Jeepers Keepers! It’s Almost Scoresheet Time!

As some readers may know, I’m involved in a Scoresheet league heavy on current and former Baseball Prospectus types. The draft starts relatively quickly — within the next few days, I think — and I’m starting to think about my keepers for 2013.

If you’re unfamiliar, here’s how it works with keepers:

Any ‘big league’ player kept costs you a pick at the front of the draft. Any ‘minor league’ player costs you a pick on the back end.

Anyway, here’s my roster, with notes after each player:

C- Salvador Perez (definite keeper)
C- Kelly Shoppach (not keeping)
1B- Carlos Pena (not keeping)
1B- Chris Parmelee (not keeping)
2B- Jose Altuve (leaning toward yes)
2B- Steve Lombardozzi (not keeping)
3B- Danny Valencia (haha, no)
3B- Josh Bell (not keeping)
3B- Casey McGehee (not keeping)
3B- Anthony Rendon (keeping)
3B- Josh Vitters (probably only if still a minor leaguer)
SS- Alexei Ramirez (really torn on this one)
SS- Jamey Carroll (not keeping)
SS- Xander Bogaerts (no brainer)
SS- Brian Dozier (not keeping)
SS- Daniel Descalso (not keeping)
SS- Wilmer Flores (no reason not to, right?)
OF- Coco Crisp (not keeping)
OF- Joe Benson (as a minor leaguer, yes)
OF- Trayvon Robinson (not keeping)
OF- Michael Choice (sure, why not)
OF- Yoenis Cespedes (of course)
OF- Jon Jay (hard to say)
OF- Jason Heyward (absolutely)
OF- Max Kepler (yes)

I’d say that’s a decent start for keepers, as I’ll be set at catcher (Perez), 2B (Altuve), and in the OF (Heyward-Cespedes). I’d probably lean toward yes really strongly on Ramirez and Jay, but I’d love to hear what some of the readers have to say. I like the upside of my minor league keepers, as I still believe Benson can get healthy and figure it out, and Bogaerts has a heap of potential.

—

Let’s look at the pitching staff:

SP- Carl Pavano (not keeping)
SP- Felipe Paulino (leaning towards no due to health)
SP- Nestor Molina (I think so)
SP- Yordano Ventura (no reason not to)
SP- Yu Darvish (obviously)
SP- Deck McGuire (yes)
SP- Chris Sale (obviously)
SP- Alex Wimmers (yup)
SP- Jordan Lyles (don’t think so)
SP- Drew Pomeranz (don’t think so)
SP- Jenrry Mejia (yes)
SP- Matt Purke (yes, but not overwhelmingly)
SP- Jose Berrios (yes, very excited about him)
SP- Luke Bard (yes, just because I can)

I don’t have quite enough to build a rotation on, but Darvish-Sale is a nice 1-2 punch. I only even took a shot on Pavano last year because of his recent durability, and that completely blew up in my face. As a result, I used a ton of AAA pitcher, who went a ghoulish 7-38, and basically kept me from being better than the 76-86 record I sputtered to. I’ll definitely need to add three starters at the very least.

—

As for the pen, I’d only really keep a bullpen guy if I was near my allotted keepers maximum — which I think is 10 — but anyway, here’s how my pen looked:

RP- Oliver Perez (not keeping)
RP- Jesse Crain (not keeping)
RP- Jordan Walden (not keeping)
RP- Mark Lowe (not keeping)
RP- Jake McGee (doubtful)
RP- Jared Burton (doubtful)
RP- Ernesto Frieri (most likely, but not sure)
RP- Kerry Wood (RIP)

Thoughts on if I would keep anyone there? This is a pen I built almost solely through the late parts of last year’s draft, so I think I might just drop everyone, except maybe Frieri and/or McGee, and revamp yet again.

So if there’s truly a 10 keeper max — of MLB players — we’re looking at:
C Perez
2B Altuve
SS Ramirez
OF Cespedes
OF Heyward
SP Sale
SP Darvish

I think seven might be an ideal number so I can get in the draft early and start looking at a third baseman and probably another solid starter. Any thoughts, comments, or ridicule to pass my way?