Keeper Search: Yonder Alonso

As a lifelong Padres fan, this year is one that really tests how much of a fan you are. And it isn’t as much about the losses that are piling up as it is about the fact that there’s not much on this team to cheer for.

For all the great minor league talent San Diego has acquired recently, I’ve found that at the major league level the only hitter I actually look forward to watching is 1B Yonder Alonso. I had the opportunity to check out Alonso when the Padres were in D.C. to play the Nationals this week, and here are my thoughts on him as they relate to keeper leagues.

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Keeper Search: Danny Duffy

A third round draft pick in 2007, Kansas City Royals LHP Danny Duffy was the first of a wave of promising young arms to flood the Royals farm system with major league caliber talent. At age 20, Duffy represented the Royals in the MLB Futures Game and the following spring, he earned an invitation to Spring Training.

All that promise almost slipped through the Royals fingers though as Duffy decided during the spring that he wanted to retire from baseball to reexamine his priorities.

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Keeper Search: Nolan Reimold

This is the Nolan Reimold fantasy/keeper owners and Orioles fans have been waiting for.

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Keeper Search: Josh Willingham

An after-thought in most leagues heading into the season, one of the hottest players in 2012 so far is Minnesota OF Josh Willingham. One of those players who always seems to be available in the free agent pool, Willingham has posted a .389/.476/.778 line to start the season, while posting 8 R, 4 HR, 8 RBI and 1 SB – good enough to land him as the 5th best player on ESPN’s Player Rater.

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Keeper Search: Brian Matusz

As we sit here on the eve of the non-Japanese opener of the baseball season, there are keeper league owners that are already focusing on 2013. So, in order to get a jump on the competition, Keeper Search will highlight players that are under the radar right now but could be keeper worthy by the offseason.

To lead off Keeper Search for 2012, I’ve decided to focus on a guy I am really high on for this year and beyond, Orioles SP Brian Matusz.

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Keeper Search: Aroldis Chapman

I hate to judge a player’s long term value on only 26 1/3 innings spread out over two seasons (as of May 18), but given all the buzz Cincinnati Reds lefty pitcher Aroldis Chapman has generated since signing with the Reds before the 2010 season, it seems like now is a critical time to get a good read on his potential.

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Ian Stewart update: Is it finally time to cut him loose?

At the end of April I looked at the value Ian Stewart still possessed in keeper leagues. Since that time, Stewart has hit the cover off the ball at AAA Colorado Springs, has been recalled to the majors to man 3B again, continued to struggle at the major league level and lost his roster spot and was sent back to AAA when Ty Wigginton returned from the DL.

To say things haven’t gone well for Stewart in 2011 is an understatement. In re-draft leagues, Stewart has no value and no place on a roster – he’s become a wait and see for 2012. [Read more...]