Wiesguy's Wisdom

Keepers, Sleeper & Creeper Vol. 1

Keeper – Keepers are the easiest to spot. They are the perennial All-Stars, future Cy Youngs, and maybe even a Rookie of the Year (although probably not this year). Some teams have more than one and some teams may have to stretch to find one. In short they are the sure things – or as close as you can get to one (barring injury, illness, or poor performance)

Sleeper – Sleepers are the guys you hope nobody else knows about. They can be risky to protect because they may take a while to reach the performance levels you want but will make you feel like a genius when you are right. It takes a lot of chutzpah to protect one of these guys at the end of the season. Generally they are considered to be the keys to the draft. This year I would say that Carlos Guillen was the ultimate sleeper; if someone had the guts to protect him then you are playing with a real pro.

Creeper – A Creeper (my own terminology) is a guy who is likely to improve without the high ceilings of the sleeper’s category above. Again, these are not the guys you want to protect, but you want to be aware of them so their improvement improves your chances of scoring big not someone else’s. These are steady guys with potential and it’s guaranteed that one of them will bust out. Perhaps like Melvin Mora

Explanations Shm-Explanations…lets start looking at the teams. I apologize in advance if my keepers don’t match up with yours. I admit I am biased towards those players who are young in body as opposed to young at heart and firmly believe in the old adage that speed kills.

Here we go!!

American League East

Baltimore Orioles

Keeper – Miguel Tejada – First team up and maybe the easiest choice. If they finish over .500 he may win MVP but either way he is an RBI machine. Any concerns about his adjustment to a new team and park have been satisfied. The scary thing is that his numbers might even get better as the team improves and it looks like they are on the right track.

Sleeper – Daniel Cabrera – I am not sure what to make of this guy (and I have had him on my roster for a couple of months along with his brothers Miguel and Orlando). His record had been real good but his K/BB ratio is not stellar. Is he lucky or good? If he trims down the walk totals you could be looking at a nice young ace. If not maybe he’s a .500 pitcher in ace clothing.

Creeper – Larry Bigbie – He really looks good in that uniform and he hits pretty good too and he can run a little too. If the Orioles are on the way up a little improvement could turn in to a .300-25-95-10 season that would probably be done very quietly. It just seems that he should be getting better.

Boston Red Sox

Keeper – Manny Ramirez – Another easy one as this guy can mash with the best of them. Although now over the 30 barrier (which I try to avoid) he appears to show no signs of slowing down. More importantly with his best buddy David Ortiz taking off some of the pressure he actually seems to be enjoying himself. Sorry David, kudos on a great year but DHs get no respect from this guy.

Sleeper – Bronson Arroyo – Fans at Fenway better get used to some new faces. With Nomar already gone there may be some other changes on the horizon and one I think will be pleasant will be Arroyo’s rise in the rotation rankings. He has been able to put together some great outings and has probably pitched better than his record. Keep him in mind because his W-L is likely to scare away those guys who only look at the stats preparing for next year.

Creeper – Jason Varitek – Always a steady performer behind the dish he seems to figuring things out a little better at the plate. He has been productive in the past(especially for a catcher) but watching him this year it appears that he is becoming a better player mentally and that is yielding results. As long as he is a regular in what is always a potent lineup he should be among the better backstop performers.

New York Yankees

Keeper – Alex Rodriguez – A no-brainer, for sure but not just because of his salary, production etc. The Yanks are loaded but they don’t have a lot of what I would consider to be guaranteed keeper talent. Gary Sheffield and Bernie Williams aren’t getting any younger, Giambi is a major question mark and Jeter despite the highlights isn’t as productive as he used to be. This leaves ARod (and maybe Jorge Posada ) head and shoulders above the rest where he belongs.

Sleeper – Whoever plays second bas e – whether they win the World Series or not you have to believe that the Yankees will have someone with better credentials at this position next year. If that someone winds up batting at the top of the lineup then they could be a very productive player.

Creeper – Javier Vazquez – Although some might qualify this guy as a keeper I think that he fits well in this creeper category as well as I expect him to improve a little bit over this years performance. If you take out his record (he plays for the Yankees) than his other numbers are not all that dominant. I think everyone expected an ERA mid 3s or below and a few more dominant outings. He doesn’t even have a complete game yet.

Tampa Bay Devil Rays

Keeper – Carl Crawford – Going into the season I would have put Aubrey Huff here but while he has struggled, Crawford has definitely take the next step. A first time All Star, you are looking at a guy with speed to burn who is just getting started. Rumour has it that he night even bat third next year with their other speedster Joey Gathright claiming the leadoff spot. If so, he might drive in 100 and still steal 50 bases.

Sleeper – Dewon Brazelton – It appears I am favouring pitchers in this slot and I promise that it is coincidental. It also appears that this guy has been around a while for someone who is only 24. He got his first major league action 2 years ago but appears to be finally figuring it about a bit this year. He is nearly unhittable and if shaves the walks down a notch he should see more success in terms of wins.

Creeper – Julio Lugo – He seems to be on a positive up tick career wise and it looks like he will survive the arrival of BJ Upton by switching to second base. At this position he may rank among the best in the American league. And don’t forget he is probably still eligible at short for at least another year.

Toronto Blue Jays

Keeper – Ted Lilly – He is the only Jay who has lived up to expectations and maybe even exceeded them by making the All Star game this year. Someone has to be a keeper on this team right? Last year’s studs Roy Halladay (injury and ineffectiveness) Vernon Wells (injury and poor performance) and Carlos Delgado (injury and aging?) have all been huge disappointments planting the seed that they may not be as great as everyone thought.

Sleeper – Orlando Hudson – The O-Dog, who has always been great with the glove has shown some flashes with the bat. If the team rights itself he could be very productive near the top of the lineup. He plays second base, so anyone playing regularly there is someone to keep an eye on.

Creeper – Frank Catalonotto – I love the Cat, especially last year when he was eligible at second base. I normally try to focus this type of analysis on players who will be with the same team but something tells me that he is going to be elsewhere, where his annual 300 average and solid clutch hitting could translate into a solid .315-12-80 season. Plus he is a really nice guy and true professional.