2012 Fantasy Baseball: Building the Perfect Rotation

Pitching is king, but not in my fantasy world.  You can find quality pitching almost anywhere.

My typical draft strategy for building the perfect rotation is to go after offensive players that have power and/or speed early and often, then wait and wait some more and then go after pitching in rounds seven and later. 

Sure you need starting pitching, but you don’t have to have Justin Verlander or Clayton Kershaw to win.

For example, here is a starting pitching blindfold test. 

Player A: 15 wins, 2.92 ERA, 178 strikeouts and 1.14 whip.

Player B: 14 wins, 3.47 ERA, 222 strikeouts and 1.22 whip. 

Player A is Ricky Romero and player B is Felix Hernandez.  King Felix will be taken anywhere from rounds three to four verse Ricky Romero who will be taken from rounds nine to 11.  The point is, wait on pitching to create depth for your offense skill position. 

Here's another relief pitching blindfold test.

Player A: 31 saves, 2.94 ERA and .93 whip. 

Player B: 32 saves, 2.37 ERA and 1.15 whip. 

Jonathan Papelbon is player A and Ryan Madson is player B.  Papelbon is the second or third closer off the board.  Again, don’t reach for pitching because you can wait.  

Group of Pitchers to Target After Rounds Eight 

Doug Fister: His numbers after the trade to the Detroit Tigers are eight wins, 1.79 ERA and .84 whip. 

Justin Masterson: He is the Tribe’s most consistent starter. 

Jeff Niemann: His numbers from July on are nine wins with a 3.78 ERA. 

Yu Darvish: Before you knock this pick, look at Daisuke Matsuzaka's first two seasons average, 16 wins, 177 strikeouts, 3.65 ERA and 1.32 whip. 

Sergio Santos: He will get you 30 plus saves. 

More on Pitching

Don’t forget about Adam Wainwright and Josh Johnson. Both are coming off injury, but could still be late steals.  If healthy, both are CY Young caliber pitchers. 

The pitcher that will have a break out season is Washington Nationals Jordan Zimmermann. Two pitchers to keep an eye on are Toronto Blue Jays Henderson Alvarez and Atlanta Braves Julio Teheran. 

It may be the year(s) of the pitcher, but in fantasy it's still all about the long ball.