Fantasy Baseball Sleepers-Picks

[PhillyFan3]

Just curious who you guys think are going to be the best value picks and who are going to be some of the sleepers, just want to get this going to help out everyone that does fantasy baseball, I am in like 3 leagues all about 100 bucks each with about 12 people in each league, so I am hoping to get a step up on everyone....

I personally like from my team is the Big 3 of Howard, Utley, and Rollins to put monster years ...I think Hamels is going to have a little bit of a letdown year, but I expect some good things out of Brett Myers in the rotation....

Obviously we have the big names that put up huge numbers each year: A-rod, Mags, Vlad, Wright, Hanley, Crawford, Teixiera, Holliday, Morneau, Sizemore, Beltran, Miguel Cabrera, Mauer, Hafner, Victor Martinez, Rios and Wells from Tor, Carlos Lee, Ortiz, Manny, Aramis, Soriano, and many others in the lineups...

My sleepers or guys you can get kind of later that can put up some big numbers this year: Hunter Pence, Josh Hamilton, Matt Kemp, Adam Jones, Barton(OAK), Cameron Maybin, Milledge, Alex Gordon, Joey Votto...

Pitching I am sure every one knows the big names out there, there are a couple of guys who I think are going to step it up big time this year: Jimenez and Morales(col), Wainwright, McGowan and Marcum(tor), Guthrie, Baker, Billingsley, Bucholz, Rich HIll, Yovani Gallardo

Also wondering what you guys think are the guys to stay away from too....

Thanks for any input guys, it will be appreciated in making runs in our fantasy leagues this year

[Kuz]

Get Justin Upton -- especially for keeper leagues.

I also like Jay Bruce, Longoria, Bucholz, Gallardo, Tim Lincecum, Homer Bailey and FRANCISCO LIRIANO!!!

Be patient with Liriano though because it will take a little time probably for him to get back up to speed.

[Silver & Black]

By Position - each of these guys will be around after round 20

C - Ryan Doumit - Pit - if he's there, take him in the last round. He won't start, but the weak hitting Pirates will not be able to keep his bat on the bendh
1st - Richie Sexson - Sea - you'll get him after the 20th round, and this year he'll produce better power numbers than Pujols
2nd - Kaz Matsui - Hou - .275 BA, 30 steals and 90 runs and could go undrafted
3rd - Kevin Kouzmanoff - SD - started off last year as one of the worst hitters in baseball. hit over .300 the last 5 months. look for .300 - 23 - 95 as a late - late round pick
SS - Felipe Lopez - Wash - Lopez and Julio Lugo are the same player, but Lugo will go 8 rounds earlier.
Out - Wily Mo Pena - Wash - only 26 and it seams as if he's been around for a long time. Breakout season this year. 35 HR 100 RBI
Out - Lastings Milledge - Wash - Good Attitude - Big Upside
Out - Cameron Maybin - Flo - if someone wants to take a chance on him early, let them have him. If he sticks to round 20 you should take the chance.
SP - Rcih Harden - Oak - His arm will probably fall off by May, but a last round pick won't be a bad risk
SP - Andrew Miller - Homer Bailey - Tom Gorzelanny - Three Studs who struggled at times last year. They're still studs.

[Daws1089]

milledge and good attitude dont belong in the same sentence. isnt he known for being an *******?

[Silver & Black]

Originally Posted by Daws1089

milledge and good attitude dont belong in the same sentence. isnt he known for being an *******?

Exactly - but he's worth a flyer on a late round pick

[NittanyLions94]

A couple sleepers I'll be looking at:

C - Ryan Doumit - The Pirates should finally be doing a straight platoon with he and Paulino. Doumit kills righties and Paulino kills lefties, so it should work out pretty well. The kid can stroke.

2B - Brendan Harris - Finally got a full season of ABs in Tampa and put up a .286 AVG with 72 runs and 50+ RBIs.

3B - Edwin Encarnacion - He's not quite a "sleeper" in every sense of the word, but he is a very solid later pick if you miss out on the elite 3Bs. .289, 76 RBIs, just under .800 OPS.

OF - Jack Cust - Maybe my favorite player in the entire MLB. The dude is an OPS monster at .912, but will hurt you on the AVG. He should improve on his 26 HRs and 82 RBIs, but if your league counts OPS, he is extremely valuable and consistent in that category.

[CuseFan10]

Originally Posted by NittanyLions94

OF - Jack Cust -

Will break he strikeout record this year if he stays healthy.

Lastings Milledge and "good attitude" Good riddance to Lastings.

[CuseFan10]

Originally Posted by Silver & Black

1st - Richie Sexson - Sea - you'll get him after the 20th round, and this year he'll produce better power numbers than Pujols

Seriously S & B!?!?!?!? According to what? That could be the most ridiculous statement ever written on this entire message board (unless you're assuming Pujols elbow sidelines him for months). Best thing I've read on Sexson to date is this:

"At least two people in every room will think he can't be as bad as he was last year, but oh yes, he can"

and

"39 HR's and 121 RBI in 05, 34 HR and 107 RBI in 06, and 21 HR and 63 RBI in 07. OBP dropped from .368 to .338 to .295 over the same spread, yet oddly Sexson's whiffs also dropped 167 to 154 to 100. Meaning: he jus tcan't hit like he used."

Pujols will go .320, 40, 120 and Sexson will go .250, 25, 80. The two are not comparable.

[CuseFan10]

Billy Butler will have a monster year would be mine.

[NittanyLions94]

Originally Posted by CuseFan10

Will break he strikeout record this year if he stays healthy.

Lastings Milledge and "good attitude" Good riddance to Lastings.

He can strike out all he wants if he OPS's .900+. Not to get into a stat-head debate, but strikeouts are overrated IMO.

[FlyersFan]

Originally Posted by NittanyLions94

He can strike out all he wants if he OPS's .900+. Not to get into a stat-head debate, but strikeouts are overrated IMO.

i agree so long as he is still productive in terms of runs produced (rbi's +runs). K's are irrelevant in fantasy in all honesty. Adam Dunn Strikes out 400 times a year and is a horrible regular player, IMO, but he gets 40/100/60+ and has a high OPS and that's all that matters and is a good fantasy player. He's also probably the last guy that i would want up in a big situation as a REDS fan as he whiffs constantly in those AB's...but who gives a **** if he produces for fantasy. Same thing with Cust so long as he has good numbers, he can whiff 8,000 times if he wants. How you make an out in fantasy matters not.

[NittanyLions94]

Originally Posted by FlyersFan

i agree so long as he is still productive in terms of runs produced (rbi's +runs). K's are irrelevant in fantasy in all honesty. Adam Dunn Strikes out 400 times a year and is a horrible regular player, IMO, but he gets 40/100/60+ and has a high OPS and that's all that matters and is a good fantasy player. He's also probably the last guy that i would want up in a big situation as a REDS fan as he whiffs constantly in those AB's...but who gives a **** if he produces for fantasy. Same thing with Cust so long as he has good numbers, he can whiff 8,000 times if he wants. How you make an out in fantasy matters not.

Calling Adam Dunn a horrible regular player is just wrong, and maybe the most wrong thing I've ever seen on this board.

[CuseFan10]

Originally Posted by NittanyLions94

Calling Adam Dunn a horrible regular player is just wrong, and maybe the most wrong thing I've ever seen on this board.

I agree that Adam Dunn is a horrible player. Hitting 40 hr's a year doesn't make one a good baseball player. He is quite possibly the worst defensive outfielder in baseball and hurts his team dramatically in the field. Jack Cust is the same way.

Strikeouts I was referring too more in terms of real life, not fantasy.

[NittanyLions94]

If your worst season over the last 4 years consisted of 40 HRs, 92 RBIs, 112 BBs, and a .855 OPS then you can be horrible on my real life team any time. I was referring to strikeouts being overrated in real life and not fantasy, too. And it will be hard for Jack Cust to hurt the A'a defensively as the DH

[CuseFan10]

Originally Posted by NittanyLions94

If your worst season over the last 4 years consisted of 40 HRs, 92 RBIs, 112 BBs, and a .855 OPS then you can be horrible on my real life team any time. I was referring to strikeouts being overrated in real life and not fantasy, too. And it will be hard for Jack Cust to hurt the A'a defensively as the DH

I know he's DH'ing this year but he played 56 games in the OF last year and Dunn plays nearly every game in the OF. Dunn gives up more runs than any position player on Earth. So he drives in 100 runs, he also probably gives back 30 to 40 runs with his horrendous defense. Are you like a Moneyball, Billy Beane type guy Nitts? OBP and HR's are that matter?

Jack Cust struck out 164 times in 385 at bats (or thereabouts). That's ridiculous. He's a home run, a walk, or a rally killer. Not my type of player personally, and to boot he's incapable of playing any position on defense and a steroid abuser.... Simply not a fan.