Today's Fantasy Rx

Please refer to Monday's article for an in-depth look at the new LPR codes.

Unfortunately we encountered an annoying roadblock while compiling the statistics for these articles. We were unable to locate pitcher game logs including detailed data like G-F ratio for 2000. I will certainly update this article if I discover that data in an easily accessible format, however we are currently lacking any c, C, z, or Z ratings for the moment. We regret any inconvenience this may cause you.

The following each require a 25 IP minimum in each season:

1 - K/9 of 6.0+, BB/9 of 3.0-, H/9 of 9.0-, HR/9 of 1.0-,
     and G-F of 1.0+ in 25+ IP in 2002.
2 - K/9 of 6.0+, BB/9 of 3.0-, H/9 of 9.0-, HR/9 of 1.0-,
     and G-F of 1.0+ in 25+ IP in 2001.
3 - K/9 of 6.0+, BB/9 of 3.0-, H/9 of 9.0-, HR/9 of 1.0-,
     and G-F of 1.0+ in 25+ IP in 2000.

QA score for starts: up to 5 total points, one for each statistical goal, to any starter who pitches at least 5 innings and fulfills the following skill qualifications: K>=IP-2, BB<=IP/3, H<=IP, HR<=1, and G-F>=1.00. Any starter who does not reach at least one of the required statistical goals or fails to pitch 5 innings earns a QA score of 0.

QA score for relief outings: up to 5 total points, one for each statistical goal, to any reliever who retires at least one batter and fulfills the following skill qualifications: K>=IP, BB=0, H<=IP, HR=0, and G-F>=1.00. Any reliever who does not reach at least one of the required statistical goals or fails to retire a batter earns a QA score of 0.

Note: Pitchers must pitch in five games before scoring DOM or DIS points.

a - QA score of 4 or 5 in at least 50% of 2002 appearances
A - QA score of 4 or 5 in at least 75% of 2002 appearances
b - QA score of 4 or 5 in at least 50% of 2001 appearances
B - QA score of 4 or 5 in at least 75% of 2001 appearances
c - QA score of 4 or 5 in at least 50% of 2000 appearances
C - QA score of 4 or 5 in at least 75% of 2000 appearances

x - QA score below 3 in no more than 20% of 2002 appearances
X - QA score below 3 in no more than 10% of 2002 appearances
y - QA score below 3 in no more than 20% of 2001 appearances
Y - QA score below 3 in no more than 10% of 2001 appearances
z - QA score below 3 in no more than 20% of 2000 appearances
Z - QA score below 3 in no more than 10% of 2000 appearances

Anaheim Angels

2
b - Kevin Appier

A
X - Francisco Rodriguez

a
Bxy - Troy Percival
Xy - Ben Weber
X - Matt Wise
Mickey Callaway
Brendan Donnelly
Donne Wall

b
y - Al Levine
Dennis Cook
Bart Miadich

x
Scot Shields

Recent Angels who did not qualify for any LPR score include Tim Belcher, Jason Dickson, Seth Etherton, Steve Green, Scott Karl, John Lackey, Mark Lukasiewicz, Ramon Ortiz, Lou Pote, Pat Rapp, Scott Shoeneweis, Aaron Sele, Derrick Turnbow, Bryan Ward, Jarrod Washburn, and Eric Weaver.

As most of you saw during the World Series, Anaheim's deep and varied bullpen keyed their successful run to the title. From Percival's consistency to Rodriguez's rookie dominance to the different looks presented by Donnelly, Weber, and everyone else in the pen, you almost cannot select a bad option from the Angels' relief corps. While Percival and Rodriguez likely will cost the most, you can probably use anyone in their 2003 pen as roster filler without worrying about qualitative damage.

Anaheim also houses some of the most successful flyball pitchers in the game, particularly Washburn and Percival. I have little problem with Percival's normally low G-F rate since he's generally extremely dominant, however I am still reluctant to make an overt investment in Washburn because of the downside I see in his skills. None of the Angels' starters seem great buys due to the lingering health and consistency questions surrounding Appier and Sele, as well as the youthful inconsistency that has plagued Washburn, Ortiz, and Lackey. Although I see a lot to like among the pitchers available here, the combination of somewhat questionable skills for the starters, the depth of solid relievers, and likely inflated draft prices due to their increased media exposure suggests you should target other teams first. Only roster Anaheim pitchers early in the year when you know you are getting decent bargains.

Oakland Athletics

12
bx - Mark Mulder

1
abxy - Ricardo Rincon
abx - Chad Bradford

2
abxy - Tim Hudson

3
abxy - Billy Koch

a
by - Jim Mecir

b
xy - Jeff Tam
Cory Lidle
Barry Zito

y
Mike Venafro

Recent Athletics who did not qualify for any LPR score include Micah Bowie, Mike Fyhrie, Aaron Harang, Chad Harville, Gil Heredia, Erik Hiljus, Doug Jones, Marcus Jones, Ted Lilly, Mike Magnante, Jon Ratliff, Rich Sauveur, and Scott Service.

Befitting one of the most consistently successful teams over the past three years, Oakland possesses an excellent mix of dominating pitchers throughout their staff. Starting pitching remains the primary strength of the franchise, and Mark Mulder should take his place beside Hudson and Zito as a primary Cy Young candidate in 2003. If Hudson avoids injury and improves his strikeout rate, he still owns excellent skills that practically guarantee $15+ every season. Zito will regress to some extent this year, however both he and new Blue Jay Cory Lidle remain among the best bets in the game. Even Ted Lilly seems likely to quickly develop into a $10+ contributor now that the Athletics reportedly have fixed the strenuous motion that led many scouts to believe he never would spend much time off the DL.

I am surprised at Koch's overall effectiveness in recent years, so even though I believe Oakland improved their bullpen by swapping him for Keith Foulke, the White Sox should be pleased with Koch. Mecir's effectiveness is questionable due to his surgery, however Rincon and Bradford remain as perhaps the most dynamic pair of lefty-right set-up men in baseball. Even Tam and Venafro should see some success with their respective new teams in Toronto and Atlanta. You also can expect Bowie and Harville to make marginal contributions, however the best fantasy targets here are the superb cadre of starting pitchers and underrated yet dynamic trio of short relievers.

I will continue reviewing the new LPR scores tomorrow with pitchers from Seattle and Texas.

Today's Fantasy Rx: The AL West is home to some of the best offenses in all of baseball, but I see a lot to like about each pitching staff. Meanwhile, the pitchers' parks in Oakland and Seattle make pitchers from those teams even more valuable in general, and they help cancel out the effects of Anaheim and Texas, both among the top five best hitters' parks in the AL. While I only reluctantly would draft any Angel or Ranger hurler with questionable skills, I see no reason to shy away from AL West pitchers in general despite the frequency of their exposure to the other teams in the division due to the unbalanced schedule.