Top Five Keepers for 2011 Fantasy Baseball

While fantasy baseball owners anxiously await to see where the big free agents will end up this off-season, those in keeper leagues are spending their time trying to figure out who will be the top players taken off their boards. These are the top five keepers for the upcoming 2011 fantasy baseball season.

1. Miguel Cabrera (Detroit Tigers)

If you are looking for the best hitter in baseball for 2011, look no further than Cabrera. Since heading to Motown, we have seen him maintain a .314 batting average with 109 homeruns and 356 runs driven in while leading the team in about every offensive category.

Aside from his production at the plate, we have seen Cabrera take the next step to becoming the top player in baseball by how he responded to the negative criticism he received for the off the field issues he experienced at the end of the 2009 season.

2. Albert Pujols (St. Louis Cardinals)

What else can we say about a player who owns a .331 career batting average and has hit 408 homeruns in ten seasons of baseball? Pujols has continued to be a machine at the plate and is one of the most feared hitters in the game and is a legitimate threat for the Triple Crown of baseball.

On top of his production at the plate, Pujols has shown his ability to stay healthy for the most part and playing in at least 148 games every season. This should ease your concern if you are considering the 30 year old Pujols as an injury risk.

3. Joey Votto (Cincinnati Reds)

In 2010, Votto helped power the Cincinnati Reds offense with his .324 batting average, 37 homeruns and 117 runs driven in. His performance on the field and leadership in the dugout helped power the Reds to a NL Central division title.

Votto capped off his fourth year in the league with the National League MVP award and has shown he has what it takes to be a top five player in the league. You would be wise to keep Votto on your fantasy baseball team if you have the chance.

4. Carl Crawford (Undetermined)

The one thing every fantasy baseball owners wants is a hitter who is able to garner you points in five offensive categories; homeruns, runs, RBI's, stolen bases, and batting average. Crawford is the player who can give you that.

In 2010, Crawford had a .307 batting average with 19 homeruns, 110 runs scored, drove in 90 runs while stealing 47 bases. While it appears Crawford may be leaving the Tampa Bay organization for the first time in his baseball career, there is no reason to expect anything less than a MVP performance from him in 2011.

5. Cliff Lee (Undetermined)

Since 2008 when Lee had the incredible season with the Cleveland Indians, he has been one of the most productive pitchers in baseball. Lee has compiled a 47-25 record while pitching in 667.1 innings with a .298 era and 536 strikeouts. On top of that he has recorded 17 completed games in that time span.

One can only imagine and fanaticize at what Lee would be capable of accomplishing if he had more run support during the time he spent in in Seattle. Fantasy owners should not be worried about where Lee will end up at the end of free agency and secure this dominant pitcher for your fall lineup.

If any of these players are left on the open for the fantasy baseball draft, consider yourself lucky.

Resources

MLB on Yahoo

Baseball-Reference