7 Sleepers that will Impact your Fantasy Baseball Team in 2013

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You can search for “sleeper picks” on the Internet and get hundreds of websites with hundreds of different reasons for why they should be chosen by you for your team.

I’m not going to waste your time with the “top twenty sleepers for 2013” or the “I’m smarter than you picks of the year.” If you want the run of the mill sleepers go out on the Internet and have a good time.

I’m going to rundown my top sleeper at each position. Keep in mind this might not be the guy who I think is going to put up the best numbers. These selections are based on value and where you can land them in your draft. On the flipside, some of these picks will put up huge numbers. Here’s looking at you, Will Middlebrooks. More about him later.

Without further adieu, let’s get started.

Catcher: Tyler Flowers – Chicago White Sox

Where’s Salvador Perez you might be wondering? He ain’t here, he’s already been taken ten rounds ahead of Tyler Flowers. With A.J. Pierzynski landing in the humid Texas heat, Flowers will take over the starring role on the South Side of Chicago.

Tyler has never received a lot of playing time in Chicago. We can’t gauge a lot from his trickle of at bats at the MLB level. Let’s take a look at his minor league numbers to gauge what we will see from 400+ at bats he will likely be receiving this year.

We know he has some pop and he will hit for a fairly decent average. I’m not too optimistic on the amount of runs he will score hitting towards the bottom of the White Sox lineup.

With that said he will be drafted in the late teens and lower in your drafts. His stats project out to someone like a Ryan Doumit or Jesus Montero type of hitter. If he exceeds expectations you could see him compare closer to Miguel Montero.

Will’s 2013 Projection

First Base: Kendrys Morales – Seattle Mariners

I was expecting great things from the underrated Cuban slugger last year. I was vastly disappointed. As many of you remember Kendrys is the guy who broke his leg in 2010 celebrating a walk off grand slam. He was a huge injury sleeper last year who quickly rose up draft boards going on to have a good season but not a great one.

He has a change of scenery with the trade sending him to Seattle. You can pencil him in for the Mariners starting DH/1B position this year. If he has a great year like he is capable of you can expect 25+ home runs with an average around .290. If he doesn’t adjust to the new surroundings he will probably have something similar to the year he had last year which was decent but nothing to write home about.

Now, in 2009 Kendrys Morales had a monster year.

Fantasy owners can hope he has something similar in 2013. I don’t think he will reach those 2009 heights playing in the Pacific Northwest because of the erratic lineup playing around him. He could still rack up big numbers that would make any owner very happy.

He is often overlooked in drafts because he is not a marquee name. Now, he will be playing on the cellar dweller Mariners without the spotlight of Los Angeles shining on him. The potential to have a huge power season could happen in Seattle with the fences being moved in at Safeco Field this year. Seattle will no longer be a pitcher’s park. He will turn 30 years old this season and he is playing on a one-year contract. A healthy Morales in a contract year spells good things to come for the upcoming season.

Will’s 2013 Projection

Second Base: Jedd Gyorko – Padres

If you have never heard of Jedd Gyorko then you should read on, while writing his name down in huge block letters to be tucked away for your draft.

There are some if’s to the next selection. If Jedd Gyorko lives up to his enormous potential this choice will be head and shoulders above all of the others. If he wins the Padres second base job he could have a huge offensive year.

Jedd Gyorko put up Robinson Cano like numbers in the minors. There is one caveat to his huge hitting numbers. He has been playing in the Pacific Coast League for the majority of last season. A league where many hitters become vastly overrated the minute they face major league pitching. I don’t think his numbers are inflated from the PCL because of what he did in the California and Texas league in 2011.

As it stands right now Mr. Gyorko will audition for the second base job for the San Diego Padres as spring training begins. He played the majority of his games at third base in the minors. The Padres are trying to convert him to second base, which will cause some growing pains as the season goes on. As we all know things can change quickly in spring training so keep an eye on him to see how much playing time he is receiving.

My projections are very conservative. I wanted to give him projections of 20+ homers and him hitting around .300. I believe he makes the opening day roster and his bat will find a way into the lineup. If he starts at second base he will be one of the top contenders for Rookie of the Year and a future fantasy superstar. His bat is major league ready but we will have to see if he can handle second base duties.

Regardless, you will be able to get him cheap and get some good production in a full-time or part-time capacity. He has the upside of an offensive monster at a scarce position. He should not be ignored in your draft.

Will’s 2013 Projections

Shortstop/Second Base: Josh Rutledge – Colorado Rockies

Josh Rutledge will be the starting second baseman for the Colorado Rockies this season. He received on audition for the gig last season where he had 277 at-bats with the big club in Denver. He will also have shortstop eligibility from last year. So you can get a dual threat on the cheap.

He has the tools you look for in a middle infielder. He hits for above average power with excellent speed and base running skills. He will hit for a good average in Colorado unlike some infielders with the same tools who hit .240 on a regular basis. Coors Field will boost his offensive numbers and you will see him batting in the two-hole becoming a major run producer for the Rockies.

Josh is a very similar player to Jason Kipnis in Cleveland. Josh possesses more pure speed with better hitting contact skills. If you like Kipnis this year you should love Josh Rutledge because he will go a lot lower in drafts. Right now he is being taken as the 13th overall shortstop in most mock drafts. He will become a run scoring force in baseball with the possibility of it beginning as soon as this season.

Will’s 2013 Projection

Third Base: Will Middlebrooks – Boston Red Sox

Many of you know Will Middlebrooks from his “I’ve never heard of this guy” season a year ago. He quickly went from a very underrated Boston Red Sox prospect to a major contributor for a team that struggled mightily on the offensive end last year.

The reason why I am so high on this pick for this year is that he has already proven he can hit Major League pitching. It doesn’t hurt that he plays third base, which is scarce with talent once the top guys are off the draft board. He had an injury that limited some of his at-bats and he wasn’t called up until May. He played so well after his call-up, a disgruntled Kevin Youkilis was shipped off to the White Sox once he returned from injury.

It’s not very hard to look at the statistics and think of another more established third baseman who will put up similar numbers for a much more expensive price, Evan Longoria.

Evan Longoria is going in the second round of drafts. For a 12th round pick in Will Middlebrooks you can get Evan Longoria’s 2nd round production. The value for this pick is off the charts and a lot of people have not made the connection in skill levels between Middlebrooks and Longoria.

I think Will Middlebrooks will have a great year, but it will fly under the radar. I don’t see his breakout coming until next year when all of Major League Baseball will discover the talented third baseman in Boston.

Will’s 2013 Projections

Outfield: Oscar Tavares – St. Louis Cardinals

Oscar Taveras is no secret to fantasy prospect aficionados. He is ranked no lower than third amongst most prospect rankings publications and websites. Quite simply he will be the next superstar in a long line of great prospects to come out of the St.Louis Cardinals system.

He has always sported a high batting average and contact rate from the very beginnings of his professional career. Oscar discovered his power stroke early last season. He never looked back as he put on a hitting display at the Texas League All-Star Game and finished the season as the Texas League Player Of The Year.

Scouts compare the left-hander to a young Barry Bonds. The Cardinals will not be ready to bring him to St. Louis when the season begins. Carlos Beltran, Matt Holliday, and Jon Jay are entrenched in the Cardinals outfield.

Still, all of these players had nagging injuries and missed time throughout last season. Carlos Beltran and Matt Holliday aren’t in their 20’s anymore and Cardinal Manager Mike Matheny has said he wants to rest them to keep them fresh for the end of the season with a possible playoff run.

This will open the door for Oscar Taveras to begin his career in St. Louis. He will turn 21 years old in June. I expect him to see a call up around the All-Star Nreak in July. I don’t expect huge numbers from him but I do see him filling a midseason need for fantasy owners who are looking for five-category production for the second half of the season.

Will’s 2013 Projection

Pitcher: Matt Harvey – New York Mets

The New York Mets have several elite pitching prospects in their system. The brightest might be Matt Harvey. The former first round pick got to showcase his skills with the Mets in 2012 in eye-opening fashion.

He had ten starts with an ERA of 2.73 with a WHIP of 1.15 while posting 70 strikeouts in 59 innings. He will begin 2013 in the starting rotation with the departure of R.A. Dickey to the Toronto Blue Jays.

The Mets won’t be contenders this year so don’t expect big win totals. You can expect great strikeout numbers with a very competitive WHIP and ERA to match. He will experience growing pains in his first full major league season so you can also expect a few rocky starts. It remains to be seen if he will have an innings limit placed on him.

Keep an eye on that decision during spring training because it will have an affect on his numbers. I expect to see numbers closer to his minor league averages and not what he did with the Mets in 2012. He will be a tremendous value in the middle rounds.

Will’s 2013 Projection

We’re counting down you our 2013 Fantasy Baseball Draft Kit, which will be available for download on February 18th.  Here’s a quick review:

13 Dollar Players Who’ll Triple Your Money
12 Bargain Bin Outfielders
11 Pitchers You Shouldn’t Touch With a 60’6″ Pole
10 Spot Starters Who’ll Jump to the Next Level
9 Guys to Give You a Complete LIneup
8 Geezers Over 35 Who Still Have Their Giddy Up