Rules For Rookie Keepers

Following the 2010 season, a seventh keeper slot will be added for 2011: the rookie keeper. A manager must name his rookie keeper (along with his 6 other keepers) within 15 days of the conclusion of the World Series. To qualify as a rookie keeper after the 2010 season, a player must have:

• Fewer than 130 career at-bats before 2010
• Fewer than 50 career innings pitched before 2010

If a player is still below these marks for their career going into 2011, they will qualify again next year for your rookie keeper slot. If they exceed 130 major league at-bats or 50 major league innings in 2010, this will be the final year they qualify for the rookie keeper slot, and they'll henceforth have the rankings rules for keepers applied to them.

An example: Heading into the 2010 season, Aroldis Chapman had yet to make his major league debut. Because he pitched less than 50 IP for the Reds in 2010, he can be kept as a rookie after 2010 AND after 2011. If he exceeds 50 career IP in 2011, he can be kept as a rookie keeper after 2011, but NOT after 2012.

Note: In real baseball, a player also loses their rookie eligibility if they spend 45 days on a 25-man major league roster, regardless of how much they play. For our purposes though, we'll stick to the AB and IP guidelines, since they're much simpler to track.