We received an email yesterday from Stephen asking us a keeper question. Stephen wrote:
“Keeper League. You can only keep one of the following guys:
- B.J. Upton
- Clayton Kershaw
- Neftali Feliz
Who do you keep?”
Good question, Stephen. This comes down to your roster’s current makeup. Here are some things to consider:
- Is this your only keeper or do you have other guys you are keeping?
- If you are keeping other guys, what are their strengths? Are you keeping pitchers or batters? If they are batters, are they steals guys?
- Do you consider yourself adept at finding pitching gems in the mid rounds (like Vazquez or Greinke last season)?
In a vacuum, we’d recommend you keep B.J. Upton. The fact of the matter is that Upton is a 40-steal player with an amazing amount of potential. Upton was one of seven players who stole 40 bases last year, and only two of those seven hit more than eight home runs. Upton was one of them (11). It’s not like he is an elite power guy because he certainly isn’t, but unlike Jacoby Ellsbury, Nyjer Morgan, Rajai Davis and Michael Bourn, Upton can contribute in other categories. It’s a high-risk choice to keep Upton, but we think it’s your best choice.
Clayton Kershaw is an ace-in-the-making, but many of his peripherals last season suggest he wasn’t quite as good as he appeared. While he will still be an important fantasy commodity this year, there are many other similar pitchers you can target. What are we getting at? Upton’s 40-steal potential is more important than what Kershaw can contribute.
As for Neftali Feliz, he has a ways to go before he becomes a key fantasy cog. Feliz is supposed to spend the near future stretching out to become a starter again, and he combines unhittable stuff with uncertain control. Interestingly, his H/9, BB/9 and K/9 in the minors are just shy of those we saw from Clayton Kershaw. Why go for the knockoff when you can have the real thing? Kershaw is the better pitching keeper here.
Don’t forget to keep sending us your questions with a chance to be featured in our next Mailbag post!
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