Fantasy baseball drafts are happening in peak volume across the country this week and next, and in nine out of 10 of those drafts, Tim Lincecum and Roy Halladay will be the first two pitchers off the board.
Lincecum and Halladay are the premier starting pitchers in the game, particularly for fantasy owners. They are durable, strike batters out in bunches and have great control.
Unfortunately, both Lincecum and Halladay will come off the board within the first round and a half of the majority of drafts. The opportunity cost of drafting either, then, is the top-level offensive talent one must pass up to take either man.
For those who prefer the security of a top ace starter, or who do not trust pitchers who possess high levels of risk of either injury or ineffectiveness, it is perfectly intelligent to draft Lincecum or Halladay.
Others, however, might be more inclined to wait on pitching. That strategy, while common, is not for the faint of heart or knowledge. It requires a keen eye for pitchers who fall farther than they ought to, and a willingness to take a certain measure of risk in the second tier of one's pitching staff.
To that end, here are ten guys who fit that mold precisely. They are all drafted far later than they should be, and have the potential to start any team on the path toward a fantasy championship. Given that each team needs about ten pitchers, the ten are spread throughout the draft in such a way that, with a little luck, they could comprise a realist but stellar staff of undervalued arms.
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