Tuesday November 6th, 2012

Peter Stein:  Now that the 2012 season is over, it is time to start thinking about the 2013. For many owners, that includes deciding on keepers, although keeper systems vary from league to league. In some leagues, keepers can be held onto for an indefinite period of time, while others build upon the previous year’s draft value. Regardless of your league’s keeper setting, this piece identifies the top keeper player at each position. I chose a time period of five years; therefore, the player at each position should produce the most total fantasy value over the course of the next five years. That is, of course, assuming another Mike Trout doesn’t jump onto the scene.

Here is the outfield installment of the 2013 fantasy keeper focus:

CREAM OF THE CROP:

Mike Trout stole the spotlight in 2012. He is the complete package and a five category stud, as his rookie season looked like this: .326/30/83 and 49 steals and 129 runs. The 21-year-old can literally anchor your team in every offensive category. The most encouraging aspect to Trout’s season is that his first and second half production was very similar. Moving forward, it will be interesting to see if Trout endures any type of sophomore slump. Clearly, he has the ability to make adjustments and even a slight downgrade in production from 2012 would have him at an elite level. Although I do expect a slight dip in production in 2013, Trout’s best years are still years away. Scary, right? Five years from now he will truly be in his prime and he is capable of putting together several MVP performances. If you are fortunate enough to own him in a keeper league, enjoy the ride! Read the rest of this entry →