MLB NEWS

Friday, March 29, 2013

Rules Issues to be Voted on at the Draft

Before the draft begins, we will have to discuss some rule changes, so think about some of these issues before tomorrow and we'll vote on them before the draft:

1. Eliminate pitcher streaming - We can't have it so that someone can pick up as many pitchers as they want in order to take wins and K's. Well, we can, but I think it's kind of unfair. There are a few different ways to salve this problem. One would be a category change: changing K's to K/9 and changing W's to quality starts or adding losses. This keeps you from piling up starters to get the highest totals, but you may also be able to stream for quality starts and I'm not a fan of adding an extra pitching category (losses).

Another solution is enforcing an innings pitched limit or a moves limit. By creating a season lone moves limit or a weekly moves limit, you would have to choose you pick-ups wisely and you couldn't really "stream" as much as spot start.

We could also use a free agent acquisition budget with no $0 bids allowed, this would limit everyone to less than 100 moves on the season (a mark only a handful have passed over 5 seasons), and they would have to place the highest bids for the players they want.

There's also the option to change nothing. In five years we've only had a couple of minor accusations and for the most part everyone is trustworthy. I'm just trying to eliminate gray areas.

Personally I'm a fan of the moves limit. It doesn't change the landscape of the league too much but will keep someone in check if they are doing too much streaming. I would set it around 4 or 5 per week but that's something we can vote on as well.


2. Money - It's going to be $50, $75, or $100. Bring $100, prepare to vote on it.

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Commish Says: Bring a Laptop to the Draft!

Hey everyone,

         So to avoid the usual problems involved with having a giant poster board to write all of the names on, I think we are going to switch up the format. I have created a google document to keep track of the draft, (much like what I did for the fantasy football playoffs). If everyone brings their computer then they will be able to open up the document and see me type in the picks as they are made.

         This will eliminate the following problems/inconveniences:
                  1. I don't have to buy/ fill out a draft board with the selection order including traded draft picks
                  2. No one will have to write in every pick at the draft
                  3. No one will complain bout having to write in every pick at the draft
                  4. You can use ctrl+f to see if the player you are about to draft has already been taken
                  5. It will be easier for me to enter picks post draft when there is no poor handwriting to read or                       weird spellings to figure out


If people still want the draft board we can arrange that, I just feel like this will be easier and more convenient.  It's live cyber drafting! It's the way of the future! embrace it!

Saturday, March 23, 2013

Lottery Results: Dan Alber is #1

The lottery results are in! The results are as follows:

1. Dan (22%)
2. Brad (17%)
3. Andy (9%)
4. Eric (33%)
5. Perka (5%)
6. Greg (14%)


Friday, March 22, 2013

Breaking News: Rose/Travers Joint Venture for Last Spot


             Finally, the position has been filled. After 7 days of back and forth, complete with long discussions and rigorous interviews, the 12th manager spot has finally been filled. Commissioner Russell Travers, his older brother Richie Travers, and friend of The Franchise Eric Rose came to an agreement late last night that would allow for both managers to get in on the league in the form of a 90/10 split.

          “Eric Rose will be there at the draft to select the team, but Richie will be the manager” Russ Travers said in an interview, “Eric wasn’t comfortable putting up the money to take on such a crappy team, and Richie wanted the team but couldn’t make the draft, so this is a perfect compromise.” Richie will also put up 90% of the funding while Eric will cover the rest and will take home 10% of the winnings if by some miracle they finish in the top 3. 

          Once again, commish shows everyone why they pay him the big bucks. despite two managers quitting without a lot of notice, the spots have been filled with time to spare and we should have full attendance at the draft.

          “I’d like to be able to draft but still, I’m excited, I like building a team from the ground up” said Richie, who will be on a plane to Texas for business while the draft is taking place. The older Travers brother is no stranger to fantasy baseball, as he has spent the last ten seasons managing a team in the Diamond Dynasty, another Westwood based fantasy league.

          Rose is also a fantasy baseball vet and has spent two years playing the The Franchise fantasy football league. The combination of Rose drafting and Travers managing should add a formidable new look team into the league.
The agreement also brought upon a very important change. Eric & Richie are changing their keepers. They have switched out Carlos Gomez in favor of Mark Trumbo, so plan accordingly in your draft preparation.

Monday, March 18, 2013

McCauley Closing in on Manager Position


The latest word from the league front office is that Tom McCauley is the front runner for the new manager position. McCauley, who was recommended by The Franchise’s newly hired manager Bryan Bart, has confirmed an interest in the league, stating, “I could def fuck with fantasy baseball."

The response around the league has been enthusiastic towards the possible new hire, 
“I’d say good fit, another kid who loves his sports and would always pay attention I feel” one manager said in a private conference.

“I think the new crop of managers is adding a lot of personality and excitement” said another. 

The possible addition of Tom along with the addition of Bart could certainly inject some energy into a league that usually goes on life support from early June to late July.

“I’ve played in fantasy leagues with Tom, he’s not afraid to say what’s on his mind, you can’t have enough of that attitude” Commissioner Russ Travers said in a Monday interview, “I’m going to be thankful to whoever takes this job on short notice with subpar keepers."

As far as the state of the team is concerned, there has also been a discussion among league officials to provide some sort of “compensation package” to the newest manager including draft picks and a possible amnesty clause. Stay tuned for further developments.

Sunday, March 17, 2013

Some Keeper Facts


One Club Men
          Since the inaugural draft in 2008, these 4 players have played for one team and one team only, always kept, never traded, and never released from the roster*:
-David Wright, 5th overall pick, Brad Calandrella
-Miguel Cabrera, 10th overall pick, Eddie Perkins
-Tim Lincecum, 65th overall pick, Ryan Fitzgibbon/Dan Alber
-Evan Longoria, 182nd pick, Russ Travers
*Knocked off the list this year: Alex Rodriguez (Mark), Jose Reyes (Greg), Ichiro Suzuki (Roland), Mark Teixeira (Pru/Andy)
         
Five other players drafted in 2008 have never been released back out into the draft. They have been kept every year, but not by the manager who drafted them.
-Hanley Ramirez, 2nd overall pick, Zack Hanrahan, TRADED in
2010 to John DeMovellan

-Albert Pujols, 7th overall pick, Chris Pflanz, TRADED in
2008 to Russ Travers

-Ryan Braun, 18th overall pick, Chris Pflanz, TRADED in 2008
to Mark Chirokas

-C.C. Sabathia, 19th overall pick, Matt Pru, TRADED in 2008
to Chris Pflanz

-Dustin Pedroia, 85th overallpick, Zack Hanrahan, TRADED in
2011 to Greg Thompson


Face of the Team
Of the nine keepers listed above, all of them have been kept for the maximum 5 years. Maybe you didn’t end up with one of these sure things, but there was also a handful of guys taken in the 2009 draft who have stayed with the team that drafted them for four years, never dropped or traded*:
-Prince Fielder, 17th overall pick, Brad Calandrella
-Jacoby Ellsbury, 20th overall pick, Ryan Fitzgibbon/Dan Alber**
-Justin Verlander, 153rd overall pick, Eddie Perkins**

*knocked off this list this year: Roy Halladay (Roland), Carl Crawford (Johnny), Joe Mauer (Greg)

**Although these players haven’t been kept every year, they have played for only one team over four years.

Two other players drafted in 2009 have never been released back out into the draft. They have been kept every year but not by the manager who drafted them.

-Felix Hernandez, 
68th overall pick, Gibbon/Dan Alber TRADED in 2010 to Matt Keaveney 


-Justin Upton, 112th 
overall pick, Eddie Perkins TRADED in 2009 to John DeMovellan

Team Vets
If you haven’t guessed what’s coming next, this next category is for players drafted in 2010 who have stayed with their respective team, never dropped or traded:
-Robinson Cano, 27th overall pick, Russ Travers
-Carlos Gonzalez, 75th overall pick, Russ Travers
-Josh Hamilton, 55th overall pick, Andy Musto
-Jose Bautista, free agent, Andy Musto
-Jered Weaver, 63rd overall pick, Brad Calandrella
-Joey Votto, 19th overall pick, Chris Pflanz
-Andrew McCutchen, 33rd overall pick, Matt Keaveney
-Ian Kinsler, 8th overall pick, Eddie Perkins


Two other players drafted in 2010 have never been released back out into the draft. They have been kept every year but not by the manager who drafted them.

-Adrian Gonzalez, Matt Keaveney, TRADED to Dan Alber 2010

-Troy Tulowitzki, Russ Travers, TRADED to John DeMovellan in 2010


How Did We Get Our Keepers?




There are three ways to obtain a player in this league,
drafting, trading, and free agent acquisitions. This year, we had keepers come
from all three methods, here’s a team by team breakdown:

Andy
Draft: Hamilton ’10, Hamels ’11, Heyward ‘12
Free Agency: Bautista ‘10

Brad
Draft: Wright ’08, Fielder ’09, Weaver ’10, Encarnacion ‘12

Bryan
Draft: Strasburg ’11, Kershaw ’11, Cain ’12, Bourn ‘12

Dan
Draft: Lincecum ’08, Ellsbury ’09, Stanton ‘11
Trade: Gonzalez ‘10

Eddie
Draft: Cabrera ’08, Verlander ’09, Kinsler ’10, Kemp ‘11

Greg
Draft: Bumgarner ’12, Jones ’12, Harper ‘12
Trade: Pedroia ‘11

John
Draft: M. Trout ‘12
Trade: Upton ’09, Ramirez ’10, Tulowitzki ‘10

Matt
Draft: McCutchen ’10, Beltre ’12, Butler ‘12
Trade: Hernandez ‘09

Mark
Draft: Braun ’08, Bruce ’12, Posey ‘12, Price ‘12

Pflanz
Draft: Votto ’10, Castro ’12, Zobrist ‘12
Trade: Sabathia ‘08

Russ
Draft: Longoria ’08, Cano ’10, Gonzalez ‘10
Trade: Pujols ‘08

???
Draft: Andrus ’11, Gomez ’12, Scherzer ‘12
Trade: Granderson ‘10


79% Drafted, 19% traded for, 2% acquired off FA


Other stats

Average Age of Keepers: 28

7 Under 25 (15%) vs. 15 over 30 (31%)

Youngest keepers: Greg, avg. age = 24.75
Youngest -B. Harper, 20

Oldest keepers: Brad, avg. age = 29.5
                   Oldest -Pujols/Beltre, 33

24 AL keepers vs. 24 NL keepers

16 new keepers vs. 32 kept in years past

1 C, 6 1B, 3 2B, 5 3B, 4 SS, 16 OF, 12 SP

36 hitters (75%) vs. 12 pitchers (25%)

Russ, Dan, and Perka have the exact same keepers as last year (three straight years for the Commish)

Jose Bautista is the only 2013 keeper to have never been drafted in The Franchise.

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Breaking News - Hanrahan: "my heart is not in it anymore"



Zack Hanrahan shook things up in a big way for The Franchise as he abruptly announced his resignation from the league via Facebook a mere 15 days before the draft. Hanrahan had been MIA the entire offseason, his only league activity coming when he renewed his team for the 2013 season on February 21st.

 “I apologize for the lateness, but [I] will be resigning as well. It has been fun, or at least back in the day, my heart is not in it anymore.He said in his official statement, which came out on Friday night at 8:15pm, less than four hours from the keeper deadline.  The news came out of nowhere, as no one had heard from him in weeks.

The feeling around the league has ranged from anger to confusion to sorrow. Defending league champion John DeMovellan could barely muster a comment, “I’m not even mad, just sad. What happened?” Reportedly DeMovellan was the last one to hear from Hanrahan in the form of a missed phone call less than a week ago.

Other managers are shocked more than anything, as evidenced by the abundance of comments on Zack’s wall post. One anonymous fan of the league even texted in to express his displeasure, “Not even part of the league but that is soo weak”.

Commissioner Russ Travers finally spoke on the matter at a Saturday press conference, “It’s disappointing, when you compare the way Roland [Zhou] left with this…I just don’t know” Although Zhou announced his resignation after a draft date was already set, it was still well before the keeper deadline, and gave ample time for the league front office to find a replacement.

Zhou posted a classy farewell on the Facebook wall days later, which earned the approval of the league by way of 9 “likes”, essentially 100% of the league (excluding new manager Bryan Bart, and Facebook ghosts Hanrahan and Andy Musto).

The commissioner didn’t dwell long on the nature of Hanrahan’s departure and spoke more towards what has to happen in the coming two weeks, “I started the search for a new manager last night, and we’re going to try to find a replacement as soon as possible.” Although Travers did express some concern as to the difficulty of the process, “Finding a replacement for Zhou was easy, he worked hard to build up some great keepers. This is a different story, this is a last place team without a lot of keeper talent, I’m just hoping we can find someone willing to take the job.”

The team is coming off a last place finish in 2012, the worst season of Zack’s 5 year Franchise career. His keepers (assigned by the league based on Yahoo O-Rank) are Curtis Granderson, Elvis Andrus, Carlos Gomez, and Max Scherzer, not exactly championship material.

The Commissioner ended his Saturday press conference on a melancholy note, as this marks the 2nd manager of the 10 remaining “originals” to resign this pre-season, “Of course I love the kid and the league will miss him, I just wish it could have ended differently.”

The league had held a 100% retention rate for the last two years, but Hanrahan’s departure makes him the fourth of the original twelve Franchise managers to resign since 2008.

For those of you looking for my annual keeper analysis article come back tomorrow, clearly couldn’t get it done today.

Friday, March 15, 2013

Official Keeper List

This post will be updated throughout the day:

Greg B. Harper A. Jones D. Pedroia M. Bumgarner
Russ R. Cano C. Gonzalez E. Longoria A. Pujols
Mark R. Braun J. Bruce B. Posey D. Price
John H. Ramirez M. Trout T. Tulowitzki J. Upton
Brad E. Encarnacion P. Fielder J. Weaver D. Wright
Bart M. Bourn M. Cain C. Kershaw S. Strasburg
? E. Andrus C. Gomez C. Granderson M. Scherzer
Andy J. Bautista J. Hamilton J. Heyward C. Hamels
Dan J. Ellsbury A. Gonzalez T. Lincecum G. Stanton
Keeves A. Beltre B. Butler F. Hernandez A. McCutchen
Pflanz S. Castro C. Sabathia J. Votto B. Zobrist
Perka M. Cabrera M. Kemp I. Kinsler J. Verlander


Let me know if anything here is incorrect. Full keeper analysis article coming tomorrow.
The team formerly known as Zack's will keep the top four ranked players according to Yahoo. A replacement search has already commenced, but honestly those keepers are so shitty who would want that team?


Thursday, March 14, 2013

Lottery Date Set, Customized Schedules in the Works


The commissioner made two announcements this morning addressing both the draft lottery and the schedule for this season. The draft lottery will take place on Sunday March 24th. The reason the lottery must come so far before the draft is due to traded draft picks. In order for the Commish to make the draft board, the draft order will have to be known beforehand.

The Lottery shouldn’t take more than a minute and is therefore not a public event. However, Travers is not a part of the lottery so there would be no reason for tampering (and screw you guys if you actually think I would cheat). The results of the lottery will be posted on the blog so be sure to take a look on Sunday night at 8:00 pm.

The chances at the first pick are as follows:
Zack…33%
Dan…22%
Brad…17%
Greg…14%
Andy…9%
Perka…5%














The other announcement is a new feature in the league. The commissioner will be designing a custom schedule including rivalry weeks to make things more exciting. Week 1 will include a rematch of the championship (John vs. Bart) and the 3rd place consolation (Pflanz vs. Keeves). Every team will still play each other twice, but don’t be alarmed if your schedule is messed up right now, it will be fixed by draft day.

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Breaking News: Bart is Newest Franchise Manager


            The search is over. Commissioner Russ Travers has confirmed that mystery dark horse candidate Bryan Bart will become the newest member of The Franchise. After three rounds of interviews, Bart was chosen as the new face of Roland Zhou’s old squad, beating out candidates Eric Rose, Richie Travers, and Jesse Wolf for the spot.

            Rose took the news in elegant fashion, stating in a text to the commissioner: “Thank you for the opportunity” and a bunch of other classy diplomatic shit that makes for a terrible blog post. Richie Travers, who was out of the running as of yesterday afternoon, could not be reached for comment. Jesse Wolf was never once seriously considered. Ever.


            Bart only entered consideration after personally contacting the Commissioner on March 10th just after midnight. “I hadn’t even considered him when he reached out. He’s actually been on The Franchise waiting list for a long time” Travers said. Bart's candidacy has been kept in secret until now, which has created quite a buzz amongst fellow managers and fans. Speculation for the “mystery candidate” has ranged from Matt Pru or Brian Pender, to Travers’ friend from grad school Xun Du, who, up until 24 hours ago (when I explained to him how to play) did not understand the game of baseball.


            Some concern has been expressed as to the lack of a democratic process in choosing a new manager. “Ultimately my decision was based on availability, personality, game knowledge and best ‘fit’ for the league at this time” Travers said in a league statement, “There was no vote, I can only hope the league trusts my judgment on this one. I think giving him a chance to prove himself is the best way to go about the situation.”


            “Never even thought of him…I’m all for it” League official and five year manager Brad Calandrella said, surprised upon hearing the news. “[I’d]rather him over Richie [Travers] I guess, less competition.”


But Bart isn’t going to be starting from scratch, he’s inheriting a championship runner-up team meticulously built over the years by a seasoned veteran. With Clayton Kershaw, Stephen Strasburg, Cliff, Lee, Matt Cain, and Yu Darvish all keeper possibles, The window for a championship is wide open. 

“That team was Zhou's baby, he’s got a chance to make some big waves right out of the gate, this is the best situation a new manager has been in going into his first year.” Said Travers. Bart will join Andy Musto and Dan Alber as the only manager who have not been with the league for the full 6 year history. They both began their Franchise managerial careers with a 9th place finish.


“Holy shit I’m excited… I’m so pumped this is my first legit fantasy baseball league” Bart announced at his introductory press conference. But he's no stranger to fantasy sports, fantasy football is Bart's game, he's the commissioner of his own competitive fantasy football league, in which Travers has had a team for the last 2 years.


With the drama of a vacant managerial spot behind us it’s time to focus on the upcoming keeper deadline (Friday) and draft (March 30th). To echo Bart’s final words in his midday press conference:  “I think this is gonna be a lotta fun.”

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Older Travers Out of Consideration for New Hire


News came out earlier today that Richie Travers' name has been removed from consideration for the new manager position. Commissioner Russ Travers told sources that his older brother was eliminated from the candidate pool due to scheduling conflicts.


"I'm looking for full attendance at the draft this year, that's something we haven't had in a few years now. It really enhances the draft experience when no one is over the phone or skyping in. You have to make the draft. That's a major requirement."


Richie took the news in stride "I appreciate the opportunity. I knew it was a long shot but I was happy to be considered. Maybe we can get together down the road." Travers said earlier in the blandest interview of all time.


As the interview process moves along, it has been confirmed that only 2 serious candidates remain in line to take the position; Eric Rose, and a mystery candidate whose name has yet to be revealed to the public. Rose, who had a draft in a separate league on Sunday night, has confirmed that he will be in Westwood on March 30th.

Monday, March 11, 2013

Keeves Answers Keeper Questions: Butler over Gio in 2013


            Although keepers aren’t due until this Friday at midnight, several managers have already made it clear who their four keepers will be. Russ Travers, John DeMovellan, and Mark Chirokas have already made their keepers public and on Monday afternoon, Matthew “Keeves” Keaveney became the newest member of the club, announcing that Billy Butler would be the fourth member of his pre-draft squad.

            Butler will join Andrew McCutchen, Adrian Beltre, and Felix Hernandez as Keeves’ 2013 keepers, a formidable group that I have now ranked 6th among this year’s teams (adjusted from 7th without Butler). Butler beats out Gio Gonzalez and Alex Gordon for the final spot, a move that not many saw coming. In a brief interview over the weekend, Keeves expressed some concern about the recent PED allegations surrounding Gonzalez among others. With a possible suspension looming, it seems Keeves will play it safe with Butler rather than risk losing a keeper for 50 games.

            This will be the first time Butler will be kept in his six year franchise career. He first entered the league in 2008, as the 15th round pick (after keepers) of Chirokas but was dropped in late April. Chirokas would go on to win the 2008 championship but Butler finished as a member of the 6th place Zhou Dynasty. Since then Butler has moved around quite a bit, playing partial seasons for DeMovellan twice (‘09 & ‘10), Zhou a second time (’09), Zack Hanrahan (’10), and a full season for Eddie Perkins (’11), finally finding a home with Keeves as his 4th round (after keepers) pick of the 2012 draft. Butler had career highs in homers (29) and runs batted in (107) in 2012 and at 26 years old, the future is bright for the Royals 1B/DH.

            With his keepers in place, and the 9th pick in the upcoming draft, Keeves will look to improve on his career year in 2012; in which his team made the playoffs for the first time and finished in 4th place.

Sunday, March 10, 2013

The Interview Process Begins


Saturday and Sunday mark the first round of interviews for the recently vacated manager position in The Franchise. We caught up with Commissioner Russ Travers to get a progress report. “We know there are deadlines coming soon but we won’t be rushing to any decisions here.” Travers went on to say that the keeper deadline could be pushed back a few days if a decision is not made by Friday March 15th.

An undisclosed source has let on that three candidates have stood out above the rest; commissioner’s brother Richie Travers, Franchise football league member Eric Rose, and a mystery contender who seems to be creating quite a buzz. 

“I’m excited about the opportunity to join another respected league. My brother never shuts up about this one so it must be a pretty decent league” Richie said in an interview yesterday. He is a current member of the Diamond Dynasty, another Westwood based fantasy baseball league going on its ninth season. While he can’t be present for the live draft, he would quickly become the most experienced manager in the league.

Eric Rose is the commissioner of his own fantasy baseball league, a quality which may appeal to seven-time league Commissioner Travers. He is also familiar with The Franchise already, having managed in The Franchise football league for the last two season, both times finishing in 6th place.

According to reports the third candidate sought out Travers to ask for the position late last night. The commissioner could not be reached for comment because he was on a date with a girl and totally got laid. 


Saturday, March 9, 2013

Breaking News - Zhou: "Start looking for a replacement"


Further updates were made yesterday afternoon regarding the case of Roland Zhou’s attendance at this year’s draft. The draft will take place at the legendary “Musto’s Basement” in Westwood, where it has been held for the last 2 years. After announcing on Tuesday that he couldn’t physically be in attendance, recent reports have stated that Roland will not be able to Skype in or draft over the phone.

            “I’m just completely not available at all on the 30th/31st…looks like auto-draft or just replace me with a new manager” a crestfallen Zhou told reporters on Friday. When asked if he would rather have his team picked for him or have the league bring in a new manager he responded, “start looking for a replacement I guess.” Reasons for his absence are not public at this time.

            Commissioner Russ Travers spoke on the matter early  this morning, “Every year I try to plan things earlier, but …get[ting] everyone available for a whole day isn’t easy. I want Roland in this league, he’s been with us since day 1, but we only have a limited window and the date has been set.”

            When asked if he had any leads on replacement possibilities Travers gave no comment. Sources speculate that it’s possible that a member of The Franchise fantasy football league could make the jump, as 5 members of the baseball chapter already participate in both leagues. There’s also the possibility of Travers’ brother and long-time fantasy baseball manager, Richie “2.0” stepping in to fill the void.

This is the second straight year that Zhou will not be attending the draft, although last year he was able to successfully draft through texting/online support. He ended up coming in 2nd place and winning $150.

Friday, March 8, 2013

Expected Keepers


One of the most underrated annual events of The Franchise season is always the keeper deadline. That’s why I’m here. I’d like to point out that this day (which falls on March 15th this year) not only kicks off the fantasy baseball season, it also allows us to take one last fond look at the previous year’s squad. It gives you one last chance to call these guys “your guys”. It’s always fun to peruse your old roster and say things like, “Hey I got R.A. Dickey off free agency in May, and he won the Cy Young!”, or “Why the hell did I think it was smart to have Ryan Howard’s fat ass sit on my DL spot for 65% of the season only to come back and hit .204??” It’s a fun way to close the book on your 2012 roster and start anew in 2013, not to mention the entertainment we can glean from speculating on everyone else’s keepers.
Every year I’ve done some sort of prediction article and every year I’ve gotten at least a handful of them wrong. It’s yet another one of the things that makes fantasy sports so amusing. Everyone has their own opinion, people view the player pool from their own biased standpoint and therefore I’ll never be able to predict these correctly. For every manager that thinks like me (John, Pflanz), there’s always two more that I can never figure out (Keeves, Zack, Dan, Greg), and I like it that way. I really enjoy trying to piece together out who’s keeping who, and then harshly judging you on your wrong decisions, who wouldn’t?
So here is an updated list of expected keepers, from the boring obvious choices to the argument-inducing not so obvious ones, ranked by best expected keepers, from worst to first.

12. Zack
Locked In: None
On The Fence: Elvis Andrus, Carlos Gomez, Curtis Granderson, Anibal Sanchez, Max Scherzer, Mark Trumbo
Prediction: Andrus, Granderson, Trumbo & Scherzer
Bottom Line: How did this happen? I knew Zack’s squad struggled last year but wow, this is a sorry bunch. Granderson, his only superstar, will be out until at least the first week in May, and he’s got NOBODY else. He’s kept Andrus for a few years now so I think he continues that trend. Even with Granderson missing the first month of the season (maybe more), he’s clearly one of his best options. Zack is definitely a fan of Trumbo and Gomez, but I think only one of them will stay on his pre-draft roster, my bet is that he wants to have at least one pitcher going into the draft. I think he takes Scherzer with his pitching choice and the power upside of Trumbo to balance out the speed of Andrus and Granderson. Zack could not be reached for comment. How does anyone reach Zack? No Facebook, no texting, won’t answer phonecalls, my pidgeons can’t even find him…guy is a ghost.

11. Pflanz
Locked In: Joey Votto, Starlin Castro
On The Fence: Aroldis Chapman, Ian Desmond, Martin Prado, Aramis Ramirez, C.C. Sabathia, Shane Victorino, Ben Zobrist
Prediction: Zobrist & Sabathia
Bottom Line: Once he gets past the top two, Pflanz has his work cut out for him. Not only will this be a tough decision to fill the last two spots, but his remaining choices aren’t too stellar. Let’s boil down the choices: An unknown source has let slip that Chapman and Desmond aren’t really a part of the discussion. Prado and Vicorino seem like unlikely choices, as Prado’s numbers have declined and Pflanz’s relationship with Red Sox players has soured after the demise of Kevin Youkilis. Ramirez is usually a solid play but will be out most of spring training with a knee sprain, and that may be enough to get overlooked. Zobrist is probably his best choice, and we know that C.C. has been a keeper of his for years now, so I’m thinking he takes Zobrist for value reasons and Sabathia for sentimental ones. Overall, some of the weakest keepers in the league.

10. Dan
Locked In: Jacoby Ellsbury, Adrian Gonzalez, Giancarlo Stanton
On The Fence: Desmond Jennings, Tim Lincecum, Mike Moustakas
Prediction: Lincecum
Bottom Line: Alber has all but confirmed that it is Lincecum’s spot to lose, stating a “90%” chance the former Cy Young winner would complete his pre-draft roster. When he originally started cleaning house for draft picks at the trading deadline, Dan deliberately hung on to Ellsbury, Gonzalez, Stanton, and Lincecum for keeper purposes. Jennings may be the younger, sexier pick, but Alber will have plenty of chances to snatch him up with his crazy amount of stockpiled draft picks.

9. Greg
Locked In: Bryce Harper, Adam Jones, Dustin Pedroia
On The Fence: Jose Reyes, Paul Goldschmidt, Ryan Zimmerman, Madison Bumgarner, Yoenis Cespedes, Brett, Lawrie, Adam Wainwright, Chris Sale, Paul Konerko
Prediction: Bumgarner
Bottom Line: Greg is a manager who I can never quite predict. This year’s he’s got one of the toughest keeper decisions to make in the league. He has confirmed the first three via text (although all of the names are so close that I could see that changing). Harper and Pedroia seem to be surefire keepers and Greg is a fan of Baltimore product Adam Jones, so I think we can tentatively lock in those three names. The fourth keeper is a true challenge; all of those guys are in the same tier of players, right around 40-60 in the overall ranks. The problem is that there are so many valid choices. He has to pick one out of those nine names! That’s a good problem to have, Greg did a great job drafting last year and should see it pay off this year and in the future, I think he goes pitcher here and keeps Bumgarner, but this is my least confident prediction, he could go anywhere with this one.

8. Andy
Locked In: Jose Bautista, Cole Hamels, Josh Hamilton
On The Fence: Jason Heyward, Aaron Hill, Mark Teixeira, Matt Weiters
Prediction: Heyward
Bottom Line: Teixiera is on a sharp decline riddled with injuries, Hill is solid but not keeper material, Weiters is on here for shits and gigs. I don’t think this decision is that hard. I actually don’t even think Andy thinks it’s that hard. My theory is that if he had his four keepers set a week before the deadline he wouldn’t be happy. He needed to be mulling over this decision every time he went ice fishing. He needed to be contemplating something while he watched MLB network in December (seriously, who does that?). He needed something to ponder during Bruins intermissions. I know it’s Heyward, you know it’s Heyward, he knows it’s Heyward. He’s overthinking it, and he knows it, so just let him overthink it for a little while longer.

7. Keeves
Locked In: Andrew McCutchen, Adrian Beltre
On The Fence: Billy Butler, Gio Gonzalez, Alex Gordon, Felix Hernandez
Prediction: Gonzalez & Hernandez
Bottom Line: Here’s another guy who’s impossible to predict. I think left, he goes right, I predict he keeps a shortstop, he goes with a closer. I can’t read him, but this year I’m going to try to stay a step ahead. I know this will be wrong, but here’s my reasoning as to why it could be (could be) right. McCutchen is a top 5 talent and Beltre is as reliable as they come, so I feel like these two are no-brainers. Then things get dicey. People are excited about Butler this year, and Gordon had a solid season following his breakout in 2011. However, he never gets recognized for this (mostly because Roland is in the league), but Keeves likes his pitching, a lot, which means King Felix is a must. One spot left, did I mention Keeves puts emphasis on pitching? He’ll be mighty happy with Felix and Gio as his 1-2 punch, now let’s sit back and watch him make me look dumb.

6. Brad
Locked In: Prince Fielder, David Wright, Jered Weaver
On The Fence: Edwin Encarnacion, Matt Holliday, Brandon Phillips
Prediction: Encarnacion
Bottom Line: Fielder and Wright are obvious, and Brad has confirmed that Weaver will be #3. The fourth keeper however is giving Brad some major problems. I’ve discussed Brad’s keepers with him over a beer more times than I can count since the end of last season, and at this point, I just want it to be over. Encarnacion is typically ranked the highest of his remaining options, but Brad has shown some hesitancy to trust the third baseman after just one productive season. Holliday hasn’t been the same since Pujols left and Phillips isn’t quite keeper material, so I think Brad will go with the most upside here and go for round 2 with the Blue Jay.

5. Zhou (???)
Locked In: Clayton Kershaw, Stephen Strasburg
On The Fence: Michael Bourn, Matt Cain, Yu Darvish, Cliff Lee
Prediction: Bourn & Lee
Bottom Line: Tough prediction to make because I actually don’t know who will end up drafting this team. I’m assuming if someone inherits the team he’s going to want to keep at least one offensive player (Bourn), then again, it might be a dumb move letting Darvish or Cain back into the draft pool as either would be a first round pick. This all depends on who drafts this team, and it’s been confirmed by several sources that it probably won’t be Zhou.

4. Mark
Locked In: Ryan Braun, David Price, Buster Posey, Jay Bruce
Bottom Line: Not a lot of thought needed to go into this one. Braun is atop a lot of expert’s rankings, and Price, Posey, and Bruce are all young stars on the rise. Mark is making a big jump from his 2012 keeper list (which included Matt Moore and Michael Morse), describing his 2013 group as “legit…first four round material”. Now I do have to take a quick moment to salute the #1 pick of the first ever Franchise draft, after being the longest owned player in the history of the league, from March 21st, 2008 to next Friday night at midnight, Alex Rodriguez will not be kept.

3. John
Locked In: Mike Trout, Troy Tulowitzki, Hanley Ramirez, Justin Upton
Bottom Line: For John, it’ll be the same keepers as last year except for one obvious change. Rookie of the year and MVP runner up Mike Trout will take the place of Carl Crawford on this year’s pre-draft roster. These keepers are once again near the top of the league and at prime positions as well. It’s important to note that the champ has been extra vocal on the message boards this season and seems intent on becoming the bully of the league this year, stating at a recent press conference, “This is Trout’s league now, everyone should be scared. I’m ready to defend my title.”

2. Eddie
Locked In: Miguel Cabrera, Justin Verlander, Matt Kemp
On The Fence: Ian Kinsler, Pablo Sandoval, Yovani Gallardo
Prediction: Kinsler
Bottom Line: Manager Eddie Perkins revealed the most obvious three of his four keepers on Thursday evening, then toyed with reporters texting, “4th is a surprise”. His big 3 are untouchable, all in the top 10 and a cut above the competition, but after careful roster review the clear choice for keeper #4 will be Ian Kinsler. Sandoval had a great postseason and Gallardo would be a formidable number 2 starter but Perkins has been a Kinsler owner for years now, and knows he beats out the other options. Same keepers as last year and I know what you’re saying, “big deal, he didn’t even make the playoffs!” Let’s not forget that HE WASN’T AT THE DRAFT. He actually gets to pick his own players this year rather than drunkenly asking through the phone if Josh Hamilton has been selected yet, that should (should) work in his favor.

1. Russ
Locked In: Albert Pujols, Robinson Cano, Carlos Gonzalez, Evan Longoria
Bottom Line: I think the Commish announced these keepers the day after the 2012 season ended. The “core four” will be back again for the 4th straight year, and once again they make up arguably the best keepers in the game. This team coasts through the regular season with what is normally the most talented offensive roster in the league, then shuts down during the playoffs  due to lack of defense and complacency (sounds like a football team I know). And yet, sitting in the front office is the league’s most dedicated fantasy manager. At this point, Travers is just a walking ball of irony, what a shmuck.