While most of the people interested in minor league prospects are in AL or NL-only keeper leagues, there are some redraft leagues that allow teams to pick three minor league players after their auction and then if those players are not activated, they can carry them over to the next season.
This is a nice idea to blend in a little forward looking twist for team management and it also gives some rationale for trades which are often hard to make in redraft leagues. You should broach it to your league mates if you feel your redraft league is getting a little stale.
Another idea to help keep people interested in the top minor league prospects or even a non-prospect at the beginning of the year that might soon be able to help your fantasy team is to allow teams to acquire minor leaguers via FAAB. This is best saved for larger leagues with very short benches because then there is so much value for the roster slot that teams at the top of the league will have a hard time adding a Javier Baez, Kris Bryant, Dylan Bundy or Micah Johnson. But the teams lower in the standings might take a shot on one of them, hoping that if they come up soon they could help them move up in the standings.
But keeper leagues are where minor leaguers have the most value, and I thought as we are now in Super 2 days with Oscar Taveras, the Cardinals young outfielder, and Houston first baseman Jon Singleton recently called up, I would look at the last two seasons of first-round draft picks in an AL-only league.
Mind you, this league has very deep FARM rosters with teams able to keep minor league prospects previously acquired for five dollars each year and then drafting five new players each year. So it is not unusual for a team to have a stable of 20 American League prospects (although the average is probably 10-12). Teams in this league can and often do draft top college and high school prospects, hoping to catch a Carlos Correa in the process but knowing they lose the player if drafted by an NL team.
In 2013, here was the first round:
1.01 Addison Russell, SS, Oakland
1.02 Jonathan Singleton, 1B, Houston
1.03 George Springer, OF, Houston
1.04 Trevor Bauer, P, Cleveland
1.05 Courtney Hawkins, OF, Chicago
1.06 Delino Deshields, 2B, Houston
1.07 Austin Wilson, OF, College
1.08 Bruce Rondon, P, Detroit
1.09 Anthony Gose, OF, Toronto
1.10 Kyle Zimmer, P, Kansas City
1.11 Adalberto Raul Mondesi, SS, Kansas City
Bauer, Springer and Gose were already activated by their teams in this league and Singleton (if not traded this week) likely will be activated next week.
Here are the minor league picks from this April:
1.01 Rougned Odor, 2B, Texas
1.02 Trea Turner, SS, College
1.03 Johan Santana, P, MIN (>BAL)
1.04 Colby Lewis, P, Texas
1.05 Matt Davidson, 3B, Chicago
1.06 D.J. Peterson, 3B, Seattle
1.07 Alex Jackson, OF, High School
1.08 Henry Owens, P, Boston
1.09 Kohl Stewart, P, Minnesota
1.10 Scott Diamond, P, Minnesota
1.11 Devon Travis, 2B, Detroit
Yes, you read some of those older names right – the flip side to those looking younger are owners who are specifically looking for help this year and hoping a veteran pitcher who is on a minor league contract (not on DL or in extended spring training without a contract) will be brought up and bolster a roster or be a nice keeper for next year.
As the Trea Turner and Alex Jackson owners can attest, it will also make this Thursday a bit like Christmas morning – well as long as their player doesn’t wind up being an NLump of coal. {jcomments on}