PPP 770 – Fantasy Baseball Starting Pitchers To Add And Drop – 4-14-26

Garrett Crochet's disastrous debut — 1.2 innings, 10 earned runs, 11 hits, 3 walks, 0 strikeouts — is dissected not as a sign of injury or tipping, but as a catastrophic confluence of bad luck, poor command, and a rare off-day. Nick Pollack argues against overreacting, citing Paul Skenes' similar early collapse and Luis Severino's bounce-back after a rough start. He emphasizes that elite pitchers like Crochet often have such outliers, and the key is not to panic. Instead, he advocates for strategic roster management: benching Crochet only if his next start is delayed, while adding pitchers like Ryan Nelson and Will Warren who showed flashes of elite stuff despite short outings. Pollack also warns against overvaluing one good start from pitchers like Justin Robleski or Bailey Ober, stressing that consistency and pitch mix matter more than a single game’s outcome. The episode culminates in a sharp analysis of rookie prospects, with a firm 'pilot rule' advising against starting Noah Schultz in his MLB debut due to the historical trend of poor initial performances — a bold stance that underscores the importance of patience over hype.