Keeper Question

[mindtrap]

Needing some keeper advice please. Here is the format of my league:

10 team 5x5 standard Roto First year keepers. Any player can be kept except for players drafted in 1st and 2nd round. Each year a player is kept he he must be drafted 3 rounds earlier except his first year. Here are players on my team to consider for keepers and the rounds they were drafted in. Please let me know who you would suggest keeping. Any advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

Adrian Gonzalez 4th round
Ian Kinsler 4th round
Yasiel Puig 4th round
Xander Boegarts 10th round
Charlie Blackmon Last round
Yoenis Cespedes 5th round
Mookie Betts Last round
AJ Pollock Last round
Christian Yelich 16th round
Jorge Soler Last round
Josh Donaldson 7th round
Corey Kluber Last round
Jeff Samardzija 17th round

[Captain Hook]

10 team mixed? VERY shallow

assuming those 4th rounders become first rounders you can cross them all off the list

HOW many can you keep? you don't say

[mindtrap]

Yes, 10 team mixed league.
This year all players can be drafted where they were last year, because this is our first year of keepers after next year they are moved up 3 rounds in the draft if kept.

We can keep 3 players each year.

Looking forward to hearing your advice.

[Todd Zola]

Puig, Kluber and Donaldson for me.

[Captain Hook]

Well this is very tough because you have a LOT of potential keepers - I will run through the list with comments but say up front IF most of the teams in your league have potential keepers this good it may be tough but I would try finding the worst lists and trade 2for1 or even 3for1 with them to get a better keeper.

Adrian Gonzalez 4th round - a throwback for your team
Ian Kinsler 4th round - a throwback for your team
Yasiel Puig 4th round - likely a keeper because of immense potential
Xander Boegarts 10th round - throwback
Charlie Blackmon Last round - potential keeper
Yoenis Cespedes 5th round - a throwback for your team
Mookie Betts Last round - throwback
AJ Pollock Last round - throwback
Christian Yelich 16th round - a potential keeper
Jorge Soler Last round - a potential keeper
Josh Donaldson 7th round - a potential keeper but better trade bait
Corey Kluber Last round - definite keeper
Jeff Samardzija 17th round - throwback

Note the difference between just throwback - as in not a consideration for this league annd
a throwback for your team which means keepable at the draft round but you have better - these are your most likely tradeable players.

So that leaves you to consider

Corey Kluber - #1 keeper maybe for a couple of years
Josh Donaldson - potential keeper but I would try and trade
Jorge Soler - potential keeper for a couple of years
Christian Yelich - potential keeper for a couple of years
Charlie Blackmon - potential keeper for a couple of years (maybe) - YOU have to believe in him
Yasiel Puig - potential keeper for one year IF he doesn't rub you the wrong way

So first order of business is can you trade Donaldson+ for a better player - if not I would probably keep him this year because of position and home ballpark thus 30+HR potential

After that gets a better player or leads to nothing you will have to choose your third keeper

As far as Puig I think he becomes more mature this year (should be able to tell you in three weeks) BUT he may have more value as trade bait IF there is a Dodger lover or Puig lover in your league so dangle him as well because he is only a keeper for this year.

[mindtrap]

Well this is very tough because you have a LOT of potential keepers - I will run through the list with comments but say up front IF most of the teams in your league have potential keepers this good it may be tough but I would try finding the worst lists and trade 2for1 or even 3for1 with them to get a better keeper.

Adrian Gonzalez 4th round - a throwback for your team
Ian Kinsler 4th round - a throwback for your team
Yasiel Puig 4th round - likely a keeper because of immense potential
Xander Boegarts 10th round - throwback
Charlie Blackmon Last round - potential keeper
Yoenis Cespedes 5th round - a throwback for your team
Mookie Betts Last round - throwback
AJ Pollock Last round - throwback
Christian Yelich 16th round - a potential keeper
Jorge Soler Last round - a potential keeper
Josh Donaldson 7th round - a potential keeper but better trade bait
Corey Kluber Last round - definite keeper
Jeff Samardzija 17th round - throwback

Note the difference between just throwback - as in not a consideration for this league annd
a throwback for your team which means keepable at the draft round but you have better - these are your most likely tradeable players.

So that leaves you to consider

Corey Kluber - #1 keeper maybe for a couple of years
Josh Donaldson - potential keeper but I would try and trade
Jorge Soler - potential keeper for a couple of years
Christian Yelich - potential keeper for a couple of years
Charlie Blackmon - potential keeper for a couple of years (maybe) - YOU have to believe in him
Yasiel Puig - potential keeper for one year IF he doesn't rub you the wrong way

So first order of business is can you trade Donaldson+ for a better player - if not I would probably keep him this year because of position and home ballpark thus 30+HR potential

After that gets a better player or leads to nothing you will have to choose your third keeper

As far as Puig I think he becomes more mature this year (should be able to tell you in three weeks) BUT he may have more value as trade bait IF there is a Dodger lover or Puig lover in your league so dangle him as well because he is only a keeper for this year.

My thoughts were to keep Kluber no question, I actually traded Felix who was 3rd round for Donaldson because I liked his value. My third keeper came down to between Soler and Betts. I am a big Redsox fan so I like Betts. Could you tell me your thoughts on what you like and dislike most between Betts and Soler?

Finally for Puig honestly I do like him but I think if I want him I could get him in the second round of our draft. I am the 3rd pick overall so I would get the 18th pick. However if I miss him I think another quality OF will be available there.

[mindtrap]

Puig, Kluber and Donaldson for me.

My thoughts were to keep Kluber no question, I actually traded Felix who was 3rd round for Donaldson because I liked his value. My third keeper came down to between Soler and Betts. I am a big Redsox fan so I like Betts. Could you tell me your thoughts on what you like and dislike most between Betts and Soler?

Finally for Puig honestly I do like him but I think if I want him I could get him in the second round of our draft. I am the 3rd pick overall so I would get the 18th pick. However if I miss him I think another quality OF will be available there.

[Todd Zola]

The major thing I've learned in the drafts where you keep a player at his round or some facsimile thereof is to ignore the round, except in the extreme and keep the best players. It's hard to put into words, offering a reason other than after doing a bunch of these over the years, weird things happen and already banking the best players then adding to that works best. It's the draft equivalent of auction inflation and when it comes to keepers in auction, my philosophy is similar -- I'm not afraid to keep salary.

i picked what I consider to be the best three players - and that's it. No magic formula.

[Captain Hook]

My thoughts were to keep Kluber no question, I actually traded Felix who was 3rd round for Donaldson because I liked his value. My third keeper came down to between Soler and Betts. I am a big Redsox fan so I like Betts. Could you tell me your thoughts on what you like and dislike most between Betts and Soler? Soler has power and I think it will grow as will his batting average as he learns to adjust so you get (this year) more in three categories with Soler. In addition while Betts might break out it will be with stolen bases which you can get with other players AND there is the possiblity he gets fewer at bats if he does not get off to a great start.

Finally for Puig honestly I do like him but I think if I want him I could get him in the second round of our draft. I am the 3rd pick overall so I would get the 18th pick. However if I miss him I think another quality OF will be available there Certainly understand that thought about Puig and as I mentioned he is only a one year keep anyway

My thoughts are contrary to Todd's in that players with very late rounds will be keepable for several years IF they continue to develop. You are going to get better players in the first few rounds that you won't be able to keep next year. Donaldson for example you could draft in the first or second round if you wanted to.

[Todd Zola]

My experience is you don't need perpetual keepers since you're only keeping three and you're going to happen upon drafting keeper-worthy players every year -- just like you did last year.

That is, I don't like keeping Betts over a better player this season since I'll be drafting someone the equivalent of Betts 2016 this year and I can keep him.

Over time, yeah, you eventually accumulate three guys like Kluber that are both best players now and best players later.

Again, hard to explain and more personal experience -- key is the keepers are always fluid and if you're good enough to draft so many keepers last year, you'll be good enough to draft good players again and I want to add them to the best base possible.