Fantasy Baseball Draft Strategy 2012: Yoenis Cespedes and Keeper League Steals

If you're planning on joining a keeper fantasy baseball league this year, you would do well to familiarize yourself with all of the league's best young superstars.

Hitters like Justin Upton and Giancarlo Stanton come to mind, as do pitchers like Clayton Kershaw and Felix Hernandez (who is still only 25). In a keeper draft, guys like them are going to come off the board in an instant.

When you go looking for guys who aren't superstars yet, but who soon will be, you're going to want to keep an eye out for the five guys listed below.

5. Yoenis Cespedes, OF, Oakland Athletics

Yoenis Cespedes' major league career is only two games old, but it already looks like he may actually be legitimate.

Cespedes has two hits in six at-bats this season—both of them for extra bases. He had a double in Oakland's first game, and he slugged his first major league home run in Oakland's second game.

We knew before the A's opened the season that Cespedes had power for days, but the chief concerns were over his ability to adjust to pitchers who would surely be throwing him plenty of breaking balls.

Well, guess what: Cespedes' double came on a breaking ball on the outside part of the plate, and his home run came on a slider that stayed up in the zone. If he can keep hitting breaking pitches, the sky is the limit for this guy.

Going forward, Cespedes' power and speed will make him a legit dual-threat player, and he's going to dominate five different categories if he can maintain a high average. He's well worth a gamble.

4. Desmond Jennings, OF, Tampa Bay Rays

Desmond Jennings got a chance to play full time in 2011, and he didn't disappoint. In 63 games with the Rays, he hit 10 home runs and stole 20 bases.

Over a full season, Jennings could easily hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases. If he hits for average too, he'll be a lot like Hanley Ramirez in his heyday.

The average likely won't come right away, as Jennings could only maintain a .259 batting average last season. But even if he doesn't hit for a high average this season, he'll maintain good power and speed numbers while learning more and more about what it takes to be a good hitter in the majors.

That experience will serve Jennings well going forward. Just like Cespedes, he has the ability to be a five-category stud, and it won't be long before we're talking about him as a first-round fantasy talent.

3. Eric Hosmer, 1B, Kansas City Royals

Eric Hosmer was billed as a potential superstar during his rise through Kansas City's system, and he definitely looked like a potential superstar after he was called up last season. 

In his first full month with the Royals, Hosmer hit .283 with five home runs. He finished the season by batting .349 with five home runs in September. For the season, he hit .293 with 19 homers and 78 RBI.

That was year one. In year two, Hosmer is a candidate to hit .300 with 30 home runs and over 100 RBI. In year three and beyond, he could join Albert Pujols, Joey Votto and Adrian Gonzalez as the top first basemen in fantasy.

That should give you an idea of how good Hosmer can be.

2. Madison Bumgarner, SP, San Francisco Giants

Madison Bumgarner was pretty good in 2011; he won 13 games with a very respectable 3.21 ERA.

Bumgarner has it in him to be even better. His 8.40 K/9 and 2.02 BB/9 in 2011 are numbers that almost every ace in the majors would love to have, and his 2.67 FIP was among the lowest marks in the league. 

This season, I'm looking for Bumgarner to establish himself as the ace of San Francisco's staff. He'll win at least 15 games and post an ERA under 3.00 with solid strikeout numbers.

The scary part is that Bumgarner is still only 22 years old. He's going to be very good for a long time.

1. Jeremy Hellickson, SP, Tampa Bay Rays

Jeremy Hellickson had a very good rookie season last year, winning 13 games with an ERA just under 3.00. As many people expected he would be, Hellickson was named the American League Rookie of the Year.

Hellickson wasn't even that great last year. His K/9 was a mere 5.57, and his BB/9 was a little high at 3.43. He's a guy who should have a K/9 of roughly 8.00, and there's no way his BB/9 should be any higher than 2.00.

If Hellickson achieves those numbers, he'll develop into one of the top aces in the American League and a perennial Cy Young candidate.

So why is Hellickson ranked ahead of Bumgarner?

Primarily because the Rays are in better shape going forward than the Giants are. They have a lot of young talent, which I think will help Hellickson maximize his win potential in future seasons.

Aside from that, the Bumgarner vs. Hellickson debate is a total tossup.