Strategies for Fantasy Baseball Keeper League

Playing in a fantasy baseball keeper league gives the average baseball fan a chance to become a general manager. While you’re not dealing with agents and fan criticism like in the major leagues, the object is the same: to build a team with long-term results. A keeper fantasy league lets owners hold players from season to season. The right strategy can help make you a contender for years.

  1. Young Players

    • Players in their 30s are nearing the end of their careers, which means you'll soon have to drop them. Players in their early 20s, however, can remain on your team for a decade or more. Maintaining a nucleus of young stars will keep your lineup stacked. Also consider holding onto a rookie, even though he may be a couple years away from stardom. That way, you'll beat the rush when he becomes a star.

    Win Now

    • The "win now" strategy is equivalent to putting all your eggs in one basket. If a team has a veteran lineup with a good chance of winning the league in the upcoming season, an owner can keep her lineup intact instead of building her team with younger players. The downside is that in another year or two, she may need to go through a rebuilding effort. The positive: She captures a championship and earns league bragging rights. It’s up to the owner whether she wants to sacrifice the future for winning in the present.

    Position Scarcity

    • Typically, second baseman, shortstops and catchers are weaker hitters than outfielders, first baseman and third baseman. The latter three positions are generally easier to fill off the waiver wire. Keeping powerful hitters in a weak-hitting position gives you an advantage over your opponents. For example, it might be better to keep the third-best offensive shortstop over the second-best offensive outfielder.

    Beyond Statistics

    • While statistics are the main measurement in fantasy baseball, a savvy owner should go beyond the numbers. He needs to pay attention to trends and off-season developments when strategizing. For example, if a hitter has a good September after making a mechanical adjustment in his batting stance, it could foreshadow success for the following season. Or a pitcher’s value can increase if he gets traded from a hitter’s ballpark to a larger stadium that favors pitchers. An owner shouldn't base his decisions solely on a player's final statistics for the season.