By Jim Higgins
NL West | AL West | NL Central | AL Central | NL East | AL East
It’s time for Part 2 in the series of potential keepers you can pick up on the cheap, and this part will focus on the AL West. Again, these are guys that should be easy to get, either via trade or on the cheap at the end of your draft or auction and have the potential to be keepers in 2011.
Los Angeles (or Anaheim if you prefer) – Kevin Jepsen – P
I went back and forth with a couple of players here but I decided on Jepsen for two reasons – Brian Fuentes and Fernando Rodney. I doubt either Fuentes or Rodney finishes the season as the closer and I fully believe Jepsen has the skills to succeed in the closer role, giving him plenty of value and long-term value. Jepsen has a solid K/9 and his undoing last year was an abnormally high BABIP. If that comes back down to a normal level he should post solid rates until he gets the opportunity to close.
Oakland – Jake Fox – 3B/OF
Fox once again enters the season as a talented guy without a full time position. His bat was solid enough last year though to force the Cubs to find ways to get him in the lineup and I think it will be solid enough again to force Oakland to do the same. Fox has plenty of power and hopefully will be able to raise his BA a few points so it won’t completely kill you. The multi-position eligibility is also a big plus, especially when 3B seems to be playing out as a pretty shallow position this season.
Seattle – Brandon League – P
Yes, this suggestion is for another mid-inning closer with no value to start the season. And that is why I am suggesting him. League would’ve been in the saves mix in Toronto if the Blue Jays hadn’t had a ton of other guys like him. Like Jepsen, League had a terrbile ERA last year, especially for a middle reliever, but with a K/9 of 9.2 and a WHIP of 1.24, this guy knows how to get outs. The only guy in his way is David Aardsma, and while Aardsma had one of the more talked about years last year, his track record indicates it could just be a matter of time before League gains more fantasy relevance.
Texas – Max Ramirez – C
The Rangers were another squad with multiple options for this pick but I chose to go with Ramirez because there is no better time to buy him then right now. In fact, if your league has a farm system, this is a guy to stash on it with one of your last picks/dollars. Coming off a wrist injury that seemed to keep him at the Double A level, Ramirez may not stick at catcher for long. Obviously this guy’s bat is more important than anything else and hopefully it will get back on track with the wrist injury healed. Again, he may not have much value in 2010 but if he develops the way many experts thought he would, he could make himself a cornerstone player for 2011 and beyond. Stash him away.
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