Every week we will take a look at this year’s surprise studs and find out why they were taken so late and why they have been so great.
These are the players that we scoff about when our league mates got “lucky” in the 19th round and that we pat ourselves on the back for having the foresight to take the Cy Young candidate off of waivers in the first week of the season.
It’s time to look back at our Fantasy MVPs for 2008.
This week we will be looking at a potential Cy Young finalist; one who likely went undrafted (or very late) in most drafts. I am talking about Cleveland Indian ace .
After winning between 14 and 18 games from 2004 to 2006, Lee had a terrible 2007 season marred by injury, controversy and demotions.
The fantasy baseball world, ever the “what have you done for me lately” crowd, turned its back on Cliff Lee.
That all changed in April of 2008.
Lee, largely undrafted or a late round flier, posted an incredible 0.96 ERA and 5-0 record in April. Everybody knew that this pace was unsustainable but the fantasy community was split on whether Lee was going to entrench himself as a fantasy ace or blow up to get back to his career 4.30+ ERA.
While Cliff Lee has indeed come back to earth after an amazing start, he has also done all he can to shut up naysayers. Lee is now sitting at 18-2, with a fantastic 2.43 ERA and 1.08 WHIP.
August has actually been his second best month as he currently has a 4-0 record with a 1.74 ERA.
The best part about Lee’s 18 wins (other than you grabbing him in the 20th round) is that he has done it for a terribly disappointing Cleveland Indian squad.
The only thing Lee hasn’t been phenomenal in has been in strikeouts, where he has a respectable 141 in 177 innings, but with everything else can you really complain? Think of him as a poor man’s Roy Halladay (who is most likely Lee’s biggest competition for AL Cy Young).
After an up and down start to his career, it looks like Cliff Lee is back on top of his game and the only people who need to be worried about him are the players in the other dugout (cheesy, I know, but so true).
