Any seasoned fantasy baseball owner can draft the top MLB players in the opening rounds of a draft and, barring injuries, be successful. The seasoned veteran, however, knows those rounds are not where you will win your league. Getting the win comes from a variety of places, not limited to: hitting on late prospect pick who breakout, or veterans coming off injury who recapture glory. Seasoned veterans also look for any player who could give top 100 production value from later round picks, because those players will provide you with an advantage over your opponents.
Before we take a look at some deep sleepers, let us be clear on the type of players we are talking about. We are not talking about players that everyone knows, and that gets drafted in every draft. If a player is getting drafted a couple of rounds later than he should, that is not a sleeper in my book. Let’s save those guys for the undervalued column.
The players we will look at here can be compared to blindly throwing darts and hoping for a bull’s-eye. Face it: you will probably turnover 50% or more of the bottom half of your draft, so you have nothing to lose by gambling on some of these guys.
So without further ado, here we go!
Jordan Luplow, CLE OF
After Oscar Mercado and newly acquired Domingo Santana, the Indians OF is a wasteland. But if you are looking for someone who could play his way into a full-time role, Luplow could be the guy based on his limited work in 2019. In 85 games during 2019, he accumulated 15 HR, 15 2B, 42 R, and 38 RBI with a .923 OPS. Do the math folks; that would be an extremely productive fantasy season if the 26-year-old entering his prime can win the full-time job and continue that production. The threat of Yasiel Puig returning still lurks.
Yoenis Céspedes, NYM OF
We all know who he is, but we have not seen him in so long that we forgot about him. The 34-year-old is likely to battle staying on the field, but if entirely healthy should still have a couple of productive seasons left. He will be looking to play in pain this season to cash-in on his final contract as he hits free agency next off-season. Playing time might be hard to come by, even if he is healthy, with young bats JD Davis and Dominic Smith also playing LF. In the 40th round or off the waiver wire, you might not find more upside. He is worth grabbing to see how spring training shakes out.
Jared Walsh, LAA OF
At 26-years-old, he is old for a prospect. Who cares? This guy hit 36 HR with a .325 average at AAA last season, while striking out 115 times and walking 59. We have seen older slugging prospects like Nelson Cruz and Jose Batista bloom late and carry it over for years. Don’t scoff at that kind of production. He will make opening day roster, and are Albert Pujols (1B) and Brian Goodwin (RF) good enough to keep this guy off the field if he continues to rake? He might even see some ABs at DH as Ohtani as Angels will take their time getting him back into the rotation.
Rick Porcello, NYM SP
Everyone knows Porcello, but he seems to be getting ignored in drafts (I have seen him going off near pick 400). Porcello is a 31-year-old Cy Young winner that has started no less than 27 games in the past 11 seasons. He will give you innings. In deep leagues, those are valuable. With a career 4.36 ERA, he will be moving to the NL with no DH for the first time in his career. Leaving the AL East in his rearview, it is not a stretch to think he can have a mid 3’s ERA and 18-20 QS.
Alex Vesia, MIA RP
I know the Marlins might not have a lot of save opportunities, but someone has to get them, and do we need to see Drew Steckenrider get another shot? In 2019 Vesia twirled 100 strikeouts to just 15 walks in 66.2 innings. He has not pitched past AA, but at 23 years old and a four-year college player, he is ready for a shot in the bigs. There should be no issue making the roster, and if he is not the closer, he will be a source of holds and Ks.
Ryan Mountcastle, BAL 1B
A somewhat forgotten prospect, Mountcastle has raked his way through the minors and at 22-years-old is ready to bring his talents to Camden Yards. His primary position is 1B, but he played all over the infield in the minors and can even play some outfield, leaving many chances for him to solidify a job for a team that does not have many sure things. Do we need to see another full season of Chris Davis? There will be an opportunity here for playing time.
Consider throwing some darts at these guys in your drafts or pick them up of waivers. If any of these guys achieve their upside at the price they will cost, it will be a home run (pun intended) for your squad.
Any feedback is welcome, and you can follow me on Twitter @theCiccone