Price v. Shields

[mannybeingmanny]

H2H yahoo.com keeper league. I have to keep Price right over Shields right? The only thing is that my other keepers are Pujols, Utley, D Wright, Tulo, and Rios. I figure Shields gives me more ammo for the championship run. Grey please tell me what to do

[Grimlock]

H2H yahoo.com keeper league. I have to keep Price right over Shields right?

Ummmm...no. Price is still far from proven, while Shields is a borderline top-10 pitcher with a solid track record, no injury history and still only 27 years old. Even in the long run, there's a very good chance you'll be better off with Shields, but if you're competing for a title this year, you'd be insane to go with Price. How much higher is Price's upside than what Shields already is? Maybe a few more Ks? The only championship you can win is this year's. Don't get caught up in prospect hype and throw out a young veteran just hitting his prime. Keeper leagues (especially ones like yours that hold a relatively small number of players) are won with guys like Shields much more often than they are with guys like Price.

[mannybeingmanny]

Thanks for your insightful reply. I'll admit, I got caught up in the hype machine the day I won my waiver claim for him. Thanks for injecting some sanity into my irrational thought process.

[peter]

Yeah, I think you've got to go w/ Shields.

David Price has pitched <20 innings in the bigs - and all in relief. IF (that's a big "if", not "infield") he stays on track, health and performance-wise, how long will it be before he is making 30 starts? 2 years?

Pujols, Utley, Wright et al perform like 1st round picks now, so go for the championship now. Sure, someday Price could be a lot better than Shields. But it's just as possible that Price, like so many pitchers, doesn't become what everyone thinks he will.