Fantasy Baseball 2015

Spnited is harrumphing from above at this, but for those interested in my (and everyone else's) fantasy team, thought I'd get a thread going.

In one of my keeper leagues, we get to keep three players, each of whom will get drafted two rounds ahead of where they were selected in the previous year's draft. So, for instance, Chris Sale drafted in the fourth round last year, would be my second round pick this season if I keep him.

So here are some guys I'm debating about keeping:

• Matt Harvey (18th round last year, would be my 16th round pick)
• Jacob deGrom (undrafted last year, would be my 22nd pick)
• Masahiro Tanaka (sixth round pick last year, would be my fourth)
• Billy Hamilton (17th round last year, would be my 15th)
• Todd Frazier (undrafted last year, would be my 22nd - or 21st if I keep deGrom, too)
• Yoenis Cespedes (fifth round last year, would be my third)

I'd probably get the most value with Hamilton, Frazier and Harvey or deGrom. Harvey vs. deGrom is interesting because it's hard to say what Harvey will do after sitting out last year. Any thoughts?

 

I'm playing fantasy baseball this year for the first time. I inherited a garbage team. We get 15 keepers and comp picks for any unused keeper spots. I kept four: Wheeler (who I got, along with a first-round pick in a trade for Starlin Castro), Hughes, Richards, and Shields.

I'll have 11 of the first 12 comp picks before the real draft starts. Let the rebuild begin!

 

It can be fun to enter a keeper league and get handed a shit team. I did that two years ago and didn't even really bother to focus on that season. I stocked up on young players and traded off my best guys near the deadline for multiple younger players. Built a strong foundation, had a good second-year draft and made it to the finals last season (unfortunately, my opponent's team got insanely hot during the second week of a two-week championship and blew my doors off). Now I'm set up pretty well in that league to contend again.

 

I'm in an NL-only league though we can have 2 AL hitters and an AL pitcher.

This year we voted to keep 8 so it'll be a 17-round draft.

I'll choose to protect from this list of possible keepers: Lucroy, Braun, Nelson Cruz, Osuna, Joc Pederson, Trumbo, Hanley, Goldschmidt, Archer, Cishek, Gee, Jansen, Lohse, Soriano.

Last year I made the mistake of keeping 2 AL hitters -- Adam Jones and Chris Davis. Should've protected my best 6 NL players because NL pickings get slim by the 3rd or 4th round.

I'm definitely keeping Lucroy, Braun, Joc, Trumbo, Goldschmidt, and most likely Cishek (possibly Jansen, who's recovering from surgery).

I want to keep Archer but he'll probably be available in the middle rounds. Probably throwing Cruz and Hanley back into the draft because they can be got again.

 

I'd probably drop Jansen. Relievers are a volatile bunch from year-to-year as it is, nevermind with a guy who's coming off major surgery. Risk is too great. I don't think I'd ever keep a reliever who isn't named Mariano Rivera.

Do you have salaries in this league? What's the penalty for a keeper?

 

You wouldn't keep Kimbrel?

 

League entering year #7 (I joined 3 years in). We get 10 keepers. My contenders:

McCutchen
Cabrera
Gomez
J. Upton
D. Gordon
J.D. Martinez
Gomes
Carpenter
Choo

Price
Hamels
Wainright
Cueto
Cobb
Arietta
Jansen
Storen

 

Fantasy threads. Only in America.

 

Not in a league where I only get three keepers, no. Even with eight keepers, I'd have to be convinced to keep him. Look at a guy like K-Rod. He put up four straight years of 40 or more saves, then fell off the cliff for five years and then got 44 again last year. Relievers are incredibly difficult to predict year-to-year, so if it's a debate between a reliever or a position player, I'm almost always going to take the position player.

Admittedly, though, it was a bit of simplistic hyperbole. It obviously depends on your league's setup and your roster. I'm keeping several relievers, including Betances, in my dynasty league because they cost me $2 out of a $260 salary cap.

 

Ah. Only three keepers. gotcha.

 

I'm lobbying the Commish right now to expand our keeper options for the 2016 season. Three keepers sucks.

In my other league, you can keep anyone you want, but we have a $260 salary cap and all salaries rise 10% each season. In that league, Kimbrel cost his owner $12 and scored 398 fantasy points. Betances cost me $1 and scored 384. I have no doubt Kimbrel's owner is going to keep him, but he'll be overpaying.

Eight relievers scored more than 350 points in that league last year, and Jansen ($13) and Kimbrel ($12) were the only ones who cost more than $3.

 

No salaries, no keeper penalties, just straight rosters, and cash prizes to the top 6 teams. Transactions twice a week. Trades must be voted upon.

My 12th or 13th year in the league. I have yet to win. Finished 2nd a few years back.