Now that spring training games are officially underway and the calendar has turned over to March, fantasy baseball draft season is upon us.
Anchoring your fantasy rotation with someone like Clayton Kershaw is great, but it’s generally the next eight pitchers you draft who will determine how your season plays out.
No position on the diamond poses a bigger injury risk than pitcher, and balancing durability and consistency with upside and potential is always important. Reaching for a pitcher who regresses or misses time to injury can leave you thinking, “I wish I would have taken so-and-so instead,” as hindsight is always 20/20.
Ahead, we’ve offered up a quick overview of seven starting pitchers who won’t live up to their current average draft positions (courtesy of FantasyPros) in an effort to avoid that regrettable hindsight.
This is not to suggest that these players won’t have strong seasons in 2016 or that you should avoid them altogether on draft day. It’s simply a heads-up not to reach for any of them while suggesting a few players currently being drafted below them who might be better targets.
Note: Everything is based on 10- or 12-team mixed leagues with standard five-by-five rotisserie scoring for hitters (BA, R, HR, RBI, SB) and pitchers (W, ERA, WHIP, K, SV). Lineup construction assumes 22 active roster positions, consisting of one each for catcher, first base, second base, third base, shortstop, corner infield, middle infield and utility, along with five outfielders and nine pitchers.