The example to start the season is Lance Lynn. An owner in my league is wondering if he/she simply has to forego 5 starts worth of Lynn points because Lynn is currently only RP eligible, and thus cannot accrue points if he starts games. I sympathize with him on this complaint.
What’s the verdict? Lynn likely isn’t the only example.
SP and RP are always eligible at both spots, but they will only accrue stats if used in the same way they are used in real life. So if you start Lynn at RP when he is starting, he will get nothing. Start him at SP.
I see, I see, I see. I’ll relay that message!
Archie Bradley has been moved to the bullpen for Tampa Bay, but is still listed as a SP. I assume that this has to do with the 5 games played threshold before they are considered a player at that position.
Will none of his stats count until he hits the 5 game mark for TB? There is no SP/RP slot for pitching, so he will just ride the bench until then I guess since his stats as a reliever won’t count at the SP position.
Thanks, and apologize if this has been answered before/is considered common knowledge.
Cheers!
All pitchers can be placed in your lineup at both SP and RP, but only accrue points if they pitch in the same role as their lineup slot. So Bradley may show as SP in ottoneu, but you can start him at RP and any relief appearances he makes will count. I once started a reliever as a SP because he was getting a spot start as part of a bullpen game.
Eligibility for pitchers exists only for player search, so you can search for a RP if you need another RP for your roster, etc.
Since RPs get spot starts and SPs can go to the pen from time to time, your team’s stats will accrue based on how the pitcher is used in real life on that day. You can put any pitcher in to a SP spot, but if they pitch in relief on that day, you will not get their stats. Correspondingly, you can put any pitcher in to a RP spot, but if they start that day you will not get their stats.
Hi Niv,
I believe Miles Mikolas should be eligible at SP instead of an RP. He was a starter for the past three years in Japan: http://www.thebaseballcube.com/players/profile.asp?ID=148421
Thanks!
Jeff
Position eligibility is only based on play in the majors and the minors except in extreme debut-related situations. As the previous post in this thread points out, pitcher eligibility doesn’t really matter anyway.
Hi Niv,
The previous post you reference states “Correspondingly, you can put any pitcher in to a RP spot, but if they start that day you will not get their stats.”. If this is true, an starter that’s only RP eligible would not be able to accrue any stats until they become SP eligible, which would account for about 20% of the entire season.
Given this, and the fact that Mikolas was only a starter for 2014 when last in the MLB with the Rangers, and 2015-2017 in Japan, I believe his eligibility should be changed from RP to SP.
Or, maybe it makes sense to lower the number of starts required to gain SP eligibility to 2 or 3 so that players aren’t losing 20% of there value due to a position change.
Thanks!
Jeff
All pitchers have both SP and RP eligibility, regardless of what shows on the roster/lineups screen. So Mikolas can be used as a SP and you will get points for his starts (assuming he’s in your lineup at SP).
Yeah, the sentence before the one you quoted is key in this case 
Try it out on the lineup page!
It will let you put Mikolas in a SP right now, I just tried it on my team.
Eligibility for pitchers exists only for player search, so you can search for a RP if you need another RP for your roster, etc.
The software UI will allow any pitcher to be slotted into any SP or RP slot, its up to us to make sure they are accurately placed in the role they are actually performing.
Ah, that changes everything, thanks Justin!
And thanks Niv for the quick responses
Jeff
I’m running a league with a 9-start cap. But is it possible for managers to get around this cap by placing an SP/RP pitcher in an RP slot on days when they’re actually pitching as an SP?
You may want to review the text on the lineup page right above the Pitcher section:
“All pitchers can be placed in either SP or RP, regardless of eligibility. To get credit for a pitcher’s performance, you must play him in the same role as his major league team uses him. Pitchers who start in real life must be put into SP roles, and pitchers who come out of the pen must be put into RP roles.”
Got it, thank you! Idk how I missed that!
RP only? By the rules would this mean I can only use him as a starter on his 6th start of the season?
Be sure to read through this thread. Thanks!
Owner just asked me “if i put someone like AJ Puk in the RP slot, but he starts, do i get those stats?” My answer was no based off my recollection, you must put them in the correct spot for stats to count. Then he asked “how many games before he gains SP eligibility?”… that I can’t seem to find. Puk is now a Starter. How does this work?
Here is a thread about this question. Eligibility does not matter.