X
Lost password?

Don't have an account?
Gain Access Now

X

Receive free daily analysis

NFL
NBA
NHL
NASCAR
CFB
MLB
MMA
PGA
ESPORTS
BETTING

Already have an account? Log In

X

Forgot Password


POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

Q&A: Who are the two best keepers of: McCutchen, Weaver, Bumgarner and Bruce

Question Submitted to RotoBaller >>

Name: Steven

Fantasy Baseball Question: Which two guys should I keep out of these 4: Weaver, Bumgarner, McCutchen, Bruce?

Player Pool: Mixed

# of Teams: 11-13

League Info and Categories: Weekly Points League. Pitching weighted toward IP, W/L and K. Hitting weighted toward OPS. Overall elite pitchers more valuable than elite hitters.

Roster Positions: No CI or MI. 3 OF Shallow Hitting and DEEP Pitching.

League Host: Yahoo!

 


RotoBaller Detailed Analysis >>

Hi Steven,

Thanks for your question. We haven't gotten a points league question yet! It always makes for an interesting analysis angle.

Even in a points league where pitchers are more valuable than hitters, McCutchen MUST BE one of your two keepers. Here's a guy who may still have more growth before hitting his prime, and though his BA will surely regress, his OPS should rise as his power continues to develop.

The other easy choice is letting Bruce go. In a H2H league, he can be borderline cancerous. Sure, he'll single-handedly win you 2 weeks throughout the year, but he is SO damn streaky that he will also act as a blackhole on your OF all the other weeks. Consistency is a really significant factor in this kind of format, and Jay Bruce is simply not yet consistent enough on a weekly basis to warrant keeping him.

That said, the REAL choice comes down to Bumgarner vs. Weaver. This is a really tough choice, buddy. Weaver was ranked eighteenth overall and the sixth best SP (5x5 rankings) in 2012. And in a points league where Pitcher Losses are a factor, Weaver was probably even better than that for you. Bumgarner was the fourteenth best SP and ranked 42 overall in 5x5. That is still fairly elite. He had a very respectable record at 16-11 but with fewer losses, he certainly would've cracked the top-ten SP list. So, you have two bona fide aces on your hands. Let's dig a little deeper and see if we can picture what 2013 has in store:

Weaver's ridiculous 20-5 record will come down to Earth; considering that he only threw 188 IP, there is a substantial amount of good luck in that record. His K-Rate has fallen big-time, to below the average for the top-100 SP-- in a league where Ks equal points, this points to trouble ahead. One other worrisome statistic is his .240 BABIP. A fly ball pitcher like Weaver can sustain a fairly low BABIP, but .240 is crazy-low, especially considering his fairly high line-drive % (21.1). Weaver's BABIP will likely regress to the .260-.270 range, which means more hits, in turn leading to more runs. All together, I think a line of 17-8 with 160 K and a 3.5 ERA is much more realistic expectation than a repeat of his eye-popping 2012.

Madison Bumgarner, conversely, is on the rise. His K-BB ratio is elite (18th overall) and will improve even further. His IP totals have been rising and he could easily surpass the 210 mark this year. If that happens, he'll also pass the 200 K mark for the first time in his career. Unlike Weaver (an extreme fly-ball pitcher), Bumgarner keeps the ball on the ground at a high rate, which is a much more reliable way to control run-scoring. San Francisco is always a good ball club, so Bumgarner should be good for a pretty similar record to last year's 16-11. Perhaps most significantly, he's only 22 years old, and he already has TWO high-end seasons under his belt. That is nasty! A reasonable projection for the Giants' young gun is a line of 16-9, 200 K and a 3.4 ERA.

 


YOUR ANSWER! >>

In summary, while McCutchen over Bruce is an easy call, Bumgarner vs. Weaver is much more difficult. In the end, I would go with Bumgarner for the following reasons: age, NL pitcher, K potential in a fantasy league format where points are tied to Ks, Weaver's diminishing Ks / huge IP totals of recent years, and the fact that sometimes you've just gotta go with your gut. Weaver is the EASY choice to make, but my gut is telling me he's in for a decline while Bumgarner is just about to take his game to the elite level.

 


Hope this was helpful and thanks for your submission!

- The RotoBaller Staff




POPULAR FANTASY TOOLS

Expert Advice
Articles & Tools
Import Your Leagues
Draft Rankings
Draft Simulator
Enter League Settings
Compare Any Players
Rookies & Call-Ups
24x7 News and Alerts

REAL-TIME FANTASY NEWS

Gunnar Henderson18 mins ago

Hits Solo Homer In Triple-A Rehab Game Tuesday
Marcelo Mayer30 mins ago

Hits First Home Run At Triple-A
Caleb Williams40 mins ago

To Spend More Time Working Under Center
Tom Hoge45 mins ago

Looking To Build Off Strong Performance At The PLAYERS Championship
Zebby Matthews50 mins ago

Twirls Five Shutout Innings At Triple-A
Daniel Jones54 mins ago

Anthony Richardson, Daniel Jones To Split First-Team Reps This Offseason
Terry McLaurin1 hour ago

Commanders Interested In Extending Terry McLaurin
Rashee Rice1 hour ago

Expected To Be Ready For Training Camp
Hurston Waldrep1 hour ago

Fans Seven In Win At Triple-A
Garrett Wilson1 hour ago

Jets Plan To Get Garrett Wilson The Ball "As Much As Possible"
Keaton Mitchell1 hour ago

Ravens Have High Hopes For Keaton Mitchell
Angel Genao2 hours ago

Dealing With Shoulder Injury
Derrick Henry2 hours ago

John Harbaugh Wants Ravens To Extend Derrick Henry
Christian McCaffrey2 hours ago

Is Healthy
Clarke Schmidt2 hours ago

To Return April 15 Or 16
Shane Baz2 hours ago

Strikes Out 10
Mike Tauchman3 hours ago

Begins Rehab Assignment
Wyatt Langford3 hours ago

Launches Another Homer
Nathan Eovaldi3 hours ago

Throws Complete Game Shutout
Michael Petersen3 hours ago

Traded To Atlanta
Matt Fitzpatrick3 hours ago

Looking For Consistency At Valero Texas Open
Corey Conners4 hours ago

Continues Strong Form Ahead Of Valero Texas Open
Patrick Cantlay4 hours ago

Eyeing Victory At Valero Texas Open
Reynaldo López4 hours ago

Reynaldo Lopez To Undergo Right-Shoulder Surgery
Gary Woodland4 hours ago

Showing Great Form Ahead Of Valero Texas Open
Akshay Bhatia4 hours ago

Aiming For Repeat At Valero Texas Open
Alejandro Tosti4 hours ago

A Volatile Choice At TPC San Antonio
NFL4 hours ago

Tush Push Unlikely To Be Banned For 2025 Season
Xavier Legette4 hours ago

Dave Canales Compares Xavier Legette To DK Metcalf
Brett de Geus5 hours ago

Phillies Claim Brett de Geus Off Waivers From Marlins
New York Giants5 hours ago

Ty Summers Re-Signs With New York
Nick Mears5 hours ago

Beginning Rehab Assignment At Triple-A
Aaron Civale5 hours ago

Plays Catch On Tuesday
Masataka Yoshida5 hours ago

Resumes Swinging
Sam Ehlinger5 hours ago

Signs One-Year Deal With Denver
Liam Hendriks5 hours ago

Resumes Throwing
Guerschon Yabusele5 hours ago

Out Against Knicks
Kutter Crawford5 hours ago

Hasn't Faced Hitters
Karl-Anthony Towns5 hours ago

Sits Out Tuesday's Game
Arizona Cardinals5 hours ago

Calais Campbell Returns To Arizona
Lucas Giolito5 hours ago

To Make A Rehab Start On Wednesday
Jevon Carter5 hours ago

Ruled Out Tuesday
Dalen Terry5 hours ago

Unavailable Against Raptors
Brayan Bello5 hours ago

To Make Rehab Start On Tuesday
Julian Phillips6 hours ago

Out On Tuesday
Alexis Díaz6 hours ago

Alexis Diaz Throws Live BP On Tuesday
Jalen Smith6 hours ago

Available Against Raptors
Lonzo Ball6 hours ago

Still Out On Tuesday
Kevin Huerter6 hours ago

Cleared For Tuesday's Matchup
Josh Giddey6 hours ago

Will Play On Tuesday
Dalano Banton6 hours ago

Starting Against The Hawks
Royce O'Neale6 hours ago

Unavailable Against Bucks
Jerami Grant6 hours ago

Out Again On Tuesday
Bradley Beal6 hours ago

Out On Tuesday
Ron Holland II6 hours ago

Tagged With A One-Game Suspension Tuesday
Anfernee Simons6 hours ago

Ruled Out Versus The Hawks
Trae Young6 hours ago

Officially Available Tuesday
Marcus Sasser6 hours ago

Suspended For One Game On Tuesday
Giannis Antetokounmpo6 hours ago

Will Play On Tuesday
Jimmy Snuggerud6 hours ago

Ready For NHL Debut Tuesday
Isaiah Stewart7 hours ago

Suspended For Two Games On Tuesday
Jacob Trouba7 hours ago

Set To Rejoin Ducks Lineup Tuesday
Jonathan Kuminga7 hours ago

Ruled Out On Tuesday
Troy Terry7 hours ago

On Track To Play Tuesday
Jaylen Brown7 hours ago

Questionable Versus Miami
Jonathan Marchessault7 hours ago

Remains Out Against Blue Jackets
Alex Laferriere7 hours ago

Expected To Return On Tuesday
Luke Schenn7 hours ago

A Game-Time Decision Tuesday
Dante Fabbro7 hours ago

Returns Against Predators
Detroit Lions9 hours ago

Alim McNeill Could Miss Start Of Regular Season
Tennessee Titans10 hours ago

Justin Hardee Sr. Returning To Titans
Washington Commanders10 hours ago

Brandon Coleman Moving To Right Tackle For Commanders
Raheem Blackshear10 hours ago

Returning To Carolina
Kirk Cousins10 hours ago

Not Expected To Attend Voluntary Offseason Training
NFL10 hours ago

NFL Ownership Votes To Move Kickoff Touchbacks To 35-Yard Line
Olli Määttä10 hours ago

Olli Maatta A Game-Time Call On Tuesday
Jordan Greenway10 hours ago

Remains Sidelined On Tuesday
Dallas Cowboys11 hours ago

Cowboys Willing To Make Micah Parsons The Highest-Paid Non-QB
Jordan Staal11 hours ago

Doubtful For Wednesday
Matt Roy11 hours ago

Not Traveling With Team
Geno Smith11 hours ago

Raiders Working On Extension With Geno Smith
Josh Norris11 hours ago

Not Traveling With The Team On Tuesday
Brady Tkachuk11 hours ago

Not Playing On Tuesday
Jordan Spieth13 hours ago

Needs To Find Consistency At TPC San Antonio
Jake Knapp13 hours ago

Making First Appearance At Valero Texas Open
Michael Kim13 hours ago

Looking To Find The Magic Again In San Antonio
Tommy Fleetwood13 hours ago

Is Nearly A Must-Play At Valero Texas Open
Tony Finau13 hours ago

Hoping For Better Approach Play In San Antonio
Eric Cole14 hours ago

Trending In Right Direction Ahead Of Valero
Casey DeSmith17 hours ago

Sharp In Monday's Victory
Mason Marchment17 hours ago

Tallies Two Helpers On Monday
Adam Klapka17 hours ago

Tallies Two Points In Shootout Victory
Ivan Fedotov18 hours ago

Sharp Against Nashville
Matvei Michkov18 hours ago

Continues Hot Stretch On Monday
Luke Hughes18 hours ago

Scores Goal, Adds Assist In Victory
Sam Stevens1 day ago

Enjoys Nice Result In Houston
PGA1 day ago

J.T. Poston Seeks To Contend At Valero Texas Open
Denny McCarthy1 day ago

Keeps Making Cuts But Needs To Make More Putts
Brian Harman1 day ago

Off To A Subpar 2025 So Far
Ilya Samsonov1 day ago

Nursing An Upper-Body Injury
Tomas Hertl1 day ago

To Sit Out At Least One More Week
Ryan Preece1 day ago

Has Three Straight Top-10 Finishes For First Time In His Career
NASCAR1 day ago

Bubba Wallace After Third-Place Finish At Martinsville: "What a Great Day"
Todd Gilliland1 day ago

Has Mistake-Free Day At Martinsville, Grabs Another Top-10 Finish
Brandon Moreno1 day ago

Wins Back-To-Back Fights
Steve Erceg1 day ago

Losses Third Consecutive Fight
Drew Dober1 day ago

Gets Knocked Out At UFC Mexico City
Manuel Torres1 day ago

Gets Back In The Win Column
Harry Hall1 day ago

Bounces Back In Houston Last Week
CJ Vergara1 day ago

Gets Submitted
Ryan Fox1 day ago

Showing Improvement Heading Into The Valero Texas Open
Édgar Cháirez1 day ago

Edgar Chairez Gets Submission Win At UFC Mexico City
Vince Morales1 day ago

Drops Decision At UFC Mexico City
Raul Rosas Jr.1 day ago

Gets Decision Win At UFC Mexico City
Saimon Oliveira1 day ago

Still Winless In The UFC
David Martinez1 day ago

Wins His UFC Debut
Kevin Borjas1 day ago

Earns His First UFC Win
Ronaldo Rodríguez1 day ago

Ronaldo Rodriguez Suffers His First UFC Loss
Joel Dahmen1 day ago

Scores Top-20 Finish At Texas Children's Houston Open
Jacob Bridgeman1 day ago

Had Some Rest Heading Into The Valero
Christopher Bell2 days ago

Powers His Way To A Second-Place Finish At Martinsville
Chase Elliott2 days ago

Strong Martinsville Performance Ends With A Top-Five Finish
Kyle Larson2 days ago

Collects A Top-Five Finish At Martinsville
William Byron2 days ago

Places 22nd After Struggles At Martinsville
Joey Logano2 days ago

Claims His First 2025 Top-10 Finish After Up-And-Down Performance
Tyler Reddick2 days ago

Fails To Place In The Top 10 At Martinsville
Denny Hamlin2 days ago

Silences Doubters After Crew-Chief Change
Ty Gibbs2 days ago

Earns Best 2025 Finish At Martinsville Despite Failing Cool Suit
Ross Chastain2 days ago

Has A Great Day At Martinsville
Chase Briscoe2 days ago

Has Solid Run At Martinsville
Erik Jones2 days ago

Disqualified At Martinsville For Weight Violation
Josh Berry3 days ago

Has Top-10 Upside At Martinsville
Joey Logano3 days ago

Don't Overlook Joey Logano This Weekend
Ryan Preece3 days ago

Could Get First Three-Race Top-10 Streak Of His Career
Chase Elliott3 days ago

Looking To Continue Great Runs At Martinsville
Christopher Bell3 days ago

Wins Pole At Martinsville, But Can He Stay Up There?
Ryan Blaney3 days ago

Fast In Practice But Skeptical About Car
Denny Hamlin3 days ago

New Crew Chief Has Terrible Martinsville Record
Steve Erceg4 days ago

Looks To Get Back In The Win Column
Brandon Moreno4 days ago

A Favorite At UFC Mexico City
Manuel Torres4 days ago

Set For Co-Main Event
Drew Dober4 days ago

An Underdog At UFC Mexico City
Joe Pyfer4 days ago

Looks To Win Back-To-Back Fights
Kelvin Gastelum5 days ago

Set For Middleweight Matchup
Vince Morales5 days ago

In Dire Need Of Victory
Raul Rosas Jr.5 days ago

Looks To Extend His Win Streak
Saimon Oliveira5 days ago

Looks For His First UFC Win
RANKINGS
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
OF
SP
RP

RANKINGS

QB
RB
WR
TE
K
DEF