Five Pitchers I'm Buying

I've been doing some research at Fangraphs and I've noticed there are some guys who are off to a good start that are probably available in the vast majority of leagues. These five guys are showing great peripherals and all are guys that probably weren't drafted in your league. Now I realize the season is not even three weeks old, but these five guys are looking to me like they are sleepers. They could be extremely valuable to have if you are in desperate need of pitching or would just like to bolster your depth (and sorry GOI authors, but 4 out of these 5 pitchers are already taken in Fantasyland 2). So without further adue, my five pitchers:

5) Kenshin Kawakami (Braves): Normally I'm skeptical of Asian players just because they tend to be older and very few have panned out. Hell, Ichiro is considered the best Asian player in America and in reality he's not that good. But Kawakami was predicted to have a good season by Baseball Prospectus and is off to a very good start. Currently he's available is 3/4 of Yahoo! fantasy leagues. Kawakami is 21st in K/9. And while he doesn't have the greatest FIP numbers right now, he does happen to play on what of the best defensive teams in baseball which should help his ERA and has a pretty good offensive behind him which should help generate some wins.

4) Ross Ohlendorf (Pirates): Ohlendorf has not given up a HR yet in his three starts and his 15th in the majors right now in FIP with a low 2.82. And the Pirates have some pretty good defensive players on that team like Adam LaRoche, Jack Wilson, Brandon Moss, and Andy LaRoche that should help keep Ohlendorf's ERA low, especially coupled with his low FIP. The biggest problem in Ohlendorf's game for fantasy is that he doesn't strike people out. Right now he only has 8 K's in 18 IP. Ohlendorf is the only pitcher on this list available in Fantasyland 2 and is only owned in 2% oh Yahoo! fantasy leagues

3) Kyle Davies (Royals): The Kansas City pitcher is currently tenth in K/9, has only given up one HR in 18.2 IP, and has a low FIP (3.12). I personally don't trust the Royals defense or offensive which I think will ultimately impact Davies W and ERA, but the fact that he can strike guys out and doesn't give up HRs should help compensate for that. Davies is only taken in 39% of Yahoo! leagues.

2) Glen Perkins (Twins): I personally have raved about the Twins pitching staff before the season began and I think this rotation is benefited by the turf of the Metrodome and the defense Minnesota has. Since Perkins won the job away from Boof Bonser (frankly it shouldn't have even been a competition), I now think Perkins will have a great fantasy impact. So far in 24 IP (that's 8 IP in the three games he's started) he's given up only 4 ER (1 ER in his first and third game and 2 in his second). A major factor to this is that Perkins hasn't given up a HR yet. That and he's 12th overall in FIP (and that great Minnesota defense). The biggest flaw is that Perkins is one of the worst in the league in K/9 so far. But Perkins will absolutely help your ERA and WHIP and get you a few SO and W along the way. Perkins is available in 72% of Yahoo! leagues.

1) Mike Hampton (Astros): I don't think Wandy Rodriguez would qualify for this list because he was drafted in many leagues (mainly by me) and is owned in over half of the Yahoo! leagues (although if he is available in your league pick him up as well!). However, if W-Rod isn't available, go with another undrafted Houston pitcher. Hampton hasn't given up a HR yet, is 16th overall in K/9, 7th overall in FIP, and has a decently high K/BB (3.00). My only concern is that Houston is doing very poorly offensively right now which could hurt Hampton's W but I think that will improve. Right now he's available in 87% of Yahoo! leagues.

So there you go. I hope for my credibility these five guys have a very good season this year (although I'm sure MVP Eckstein will find faults in these guys) and that these guys help your team. Good luck!