Should I have middle relievers in my fantasy rotation?

Question

This is my first year playing fantasy baseball. I have a head to head team and a rotisserie team. Does it do me any good to have setup men like Zumaya, Merideth, Broxton as opposed to just closers?

Answer 1

I wouldn't recommend it in your first year. The stat help all depends on your league settings. In head to head they usually just eat up bench space and they are not a definite to pitch, they can go a week and get in 1 inning depending how the team is doing. Or they can be used 4 times in a week and eat up 6 innings of scoreless baseball. In a head to head I will sometimes use guys like Linebrink, Zumaya, Shields or Soriano when I know I am going to lose Wins anyway, that way I know these guys will give me some good ERA, WHIP and Strikeouts per inning usually without taking a major hit on other numbers. But when I do it, I usually pick them off waivers and don't keep them on my bench. Roto is a little different because over the course of a season these guys actually make numbers that look better than most starters available on the waiver wire. They don't help with wins but will help with every other stat category. It's like having a starter throw a shutout every week and not get the win. BUT, that one time they do blow up and give up 1 or 2 runs in 1 inning you will take a big hit to the same stats. A blow up like giving up a 3 run homer while recording 1 out will give you a hit to your ERA and WHIP that will take 2 weeks and 25 innings to correct. So the choice is yours, I do it all the time. But I know the risk and I know when NOT to do it. Especially in head to head, I never risk 2 categories to gain 1.

Now for the extra value - Zumaya, Broxton, R Soriano (although he has competition from Mike Gonzalez) are all guys that are in line for a closer job so they can be worth a shot. They will give you some good innings with a high strikeout ratio and if/when they take over at closer you have ready made saves.

Also take into account your max innings, std roto is 1850 per year and the trick is make them all count. And sometimes you have a bench a guy who isn't pitching well and put in a middle reliever to eat up some quality innings.

It's up to you, but the time to do it is when you have struggling starting pitching that won't give you wins and are in the 4.5 ERA and 1.75 WHIP area.

Answer 2

it all depends on the scoring system in your league. Middle relievers get great whip and era because they dont pitch many innings so its easy for them to come in and give up only a hit and no runs in 2 innings of work and thats awesome whip and era. However they dont get strike outs and wins and occasionally saves but not to many. So if you need era and whip its ok( but not great) to have maybe 1 middle reliever but no more.

Answer 3

if you get decent ones they help with era and whip and can get you a win here and there. See if Scot Shields of Anaheim is available, Wheeler from Houston is good also.