Most baseball teams have one. Do you know him. He’s that starting pitcher who’s labeled the “ace of the staff,” the guy who dominates the opposition, turns off losing streaks, and is arguably the best pitcher in a team’s starting rotation. In fantasy baseball, these pitchers are gold and their names carry a lot of weight at the draft table and in business negotiations. However, the big names don’t always stick around and are often relegated to the role of ‘second banana’ in a team’s rotation. The key in fantasy baseball is identifying who has lost a spot and who has taken on the role of ‘ace’. A big name that has slipped a bit can help you get something in a trade and catching the newly discovered ace will help you win your league. Here are some teams that are currently going through a change on top of their initial rotations:
San Francisco-
For the past few seasons, there has been no question that Tim Lincecum has been the ace of the Giants’ rotation. His numbers have been among the top echelon of starters in any league and his prowess in fantasy has been unquestionable. However, in 2012, Lincecum has had big problems and has been forced to leave the role of ace not for one, but for two other starting pitchers. Madison Bumgarner is a pitcher on the rise. The southpaw has continued to improve and is making a name for himself among the best young left-handed pitchers in the game. Matt Cain’s recent perfect game, combined with his impressive numbers, make him a threat to dethrone Lincecum as well.
Toronto –
Although there were discussions about his status as a true “No. 1,” it was widely held that Ricky Romero was the de facto ace of the Blue Jays staff. The inconsistency and bad peripheral stats have been masked a bit with a decent win total. Although Romero had a decent second half last year, Brandon Morrow looks more and more like the best pitcher on this team.
Oakland –
The Athletics traded most of their useful arms in the offseason, leaving Brandon McCarthy as the ace of Oakland’s rotation. The preseason hype from various publications touted the fact that McCarthy was ready to take the next step as the number one starter. Although he has pitched well, injuries and a lack of strikeouts have prevented McCarthy from taking the next step forward. Jarrod Parker, on the other hand, has started to make a name for himself with some great outings and is priced much cheaper for fancy owners. Although the ‘ace’ tag for a team like Atlético hardly evokes thoughts of dominance, there is fantasy value here.
Miami –
As long as he’s been healthy (which hasn’t been enough lately), Josh Johnson has been the Marlins’ staff ace. This year he has remained healthy but has barely pitched like him. Opponents are hitting more than 100 more points against him and his ERA is roughly 3 times higher than in 2011. The pitcher who has emerged as one of the best on the staff is newcomer Mark Buerhle. His material is nowhere near Johnson’s level, but the results cannot be disputed. His ERA and WHIP are notably better than Johnson’s and he has allowed half as many free passes.
Arizona –
After a 21-win season in 2011, one could argue that Ian Kennedy is the ace of the staff, but Daniel Hudson is the young arm the Diamondbacks are looking to lead this team. Instead of getting better, his numbers have steadily declined since a midseason trade took him to the desert in 2010. Fantasy owners know that Wade Miley is the young arm (he’s only 25 years old) who is improving the stats in Arizona. up to now. this year. It may have seemingly come out of nowhere, but Miley is making her mark on the D-Backs rotation and has been the top fantasy pick so far in 2012.
Try not to be fooled by the big names. Pitchers who are supposed to be the ‘aces’ of his staff don’t always deliver handsomely.