Starting new and you can save 3 guys from your team who/why?

I was having this talk with a friend recently and thought I would bring it here. I know it would never happen but it makes for an interesting discussion. Baseball is going to start over and have a draft, but you can save 3 players from your team. I would like to hear opinions on who you would keep from your favorite team and why? My team is the Red sox and here is who I would keep and why:

Jon Lester: Young pitcher with great stuff and seems to get stronger as the game/year go on.

Dustin Pedroia: Very good defense and gets hits when really needed

Kevin Youkilis: Can play gold glove caliber defense at 2 positions, and great bat.


It isn't easy to decide as there are a few other guys I would love to save, but like I said keep it 3.

Evan Longoria: I don't really thing there is an explanation needed.

Matt Garza: I feel he is currently our best pitcher, and will develop into a guy that will be feared.

Third one is a little tougher, but I'll go with BJ Upton. Hard to ignore 5-tool talent.

Honorable Mention:
Carlos Pena
Jason Bartlett
James Shields
Scott Kazmir

timryan111 said:

Jon Lester: Young pitcher with great stuff and seems to get stronger as the game/year go on.

Dustin Pedroia: Very good defense and gets hits when really needed

Kevin Youkilis: Can play gold glove caliber defense at 2 positions, and great bat.

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There's no other choice for the Sox - and Theo agrees. Look who he gave the deals to this offseason.

bungle77 said:

timryan111 said:

Jon Lester: Young pitcher with great stuff and seems to get stronger as the game/year go on.

Dustin Pedroia: Very good defense and gets hits when really needed

Kevin Youkilis: Can play gold glove caliber defense at 2 positions, and great bat.

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There's no other choice for the Sox - and Theo agrees. Look who he gave the deals to this offseason.

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I know some people disagree though. I have seen a few people here that say they are Sox fans think Lester isn't a very good pitcher. I kind of like Bay and he would be my fourth..followed by Papelbon..but only 3 so those are my choices.

joba chamberlain-think he can still be a dominent pitcher
derek jeter-CLUTCH!
mariano rivera-best closer in baseball

numba1yankeefan said:

joba chamberlain-think he can still be a dominent pitcher
derek jeter-CLUTCH!
mariano rivera-best closer in baseball

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Even as a Sox fan, I can recognize that Rivera is the greatest closer of all time, but would you START a team with a 39-year-old closer?

bungle77 said:

numba1yankeefan said:

joba chamberlain-think he can still be a dominent pitcher
derek jeter-CLUTCH!
mariano rivera-best closer in baseball

Click to expand...

Even as a Sox fan, I can recognize that Rivera is the greatest closer of all time, but would you START a team with a 39-year-old closer?

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and a statue playing SS

As a Yankee fan, give me:

Alex Rodriguez
Mark Teixeira
CC Sabathia

I don't love Sabathia, but the way the roster is constituted now, I'm not sure who else to choose. I do like Cano long term.

Tomlinson21RB said:

bungle77 said:

numba1yankeefan said:

joba chamberlain-think he can still be a dominent pitcher
derek jeter-CLUTCH!
mariano rivera-best closer in baseball

Click to expand...

Even as a Sox fan, I can recognize that Rivera is the greatest closer of all time, but would you START a team with a 39-year-old closer?

Click to expand...

and a statue playing SS

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oh,current age

joba, teixeira, and i guess cano then

Too easy, Pujols, Yadier, Wainwright.

As an A's fan:

Trevor Cahill & Brett Anderson - We've invested so much in two young pitchers; their development is incredibly important to the team's success. Talent like theirs is rare, and would be perfect building blocks to any future team's blueprints.

Kurt Suzuki - Completely under the radar, was excellent in his first full season as our starting catcher, calls excellent games, great defensively, all while being a very viable bat in our lineup.

Well for the Dodgers it is kinda a tough choice because they have so many great young players but if I had to start them over I will stick with youth and try to build around them:

Clayton Kershaw: He could be one of the best pitchers in baseball very soon and he is only 21. If I am starting from scratch I want to have a Lefty like Kershaw

Russ Martin: I think Martin is one of the smartest Catchers in baseball and he can also play 3rd. He calls a great game and has a good bat so he has to be a keeper.

Matt Kemp: He is young and is showing he can develop a good amount of power. If you are starting a team over from scratch Kemp is a good place to start. With his mix of speed, power, and his defensive play he could develop inot a Golden glove type center feilder.

For the Twins:

Joe Mauer
Justin Morneau
Carlos Gomez

Honorable mention: The entire starting rotation, Denard Span, and Joe Nathan.

I went with those three because Mauer/Morneau are far and away the best players on the team and Gomez has more potential than Span (even though Span is better at this moment). The entire starting rotation has the potential to be good, but the only one I'd consider to keep over Gomez is Liriano and his injury risk weighs against him.

I added Nathan to the honorable mention, but don't think ANY team should protect a closer if they only get to protect three players. Closers are ridiculously overvalued.

Craig

Detroit Tigers

Curtis Granderson - one of the most underrated CF in the majors
Miguel Cabrera - solid 1B and one of baseball's best hitters
Justin Verlander - even though he has struggled over the past year, this guy has the tools of an Ace pitcher

vetsgt02 said:

Well for the Dodgers it is kinda a tough choice because they have so many great young players but if I had to start them over I will stick with youth and try to build around them:

Clayton Kershaw: He could be one of the best pitchers in baseball very soon and he is only 21. If I am starting from scratch I want to have a Lefty like Kershaw

Russ Martin: I think Martin is one of the smartest Catchers in baseball and he can also play 3rd. He calls a great game and has a good bat so he has to be a keeper.

Matt Kemp: He is young and is showing he can develop a good amount of power. If you are starting a team over from scratch Kemp is a good place to start. With his mix of speed, power, and his defensive play he could develop inot a Golden glove type center feilder.

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I'm gonna have to agree with these choices. Like you said, with so many good, young players it's hard to narrow them down. Honorable mention goes to Billinglsley, Loney & Ethier. Billingsley can be dominant, Loney plays very good defense and won't embarrass you at the plate, and Ethier can hold his own as well. Some say his recent success is a direct result of hitting next to Manny; while I disagree with that, I know for sure it helped him on Saturday when he hit that three-run jack. It was a full count, and Manny was lingering on deck. Cook took his chances with a meat pitch down the heart of the plate, and Ethier did what any good hitter should do - killed it.

The Cubs are my team, but I'd rather do this for the Tigers...

Miguel Cabrera-- Still young and one of the best hitters in baseball

Justin Verlander-- Also still young and has the stuff to be dominant when he's on.

Rick Porcello-- Hopefully he'll continue to pitch well this season, but I think he's gonna be a monster starting next season. Oh yea...he's only 20 years old too.

Plain and simple, pitching wins championships (90's Braves, anyone?).

Well, two of the three for the Braves are obvious for me

Brian McCann - Best catcher in the game, plus he's young
Jair Jurrjens - Great young arm, only 23 years old

Number 3 is gonna vary a lot by person, and since my list will be MLB only

Yunel Escobar - I think he'll develop a bit more power and he plays great defense.

The Reds:

Jay Bruce
Joey Votto
Johnny Cueto

You gotta keep those J's

I don't have a "team" so I will do every team. Only taking guys currently up, no prospects here.

Atlanta Braves:
1. Brian McCann
2. Jair Jurrjens
3. Jordan Schafer

Arizona D-Backs:
1. Dan Haren
2. Stephen Drew
3. Justin Upton

Baltimore O's:
1. Nick Markakis
2. Adam Jones
3. Brian Roberts

Boston Red Sox:
1. Dustin Pedroia
2. Josh Beckett
3. Jon Lester

Chicago Cubs:
1. Geo Soto
2. Aramis Ramirez
3. Alfonso Soriano

Chicago White Sox:
1. Carlos Quentin
2. John Danks
3. Alexi Ramirez (ugh)

Cincinnati Reds:
1. Jay Bruce
2. Joey Votto
3. Edison Volquez

Cleveland Indians:
1. Grady Sizemore
2. Victor Martinez
3. Cliff Lee

Colorado Rockies:
1. Troy Tulowitzki
2. Ubaldo Jimenez
3. Dexter Fowler

Detroit Tigers:
1. Miguel Cabrera
2. Curtis Granderson
3. Rick Porcello

Florida Marlins:
1. Hanley Ramirez
2. Josh Johnson
3. Chris Volstad

Houston Astros:
1. Roy Oswalt
2. Lance Berkman
3. Hunter Pence

Kansas City Royals:
1. Zack Greinke
2. Joakim Soria
3. Alex Gordon (ugh)

Los Angeles Angels:
1. Ervin Santana
2. John Lackey
3. Howie Kendrick

Los Angeles Dodgers:
1. Matt Kemp
2. Chad Billz
3. Clayton Kershaw

Milwaukee Brewers:
1. Ryan Braun
2. Yovanni Gallardo
3. Corey Hart

Minnesota Twins:
1. Justin Morneau
2. Joe Mauer
3. Francisco Liriano

New York Mets:
1. Johan Santana
2. David Wright
3. Jose Reyes

New York Yankees:
1. Alex Rodriguez
2. CC Sabathia
3. Mark Teiexier

Oakland A's:
1. Trevor Cahill
2. Brett Anderson
3. Matt Holliday

Philadelphia Phillies:
1. Chase Utely
2. Cole Hamels
3. Ryan Howard

Pittsburgh Pirates:
1. Nat McClouth
2. Paul Maholm
3. Matt Capps

San Francisco Giants:
1. Tim Lincecum
2. Matt Cain
3. Bengie Molina

San Diego Padres:
1. Adrian Gonzalez
2. Jake Peavy
3. Chris Young

Seattle Mariners:
1. Felix Hernandez
2. Jose Lopez
3. Brandon Morrow

St. Louis Cards:
1. Albert Pujols
2. Adam Wainwright
3. Colby Rasmus

Tampa Bay Rays:
1. Evan Longoria
2. BJ Upton
3. James Shields

Texas Rangers:
1. Ian Kinsler
2. Josh Hamitlon
3. Elvis Andrus

Toronto Blue Jays:
1. Roy Halladay
2. Alex Rios
3. Aaron Hill

Washington Nats:
1. Ryan Zimmerman
2. Adam Dunn
3. Elijah Dukes

Easy
Jake Peavy
Chris Young
Adrian Gonzalez