Starting Pitching
As you can see in the season preview, this was an area of turmoil for the riggers heading into the season. We were only returning one healthy player (Brad Weeks) and two injured players (Mole, Cicio). To supplement that group, I gathered some castoffs form @Radpants and accepted a generous trade from
@Orlando for players I though would fit my ballpark and strategy. So far I think it has honestly gone better than expected. The only surprise is that the one returning player, Brad Weeks, hasn't performed well at all.
Here are the most recent stats:
Here is an individual recap of how I think the season has gone so far for each pitcher and the order in which I value them:
Jesse Wiseman - This was the trade gift from
@Orlando. Interesting ratings that fit my park well I think. He started off a little slow but has really become one of the most trustworthy pitchers on the staff. He's pitched a couple of complete games including complete game shutout. He's regularly stayed at around 3.5-4.0 ERA all season long, which I find great for a player on minimum salary who is pitching this many innings. I don't think he's ever going to be a true ace, because of his lack of stuff, but he's going to hopefully be a very nice player who contributes in my ballpark and with my strategy. My scout also likes him, so maybe he'll turn out better than expected.
Wijnald Leendarts - An
@Mr. Radpants castoff who is similar to Wiseman in that he lacks stuff, but makes up for it with good ratings in the other categories that seem a little undervalued in the WBL. It works well enough in my park and with my strategy and team. Leenderts has been a little hit or miss at times but he's also pitched a lot of complete games and some complete game shutouts. He isn't on minimum salary, but it is reasonable enough for what he provides. He's not part of the long term plan, but I think he can provide cost-effective pitching in 2050 and possibly beyond.
Ralph "Downtown" Weinstein - Another
@Mr. Radpants castoff. Was probably my best pitcher until he hit a cold streak and went off the rails in 3/4 of his most recent starts. Prior to that he had an ERA of <3.5. I'm confident that he'll lock it up down the stretch and prove to be a decent pitcher. He's basically filling the same role as Leenderts on the team. He isn't part of the future, but he's providing cost effective pitching right now and I expect him to do the same in 2050.
Helespontico Cicio - Was injured for the majority of the season and got absolutely destroyed at the hands of the Tanners
@ZackMills in his first start back from rehab. Since that start, he's been great, giving up only 3 total earned runs in 3 games. I like his potential to develop into the type of pitcher who fits my system. He's on minimum salary and my scout likes him, so he has potential to help the team in the future as a role player! I just hope he doesn't repeat his injury history.
Kadidou Idogbe - A complete mongoloid with extremely low intelligence that I got from
@Lloyd Carr in a trade. He hasn't had the greatest year so far, but he's had some nice outings. He's a decently young dude on minimum salary and again my scout likes him. Possible role player for the future as long as he doesn't burn his hand on a hot iron or something.
Brad Weeks - Was really hoping to get a solid year out of him. He started off alright, but he's progressively gotten worse. I think he's reached that age where his ratings look a lot nicer than the stats he's generating. When Cicio came back from injury I moved Weeks to the bullpen as long relief because I was tired of losing. Better at getting strikeouts than any of my other SPs really, but his lack of control just doesn't fit the style/park. He will not be with the team in 2050.
I also traded away THE MOLE because I felt like even if he developed perfectly and avoided injury he'd hit his prime before I was ready to compete and then subsequently be too expensive. I also hated his injury history. I traded him to
@Orlando and he instantly got hurt. What a dick. I owe Orlando some trade favor in the future for giving me THE WISEMAN and getting fucked on Mole.