Thinking about Keepers

In L.A. Slackers, Harder's Hitters are still holding down first place, with a nine point lead.

First in runs, home runs, steals, and holds and second in runs batted in, saves, and strikeouts, it's been a successful run so far.

As I think about the five keepers I may want for 2012, here's where things stand.

1. Miguel Cabrera, 1b
2. Curtis Granderson, cf
3. Ian Kinsler, 2b

These three are elite players, even if they play at fairly deep positions in the A.L. Kinsler is an injury risk on an annual basis, and had I been able to move him at the trade deadline I may have been happy with Jason Kipnis, but what I may aim to do is draft Kipnis fairly high, then look to trade one next year.

4. Carlos Santana, c

Because this is an on base league, Santana's .354 isn't a problem, whereas his sub-.240 batting average is in leagues that use it. He will likely end up with mid-20's home runs and trails only Alex Avila and Victor Martinez in A.L. catcher value.

5. Felix Hernandez, sp or Nelson Cruz, rf

This is where it gets tough. Hernandez is not having quite as good a year as in 2010, but he's still one of the best starting pitcher options and would be hard to replace.

Or maybe not. Cruz plays a deep position, has a below average on base percentage, isn't stealing bases the way he used to, and is an injury risk.

Okay, so it's Miguel Cabrera, Curtis Granderson, Ian Kinsler, Carlos Santana, and Felix Hernandez.