How to build a pitching juggernaut in fantasy baseball
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Building a pitching juggernaut is an unconventional strategy. Most owners prefer to build their team around offensive stars. While other owners in your league are worrying about offense, you can scoop up some of the best pitchers in the game. Then, when other owners are worrying about pitching, you can build your offense.
This is sort of a reverse drafting strategy, but it can be very successful if executed correctly. It's nearly impossible to construct an offense that is unbeatable every week. However, it is very possible to form a dominant pitching staff. A middle-of-the-pack offense is all it will take to finish near the top of your standings. Here is how to execute this strategy:
Use high picks on SPs
There are two knocks on drafting pitchers in the early rounds: They get hurt more often than position players and they only help your fantasy team once or twice per week, whereas position players can make an impact every day.
Even though Clayton Kershaw started just 21 games last season due to injury, he still finished as the third- or fourth ranked fantasy player in the majority of leagues. This was large in part due to his 1.69 ERA and his ability to whiff batters at an astounding rate.
If you can pluck Kershaw in the mid-back end of the first round, then team him up with another perennial Cy Young candidate or two like Max Scherzer, Madison Bumgarner or Noah Syndergaard in the first three or four rounds of your draft, you will annihilate the pitching categories in your league on a weekly basis.
After getting a trio of studs, you can turn your focus to your lineup. Having Mike Trout or Jose Altuve is nice, but you can still form a palatable lineup without a big name. You cannot form a dominant pitching staff without multiple aces.
Stockpile SPs in the later rounds
In addition to the three aces you drafted at the beginning of the draft, you should have secured at least two reliable, high-floor mid-tier SPs while you assembled your starting lineup. As the draft draws to a close and you have secured your lineup, you should re-shift your focus solely back to your pitching staff.
Rather than using up your bench spots on position players, use them on starting pitching depth. Target pitchers with plenty of upside. Even if they wind up stinking up the joint, they can easily be dropped and replaced by someone from the waiver wire.
High upside pitchers who will be available in the later rounds include Francisco Liriano, Blake Snell, Lance Lynn and Ivan Nova. All of these pitchers come with plenty of red flags, but all have high ceilings.
Using FantasyPros mock draft simulators, here is an example of a pitching juggernaut you could build in a 12-team league:
| Draft Position | Player |
|---|---|
| 1.4 | SP Clayton Kershaw (LAD) |
| 2.9 | SP Noah Syndergaard (NYM) |
| 3.4 | SS Francisco Lindor (CLE) |
| 4.9 | SP Jon Lester (CHC) |
| 5.4 | 3B Kyle Seager (SEA) |
| 6.9 | 1B Chris Davis (BAL) |
| 7.4 | C Gary Sanchez (NYY) |
| 8.9 | OF Jose Bautista (TOR) |
| 9.4 | SP Carlos Martinez (STL) |
| 10.9 | OF Odubel Herrera (PHI) |
| 11.4 | RP Edwin Diaz (SEA) |
| 12.9 | UTIL(1B) Adrian Gonzalez (LAD) |
| 13.4 | SP Marcus Stroman (TOR) |
| 14.9 | OF Kole Calhoun (LAA) |
| 15.4 | UTIL(SS) Troy Tulowitzki (TOR) |
| 16.9 | 2B Devon Travis (TOR) |
| 17.4 | SP Marco Estrada (TOR) |
| 18.9 | SP Jake Odorizzi (TB) |
| 19.4 | SP Blake Snell (TB) |
| 20.9 | SP Joe Ross (WAS) |
| 21.4 | RP Fernando Rodney (ARI) |
| 22.9 | SP Adam Wainwright (STL) |
| 23.4 | SP Lance Lynn (STL) |
| 24.9 | SP CC Sabathia (NYY) |
According to FantasyPros, this team received an A- draft grade (91/100) and is projected to finish in first place out of the 12 teams.
Find value in late-round SPs
Pitchers like those above come with serious baggage, so they will drafted late - if at all.
Nova, for example, has had an up-and-down career, but he excelled in his 11 games with the Pirates last season. He has always had plenty of movement on his fastball, a sharp breaking ball and a fluid delivery. He will get overlooked because of his small sample size of success, but he could be 2017's version of J.A. Happ. Pittsburgh's pitching coach, Ray Searage, is a miracle worker.
Another way to find value in a late-round starter is an ageing veteran. CC Sabathia was quietly solid last season, posting a 3.91 ERA. There's reason to believe this bounce back season wasn't a fluke.
Sabathia had the second-lowest hard-hit percentage and the second-highest soft-hit percentage against, per FanGraphs. In addition to these metrics, Sabathia is now sober. The big lefty was so overpowering in his heyday. Oftentimes it can take a pitcher a couple seasons to figure out how to pitch without a dominating fastball.
Sabathia may pale in comparison when it comes to the upside of some of the exciting young arms in the game, but as the final pick for your fantasy team, he could be an excellent addition to round out your pitching juggernaut.