Top 5 New York Mets Keepers - 2009 Fantasy Baseball Draft Guide

Choosing players to draft for your fantasy baseball league may be difficult, but choosing them for a keeper league is even more challenging, since you must factor in continued production and the longevity of each and every player. Johan Santana, David Wright, Jose Reyes, Francisco Rodriguez, and Carlos Beltran, all members of the New York Mets, are good options to draft in your keeper league, and this article will detail their 2008 seasons and project their 2009 season.

#1 New York Mets Keeper - Johan Santana - Fantasy Baseball 2009

Each and every year, Johan Santana is amongst the leagues best when it comes to pitching, and 2008 was no exception. He led the majors with a 2.53 ERA, and was tied for fifth with 206 strikeouts. Despite only recording 16 wins on the season, Santana threw much better than his numbers reflected, mainly due to receiving no decisions on games in which the bullpen didn't come through for him. He doesn't walk many, and he does a great job keeping the hitters off balance with his devastating change-up. With an improved bullpen, look for Santana to earn more victories in 2009 than he did last season, and also look for his strikeout total to rise as well.

#2 New York Mets Keeper - David Wright - Fantasy Baseball 2009

The young third baseman is one of the best in the league, and has become the threat in the Mets line-up. In 2008, he finished fifth in the league in RBI's with 124, while slugging 33 HR's and tying his career high for doubles in a season with 42. With each season that passes, Wright draws more and more walks, which is a good thing, but it did cause his average to drop slightly to .302. It is very possible that Wright can break the 200 hit mark in 2009, since he stays healthy and rarely misses a game throughout the season.

#3 New York Mets Keeper - Jose Reyes - Fantasy Baseball 2009

Jose Reyes is also very young, and he definitely uses his quickness to his advantage. He is always a threat on the bases, beating out throws and stealing bases. In 2008, Reyes stole 56 bases and legged out a league best 19 triples, while also accumulating 204 hits and 16 HR's. Reyes is not a power hitter, but when it comes to getting on base and making things happen, he is the perfect man for the job. In 2009, we could very well see Reyes steal 60 or even 70 bases, as he has done it before in his career, or even have another 200+ hit season.

#4 New York Mets Keeper - Francisco Rodriguez - Fantasy Baseball 2009

The newly acquired Met is definitely the most dominant closer in baseball right now. In 2008, he set the single season save record with a total of 62, while striking out 77 batters in only 68.1 innings. Compared to how many games he saved, he didn't blow many at all; only 7 to be exact. Also, the Mets are a winning team, which means that Rodriguez will have more opportunities to record more saves during the 2009 season.

#5 New York Mets Keeper - Carlos Beltran - Fantasy Baseball 2009

Carlos Beltran had a very solid 2008 season, despite it being a rather quiet one. He wasn't in the spotlight as much as Wright or Reyes, but Beltran definitely played a key role in the Mets' success. He hit 27 HR's, collected 112 RBI's, and .284 for the season. Despite his average being slightly lower than average, he did walk 92 times, which is excellent compared to his 96 strikeouts. Beltran also plays day in and day out, missing only 1 game in 2008, so you know he is going to be in the line-up collecting stats for you. Beltran definitely has the potential to hit 30+ home runs, and I am sure Mets fans are going to be looking to see if he can do it in 2009.

Source: www.mlb.com