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Fantasy File
Look to setup, middle men to stabilize rotations
Posted: Wednesday August 13, 2003 12:45 PM
Rafael Soriano has walked just six and struck out 40. |
By James Quintong, SI.com
My colleague Todd Zola mentioned earlier this week that depending on your place in the standings, you can still make up plenty of room in the ratio categories like ERA and WHIP in the final weeks of the season.
One such way to do that is replacing middling starting pitchers who pitch plenty of innings but can also give up a lot of runs with solid middle relievers who only pitch a couple of innings but seem to get runners out consistently. Those types of pitchers can provide stability to your numbers and maybe even bump them up a couple of percentage points, possibly enough to make a move in the standings.
Granted, there are risks in this strategy. First off, you do lose the potential for reliable wins, although many of the pitchers you'll be replacing probably weren't winning enough on a regular basis anyway. Wins are a very unpredictable stat among middle relievers. Some of the best middlemen have few wins, while others could vulture close to double digits. At the same time, some of the middle relievers could scrape away a few saves, depending on the circumstances.
Secondly, one horrific outing can have a major impact on your ERA or ratio, primarily because most of the damage is done over just an inning or so, as opposed to the five or six innings a starter might go. However, since much of the season is over already, a terrible outing could have little impact. It all depends on how close your standings are.
That said, here are a number of middle relievers who may be available on the waiver wire, especially in mixed leagues, and can be an important part of your pennant drive. Therefore, don't go looking for Octavio Dotel or Brendan Donnelly here.
Rheal Cormier, Phillies: He's an example of how lefty relievers never go away. But after years of being a mediocre pitcher, he's been amazing this year, putting up an ERA of 1.29 with a WHIP of 0.91. Since the All-Star break, he's allowed just one run in 15 1/3 innings.
Felix Heredia, Reds: The BB/K ratio isn't anything to get excited about, but the journeyman does have a solid 2.51 ERA and 1.22 WHIP in 68 innings. At least there's one Cincinnati pitcher who is doing well.
Matt Herges, Giants: It looks like he will never get a closer's job after being bumped from potential spots with the Dodgers, Expos and Padres in recent years. In the meantime, he's been nearly unhittable as a setup guy since joining San Francisco.
Al Levine, Royals: He was arguably Tampa Bay's most effective pitcher, and he's done even better since going to Kansas City at the trade deadline, with the league hitting under .200 against him. He won't do anything to hurt you but just enough to help you in the right places.
Brad Lidge, Astros: Billy Wagner and Octavio Dotel get all the headlines, but Lidge has also been a stalwart in the Houston bullpen. Since the All-Star break, the league has been hitting just .133 against Lidge. He's also struck out an impressive 78 hitters in 68 innings.
Ron Mahay, Rangers: Just think what his 1.73 ERA would look like if he hadn't given up four runs in 1 2/3 innings against the Orioles in July.
Joe Nathan, Giants: He got off to a quick start, struggled in May, and is back at it again, allowing just one run since the All-Star break. Just don't expect the seven wins he got through June -- that was definitely a fluke.
David Riske, Indians: He's gotten very little attention pitching for lowly Cleveland this year, but Riske has quietly been one of the better middle men in the league with a 2.48 ERA and a WHIP of 1.00, as well as averaging a strikeout per inning. The potential for wins and/or holds may not be there, but he keeps the rest of the stats in good order.
Paul Quantrill, Dodgers: Los Angeles' success on pitching goes up and down the staff. The starters have been great, and Eric Gagne has been lights out. But the middle men have also been outstanding as well. Quantrill has a 1.50 ERA and a WHIP under one, although he's "struggled" since the All-Star break.
Rafael Soriano, Mariners: One of Seattle's slew of promising pitching prospects, Soriano has been downright nasty out of the bullpen, striking out 42 in 33 innings, with an ERA under two and a WHIP well under one.
James Quintong is Fantasy Sports Producer at SI.com.
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