Top-25 Fantasy Baseball Keepers Part 3

Top-25 Fantasy Baseball Keepers Part 3

This is the last part of the Fantasy Baseball keeper rankings, since we are days away from opening day and most drafts are this week. Remember, if you missed part one or part two, check them out before you pick your keepers. I’ll have a how to win your league article up in the next day or so to help you dominate on draft day.

17.     Mookie Betts, OF

• Betts, entering his third season at the age of 23, has shown flashes of being a star for the Red Sox. He is coming off a season of eighteen home runs and twenty-one stolen bases, while hitting .291/.341. He has good plate discipline and enough power to hit 20-25 home runs while batting around .280-.290. He also plays in Boston, which always helps. (Tier 4)

18.     Miguel Sano, 3B

• Not many people have been compared to Giancarlo Stanton. Sano has been compared to Stanton for a couple years now, mostly because of his power. He showed off that power last year with eighteen home runs in eighty games. He did strikeout 119 times, but he was able to draw fifty-three walks. Forty home runs is very possible for Sano this season. He should also improve his K rate. (Tier 4)

19.     Gerrit Cole, SP

• Cole finally broke out last season and became an ace for the Pirates. Still only 25, Cole struck out 202 batters in 208 innings last year, with a 1.09 WHIP and an ERA of 2.60. His command and ability to make batters miss make Gerrit Cole a very good pitcher to keep. I could see a repeat of last season, but with closer to 220 innings pitched and 225 Ks. The Pirates are a good team and he will be able to rack up around twenty wins for the foreseeable future. (Tier 4)

20.    Jose Fernandez, SP

• Probably one of the riskier players on this list, but the upside is just too high for this kid. Fernandez only pitched one full season before getting Tommy John in his sophomore year. He showed that he can be a pitcher in the bigs. He struck out 187 batters his rookie year and has improved his K/9 in his starts from the last two years. He may not get as many wins as the pitchers above, but he will lead the league in strikeouts very soon. (Tier 4)

21.     Xander Bogaerts, SS

• Yet another former top prospect, if you have not caught that correlation yet. Xander still only 23 years old and is coming off pretty much his first full season starting for the Red Sox. He proved to a lot of doubters that he can be a top shortstop in the bigs. Eighty-plus runs and RBI, plus a good average and a handful of home runs and steals, is hard to get from the shortstop position in baseball. His ceiling is still high. Hopefully he can gain some power and attempt to steal more. (Tier 5)

22.     Chris Sale, SP

• Sale, who just turned 27 years old, is coming off a down year compared to his past ones. However, he did strike out 274 batters, which is elite in 208.2 innings. His ERA might have been at a career high last year, but I would expect his ERA to go down this year and his wins to go up, since he has better team around him this year. (Tier 5)

23.     Starling Marte, OF

• One of my favorite players this year is Starling Marte. McCutchen is getting older and is starting to regress, while Marte has been getting better and better. Bold prediction: Marte will have a better fantasy season this year than McCutchen. He has shown that he can hit around 15-20 home runs and steal 30-40 bases. Marte is a great player to build a roto team around. (Tier 5)

24.     Jacob deGrom, SP

• deGrom was arguably the best pitcher for the Mets last season, and that is really saying something. He had over 200 Ks with a 2.54 ERA and 0.98 WHIP. There is not much to complain about with this kid. While he is 27, he has only pitched two years in the bigs. This kid is the real deal and could get much better. (Tier 5)

25.     Miguel Cabrera, 1B

• Miggy was dubbed the best hitter in baseball just a few years ago. He was consistently a top player in every league, but people are down on him this year. He is coming off a season in which he only played 119 games and spent quite a lot of time on the DL. This was his first stint on the DL and he still hit .338 with eighteen homers. He may be 32 years old now, but Cabrera is apparently in the best shape of his career, and I would expect a huge bounce back year from him. (Tier 6)

Remember, this list is not a script. Each owner will face different circumstances. Some may want to target more younger players for the future, while others may be in win-now mode and will want to target guys like Cabrera. Also, if you have not caught it yet, look at how many of these players are former top prospects. Keep that in mind when drafting and in keeper/dynasty leagues.

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