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Forum >> Discussions >> Opinions on pitchers and the value of SI  

Post ID	Date & Time	Game Date	Function
#37805	07/30/2016 7:55:06 am		Ignore
Carcharoth Joined: 07/16/2015 Posts: 149 Inactive	Hello forums! Been a while. Happy to be back though. Just wanted to get some opinions on a couple of my pitchers in the majors. I feel like they are a good example of how SI and skill points only mean so much, and performance is a much more valuable metric. Dwight Clements was an all-star last year, finished 14-10 and was in the conversation for the Cy Young despite receiving just 3.87 RS/game. This year he's having it a bit more rough against much stronger competition, but he's still passable and keeps us in the game. His RS is down to an unbelievable 2.6/game but my offense is anemic so everyone is struggling (we had a sub .600 team OPS through our first 15 games or so...). On the other side of things, Cesar Benavidez looks on paper to be very similar to Clements. He's a one pitch guy with decent control and enough stamina to start. On a side note, he's one of several 25+ yo pitchers who are underdeveloped that I like to grab off waivers and try to turn into something serviceable. It's been a decently effective way to bridge the gap to the draftees I started accumulating last year (RL). I always find it super-rewarding when I can salvage a playable asset from a neglected minor leaguer :P. Although Benavidez looks fine on paper, his performance clearly states otherwise. Last year he pitched to a 4.93 ERA with just 9 QS in 26 games. His 9-8 record was (somehow) inflated by a 5.27 RS/game. So far this year he has been shelled, making it through just 17 innings in 5 starts. Although I'd say some of his shortcomings are due to bad luck and sequencing, he has never come close to Clements' level of production. I just thought it would be nice to get some opinions on this and also leave a record of how much performance can vary in the face of similar skill points. It has certainly changed my waiver claim and free agent strategy quite a bit (I recently signed an 11 POT DH who has hit LL. IV and III pitching well, a player most people probably don't scroll down long enough to find :P). I'm also wondering if anyone is of the opinion I should drop Benavidez. I don't think I'll be able to stay up again this year, the East is a bit too tough in IV. 7 so I could just throw in the towel and six man with my young guys... I have a number of strong pitching prospects who should arrive in the next year or two, the result of my drafting strategy from the day I first took over the team . I have enough prospective starters to roll out a pitching staff, even though I am quite sure they will get demolished (on that note it is nice that there isn't a morale stat for players, otherwise my poor prospects might be stunted by lack of confidence haha).
#37808	07/30/2016 10:30:07 am		Ignore
newtman Joined: 11/02/2013 Posts: 3343 Inactive	Several things to note: 1) yes performance is the overriding metric especially with a large sample size like these guys, however they are only reaching peak development now, so it needs to be kept in mind they could still improve (though since you're in a higher league you might not see better numbers). 2) Rookie pitchers do NOT always get demolished if brought up at the recommended time. Examples: Hill, Amador, Pope, and Bechtal. Two of those guys are starters and two are relievers, but all were very good from the moment they were promoted according performance. I promoted while constantly having two rookie pitchers on staff every season for about five straight. Don't be afraid to cut the guys who don't live up to the SI, even if they get picked up by a LL VI and do great there, it doesn't mean they would have done that well for you in a higher league. See Andujar, McCoy, Latham, etc.

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