Fantasy baseball leagues come in all shapes and sizes, and each one brings a different approach required for success. Back in 2013, we here at ESPN started a 10-team dynasty keeper league, with 40-man rosters and unlimited keeper restrictions. You want to keep your entire roster? Feel free. You want to throw them all back and start from scratch? I wouldn't advise it, but you'd have the right.
Now that our 2017 draft has been completed, we thought it might be informative to share some of the takeaways from the decision-making process. No, it won't help you decide which players to take in Round 1 of your fantasy drafts, especially those of the start-from-scratch variety -- after all, nobody is throwing back the likes of Mike Trout. However, seeing which players were thrown back into the player pool might cause you to think twice before rushing to draft them in your league.
Similarly, knowing who our first-round selections were could help you pinpoint a few of the "sleepers" and potential rookie breakouts that might otherwise be hidden on a rankings list that incorporates the entire player pool.
With that in mind, let's take a look at some of the decisions that were made by our owners and the reasons behind them:
Keeper cuts
Andrew Feldman (2016 finish: 10th place, Keepers: 37)
I have a team with a lot of potential (such as Carter Capps and Jake Lamb), and I didn't want to give up on many of my players yet. I probably should have let go of some of my veterans (Howie Kendrick, Asdrubal Cabrera) to try to get younger, but I felt keeping the core was important for this draft.
Tim Kavanagh (Ninth place, Keepers: 22)
I'm still looking to build up a roster of young talent, so in most cases, I was willing to throw back older players (James Shields, Francisco Liriano, Huston Street) who had filled out my roster, as I'd be able to find what I needed in the draft -- and focus on grabbing more prospects.
Leo Howell (Eighth place, Keepers: 34)
I was very happy with the talent on my team and didn't think throwing away veterans to get prospects (or vice versa) was the right move. My way to the top of this league will be via smart moves and slowly improving, rather than overhauling and getting tons of youngsters. I threw back Jordan Zimmermann, Brad Boxberger, Nick Williams, Nick Hundley, Austin Barnes and Jason Castro, and none was really a difficult decision. The catchers are not standout options, and the others simply didn't seem like top-300 players in this format.
Todd Zola (Seventh place, Keepers: 30)
Although I don't have the best keeper list, it's still good enough to compete, so I froze everyone who has a chance to help this season and threw back enough to fortify weak positions and pick up a few prospects.
My toughest choice was Blake Swihart, and I ultimately decided to keep him. As opposed to standard ESPN leagues, we play with two catchers, and that's my weakest position. I don't expect Swihart to contribute at backstop this season, but it's far too early to give up on him. There aren't many prospect receivers available, so I opted to not take the risk that a rebuilding team would grab him before I got to my prospect stage of the draft.
Pierre Becquey (Sixth place, Keepers: 33)
I kept 33 of 40 players. I have a nice mix of young and old, thanks to some youth-focused pickups late last season. In dynasty, you always have incentive to improve your team, and the draft is only one such occasion. If you find yourself having to turn over more than a quarter of your roster, you're probably not going to be able to do that in the draft against a group of owners who know what they are doing.
My toughest decision involved Jacoby Ellsbury. He isn't the star he used to be, but my biggest weakness is probably in the stolen base department, and I'm shallowest in the outfield. I threw him back anticipating that maybe there'd be somebody considerably better, but that wasn't the case. I ended up scooping him back up in the second round, which means I should have kept him.
AJ Mass (Fifth place, Keepers: 36)
I won back-to-back championships in this league in 2014 and '15, and I could have gotten the "three-peat" if not for untimely injuries to Giancarlo Stanton and Arodys Vizcaino. (With just two more home runs, nine RBIs, two steals and one save, I'd have been on top of the standings. With only 15 transactions allowed per team for the season, early injuries kept me from making a last-ditch September effort to steal a few of these stats.)
The upshot is that I like my team. I threw back Zack Cozart, with the hope of drafting a better middle infielder, and three relievers without clear closer jobs for 2017, with an eye toward drafting around 40 saves. I already used in-season picks on David Dahl and Tommy Joseph, so while I still might look to take prospects in the draft, I don't necessarily need to go all-in.
Keith Lipscomb (Fourth place, Keepers: 28)
I thought I kept a ton of guys, but as the draft went on, I realized that only Kavanagh kept fewer, as we were the last ones drafting. Aging players such Adam Wainwright and Victor Martinez (DH-only eligibility) got sent packing in the hopes of acquiring more reliable and/or versatile options for the future.
Eric Karabell (Third place, Keepers: 28)
In retrospect, I probably should have held on to wily veteran Carlos Beltran. That was my only tough decision. I parted with Michael Wacha and Luke Weaver but didn't feel bad about it. I still don't have a fifth outfielder likely to replace Beltran's production, and the one I eventually chose in the final round or two (Matt Holliday) is nearly as old. I'll be looking to trade middle infield and reliever depth for an outfielder.
Dave Schoenfield (Tied for first place, Keepers: 31)
With a strong foundation of veterans, I wanted to make sure I had enough roster spots to draft some young players or prospects. The one guy I cut whom I probably should have kept was Aaron Nola, but I was worried about the elbow injury that ended his 2016 season after 20 starts. Plus, I have plenty of starting pitching depth with Clayton Kershaw, Max Scherzer, Chris Sale, Madison Bumgarner and Rich Hill, plus Drew Smyly and Tyler Glasnow. I'd rather use Nola's spot to take a minor leaguer with more top-of-the- rotation potential.
I also cut Michael Conforto, which might look surprising in a dynasty league, but his ability to hit for average remains a question after his disappointing 2016. Plus, I kept Adam Duvall, Manuel Margot and Billy Hamilton because they offer things Conforto doesn't: playing time and, in the cases of Margot and Hamilton, speed -- something of a weak spot in my lineup.
Tristan H. Cockcroft (Tied for first place, Keepers: 34)
My reasoning was that I liked the vast majority of the players I had. I mean, c'mon, I tied for the title last year, so my roster had to be at least somewhat decent! I threw six players back, with either of my two shortstops, Alcides Escobar and Andrelton Simmons, the tough calls. Jedd Gyorko's shortstop eligibility ultimately made it an easier decision, but it was risky going with very little middle-infield depth.
First-round picks
Feldman: I took Kelvin Herrera with my first-round pick. The 27-year-old reliever helps fill a major void on my team, but there's still plenty of work to do on that front. If he continues to be a top reliever in the game, I'll be thrilled to have him as a backbone on my pitching staff.
Kavanagh: Tony Watson. Well, Randy Watson wasn't available, so I took the best Watson on the board. Plus, I didn't have any closers on my roster, and we still count saves as a category.
Howell: Francisco Cervelli. As you can see from the struggling catchers I threw back, I wanted a solid catcher to get innings and plate appearances and not be a negative to my roto categories. Done.
Zola: My first pick was Matt Shoemaker. I wanted another solid arm to stream, and I like Shoemaker's situation, working in a great pitcher's park with strong defense up the middle.
Becquey: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. With my starting lineup mostly secure and no elite outfielder with big stolen base potential available, Guerrero stood out as a guy I didn't want to throw away my shot at acquiring. I anticipate he'll be a top-10 fantasy prospect by this time next year and be either a future cornerstone or a nice trading chip.
Mass: I was heavily considering Michael Conforto here, but I have no idea if he's going to get enough playing time this season to matter, so I rolled the dice, hoping he might last until round 2, and went with Eric Thames. Thames is a huge gamble, but if he hits 20 home runs and, as expected, gains first-base eligibility, he'll end up being a better option for me this season.
Lipscomb: When it came to my picks, I took whomever I thought was the best player available for THIS SEASON in the early going. With David Price's status for the early portion of the season up in the air, I went with Zach Davies, who I felt was the best option to fill the void in strikeouts, ERA and WHIP.
Karabell: The plan was to take as much young pitching as possible and hope a few develop into aces. I wanted Matt Shoemaker, but I feel good about Mike Foltynewicz with the first pick, and I eventually added several younger arms who have higher upside, such as Michael Kopech, Mitch Keller and James Kaprelian. I have so many pitchers, and quite a few were not good in 2016 but should have been, such as Zack Greinke, Aaron Nola and Jose Berrios, or were injured, such as Alex Cobb and Garrett Richards. This team just needs better luck.
Schoenfield: With my closers either old (Fernando Rodney), mediocre (Jeanmar Gomez) or in jeopardy of being traded (David Robertson), I wanted to find some closers with more upside and future potential. I took Cam Bedrosian in the first round and later added Hector Neris, Joe Jimenez and Nate Jones.
Cockcroft: Michael Conforto, mainly because I think he has a .280-25 future, or perhaps better than that, and it's a keeper league. It was an awfully difficult decision between him and Mitch Haniger, whose long-term ceiling is presumably lower but who is much more likely to help in 2017.
Filling out the roster
Feldman: I was also unfortunately stuck in need of a catcher, so taking Cameron Rupp was important, albeit a strong waste of a pick in this draft. I look forward to seeing Victor Robles flourish, but I was really hoping Bellinger would've fallen to me instead.
Kavanagh: I was happy to land Mitch Haniger with my second-round pick because I like his upside. One that "got away" was my attempt to be sneaky and draft Alex Reyes (Tristan grabbed him two picks before I was ready to do so in Round 6). Yes, he's out for this season, and you never know that these guys will come back as good as before surgery, but he's worth a roster slot in an unlimited dynasty league such as this one.
Howell: I feel like Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has special upside, but since I have him in another dynasty league, I didn't want to pass up on a good catcher (Cervelli) to sit him on my bench. I was thrilled to get Victor Martinez in the second too, as I think he's going to be a solid hitter who will be more than good enough to earn the Utility spot in my lineup.
Zola: Once I felt the available players wouldn't be better than I could pick up in-season, I switched to prospects, two of which I really like: Chicago Cubs infielder Ian Happ and Tampa Bay Rays starting pitcher Brent Honeywell. Happ's path to the Majors is blocked, but his bat is strong for a middle infielder, and these things tend to work themselves out. I tend to be aggressive in trading prospects for present-day help, and Happ has the pedigree to fetch a nice package. Honeywell is likely behind Jose De Leon, but the screwballer has a chance to pitch in the bigs this season. Tampa is a good place to pitch, and it's hard to get aces in dynasty formats. I'm willing to wait for Honeywell to develop.
Of the major leaguers, Travis Shaw intrigues me. He has the power to take advantage of the cozy confines of Miller Park and ample speed to get the green light from a manager who is very generous in that regard.
Becquey: My strategy was to alternate pieces who can help my depth to compete this year with some young talent to keep the pipeline primed. I was happy with Steve Pearce, who should be 2B-eligible early in the season and could easily hit 20 home runs as a super-utility player in a still-potent Jays lineup. Guys with power and multiple-position eligibility can really help you get through the grind of the season.
The Cubs' Eloy Jimenez is another player who should be in the conversation for top fantasy prospects in the game in 2018. He'll either help me solidify my outfield with his own contributions or be a trade chip to that end. There's always a handful of guys like that to choose from, and the pool renews from year to year, though the supply isn't unlimited.
My final pick, Jason Heyward, is a nod to Ron Shandler's "once you display a skill, you own it." I've taken him in a couple of dynasty drafts now, after researching previous young players who had inexplicably terrible seasons in their 20s, and almost all of them rebounded. If Heyward doesn't, the cost of acquisition wasn't prohibitive. If he does, he becomes a player I potentially keep for the next decade.
Mass: I grabbed my saves with Jim Johnson, and even if he busts out, I still have Vizcaino there, the likely heir to the ninth-inning throne in Atlanta. Then I went with a pair of younger players with potential to get playing time by the All-Star break in Ozzie Albies (tons of speed and just a Brandon Phillips injury away from a call-up) and Jake Bauers (a lot of power, enough to make me feel better about missing on Conforto).
If I had one more pick, I would have loved to grab future phenom Michael Kopech, but it's much harder to hold roster spots for pitching in a dynasty league because pitchers rarely get called up ahead of schedule the way hitters do. In two or three years, though, I'll probably be kicking myself for this.
Lipscomb: Generally, I'm not much for trying to guess which prospects are going to pan out at the expense of trying to win a title this year, which is why I went with more established players such as Jeremy Hellickson and Pablo Sandoval. However, I did take a pair of catching prospects (Francisco Mejia, Carson Kelly) whom I expect to remain behind the plate, as I always feel like that's a tougher position to fill with quality performers.
Karabell: Intent on starting the draft with several pitchers who could be active for this team in April, I passed on top catching prospect Francisco Mejia for one too many rounds. I still don't have a solid second catching option, though later I took a chance on Chance Sisco. We'll see.
Ultimately my goal in the draft was to concentrate on promising arms. This team should have won in 2016, as the offense scored 45 out of 50 points, but thanks to Greinke and others, no team was worse in ERA/WHIP, and I missed the crown by only one point. If a few of my pitchers reach reasonable upside, this team can contend again.
Schoenfield: I was very happy to get Cody Bellinger in the second round, even though he'll probably spend most of 2017 at Triple-A. First base is my weakest position, and Bellinger is the best first-base prospect in the minors and hopefully the long-term fix there.
Cockcroft: Karabell promised me he wasn't going to take Aaron Nola, then he took Nola in Round 2 -- right before my pick. Sigh. Jurickson Profar wasn't a bad consolation prize for a keeper league, though it'd help me a bunch if he can sneak in 10 games at either shortstop or second base (not that I'm counting on it).
I'm also a tad unsure whether I'll be able to keep Alex Reyes on my roster all year as he recovers from Tommy John surgery, but because he has future top-20 starter upside, I figured it was worth the chance with my next-to-last pick.