Points Leagues: SPaRP Party!

Ok, calling it a party might be overselling it. A SPaRP Get-Together?

Can we talk for a second about the term SPaRP? I get where it comes from and why it gets used. Starting Pitcher as Relief Pitcher tells you exactly what they are. Mostly irrelevant for roto leagues, but always of interest in points leagues, particularly those of the weekly variety. It’s not that I dislike the term, it’s just that I hear it and associate it with…other places. I thought about going with Pitchers Out of Position, but that feels perhaps a bit too childish. Out of Position Pitchers could work, but then there would be people thinking I don’t know how to spell the word “oops.” So, SPaRP it is, at least for now.

As for the pitchers themselves, it remains an underwhelming group this season. I’m still going to give you how I rank them going forward, because I’m always interested in them myself. Andy_p does a great job letting you know where the ones lined up to make two starts rank in a given week, but who might be worth using when there’s only one start on the docket? Are any of them? Let’s take a look!

 

The Good

Payton Tolle, BOS

• I just said it’s an underwhelming group this year, and for the most part that’s true. Tolle, however, has the potential to bring some real excitement to the proceedings. The WHIP won’t remain at 0.78, but the burly lefty is so far showing why people were excited about him as a prospect. His most recent start just earned him SP eligibility, which is nice for those who rank that position specifically. But chances are, he’s going to be more appealing for you to use at RP over whoever your current second closer is in this format.

Braxton Ashcraft, PIT

• If you want to have him over Tolle, I won’t argue with you. (MarmosDad did in last week’s rankings, for instance.)

 

The Good(ish)

Ryne Nelson, ARI

• It’s possible I’m not being entirely objective here, as I was pretty high on him before the season started. His season-long numbers are still pretty ugly, because he had a couple of real clunkers. However, one of those was in Mexico City, which is at higher elevation than Coors Field. Beyond that, his last two starts have seen him go 14 2/3 IP, 4 ER, 15 K, and 1 BB. He’s adjusted his pitch mix, and it’s paid off handsomely, even if it didn’t help many (any?) of us. He’ll be back in my lineups where I have him. So if he goes back to stinking things up, I’ll be suffering the consequences of my wrongness just as much as you.

 

The Not So Good

Joey Cantillo, CLE

• Cantillo isn’t bad. He’s fine. He’s someone I wouldn’t be against using in a single start week, particularly if the matchup is a good one. At the same time, I’d be tense and crossing my fingers until I saw the final line.

Justin Wrobleski, LAD

• 6 wins, a 2.49 ERA, and a 1.03 WHIP? How is this dude not an ace?! Well, 27 Ks in 50 IP isn’t ideal, and part of why his xERA is 3.87. Last time out he had 8 whiffs on 103 pitches. It’s hard to be good long-term when you don’t get whiffs or Ks. The optimist would point out that he plays for the Dodgers, and has been close to a K per IP in 3 of his last 4 starts. The pessimist would point out the other start was 0 Ks at all, and that being a starter for the Dodgers means you won’t get two start weeks even if you do manage to keep your spot in the rotation.

Griffin Jax, TB

• This may be a bit aggressive on the guy who was drafted with the expectation of getting saves. Jax came up to the bigs back in 2021. He was in the bullpen by 2022. So, it is by no means assured that this will work, Rays or not. Last time out, he also only had 1 K in 5 IP. Even if he sticks in the rotation, there’s no guarantee the Rays will ever let him work the 6th inning. That said, he has a more diverse arsenal than I was aware of before this transition and has held his velocity decently, if not entirely. This could be something.

Foster Griffin, WSH

• His last start was bad, and it was probably more the start of the regression than the start and end of it. Do I expect more 9 ER blowups? No. But his ERA going up another run from his current 3.53 feels more likely than not. Beware the matchups before you plug him into your lineup.

Ben Brown, CHC

• He’s here because he currently has a 1.60 ERA and a 0.86 WHIP. Also, his Savant page is awash in red. Pale red, but red. He’s earned what he’s done, but I’m not convinced he’s going to maintain Barrel%, Exit Velocity, and Hard Hit% so much lower than he’s ever shown before. They’re not just a little lower, they’re a lot lower. He’s also only gone 4 innings in each of his last two outings. I don’t want to be a hater, but I can’t be a stan, either.

Nick Martinez, TB

• Yes, I know Martinez is the highest scoring guy out of everyone here so far. But I’m sorry, I’m simply not buying the 1.51 ERA. He’s struck out 35 in 53.2 IP. Expect his ERA to jump up at least two full points. Will it be next time out? Maybe not. But the regression is coming, and it’s going to be rough. He may remain useful, as he has shown the ability to be so in the past. He may even be more useful than a few of the guys above him here. Just don’t be expecting the good times to roll on indefinitely.

Peter Lambert, HOU

The Bad

Reid Detmers, LAA

• The surface level stats say he’s been pretty good. The metrics say that yeah, he’s been fine. I’m sorry, I just can’t do it with Detmers. He teases every year, but he’s the very picture of “blah.” Yeah, he’ll have some very good starts. He’s had a few this season, even. He’s also failed to make it out of the 5th inning in 3 of his last 4 starts. Volume matters, and I just don’t see it. I’m out.

Carmen Mlodzinski, PIT

Kyle Leahy, STL

Kai-Wei Teng, HOU

• He actually might be ok, I just don’t know what his actual usage is going to be. His last outing was the first time he made it through 5 innings. If he can do that more often, he might become more interesting. But without volume or the opportunity to get Wins, there just isn’t much value.

Anthony Kay, CHW

 

What About These Guys?

This is really about guys who are eligible on Yahoo. I’ll be honest, I find Yahoo annoying. Like a lot of people, it’s the first site I ever played on, so I have a soft spot for it, at least in theory. But I loathe their points league scoring system, and they give eligibility to anyone who’s ever taken a grounder at a position in warmups. Including everyone everywhere that they have eligibility there would make a lot of the positional lists unwieldy and bump out some guys that might matter on sites with higher thresholds. But, there are a few guys who are RP eligible over there that may or may not be of interest. So, here’s a quick rundown:

Chase Burns, CIN– He’s awesome, obviously. Start him wherever, whenever you can.

Kyle Harrison, MIL– He’s also good.

Mike Soroka, ARI– Perfectly cromulent.

Sean Burke, CHW– I wish he was RP-eligible in more places, as I’d be more inclined to use him if he was.

Brandon Pfaadt, ARI– Just don’t.

David Peterson, NYM– See above.