We’re about to begin our annual draft, and I’d sure appreciate some advice on ranking these OFs for a long-term keeper league:

Steven Pearce, Rick Ankiel, Jack Cust, Reggie Willits and Josh Hamilton.

Thanks much for any comments!

Alan

For anyone to give you a meaningful answer, we’ll need to know at a minimum:
1.  What stat categories count?
2.  What are the keeper rules for your league?
3.  What are the rules for DH position eligibility (thinking of Cust here)?

>>For anyone to give you a meaningful answer, we’ll need to know at a minimum:
1.  What stat categories count?
2.  What are the keeper rules for your league?
3.  What are the rules for DH position eligibility (thinking of Cust here)? >>

Thanks for responding.  Sorry I wasn’t clearer - I am new here.

1.  These are for an APBA (BBW) league.  Only the major categories (BA, PA, HR, RBI, SB, SBA) count to any degree. 

2.  We can keep 28 players from one season to the next.  During a season, we can have 35 players, plus four “prospects” who’ve yet to appear in an MLB game.

3.  We use the same DH rules as MLB.

Thanks again,

Alan

http://WWW.BASEBALLREPLAYS.COM

I recommend you place Josh Hamilton at the top of the list based purely on age and upside. If he can ever get his head straight and perform healthy for a full season he is capable of big things. I think within the next couple years he will be a lock for .280, 25-30 HR, 70-90 RBIs. He doesn’t get many SB so it kinda depends on your weakness here because Willits is the obvious choice if you need help there.

If Hamilton matures in Texas he could be hitting cleanup for a long time with no real power threat left in that lineup with Big Tex gone and Blalock struggling. Right now the Rangers list Milton Bradley as their cleanup hitter and we all now how long he will last there. Give or take 40-75 games before he either strangles that stupid Horse Mascot or goes down with a dislocated pinky toe. Plus that stadium plays into Power Hitters, was ranked number 5 in this stat in 2006: http://sports.espn.go.com/mlb/stats/parkfactor?season=2006.