"To Keep or Not To Keep?"

THAT is the question !!! As the fantasy baseball season is winding down, they keeper leagues are just starting to heat up...

Trades are being made to improve on playoff teams with teams who are not; Teams are trying to get younger/under payroll while other teams are thin and are willing to trade some youth and payroll space to land someone that can carry the team. All while trying "not to appear like your tanking intentionally". Nobody wants to be compared to the Boston Celtics and Memphis Grizzlies! (By the way, how did THAT work out? OUCH!)

What I am attempting to do with this blog is simply make you aware of players that are either just coming into their own, therefore their salary won't increase much beyond league minimum, those who are just called up due to injury or simply getting a taste for the bigs (especially when rosters expand to 40) or those who are on the cusp and are expected to come out of next season's spring training with their name on a locker. Each will have shortcut to their MLB profile so that you can begin to understand where they are developmentally as well in regards to their potential of playing time/roster space. There are so many to list and someone WILL be left off, but these are the names that I am most interested in adding to my rosters (as I have four keeper leagues)

{In no specific order}
* I have on a roster now

CATCHERS:
PIT: Ronny Paulino
PIT: Ryan Doumit (1B)
KC: Joe Buck
OAK: Rob Bowen
TEX: Jarrod Saltalamacchia (1B) *
SEA: Jeff Clement

FIRST BASE:
NYY: Shelley Duncan (OF)
CLE: Ryan Garko
LAA: James Loney
NYY: Andy Phillips
KC: Billy Butler (3B)
OAK: Daric Barton (C)

SECOND BASE:
BOS: Dustin Pedroia
DET: Ryan Raburn (OF)
LAA: Erick Aybar *
NYM: Ruben Gotay
TOR: Aaron Hill
TB: B.J. Upton (3B, OF) *

SHORTSTOP:
SEA: Yuniesky Betancourt *
ARI: Justin Upton (OF) *
LAA: Brandon Wood (3B)
TB: Joel Guzman (2B, 3B)
ARI: Stephen Drew
MIN: Jason Bartlett
CHC: Ryan Theriot (2B) *

THIRD BASE:
MIL: Ryan Braun *
SD: Kevin Kouzmanoff
KC: Alex Gordon
COL: Ian Stewart
CLE: Andy Marte
LAD: Andy LaRoche *

OUTFIELDERS:
DET: Cameron Maybin *
ARI: Carlos Gonzalez
TB: Delmon Young
ARI: Carlos Quentin
NYY: Melky Cabrera
PHI: Shane Victorino
KC: David DeJesus
DET: Marcus Thames *
NYM: Lastings Milledge
FLA: Alejandro De Aza
SF: Rajai Davis
CLE: Franklin Guttierez *
BAL: Nick Markakis
CHC: Felix Pie
ARI: C.B. Young *
FLA: Jeremy Hermida
FLA: Josh Willingham *

STARTING PITCHERS:
BAL: Daniel Cabrera *
PIT: Paul Maholm
PIT: Tom Gorzelanny
BOS: Jon Lester
KC: Brain Bannister
MIN: Scott Baker
MIN: Fransisco Liriano
NYY: Phillip Hughes
SF: Tim Lincecum
LAA: Joe Saunders *
CHC: Rich Hill *
ARI: Micah Owings
WAS: Shawn Hill *
DET: Andrew Miller *
CIN: Homer Bailey *
TOR: Dustin McGowan
BOS: Clay Bucholz


RELIEF PITCHERS:
TEX: C.J. Wilson *
NYY: Joba Chamberlain *
KC: Zack Grienke
TOR: Jeremy Accardo
PHI: Brett Myers *


Again, this is not an "end all, be all" list of keepers, nor is it even all of the potential prospects that can blow up in year one, two, or three of their career. This blog is simply to generate thoughts as you ponder your roster options heading into this fantasy keeper off-season. If anything, it will generate you to make a decision on each player, eliminating them as they are made in trade offers or waiver wire opportunities.

Did I miss players? Of course, I don't do this for a living (or I would have details beyond your imagination!!!) Also, I have excluded players I believe will go above the league minimum signing amount (+$500,000), so there will be players that end up being cheaper than I anticipate as well as those who are on this list that go a lot higher than I would pay... The point is to load up your bench to give yourself options, heading into next season.

"To Keep or Not To Keep....that IS the question!!!!"

Statistocrat