. You waited around while the Nats kept him in the minors, and you were paid royally for your patience when he ascended to the big leagues in June.
Then came the injury. You were sad, but at least he could take a DL spot now, and you could use his roster spot to get points in the mean time. Then he came back, life was good and nothing could go wrong.
Now what?
Strasburg is looking at not pitching again until the 2012 season and suddenly your keeper team has a space available in the rotation.
The obvious candidates are all taken by other managers, so where should you turn: Why not take a chance on Dallas Braden, Brian Duensing or Jason Vargas?
Everyone knows Braden for his Mother’s day perfecto, but since that time, he has shown he knows how to pitch at the big league level. The A’s have played .500 ball this season, and a lot of that has to do with the pitching that has supported them.
Braden is 8-9 this season through 142 innings. He has held his WHIP to 1.15 and struck out 89, only allowing an opposing batting average of .252. Currently, he is only owned in 32 percent of Yahoo leagues.
Duensing has been an unsung star of the Twins rotation. Through 11 starts, he is 7-2 with an ERA of 2.19 and a WHIP of 1.04. But most importantly, he has 2.65 strikeouts for each walk allowed, and he owned in only 35 percent of Yahoo leagues.
One of the few bright spots on the Mariners this season is Jason Vargas. Through 24 starts, he has won nine games and lost just six, combined with a .241 opponents batting average and 3.43 ERA, he gives the Mariners the best chance to win this year. Like Duensing, he is also available in 35 percent of Yahoo leagues.
While none of these names resonate like Strasburg’s, they are available and they are all putting up quality numbers. Are they worth the risk? There’s a good chance, and you don’t want to see your opponents cashing in on their value early.
