How to Select Keepers in Fantasy Baseball

Major League Baseball fantasy baseball leagues are played either over the Internet or via in-person drafting and score keeping. One type of league, called a keeper league, allows fantasy owners to hold onto players for more than one season. This prevents other owners from acquiring the players in next season's draft. The right drafting method will help ensure your team's success in both the upcoming season and seasons to come.

Instructions

    • 1

      Read over the rules of the keeper league or speak with the commissioner regarding the rules. Some leagues, for example, allow owners to hold onto players for just one additional season, while others force owners to hold onto players for numerous seasons. Knowing this information makes you better prepared for the upcoming fantasy draft.

    • 2

      Study fantasy baseball preseason previews. Resources such as RotoWire, ESPN and Yahoo Sports offer previews that rank players by position, overall talent and age.

    • 3

      Read team previews before the draft. A talented player that plays for a team that's likely to finish in the bottom half of the league is a potential keeper for your league because it's likely that player will get traded to a contender by the end of July. The player's stats are then likely to improve because he is playing for a better team.

    • 4

      Read about which young prospects are reported to be starting in the majors by the All-Star break. Team previews make a list of potential AAA and AA talent that are likely to make the big leagues in the upcoming months due to the talent a player has or the lack of depth on that particular roster. Acquiring one of these players later on in the draft builds your team for the later months of the upcoming season, as well as for the next few years.

    • 5

      Make a list of your most wanted players by position. This helps you keep track of the keeper players you want to acquire during the draft, preventing you from making any errors while creating your team.

    • 6

      Look for bargains as well as oversights made by other owners during the draft. This is especially true for those participating in a keeper league that has team salary caps. Acquiring a relatively under-priced player who starts for his team every day allows you to save money for those bigger names that will be on your team for years to come.

    • 7

      Draft for the upcoming season first. Worrying only about the next few fantasy seasons costs you any chance of winning during the current year, and also increases the odds that your team suffers in the future because of unforeseen injuries and other problems. If other owners are making this mistake in your draft, take advantage and stock up on established and available players, and worry about next year's team in next year's draft.