What price do you pay for Price?

Originally posted on 5/26

The News

Rays SP David Price, one the top prospects in baseball, made his season debut Monday at Cleveland. He didn't even last four innings, allowing two runs on four hits in 3 2/3. He threw 100 pitches, racking up high counts with five walks and six strikeouts. He didn't factor in the decision. Price took the place of Scott Kazmir, who went on the 15-day disabled list Friday with a strained right quadriceps.

The Consensus Analysis

The No. 1 overall pick in the 2007 draft out of Vanderbilt, Price was 12-1 with a 2.30 ERA in the minors a year ago before being called up Sept. 13. He posted a 1.93 ERA in five appearances and helped the Rays advance to the World Series. He had a 1.59 ERA in five postseason relief outings. He hasn't fared as well in the minor leagues this year, going 1-4 with a 3.93 ERA in eight Triple-A starts, but he's still a surefire ace worth owning in all Fantasy leagues.

What to do

Let someone else spend 1/3 – 1/2 of their FAAB money on him and get him in next year’s draft. When a phenom comes up and goes to the pen, he can dazzle hitters with his stuff (like he did last year). But if you stick him right in the rotation and he has to get Major League hitters out the 2nd, 3rd and sometimes 4th times through the order……. It’s not so easy.

Young pitchers also tend to frustrate owners with a gem one time out, only to get shelled and walk 6-7 guys the next time out. There are two things that a successful starting pitcher has to do that 99% of rookie’s just do not have the ability to do.

1) Get through a game keeping his team in the game when he doesn’t have good stuff in a particular outing.

2) Get ML hitters out in the middle and later innings after they have seen him already.

To expect this player to produce like Dwight Gooden out of the box is not realistic. Would I bid on him in next year’s draft? Sure. But to spend 1/3 – 1/2 of your FAAB money (that’s what it will take to get him) will do you no good.

Don’t worry, someone will pay a king’s ransom to rent him the rest of the way and he will be thrown back into next year’s draft where you can obtain him at a fair market price. – Blake Kearny

Blake Kearny is a retired baseball scout from Los Angeles, California. He currently runs a baseball school for children in Los Angeles.