Research & Analysis - Michael Weddell

[Wonderboy]

As usual I greatly enjoy HQ's various articles. With this weeks article listed above I would like to find out two additional pieces of information. 1. Who are the pitchers that would be listed this year as honorable mention pitchers for the Santana method.
2. Given that if you are in an NL only leagues only 3 Phillie pitchers are available to acquire. Given this limited # how should that impact our bidding IF we are going to use this method? Any tactical thought would help as well as a source for honorable mention.

[RAY@HQ]

The article does mention that Sabathia is the only pitcher in the Honorable Mention category this year.

[Michael@HQ]

Ray correctly answered your first question.

On your second point, I'll assume that you are in an auction, not draft, format.

• Nominate the Santana Plan anchors (in your case Halladay, Hamels, and Lee) early. In our experience, the first 8-15 picks tend to be somewhat underpriced as the table can be hesitant to bid up studs to their prices including inflation caused by players frozen at salaries less than their projected values.
• If you do this and fail to roster one of the three Santana Plan anchors, then you will still have time to adjust your roster (by shifting dollars to a second closer or more likely to batting).
• Last point is more controversial: I would be willing to go somewhat above your projected dollar amount to acquire a Santana Plan anchor. Your dollar values are probably based on 31% - 34% of dollars allocated to pitching but at the end of the day, half of a typical league's scoring is based on pitching. For that reason, for reliable starters, I don't mind going higher than my cheat sheet indicates.

Let me end with an anecdote. At last Spring's First Pitch Forum event in Cleveland, each speaker responded to a question from the room to name a star player who was undervalued. I named Justin Verlander, saying he was the best AL starter but had an ADP on Mock Draft Central in just the middle of the fourth round. Unfortunately, in my Detroit-based home league I didn't land him at the auction, thinking he was overpriced. With hindsight, I wish I had kept bidding up, showing a little Total Control Drafting attitude, and acquired the guy in which I really had confidence.