The Value of a Spot Start

Welcome to my Blog! This is my first official post. I'm into my 4th year of fantasy sports now, and I've learned a few things: Year 1 - Just because you love the Super Utility Guy on your team, doesn't mean he is a great fantasy option, Year 2 - Never drop a Cy Young Candidate (ehem...Justin Verlander) because he gets off to a slow start (they usually turn things around), Year 3 - There is plenty of depth at Starting Pitching and just because you didn't get Tim Lincecum or one of those guys doesn't mean your pitching staff is doomed (there are plenty of guys to go around for everyone and there is always that rookie who is lights out), Finally, Year 4 - The value of the Spot Start.

Spot Starts can be great if you're smart about it. I'm not saying go and grab that rookie from Cleveland with a 5.00 ERA lifetime against the Yankees, but if you are careful and look at the numbers as I did yesterday, you can find some hidden gems. Case in point: Jake Westbrook, a Win, 8 IP, 6 H, 3 BB, 3 K, and 0 ER! I took a gamble on him last night and won big. We are well into the fantasy playoffs in my league and he helped me come back from a pretty wide deficit in ERA & WHIP. A lot of times Spot Starters have to be taken with a grain of salt. Yes, the Cardinals are somewhat slumping, and the Padres are starting to surge. However, Westbrook had a career 1.08 ERA against the Friars; so, if there was anyone who could put their fire out, it was him. Not to mention that Padres starter Tim Stauffer had a career 10.13 ERA against the Redbirds. It's always a roll of the dice with matches like this and sometimes you're gonna blow it, but I think the risk is definitely worth the reward. Especially, if you're in a must-win situation like I am. That's all for now.