We saw the potential in the 2008 World Series. We saw it in his minor league debut througout the 2008 season. He ranks(ed) inside the top 50 pitcher rankings, because of his ceiling potential. That potential though will see it’s climax at the Triple A level. David Price will star the season in Durham, and supposedly it is not about money….(I guess I can buy that).
Like most fans, I was clearly upset. I had Price chalked up as an sleeper pick, going off the board with the last pick of a 12 team mix league. Breaking down the numbers though, I can understand what the Rays are thinking. This is a guy that they believe can skyrocket into the elite, such as Tim Lincecum has done in his young career. But he has lacked a change to develop as a starter. Sure, in his five postseason games he held hitters to a .176 average, and made many Phillies and Red Sox hitters look silly, but he has thrown a total of 96 minor league innings. Though he has a nasty slider, that bites and is so hard to pick up, his changeup is still a lingering pitcher. It is above average, but Price hasn’t shown confident. As a one inning reliever, that is fine. But as a full fledge starter, he is going to need that pitch to get out of jams.
In five starts with AAA Durham last season, Price held opponents to a .310 average, while giving up 22 hits in 18 innings. There have been points where he has been hittable. As a rookie pitcher, he is going to be hittable. But it is still hard to take, considereing Price has allowed only one run over 8.1 innings this spring.
What also kills me is that the Rays knew this was going to take place before spring camp got underway. Why not give us a little heads up? Every fantasy man needs some help every once in a while. Now the question has to be, Do you still draft Price in deep leagues?
I think so.
Why? Because you have to love the upside that Price brings to the table. There is no doubt that if he pitches well in North Carolina, while Andy Sonnanstine and Jeff Niemann struggle with the parent club, that he will be back quickly. Injuries could also occur early in the league. So why not snatch him in the later rounds? Especially in an upcoming keeper league.
Pitchers to Watch:
If you’re not on the Price Bandwagon, and looking for a replacement in the later rounds, Here are some names to watch:
Fausto Carmona, Indians- Drafting Carmona should be based around if you believe that his 2008 season was a decline based simply on his hip injury. He did have a solid winter league campaign, but if he gets a campaign going like 2007, he could be the Cliff Lee of 2009. In 2007, Carmona won 19 games, while striking out 137. Carmona tossed 5 scoreless innings on Tuesday, which is a solid start.
Brandon Morrow, Seattle- What makes Morrow so intriguing is that no matter how his season turns out, he will remain a starting pitcher, plus he will through a ton of strikeouts. His stuff has such good stuff, that he should be able to dig himself out of some heavy jams. Morrow is in the same situation as Price though. He could start in AAA if he is not ready to make the transition to starter.
Chris Carpenter, St. Louis- Carpenter was once a top five fantasy starter, before hitting the rehab wall after the 2006 season. He has tremendous upside, especially after being healthy through the whole fantasy season. The word is making it’s way around the fantasy circles, so he might go higher than expected. Carpenter isn’t a bad guy to snatch up though.
Gavin Floyd, Chicago White Sox- Is he going to win 17 games in 2009? I’m not quite sold on it, but he should grab at least 13 wins. Right handed batters hit only .226 against him last season, and if he continues that input, he has some value.
FanSided