As teams ramp up for Spring Training (and as we all prepare for our fantasy baseball drafts and auctions), a number of pitchers are hitting the shelf. Over the past week or two, we’ve seen a number of notable starting pitchers succumb to injuries:
- Cole Hamels, ATL: dealing with shoulder soreness, will likely miss Opening Day
- Mike Clevinger, CLE: underwent knee surgery, out for 6-8 weeks
- James Paxton, NYY: underwent back surgery, expected to miss 3-4 months
That’s three pitchers who are ranked among the top-100 players who won’t be ready for Opening Day. While each of these teams would naturally prefer that their pitchers are in the rotation ASAP, the respective organizations fortunately have enough depth to overcome the absences.
Therefore, from a selfish perspective, we can focus on what these injuries mean to fantasy owners. Unfortunately, the outlook isn’t great.
Right now, there are maybe seven healthy starting pitchers who could warrant being selected in the first three rounds of a 10-team fantasy league:
- Gerrit Cole, NYY (but tread lightly)
- Jacob deGrom, NYM
- Justin Verlander, HOU
- Max Scherzer, WAS
- Walker Buehler, LAA
- Stephen Strasburg, WAS
- Jack Flaherty, STL
While there’d normally be around 10 pitchers available in that span, the injuries has dropped that number to seven, meaning there will be several teams who will have to rely on that second- or third-tier of pitchers as their ace.
Fortunately, there are a number of intriguing pitchers to choose from. If you’re feeling like relying on precedent, teams can turn to veterans like Clayton Kershaw or Chris Sale. While the duo have a number of question marks, a return to form could make fantasy owners look incredibly smart.
Teams could also turn to the several lower-tier starters who could take the next step to the top tier. That grouping includes the likes of Blake Snell (who, mind you, has already won a Cy Young), Luis Castillo, Lucas Giolito, Chris Paddack, and Jose Berrios.
There are clearly a number of options to choose from as you’re preparing the top of your rotation. While you’d ideally land one of those top-seven pitchers, it’s not the end of the world if you miss out.
