Three Sleeper Starting Pitchers to Target Late in Drafts
When it comes to fantasy sports, there is nothing I love more than a big league and a deep draft. Sleeper picks give you the ability to find talent for a very cheap price tag, and they come at a time in the draft where your competition is either getting bored, slacking on their draft prep, or might even leave the draft because something else has come up. This gives you the ability to gain a leg up on others in your league, especially when it comes to a position as unpredictable as starting pitching.
In twelve or fourteen person leagues, there’s a chance you will have five or less starting pitchers by the 200th pick, depending on how balanced your draft was. In most leagues, you are looking for seven or even eight starting pitchers, especially if there are six or seven starting pitcher spots so you can keep one or two on your bench. This is even more true in H2H points leagues, but for this article we’ll use a categorical scoring system for our draft positions. Even if you usually participate in smaller leagues, these names are good to keep in the back of your mind for waiver wire adds.
Now, let’s dive into three sleeper pitchers to target in drafts this year. All of these pitchers are listed after the 200th pick in ESPN’s categorical rankings listed here.
Jameson Taillon - Pittsburgh Pirates
The Second Year Pittsburgh Pirate will have a huge responsibility this season as the Pirates' number two starter.
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The Pirates’ rookie had a very successful season in limited innings last year, and now has to step into a major role for an organization that seems to be going in a downhill direction. The rookie is coming off a solid first campaign, in which he threw 85 strikeouts in 104 innings, and went 5-4 with a 3.38 ERA. I’m not aware of any inning limits restriction on Taillon this season, and considering he will likely be the Pirates number two starter in their rotation, he will need to pitch a full workload this season for the Pirates to have a chance to contend against the Cubs and Cardinals.
ESPN’s category rankings have the second year pitcher going 218th overall. This is not a bad time at all to take a chance on a young pitcher like Taillon who is in a pitcher’s park and should be in line for a significant number of starts. Of course we’ll have to keep track of Taillon throughout spring training, but I see him as being a strong pitching option for the Pirates, and for dynasty leagues as well.
Joe Ross - Washington Nationals
Ross is looking to continue his consistency at the back end of one of the best rotations in the league.
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The Nationals’ fifth starter had a very impressive 2016 campaign, in which he went 7-5 in nineteen games, posted a 3.43 ERA, and finished with 93 strikeouts. Even though Ross’ numbers don’t blow you away, he’s been very consistent throughout his career, and he can have a really solid year if he stays healthy. Getting these kinds of numbers at 239th in drafts can be a very solid boost from your sixth or seventh pitcher on draft day.
There are some concerns with Ross that are out of his own control. Fortunately, the Nationals traded their star upcoming pitcher Lucas Giolito to the Chicago White Sox for Adam Eaton, so as of now, Ross is set to be the fifth starter for the Nationals. However, the Nationals have been mentioned in talks of pursuing free agent pitchers all off-season, so it’s important to keep an eye on any additions by the team through spring training.
Steven Wright - Boston Red Sox
Wright will look to battle for the fifth spot in Boston's starting rotation after an all-star year in 2016.
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It’s almost a shock to see an all-star at 269th in the draft, but I can’t expect his draft status to be this low the whole preseason. Despite showing some weakness in July and August, Wright put up outstanding numbers in 2016, including a 13-6 record and a 3.33 ERA. We know Wright doesn’t overwhelm you with his strikeout count, but his control was very effective for most of the season, and he pitches for a team that has some explosive bats that puts Wright in a position to get a win even in his poor outings.
The only concern here again is the workload for Wright in 2017. Despite being an all-star last season, Wright isn’t even guaranteed a spot in the starting five because of the depth in Boston’s rotation. So far it’s looking like Price, Sale, Porcello, Pomeranz, with Rodriguez and Wright competing for the fifth spot. I’m assuming that Wright will be the fifth option considering Rodriguez struggled a lot last season and is currently rehabbing in the off season. This is an important story to keep track of on Wright, especially since this completely affects his worth in fantasy leagues this season.
Honorable Mentions include: Matt Shoemaker LAA, Matt Moore SF, Julio Urias LAD, Jordan Zimmerman DET, Garrett Richards :LAA, Scott Kazmir LAD, Jaime Garcia ATL.
