John Smoltz

[mpoland92]

is he even worth picking late in drafts??? any ideas or insight would be helpful.....

[jcook3127]

Looks like the Sox are front runners, per rotoworld..

All the news points to a May return for Smoltz, and if he finds himself on a team like Boston, then he is definitely draftable as an end game pick, no doubt about it....

[MikeeDee]

I'd definitely be willing to draft him. Don't forget that even in shallower leagues you can probably stash him on the DL for the first month.

[RedSoxNation04]

Why not take a chance on him? How many of your 18th - 23rd round picks really end up contributing to your team? Even if he doesn't start the season, I would take a chance on him, easily, and stash him in a DL spot or a bench spot if necessary. He was on MLB on XM today and it sounds like he's feeling pretty good. Boston is placing ZERO pressure on him to get out there and pitch at the start of the season so be prepared to wait a bit if they do end up working him in slowly.

If he's healthy though, I think he definitely can contribute in positive ways and will easily be worth a late round pick, 18th round or beyond.

[kaiser]

As a 25 year Braves fan, here is my opinion on Smoltz. I hate that the Braves couldn't see clear to cough up a couple more million to let the guy finish out his brilliant career in Atlanta.

That being said, he has been playing with pain for years now, and deteriorating each season, to the point that if you get more than a few games out of him, you will be lucky. I'd draft him late and stash him, with the idea that the move might revitalize him a bit, but that will only last for perhaps ten starts, and then he'll be back on the DL again, probably for a long time. I understand why the Braves let him go. I just wish they hadn't. Not because he would have helped them win more games this year on the field, but because he would have helped as a leader and veteran mentor to the young players, and because a Braves legend deserved to be treated better.

[CadensDad]

As a 25 year Braves fan, here is my opinion on Smoltz. I hate that the Braves couldn't see clear to cough up a couple more million to let the guy finish out his brilliant career in Atlanta.

That being said, he has been playing with pain for years now, and deteriorating each season, to the point that if you get more than a few games out of him, you will be lucky. I'd draft him late and stash him, with the idea that the move might revitalize him a bit, but that will only last for perhaps ten starts, and then he'll be back on the DL again, probably for a long time. I understand why the Braves let him go. I just wish they hadn't. Not because he would have helped them win more games this year on the field, but because he would have helped as a leader and veteran mentor to the young players, and because a Braves legend deserved to be treated better.

I agree that the Braves could have treated him better, we didn't send Bobby Cox packing down the road just because he got old. I think just being able to say "John Smoltz only ever wore a Braves uniform." Is reason enough to pay him more.

With that being said, I'd say yes draft him, I think he can give you 7-9 wins a decent 3.30 era and a few K's. He will pitch 12-15 games and be a worthwhile player

[styrofoam-shirt]

It also depends on your league's IP limit. My league has a relatively low IP limit of 1,250--therefore getting 10-15 very good starts out of a guy like Smoltz is worth a lot more than 35 middle of the road starts for Kuroda or some other waiver-caliber SP. But if you're in a 2,000 IP limit league, you need to be piling up those innings all year to compete in the counting categories (Ks, Ws), and Smoltz's few starts won't do much to impact your ratios (WHIP, ERA).

[denicola_dominates]

hes on red sox now isnt he? i thought they scooped him up as a free agent

[ILLZ]

That being said, he has been playing with pain for years now, and deteriorating each season, to the point that if you get more than a few games out of him, you will be lucky. I'd draft him late and stash him, with the idea that the move might revitalize him a bit, but that will only last for perhaps ten starts, and then he'll be back on the DL again, probably for a long time.

This is pretty far off base. 2005-2007 he was dominant. His K/BB ratio was around 4 all 3 years and he pitched at least 206 innings in each season. Yes, he got hurt last year and only threw 28 innings, but how can you say he's been "deteriorating each season"? He actually got BETTER from '06 to '07. Now I'm just as skeptical as you are about a 42 year old power pitcher successfully coming off major shoulder surgery and staying healthy AND effective for a prolonged period of time, but Smoltz is basically the poster boy for Tommy John surgery, so I'm willing to give him the benefit of the doubt for now.