Who am I to tell anyone what to do when draft time comes around? I’m a guy who has played fantasy baseball for 10 years now, won my share of championships, and I fancy myself a damn good fantasy baller. That’s who.

For years I’ve casually perused various lists of who the so-called experts think will make the difference between fantasy failure and glory. Now that I have my own little forum to get my voice heard, I figured I would take a shot at putting together my own list.

This list was compiled as something of a sleeper list. These are players who will not be targeted by most people in their drafts, but I feel like can make a real difference in the success of any team.

I’ve found 10 players who I think can be steals in many drafts, some may be fighting the injury bug already, but still can have an impact in 2012.

1. 3B David Wright (NYM): Right off the bat (pun intended) you might be thinking to yourself, “How is this guy putting David Wright on a sleeper list?” Well, if you consider for a moment that this time last year David Wright was being taken in round 2 in a lot of drafts (guilty as charged) and ended up having an injury riddled, rather unproductive season. So far this spring he has been M.I.A. with a rib cage issue, which today was revealed to be a muscle tear. But trust me on this one, this can only hurt his draft stock, which makes him a prime target to snatch way later than he should be. If this isn’t a major issue as Wright proclaims, a more hitter friendly than before Citi Field could put him in line for a major rebound season.

2. SP Adam Wainwright (STL): If you look at the 2009 Cy Young Award voting, Adam Wainwright really should have won, or at least could have. If 1st place votes meant a little more, he would have won, he had 12 to Tim Lincecum’s 11. Fast forward to Spring Training 2011, Adam feels a little twinge in his elbow and just like that, sayonara 2011, hello Tommy John Surgery. Pitchers have a history of oftentimes returning from surgery with a stronger arm, higher velocity, better than ever. So Wainwright is a strong candidate to do exactly that. He’s already made a couple Grapefruit League appearances and is on track to pick up in 2012 where he left off in 2010.

3. SP Matt Moore (TB): He blew away the Texas Rangers in the ALDS last season, that was his coming out party. Moore has been the subject of much hype this offseason after his performance in the latter part of 2011, and I expect him to deliver. After a little thought, I realized putting Moore on a list like this might be kind of like putting Andrew Luck or Robert Griffin III on a similar list for fantasy football, but I’m including him anyway.

4. 1b Eric Hosmer (KC): Called up to KC mid season and put up a very respectable .293/.334/.465 line in 128 games. Fantasy wise, the important numbers are the HRs and RBI, he had 19 HR and 78 RBI, which projected out to a full season of games would put him at 24 HR and 99 RBI. I personally think the sky is the limit for this young slugger, somewhere in the neighborhood of 25 HR and 100 RBI is easily attainable, and an uptick in OPS is likely based on minor league on base numbers, the discipline will return once he adjusts fully to the bigs.

5. 3B Brett Lawrie (TOR): The Canadian 3B burst onto the scene in Toronto last year after coming over in the Shaun Marcum deal with Milwaukee. He instantly became a fantasy darling late in 2011 by posting a sexy .953 OPS in 43 games. The sample size isn’t huge, but the potential at a sometimes unpredictable position will be appealing. Those who miss out on the big guns at the hot corner may be pleasantly surprised with Brett Lawrie.

6. SP Johan Santana (NYM): Coming off a shoulder surgery that cost Santana the entire 2011 campaign, the lefty looks to prove that the hefty contract he received from the Mets after being traded from the Twins wasn’t a mistake. He looks to be throwing with ease and without hesitation so far this spring. The last few years have made everyone forget just how dominant he was with Minnesota. I don’t for one second expect him to return to that level, but a rebound campaign with 15 wins and an ERA in the low 3.00’s is entirely possible, and could probably be grabbed in the second half of most drafts.

7. UTIL Jesus Montero (SEA): The uber prospect that the New York Yankees seemed unwilling to part with was parted with. He teased us with his power potential briefly in the Bronx last year, launching 4 HR in just his first 19 games in the show. His power potential in 2012 may be dampened a bit by moving onto Seattle, but the possibility of him gaining C eligibility is huge at a position so thin offensively.

8. 2B Jason Kipnis (CLE): Seven HR in his first 19 games is leaving many with visions of Chase Utley. There’s no telling whether he can reach that level of stardom, but he does play in a fairly hitter friendly ballpark at Progressive (I still call it Jacobs) Field. Either way, playing a position like his that often lacks the kind of power he can bring makes him a very intriguing pick. Savvy players will be sure to scoop this guy up.

9. 2B Jemile Weeks (OAK): Jemile is essentially the polar opposite of what Jason Kipnis can bring to the table. Every successful fantasy team needs some of those guys who plan to run wild on the base paths. He can be one of them. I think an AVG in the .280-.300 range and 80 runs to go along with 30 steals is a completely reasonable expectation for Weeks in his sophomore campaign. Again, this comes at a tough position to get production out of.

10. OF Yoenis Cespedes (OAK): The great mystery that is Yoenis Cespedes. The A’s shocked the baseball world by inking the man known as “The Cuban Willie Mays”, but I hope we don’t get caught up in the moniker and put too much pressure on the guy. He does have the precious 5 tool ability, so the potential physically to be a monster in the bigs is there. It’ll take some major adjustment time for him, in all aspects of his new life. I think a decent average in the .260-.280 range and I predict a 20/20 season for HR and SB. Perhaps a low risk/high reward late round flyer type of choice.

Honorable Mentions: SP Brandon Beachy (ATL), SP Daniel Bard (BOS), 2B Dustin Ackley (SEA), OF Yonder Alonso (SD), SS Zack Cozart (CIN)

Good luck to everyone in 2012, and as always have fun!

 

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