Piggybacking on Herb Ilk's post about platooning a "star" player in real life, can you afford to sit a "star" player in fantasy matchups in leagues with daily substitutions? A recent situation occurred where I was struggling to find starting time in my crowded outfield for a couple of guys who were having a poor start yet had murdered the scheduled pitcher in the past (thanks Shawn Green). When trying to figure out who to sit, I noticed Jason Bay -- my first round pick in this VORP league which rewards individual accomplishments (no points for runs or RBI, but lots for walks and total bases) -- was 1-for-17 lifetime against Jeff Suppan. I did a double-take and checked it again. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to perhaps "time the market" and get my slumping player in the lineup at a time he'd be heating up. In addition, Bay had been semi-slumping the previous week, so it seemed like a good opportunity to "time the market" in his case as well and give him a day off.
Well, though Green goes 2-for-4 with two singles and a caught stealing to earn me 1.9 points, I sit out Bay for the first time this season and he goes 2-for-2 with a home run, stolen base, and three walks for a total of 13.04 points, about 1/4 of his season total at the time. After beating myself up a bit, I started to wonder if it was acceptable to sit out a stud batter due to a poor historical matchup against the opposing pitcher. Based on my experience in this situation, I'd proffer that it is acceptable if the pitcher has also been a stud in the past -- for example, I might sit Scott Rolen against Pedro Martinez, against whom he has gone 1-for-11 in his career -- but not against a schlub like Jeff Suppan, at least not again.
|
