What are the benefits of yeast harvesting/washing?

[dougdecinces]

I don't see that anyone here has mentioned it, but if you're really interested in pinching pennies, you can make your starter from the third runnings (or dilute a small portion of your mash+ sparge to get the optimum gravity). This is what I do with my no chill batches. By the time I'm ready to pitch the next day, my yeast are roused up and ready to go.

I have no way to confirm, but I would also guess that the 3-4 hours it takes from when you start your boil to where you are ready to pitch would be enough to awaken the yeast.