Fantasy Baseball 2024 Running Thread

Yes, this stuff starts earlier and earlier. I already have a keeper list due Jan. 15. That is actually late for us, but we had an owner quit the league and that delayed our cuts by two weeks.

This is an auction keeper. I can keep eight veterans, but I have 12 viable candidates. My options are as follows. Salaries are what they would cost me to keep for 2024. I know Naylor isn't as good as the rest, but it's a 14-team, two-catcher league, so I think I have to consider him.

Austin Riley $20
Yordan Alvarez $21
Nolan Jones $6
Logan Webb $21
Tanner Bibbee $6
Bobby Miller $4
Logan Gilbert $14
Jesus Luzardo $15
Ha-Seong Kim $6
Bo Naylor $6

Zack Gelof $6
Mitch Keller $6

Who would you all keep?

 

Catcher is always an interesting position because I doubt anyone ever really loses ground with a bad one, but a good one is hard to find. I usually look at it like if I don’t get a top 3 C, I don’t invest much in who is back there. Never played two-catcher league, though.

Without knowing your scoring or looking up stats, gut reaction is that I like the top 8 there.

 

Thanks. It is similar to standard scoring, but OBP instead of batting average and wins-plus-quality starts instead of wins.

It is probably going to come down to Kim ($6) or Luzardo ($15). Kim's struggles in September worry me, but he is cheaper and I would prefer a balance of four hitters and four pitchers. I may flip a coin. lol

 

So maybe Gelof over Kim

 

I've thought about that, too. The kid was impressive late last season, but it was a very small sample size. If I'm going to go that route, I would probably keep Naylor because the position is so difficult to fill in a two-catcher league. (Though it will be a little easier with the league contracting from 14 teams to 13.)

 

That time of year again for the strange league where we get to keep any 10. Thankfully, I'm in a better place this year which makes for some tough choices. Frustrating in that it only has starting 9 spots, so I can't start Ohtani, Olson & Harper (who lost his OF eligibility) or more than 2 of Bichette, De La Cruz, Lewis & Cruz. I'm leaning towards keeping some of them anyway and trying to trade, though it's not a very fluid market.
Also, because of all the keeper spots, it's like a dynasty league at the top of the roster which makes Chourio (& Lawler?) tempting. Thoughts?

Hitters
Corbin Carroll
Shohei Ohtani (Batter)
Matt Olson
Bryce Harper
Michael Harris
Bo Bichette
Elly De La Cruz
Royce Lewis
Oneil Cruz
Will Smith
Josh Jung
Vinnie Pasquantino
Zack Gelof
Jackson Chourio
Kerry Carpenter
Nolan Gorman
Jordan Lawlar
Sal Frelick
Ryan O'Hearn
Pete Crow-Armstrong
Jake Rogers

Pitchers
Spencer Strider
Tyler Glasnow
Eury Pérez
Bobby Miller
Tanner Bibee
Carlos Rodón
Bryce Miller
Alex Lange
Ryan Pepiot
Aaron Civale
Eduardo Rodriguez
Andrew Abbott
Michael Wacha
Brandon Woodruff

 

Shohei Ohtani (Batter)
Matt Olson
Bryce Harper
Michael Harris
Bo Bichette
Elly De La Cruz
Spencer Strider
Tyler Glasnow
Bobby Miller
Tanner Bibee

 

Corbin Carroll
Ohtani (Batter)
Matt Olson
Bryce Harper
Spencer Strider
Eury Perez
Bobby Miller
Elly De La Cruz
Royce Lewis
Michael Harris

Part of my thinking with Lewis is that he is eligible at third base. Regarding the three shortstops, it really is a matter of preference. I don't like the trend with Bichette, but he might be a safer choice than the other two.

Harper, Olson, and Ohtani are too good to cut even if you can't start all three all the time. Hopefully, you can trade one at some point. If you decide you can't justify keeping all three, I'd drop Olson and keep Chourio in his place. You could also keep Chouri instead of Harris if you really want to play on the upside. I wouldn't bother with Lawler. He's a good prospect, but not nearly good enough to consider a spot among your 10 keepers.

 

You're that high on Miller and that down on Bichette?

 

Wow. No Carrol? Yes Bibee?

 

I like Miller better than Bibee. The results weren't quite as good in 2023, but Miller has better stuff.

Bichette has stopped running, stealing only five bases in 2023 even with the rule changes meant to encourage steals. His home runs also declined each of the last two seasons. Unless you want to assume the sort of power spike that many hitters have in their late 20s, the trend is not good.

 

I've got a keeper list due Friday, a daily money league on Yahoo. We can keep up to five players. We must keep at least one pitcher and at least one hitter. I will be picking third because two of the teams ahead of me are keeping players that cost them their first-round pick (Jose Ramirez and Corbin Carroll). Picking that high, I'll probably be going for a bat. I'm trying to settle on my last couple of spots.

By the way, players kept last year or drafted cost two rounds higher than their price in 2023. Players who were undrafted cost a 12th-round pick.

Here's my list with the guys I see as locks in bold.

Julio Rodriguez 14
Jesus Luzardo 19
Gleyber Torres 17
Riley Greene 22
Merrill Kelly 16
Ketel Marte 20
Cristian Walker 8
Nolan Jones 12

I like Greene for a 22nd-round pick, but that locks up two outfield spots. I do have two utility spots, so that's not awful. We don't have a middle infield spot, so I'm not sure keeping both Torres and Marte is a good idea.

At the moment, I'm leaning toward Greene and Jones. Jones is eligible at first base as well as the outfield in Yahoo leagues.

Thoughts?