Fantasy Baseball: Should You Continue to Order the Worley Bird Special?

Vance Worley owners in Yahoo! leagues may have received a little shock when they saw a red NA next to his name. That was due to the fact that he was sent down to Triple-A.

No it wasn’t a demotion, but a strategic move to keep the 23-year-old on his schedule. He is expected to start for the Phillies coming out of the break on Friday against the Mets.

Worley ended the first half 4-1 with a 2.20 ERA and a 1.22 WHIP. Of his eight starts, five were quality and another saw him yield just one run over five innings. He took the hill twice last year for the Phillies, allowing two runs in 10 innings as a starter.

Impressive numbers for any rookie, but the fact that he has been able to hold his own with the quartet of Phillies aces is equally as impressive.

The fact that Worley has been so dominant should come somewhat as a surprise. He was 1-3 with a 3.77 ERA for Triple-A Lehigh Valley last year.

In Double-A, he was 9-4 with a 3.20 ERA. Solid numbers, but in no way an indication of a player that would have a 2.03 ERA in the big leagues after 62 innings.

Some of it is luck. He has faced weaker lineups the majority of his starts. The exceptions were Boston and Cincinnati, against whom he managed to have a combined 3.00 ERA. He also has a relatively low BABIP at .259.

So should you keep trotting Worley out there? Why not? Until he gives you a reason to bench him, I wouldn’t do so. I wouldn’t fault you for shying away from starting him against the tough offenses, but he has pitched too well to not use him in most situations.

Also check out

• Should Ted Lilly Owners Jump Ship?
• Can Garrett Jones Continue to Produce?
• Fantasy Baseball Free Agent Pool – 2011 RBI Guys Vol. 6
• Fantasy Baseball Free Agent Pool – 2011 Strikeout Kings Vol. 6
• Fantasy Baseball Free Agent Pool – 2011 Run Scorers Vol. 6