DAILY FANTASY BASEBALL

What Makes a BEAST Pitcher? What Makes a Bust Pitcher?

By Muntradamus

BEAST DOME NATION.

Like all sports, Baseball too is a game of inches. The difference between the ball hitting the fat power part of the bat for a HR, or an infield pop up is literally inches. So when picking a BEAST pitcher or a BUST pitcher, you have to look at all the other X-Factors that can help, or hurt the starting pitcher.

WHAT MAKES A BEAST PITCHER

First thing that helps make a BEAST is being a strong pitcher. Of course a pitcher like Marco Estrada will never find himself on the BEAST list, but a young pitcher who has a lot of skill like Joey Luchessi does have the capabilities to be a BEAST on the right given night.

Despite talent, there are more than enough factors to consider before giving someone the official BEAST or BUST title. Is the pitcher pitching against a weak team? Is the pitcher pitching on the team that is probably going to win? Is the pitcher going up against a team that is without its two or three best hitters?

To be a BEAST in Fantasy Baseball when it comes to pitching, you have to consider all the variables that are not spelled out for you. For example. Today the Yankees are without Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge, and Gary Sanchez. Not to mention Miguel Andujar/Greg Bird/Didi Gregorious. The Yankees are down to backups nearly across their starting 9, and when that is the case even a starter like Matt Harvey who preseason would have no chance to pitch well against the Yankees, he has the ability to throw a Quality Start.

You want more X-Factors? How about looking at how Hot/Cold the hitters are for the team your pitcher is going up against. The Red Sox started the season with a cold JD Martinez/Mookie Betts/Xander Bogarets, even Andrew Benintendi has struggled to hit the ball. Even though it is never recommended to start pitchers against the Red Sox, you could get by if the price was good and the pitcher was hot.

Which brings us to the next point. Consistency. If a pitcher is pitching well over the course of time, that automatically brings him to the BEAST conversation. When you look at all the X-Factors when really considering if he is BEAST material, you will be able to make your decision.

WHAT MAKES A BUST PITCHER

Nothing will ruin your day faster than selecting a pitcher who gets rocked. Your Daily Fantasy Baseball team can hit 5 HRs, but if your pitcher gives up 3 HRs himself, your day is over. Maybe you can get your money back?

In order to avoid a BUST pitcher, the first thing to remember is Baseball is a game of inches. If you put your pitcher in a vulnerable ball park you are asking for trouble. Coors Field/Arlington Ball Park/Yankee Stadium, these are just a few of the ball parks where you should avoid pitchers at all costs. Yes the Severino’s of the world, or the German’s of today are always tempting. However look at German. Even in his last start where he ended up with a strong 40+ Points on FanDuel, he gave up 3 ER to the Royals on 2 HRs. The Royals are lucky to ever hit 2 HRs in a game, but that Yankee Stadium was built for HRs.

So #1, look out for ball park. The #2 thing to make sure, do not put your pitcher up against a great offense. If the Phillies are at full strength, and the likely team to win the World Series with the way they are built as an organization with strong offense 1-8, do not put your pitcher up against them. I do not care if it is Max Scherzer, the most I would ever put Scherzer up against the Phillies is if it was a .25 cent GPP to win $1,000. He is expensive there is little upside, unless you want to build an offense of mostly Waiver Wire scraps.

The next thing to watch out for when detecing a BUST pitcher, is to actually make sure he is pitching. Listen, some of you may be like duh that is obvious, but there will be many teams throughout the season when a pitcher on the Rays or another team is coming out of the bullpen like a Yarbrough, Chirinos, etc. If your guy is not a starting pitcher, do not take the chance he will come in. That mistake of trying to save money on a pitcher will end up costing you big later on. You can keep the sleeper Long Relievers to the .25 cent GPP’s, but do not bring a Long Reliever into the Double-Ups and Cash Games.

Last but not least, look at the OF on defense. We can look at Luchessi again. If the Padres have someone like Hunter Renfroe in Left Field, and Franmil Reyes in Right Field, and the Padres are playing in a spacious ball park like San Francisco. There is due to be some danger if the balls are hit to where those guys have to run. Joey ended up giving 7 ERs in 4 INN to the Giants, Renfroe made some horrible plays in that game. Fielding is one of the most underrated aspects in Fantasy Baseball, but it is defense which keeps pitchers pitching well. The best example of this was the Pittsburgh Pirates from a few years back. Andrew McCutchen/Starling Marte/Gregory Polanco. It was nearly impossible to get a ball to drop. Ivan Nova had a contract worth $2.6 Million when he came to the Pirates from the Yankees in a Mid-Season Trade. Nova ended up with a 3.02 ERA with the Pirates to close out the 2nd half, he got a 3 Years/$28 Million deal. While Nova is no longer a Fantasy Option, especially with the White Sox, he is still making over $8.5 Million a year thanks to that Pirates Out Field right before it got moved around.

SUMMARY

There you have it. What makes a BEAST, and what makes a BUST pitcher. Make sure you analyze all options carefully and consider all the variables. The worst thing you can do is pick a pitcher because of his name. Without the proper HW, you will not get the proper results.

Wish you all the best in your Daily Fantasy Baseball Journey, I will be here ready to help you every step of the way.

BEAST