Surveying the Signals: Veteran Starters

I'm going to go out on a limb and say that the next week will accompany many editorials concerning the value of veteran starters. It is largely true that veterans such as Greg Maddux are underrated--without flashy strikeout totals their value is ignored in favor of hyped youngsters such as Matt Garza or Ubaldo Jimenez (both struggling, despite preseason touting by many regimes). The next couple nights could start a wave of nostalgia, and I'll outline why...

Greg Maddux: Mad dog faces the Cardinals at home, a team he's had a ton of success against in a stadium he's absolutely dominated. His ERA at home is a puny 1.42 this year, despite striking out only 9 in over 24 innings. Last season he still rocked a low home ERA of 3.59, showing just what advantage Petco offers. A solid outing tonight will open analysts eyes to the low WHIP he could provide, inciting slurs of "undervalued" and "intangibles".

Bartolo Colon: Does anyone know Colon's numbers in the minors this season? He sits at a .64 ERA, reportedly touching the mid-90s with his fastball and sporting an 11:1 K/BB ratio over 14 innings. Throw in matchups with Kansas City, Seattle, and Baltimore over the next two weeks and the former Cy Young winner will see more hype than he deserves.

Tom Glavine: This one isn't speculation; Glavine already pitched today, throwing six innings of one-run ball against his former team, the Mets. Glavine is a shaky piece of a fantasy rotation, especially after his recent injury woes, but that might not stop people throwing him into the conversation. 

There are plenty of already succeeding veterans, such as Tim Hudson, Mike Mussina, Aaron Cook, and Jose Contreras. Other than Hudson, all will wear done soon enough, but there seems to be enough games that even one impressive start from the bunch could trigger a wave of hype. And if this happens, put yourself in a position to deal away the time bombs. I've already picked up Bartolo Colon, because when you mix name recognition with luck and hype, you make league-winning deals.