Looking for some assistance in choosing 8 keepers for next year. Its a 12 team league playing 6x6 (with OBP and Holds). I need to pick 8 of the following:
Hanley Ramirez Dustin Pedroia Joe Mauer Buster Posey Eric Hosmer Jason Heyward Nelson Cruz Desmond Jennings Mike Moustakas
Jeremy Hellickson Mat Latos Michael Pineda Justin Masterson
Some are obvious picks, but i'm struggling to find a balance that i'm happy with. Any and all thoughts welcomed!
Hanley Ramirez Dustin Pedroia Joe Mauer Buster Posey Eric Hosmer Jason Heyward Nelson Cruz Desmond Jennings Mike Moustakas
Jeremy Hellickson Mat Latos Michael Pineda Justin Masterson
And then look to deal either Posey or Mauer. When healthy, Mauer has the best OBP in the league. Keep two of the top four or five fantasy catchers, then spin one for pitching, picks, etc. There are some real tough calls on a couple of those guys. I don't think you can really go wrong with those 2nd tier guys.
MadHatterBlues wrote:Hanley Ramirez Dustin Pedroia Joe Mauer Buster Posey Eric Hosmer Jason Heyward Nelson Cruz Desmond Jennings Mike Moustakas
Jeremy Hellickson Mat Latos Michael Pineda Justin Masterson
Kind of a tough one at the bottom. I like Pineda, Latos and Hellickson and I am not really that big on Cruz or Jennings (just yet) so it really comes down to what you are more likely to get in the draft. Does your league usually keep more SP or more hitters? If they usually lock down SP, then i would try and keep at least one more SP and draft hitters if not then do something like this.
I also think it is pretty close between Pineda and Latos. Latos showed that last year wasn't a fluke and expect him to take another step forward where as with Pineda, I would like to see it again before I draft him above other pretty good SP.
"In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move."- Douglas Adams
1) Hanley Ramirez - SS is thin, should rebound somewhat 2) Dustin Pedroia - Best or 2nd best 2B 3) Eric Hosmer - Incredibly high upside 1B 4) Jason Heyward - Incredibly high upside OF 5) Desmond Jennings - Ditto to Heyward but less established 6) Mat Latos - Should be an elite SP, best of the bunch you have listed IMO and by a good margin 7) Michael Pineda - Would make my list. Has only been good for a year, plays for a poor team, but it looks like SEA is handling him perfectly (not too many IP). High upside, though I do like Latos more.
Definite Cuts
Mike Moustakas - Hasn't shown anything yet Justin Masterson - Not in the same class as the rest IMO Jeremy Hellickson - Has a lot of talent but pitches in the AL East (bad for H2H leagues) and you have 2 better SP keeper options IMO
Nelson Cruz - No way do I keep him in an OBP league and he is always good for missing some time. The only reason I would consider keeping him is if I could trade him for someone right out of the gate. Inquire with other guys in the league and see if they are interested then trade him.
Tough Choice
Joe Mauer vs. Buster Posey - I HATE to keep catchers. That said, Mauer has been a top C with a top OBP for years. Mauer did not perform terribly when he came back from injury and he also hits in what looks like a slightly better lineup than SF. Posey on the other hand, sustained a significant injury for a catcher (a broken leg) and did not play at all following that. He hits in a worse lineup and is still young and unproven. I do not believe he is automatically a top 5 catcher (he is no Carlos Santana IMO). My best guess would be that Posey only gets a standard amount of AB for a catcher (limited starts at 1B to prevent wearing out their young franchise player a year after major injury). Mauer will get more AB as he can play 1B AND at DH. Posey does offer good upside, but he has more question marks than Mauer. So I would go with Mauer.
1) Hanley Ramirez - SS is thin, should rebound somewhat 2) Dustin Pedroia - Best or 2nd best 2B 3) Eric Hosmer - Incredibly high upside 1B 4) Jason Heyward - Incredibly high upside OF 5) Desmond Jennings - Ditto to Heyward but less established 6) Mat Latos - Should be an elite SP, best of the bunch you have listed IMO and by a good margin 7) Michael Pineda - Would make my list. Has only been good for a year, plays for a poor team, but it looks like SEA is handling him perfectly (not too many IP). High upside, though I do like Latos more.
Definite Cuts
Mike Moustakas - Hasn't shown anything yet Justin Masterson - Not in the same class as the rest IMO Jeremy Hellickson - Has a lot of talent but pitches in the AL East (bad for H2H leagues) and you have 2 better SP keeper options IMO
Nelson Cruz - No way do I keep him in an OBP league and he is always good for missing some time. The only reason I would consider keeping him is if I could trade him for someone right out of the gate. Inquire with other guys in the league and see if they are interested then trade him.
Tough Choice
Joe Mauer vs. Buster Posey - I HATE to keep catchers. That said, Mauer has been a top C with a top OBP for years. Mauer did not perform terribly when he came back from injury and he also hits in what looks like a slightly better lineup than SF. Posey on the other hand, sustained a significant injury for a catcher (a broken leg) and did not play at all following that. He hits in a worse lineup and is still young and unproven. I do not believe he is automatically a top 5 catcher (he is no Carlos Santana IMO). My best guess would be that Posey only gets a standard amount of AB for a catcher (limited starts at 1B to prevent wearing out their young franchise player a year after major injury). Mauer will get more AB as he can play 1B AND at DH. Posey does offer good upside, but he has more question marks than Mauer. So I would go with Mauer.
Agreed about Cruz. He would be the guy I would cut if you were to keep another SP.
Forgot all about Posey's injury and there is a lot of concern about how he recovers from that. The longer you can wait to make this decision the better. I am not sold on Mauer either so maybe you keep Latos over Posey but again I would try and wait until Spring Training and see what that status of Posey is then.
"In the beginning the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and has been widely regarded as a bad move."- Douglas Adams
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by MadHatterBlues » Thu Nov 03, 2011 8:10 am 
