Sleepers are always the hot topic when it comes to fantasy sports. It must be something about the desire to outsmart your opponents and look like an expert. Either way, I will help you attain that feeling by choosing my top sleeper picks at every position. For the sake of the article I will go fairly deep with these sleepers and try to avoid the obvious picks. It takes the fun out of sleepers if you just pick the same ones as everyone else. Besides, if you are in a competitive league the obvious picks will be gone anyway.
C- John Buck- This is the guy to grab when it’s the last round of your draft and you realize you forgot to draft a catcher. The Mauers and Poseys of the world don’t come cheap, so if you miss out on one of them you’ll need to formulate a backup plan. Buck hit 20 homeruns last year, that’s not something you find often from the catcher position. It’s worth gambling that he does it again when the guy goes undrafted in many leagues.
1B- Brandon Belt- I thought this was going to be too obvious of a pick, but the fact that Belt is only owned in 10% of Yahoo leagues led me to pick him here. Belt probably won’t open the season with the big club for service time reasons, but should be there by the end of April. The 23-year-old rookie brings good power potential and should even kick in some stolen bases. The last Giants rookie to come up with some hype worked out pretty well, so it’s well worth trying out again.
2B- Ryan Theriot- Theriot got off to a great start last season, but faded hard as the season progressed. He’ll offer nothing in the power department, but the 20 steals are nice for a guy who is only owned in 22% of leagues and has dual 2B and SS eligibility. Much of his value hinges on his place in the batting order, though it seems Tony LaRussa is set to bat him leadoff, making him a solid value pick.
SS- Alcides Escobar- Can I just use Theriot for this spot too? No, that would be cheating. Many have pointed out how painfully shallow Shortstop is this season after the top two of Hanley Ramirez and Troy Tulowitzki. Much like catchers, many owners can quickly find themselves without a reliable option at short. If this happens to you, Escobar is a great example of the post-hype sleeper. Escobar was pumped up for his speed potential, but did little running while batting 8th for the Brewers last season. The change of scenery to Kansas City and its lesser talent pool should lead to an easier route to the top of the lineup and a second chance at fantasy value.
3B- Mike Moustakas- As opposed to shortstop, third base is actually fairly rich with late game bargains. I went for one that only the more patient owners should go for (or those in keeper leagues). There hasn’t been much definitive news as to when the Royals will plan to start the Moustakas era, but it will be worth the wait. That is, unless he pulls an Alex Gordon and flops hard. Speaking of Gordon…
3B- Mike Moustakas- As opposed to shortstop, third base is actually fairly rich with late game bargains. I went for one that only the more patient owners should go for (or those in keeper leagues). There hasn’t been much definitive news as to when the Royals will plan to start the Moustakas era, but it will be worth the wait. That is, unless he pulls an Alex Gordon and flops hard. Speaking of Gordon…
OF- Alex Gordon- Stop if you’ve heard this one before. It would be perfectly reasonable to refuse to be lured into owning Gordon again, we’ve been burned before. So what’s going to be different this time? Well, Gordon is having a great spring. Not into spring training stats? Well you can remember his superstar pedigree as a prospect and that he’s now entering his age 27 season, the age many players break out. Still not buying it? Then draft somebody else.
SP- Brandon McCarthy- More so than any other position, starting pitchers are analyzed mercilessly to find the best sleepers. As it is, you have to get deep to find any real sleepers in the starting pitching market. Jeremy Hellickson? Jordan Zimmerman? Taken long ago by anybody with a clue. That leads me to my deep pick, Brandon McCarthy. You may remember him from his days of hype when he was still with the White Sox. Years later McCarthy has struggled to make his mark in the majors. However, he has been officially named as the A’s fifth starter, and his new home stadium is very forgiving of pitchers. He has also displayed impeccable control this spring with a 20/1 K/BB ratio. Sometimes you have to take a chance to find the hidden gems.
RP- Don’t be stupid. Just don’t waste an early draft pick with an “elite” closer. This is what the waiver wire is for.
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