If you punt saves?

[thegambler]

What should you pitching staff look like? All starters? Any save guys at all? A couple of long releivers like a Schowenwiess type?

[TB13]

Starters who have low WHIP & high K numbers. Also, a few MR's who can offer to you low WHIP's & high K's.

[WittyC]

In my weekly updater someone tried to use only starters by plugging in a pair of SP/RP pitchers into the RP slots.

Schilling, Kerry Wood, Kelvin Escobar, Aaron Heilman and Jorge Sosa are a few guys who Yahoo! has carrying the SP/RP distinction this year. It worked much better in '05 when Smoltz had the tag.

Otherwise, yeah, I'd just go with reliable MR guys. Setup guys are nice, because if an injury occurs you get a closer for free!

[RAmst23]

If using this strategy, wait and see who the dominant MR guys for the year. They change consistently (Unless it's Scott Shields, who apparently is destined to just be set-up guy). Lots of good MR folks to be found on the WW.

[fimk3777]

I don't ever completely punt a category. I like to focus more on RP's in my league, as they can get saves, K's, some wins and usually have a decent era - they cut across all our pitching categories.........

[bdrotoronto]

I don't think I'd ever go into a season deliberately intending to punt a category. Puts too much pressure on the rest of your team to be dominant everywhere else.

The only time I think I'd ever really consider punting a category is when it's about halfway through the season, and due to circumstances there is just no realistic way you can compete in a particular category.. at which point I would consider trading my best assets in that category for help in other areas..

[Eightan]

don't start off the season doing that, you'll be behind right away. it's nearly impossible to make up the complete difference in other categories when you have no points in saves as opposed to having a few, like 4 or something like that. but if you're going to do it, go for guys like escobar, wood or schilling and forget the mid relief guys.

[TheYanks04]

MRs are at best marginal and at worst useless depending on your league rules. In weekly leagues or leagues with tight IP limits, MRs are not worth owning except as bench speculation for a closer's spot.

Punting saves is a bad idea usually. That sad, if you get into a situation with 1 closer and his name is Weathers, you may as well. Basically, you are often better off playing matchups week to week with OK starters going up against bad offensive teams. Like anything else though, it can back fire on you.

[dannahann]

don't start off the season doing that, you'll be behind right away. it's nearly impossible to make up the complete difference in other categories when you have no points in saves as opposed to having a few, like 4 or something like that. but if you're going to do it, go for guys like escobar, wood or schilling and forget the mid relief guys.

I'm curious as to why he should forget the mid relief guys? I've had outstanding sucess by purposely targeting them. Not in the draft mind you, but usually for nothing off the wire. The strategy works especially well in leagues with a tight IP cap. There are often MR avail with K/IP ratios greater than 1 and having exceptional WHIP and ERA too. These guys (if on 500 or better teams) often vulture a number of W's as well. If circumstances lend you to punt saves, by all means target dominant MR. Even if circumstances don't, it only helps to roster 1 or 2 dominant ones.

[Eightan]

I'm curious as to why he should forget the mid relief guys? I've had outstanding sucess by purposely targeting them. Not in the draft mind you, but usually for nothing off the wire. The strategy works especially well in leagues with a tight IP cap. There are often MR avail with K/IP ratios greater than 1 and having exceptional WHIP and ERA too. These guys (if on 500 or better teams) often vulture a number of W's as well. If circumstances lend you to punt saves, by all means target dominant MR. Even if circumstances don't, it only helps to roster 1 or 2 dominant ones.

well, i'm of course assuming his league doesn't count holds. now with that assumption in mind, look at the standard pitching categories and see whether it'll be a bigger help to have a starter in the RP slot or mid-reliever/setup man.
1. with the starter you're more likely to get the win. granted there are a few set up men who get wins but there are fewer of those then there are starters who qualify as RP's and will thus get you wins from the RP slot.
2. more strike outs. period. sure there are a few set up guys, dotel and shields for instance, who have great k/9 or k/bb ratios but assuming a standard scoring format which just counts total k's, he'll get more of them from guys like escobar, schilling and wood (assuming they're healthy) who all should be relative bargains due to those health questions.
so, like i said, go for the starters who qualify as RP's