Fantasy Perspective: Sleepers

Fantasy baseball is one of my personal favorite parts of the baseball season. I always have two teams and I am a very active player. This year there are a couple players that I think will have big years. These are the guys to target on the back end of your drafts.

Adam Dunn

The man had an absolutely awful year last year; I don’t have to remind you of that if you had him. However, players do this and then bounce back huge the next year, Lance Berkman comes to mind. He is a good player and has been a feared hitter every year in his career, except for last. He is not worthy of being counted on, but he is worth a flier in the later rounds.

Kenley Jansen

This guy throws gas. He had a decent year last year even though the Dodger closer carousel never really gave him a turn. This year he is going to have a full year of close duties, assuming he wins the job. If he wins the job in LA, take him with a late round pick and I think you will reap the benefits later in the year.

Matt Moore

Matt came up at the end of last year and did nothing but impress everyone. He throws a cool 95 MPH, and if you have seen him throw, you know what I mean. He was just assured a starting rotation spot by Joe Maddon, so that makes this even safer. I think with a full year in the majors he can put up an ERA in the low 3’s and might even get a fair amount of wins if the Rays offense can help him out. He is absolutely worth a mid-to-late round pick.

B.J. Upton

BJ is not exactly a sleeper, but he is undervalued. His average is always going to be around the .250 area, but fantasy is about so much more. He steals bases, scores runs, and drives in runs. That is huge for rotisserie league players. His value goes down in head to head because of his high strikeout numbers, but he is still worth a mid-to-late round pick.

Jonathan Sanchez

The Giants were a little unhappy with his consistency and needed a bat, so they sent him to Kansas City. He had a down year, so that means you can probably get him later than he deserves. He did a great job the year before, with a 3.07 ERA and 205 strikeouts. He is worth a pick on an upcoming Royals team; that could sneak up on some people and get some wins. Try to take him in the mid-to-late rounds.

Jesus Montero

He was traded for Michael Pineda during the offseason in a trade that I think favors the Mariners. He will be a good fit in the middle of that lineup and since the Mariners aren’t expected to compete this year, he will have minimal pressure on him. He is high on a lot of people’s lists, so he might be a tough one to get a deal on. Don’t reach for him, but if you are in a league that he slips in, make sure he slips to you. His value is even a little higher because he will probably qualify for catcher in early May.

There are a lot of players that underperformed last year; those are the players I am targeting this year. They are all over: Hanley Ramirez, Adam Dunn, Jonathan Sanchez, Ryan Dempster, Alex Rios, Francisco Liriano, Carl Crawford etc. I am not saying all of these guys will bounce back and have great years, but some of them will. If you are able to get the maximum value from each of your picks and these guys can help you do that. I love any suggestions, comments, and questions; especially when it comes to fantasy. I am by no means an expert; I don’t think there are any experts when it comes to fantasy.

Coming soon: players to avoid.

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