Fantasy Baseball: Troy Tulowitzki and 5 to Stash in Your Keeper League

Keeper leagues add an entirely new element to fantasy baseball.

They put you even deeper into the position of a major league GM, forcing you to balance risk and reward. Anyone who has been successful in these leagues will tell you that there are three major factors in gauging the value of a player as a keeper—production, age and potential.  

These five guys give you all that and more.

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5. Mike Stanton, Florida Marlins

At just 21 years of age, Mike Stanton has a chance to lead the league in home-runs in 2011. He’ll also come close to 100 RBIs, despite being lodged in the middle of one of the worst lineups in baseball.

He strikes out a lot—257 times in his first two seasons—but that’s something scouts and coaches see him improving over time. He makes the most of what he has around him, and if he was on a better team, he could already be posting top-15 fantasy numbers.

Outfield is a deep position, but Stanton’s upside is remarkable. Marlins Manager, Jack McKeon considers him a potential 30/30 guy once he gets more comfortable on the base paths.That has yet to be seen. As far as power hitters are concerned, he’s already at the top of the heap.

The scary thing is he has nowhere to go but up.

4. Justin Upton, Arizona Diamondback

Five tool 23-year-olds aren’t easy to come by, and Upton is exactly that.

He could easily finish this season with a .300-plus average, 30-plus home runs, and 100-plus RBI. Twenty-five-plus stolen bases come as the icing on the cake.

The Diamondbacks are winning, and he’s been the catalyst for their success. He’s posting the best numbers of his career and is easily a top-10 candidate for MVP.

He’ll only get better as he continues to increase his patience at the plate. He’s still under 100 Ks with a month left to go, after ending 2010 with 158. There are very few major leaguers left with 40/40 potential.

Upton is that guy at the age of 23.

3. Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals

It’s impossible to formulate a list of keepers without including Albert Pujols.

He’s having the worst year of his career and still leads the NL in home-runs. A career .328 hitter, Pujols has led the league in four of the five major fantasy categories for hitters—runs, hits, RBI, and HRs. Not to mention, he combined for 30 SBs in 2009 and 2010.

Pujols had some problems with injuries this season, but he’s played in 140-plus games every other year. It’s impossible to call him an injury risk. He has the worst season of his career and is still a top-15 fantasy guy.

He’ll likely head into 2012 as the consensus No. 1 overall pick, and it’s impossible not to keep the guy if given the opportunity. 

2. Clayton Kershaw, Los Angeles Dodgers

There are few pitchers that have been more dominant than the 23-year-old south paw.

As it stands today, Clayton Kershaw is tied for the National League lead in wins (15), and he leads the league in strikeouts with 199. His 2.60 ERA is fifth best in the league, and his 1.01 WHIP is second.

These stats alone would make Kershaw a valuable fantasy commodity. However, at the ripe age of 23, he’s the most valuable keeper at the position.

Guys like Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee post similar numbers to the Dodgers lefty. They’re eleven and nine years his senior, respectively. CC Sabathia and Justin Verlander also have similar value on a year-to- year basis, they’re also both older and they pitch in the more difficult AL.

Jeff Weaver has upside, but there are some questions about his ability to return to this form with sub-par stuff. Kershaw is the safest, youngest and most effective pitcher on the market.

Keep him at all costs. 

1. Troy Tulowitzki, Colorado Rockies

It seems that every year, shortstop is the thinnest position in fantasy baseball.

Going into 2011, we considered Jose Reyes, Troy Tulowitzki, and Hanley Ramirez the top-tier at the position. If you didn’t draft one of these three guys then, to an extent, you were going to have to settle. With Han-Ram’s rapid decline and Reyes reminding us that he’s an injury risk, Tulowitzki is more valuable than ever.

In the middle of a sub-par Colorado lineup, he’s on pace to finish with the first 100 RBI season of his career. He’s also just seven HRs shy of tying his career best at 32. In keeping Tulowitzki, you’re assuring production from the thinnest position in the game.

Going into 2012, “experts” will have Tulowitzki and Reyes as only two shortstops in the “top tier.” Reyes’ injury risk puts Tulo into a tier all his own.

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