Thanks to everyone who purchased the Top 200 list for 2012. We will release a new list for 2013 soon.
To see the insight our subscriber’s got with their rankings, here’s a sample from our 2012 list:
| 31 | Mike Stanton | OF | A 21-year-old that hits 34 HR in his first full season is sure to catch everyone’s attention and that’s just what Stanton has done. Stanton has risen to the top of the list of up-and-coming sluggers and with a BA in the .260 range he shows that while he won’t help your BA, he won’t kill it either. It’s scary to think that if Stanton struck out a little bit less, he could clear 40 HR and possibly reach 50. This is definitely a profile a keeper league owner should want to invest in. |
| 32 | Cliff Lee | SP | While age seems to have more of an impact in keeper leagues, at some point talent has to overcome long term concerns. Who knows if Cliff Lee has 1, 3 or even 5 more years of ace-quality pitching left in his arm, his talent at this stage in his career makes even a one-year investment a smart risk to take on. It’s been 4 years since Lee turned his career around after a demotion to the minors – here’s to hoping he has at least 4 more years of dominance ahead of him. |
| 33 | Matt Wieters | C | The first C on this list, Wieters’ bat improved significantly from 2010 and now that he has mastered the defensive part of his position, he should be able to focus on improving his bat even more. Despite failing to live up to the huge expectations placed on him when he joined the Orioles, it looks as if he’s finally ready to live up to those expectations now. |
| 34 | Dan Haren | SP | Like many of the teams he’s been on, Haren quietly puts together solid year after solid year and 2011 was no exception. He may not blow you away with dominating performances but if you want a reliable ace you can possibly sneak by your league mates, Haren is the guy to target. |
| 35 | CC Sabathia | SP | Another pitcher that consistently pitches 200+ innings a year with elite level skills, Sabathia’s value sometimes gets lost on non-Yankee fans. Many have wondered for years how long Sabathia’s arm would hold up under this workload, but apparently Livan Hernandez has been sharing his secrets with Sabathia. Don’t worry too much about the wear-and-tear on Sabathia but do keep it in the back of your mind in case the critics are ever finally right. |
| 36 | Eric Hosmer | 1B | In 523 MLB AB in 2011, Hosmer hit 19 HR, drove in 78 runs, stole 11 bases and hit .293 – as a 21-year-old. Hosmer is one of those rare cases where a player performs upon arrival in the majors, but as is the case with most young players, he still has some work to do before he reaches his potential. But given what he could do at 21, who wouldn’t be excited about owning this guy in the future? |
| 37 | Jered Weaver | SP | Weaver was able to take his career year in 2010 and improve upon the surface stats in 2011, but a look at the skills show most of his “improvement” is a BABIP mirage. Weaver’s K/9 peaked at 9.3 in 2010 before falling back to its traditional level of 7.6 last year. He also lost 4% from his GB% and drove his HR/9% down to 8% (traditionally that level is 10%). Add in an approximate 30 point decrease in BABIP and you have a solid pitcher posting Cy Young worthy numbers. Weaver is still a guy that can anchor a staff but if 2011′s trends hold, the regression of his numbers will give his owners a nasty surprise. |
| 38 | Stephen Strasburg | SP | After dominating the majors in his 2010 debut, many wondered how Strasburg would return from the Tommy John Surgery that cut his debut season short. After getting 5 starts at the end of 2011 to start shaking off the rust, it appears Strasburg will be good as new. It may take some time this year to get back in a pitching groove, despite the success of his return, but once everything is back to normal for Strasburg he could be the most dominating pitcher in the majors for years to come. |
| 39 | Starlin Castro | SS | Castro seemed to be thrown into the Cubs SS job as a 20 year old in 2010 but for the second straight season he has more than held his own. With 10 HR, 22 SB and a .307 BA from the SS position, Castro has established himself as one of the most valuable at his position despite his age. As he continues to gain experience and mature, he could easily turn up the production and be the best at his position for a number of years to come. |
| 40 | David Price | SP | While the numbers seem to suggest otherwise, Price’s display of skills in 2011 actually wasn’t all that different from 2010. As Price’s strand rate normalized in 2011 so did his numbers, showing us that Price is a 3.50 ERA, almost 9 K/9 pitcher. Its true those stats make Price one of the better starters in the game but I don’t know if they necessarily live up to the buzz that’s been around him since his was drafted by the Rays. Price could still improve as he gains more experience, and that should be enough to encourage his owners to hold on to him. |
[Note: This list was compiled by Jim and will differ from the Top 25 rankings Derrick has posted throughout the offseason.]
