Top 50 (MLB) Keeper Rankings

As most fantasy leagues' trade deadline approaches, many owners are simply trying to position themselves for a chance at next year's title. If you are in a keeper league, that means determining which group of players on your current roster will put you in the best spot to succeed next year. You can use the trade deadline to help set yourself up for a peachy 2016. Listed here is my top 50 ranking for KEEPER leagues. This is an important distinction, for if your league is simply a "re-draft" league, in which no players are kept on a year-to-year basis, the ranking would be much different.

Fifty isn't very deep, but keep in mind very few leagues actually keep more than 50 players (except for dynasty leagues where your entire roster is kept year-to-year). My deepest keeper leagues are 16 teams, for example, and we keep three each. Meaning, only the top 48 players are kept. Anyway, to the ranking!

(It should be noted these rankings are based on standard 5x5 scoring)

1. M. Trout, LAA
2. B. Harper, WAS
3. P. Goldschmidt, ARI
4. G. Stanton, MIA
5. C. Correa, HOU
6. M. Machado, BAL
7. C. Kershaw, LAD
8. J. Donaldson, TOR
9. M. Cabrera, DET
10. A. Rizzo, CHC
11. A. McCutchen, PIT
12. J. Abreu, CWS
13. N. Arenado, COL
14. M. Bumgarner, SF
15. J. Altuve, HOU
16. C. Sale, CWS
17. K. Bryant, CHC
18. M. Harvey, NYM
19. J. Fernandez, MIA
20. G. Cole, PIT
21. A. Rendon, WAS
22. J. Kipnis, CLE
23. J. deGrom, NYM
24. F. Hernandez, SEA
25. S. Gray, OAK
26. T. Tulowitzki, TOR
27. JD Martinez, DET
28. C. Archer, TB
29. C. Gomez, HOU
30. G. Springer, HOU
31. A. Jones, BAL
32. F. Freeman, ATL
33. S. Strasburg, WAS
34. X. Bogaerts, BOS
35. B. Dozier, MIN
36. S. Marte, PIT
37. M. Betts, BOS
38. Z. Greinke, LAD
39. D. Gordon, MIA
40. J. Pederson, LAD
41. M. Brantley, CLE
42. C. Kluber, CLE
43. P. Fielder, TEX
44. J. Upton, SD
45. D. Price, TOR
46. E. Hosmer, KC
47. B. Posey, SF
48. Y. Puig, LAD
49. D. Keuchel, HOU
50. M. Wacha, StL

Notably missing (reason listed is not always the only reason the player didn't make the list, just most significant):

 For age: Nelson Cruz (SEA), Jose Bautista (TOR), Adrian Gonzalez (LAD), Albert Pujols (LAA), Joey Votto (CIN), Mark Teixeira (NYY)

For diminishing skills: Robinson Cano (SEA), Edwin Encarnacion (TOR), Hanley Ramirez (BOS), Evan Longoria (TB)

For health: Jacoby Ellsbury (NYY), Carlos Gonzalez (COL), Masahiro Tanaka (NYY)

For random reasons: Billy Hamilton (CIN) - one trick pony; Todd Frazier (CIN) - career 1st half stats vs. 2nd half stats + will be over 30

Players with best chances of making the list next year:

Hitters: Corey Seager (LAD), Francisco Lindor (CLE), Jason Heyward (StL), Byron Buxton (MIN)

Pitchers: Noah Syndergaard (NYM), Garrett Richards (LAA), Shelby Miller (ATL), Carlos Martinez (StL)