Fantasy Baseball 2017: 10 Sleepers Under the Age of 25

Finding sleepers ahead of your draft is easy. Finding diamonds in the rough is hard. Luckily, there’s plenty of young guys under the age of 25 poised to become the next big sleeper.

Youth in baseball means a lot to owners. There’s a certain sense of optimism that comes with young players, especially those who have looked promising in Spring Training. It gives us reason to believe the could be X-factors on our roster, even perhaps, sleepers.

My goal, and likely your goal, is to always have a good mix of prospects and sleepers stashed away for a rainy day, or perhaps, an entirely new season when your team starts to suck. This year more than ever, there seems to be a tremendous amount of players on the verge of serious playing time, and it’s tough to sort through which ones are worth your attention.

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The average age of MLB rosters is 26.7 this year. Even I’ll admit, in many of my drafts so far, I’ve found it hard not to overpay for young players who have produced promising numbers. It could be a recipe for disaster, but it’s hard to ignore names that have semi-convincing numbers and are producing well on the path to fantasy relevance.

The purpose of this list isn’t just to name a plain old bunch of guys 25 years and under. I will also determine the optimism level you should have, and where you can expect to draft them with just two weeks until Opening Day.

Greg Bird, 1B, New York Yankees (Age: 24)

There’s always a flavor of the month sleepers, but Bird certainly doesn’t look like one of them. He’s emerged this Spring with a monstrous 6 HRs/11 RBIs and a .432 AVG, but that’s only scratching the surface of what he’s about. Fresh from a year off due to shoulder problems, Bird’s hard hit rate in 2015 was a whopping 44.8% during his time in AA/AAA. Want to know the best part? He’s a lefty, and we all know what hard ball sluggers plus Yankee Stadium equals. Bird hits righty and lefty pitching equally as well, and if he can keep the strikeouts to a minimum, he’s really only competing with the aging Chris Carter at first base.

Optimism Level: High – Draft: Middle to Late Rounds

Robbie Ray, P, Arizona Diamondbacks (Age: 25)

Anyone vying for a spot in the Diamondbacks’ rotation is in for a chance this year. Given how hard Ray has worked so far, he’s likely already earned himself a place. Last year Ray struggled with pitches other than his electric fastball and finished with a 4.90 ERA. Now he’s had time to focus on developing his slider, and as a result, has struck out 18 batters so far this Spring. Ray’s two biggest problems are slider velocity and giving up base hits early in the count. He gave up 88 hits when behind 1-0 last year, but his slider velocity continues to jump each season, now at 84.2 MPH. If he can throw with pace and limit his pitch count, he’ll rise up the ranks behind Zack Greinke.

Optimism Level: Medium – Draft: Late Rounds

Raimel Tapia, OF, Colorado Rockies (Age: 23)

The silver lining to the Ian Desmond cloud is Tapia. He’ll have to adapt to first base, but have faith, his consistency throughout the minors is outstanding. Tapia was hitless in only 24 games last season and finished with a .346/.355/.490 line in AAA, leaving Rockies manager Bud Black with some decisions to make. Fantasy wise, Tapia compares to Rajai Davis. He has serious steals potential, and could probably sit around a .270 AVG if his hitting adapts to Major League pitching. The great part about Tapia is his durability (he’s always healthy) and how well he’s hit elite Minor League pitching. What’s not to like here?

Optimism Level: High – Draft: Late Rounds

Mike Foltynewicz, P, Atlanta Braves (Age: 25)

During his two years with the Braves, Foltynewicz has been the definition of patchy. He’s had outings that show off his true potential, which is a blazing 95 MPH fastball, and outings where he’s loaded the bases early and looked lost with no command. Folty’s greatest asset is his fastball, but his slider has been deadly as well. It struck out a total of 32.7% of hitters last season and gave up only 20 hits. Folty’s Spring has locked up the fifth spot in the Braves’ rotation, and so far in March, he’s looked cool and calm when faced with a jam. Learning how to control his fastball from an old time flamethrower like Bartolo Colon could help him a lot this year.

Optimism Level: Medium – Draft: Waivers

Albert Almora Jr, OF, Chicago Cubs (Age: 22)

There are a couple of ways this season could go for Almora Jr: He’s either a late round stash that sees Javier Baez like playing time from a season ago, or Jon Jay turns into nothing and Almora receives more reps. Either way, Almora looks to have great OBP potential, and he’s shown some power too. He hit for a .333 AVG last year with men in scoring position and is a serious middle of the order threat for the Cubs. Almora had an ISO ranking of .179 last year and a walk rate of 4.3% – which is good considering he only partook in 112 at-bats. It all depends on Joe Maddon’s plans, but Almora looks like Dexter Fowler’s long-term replacement.

Optimism Level: High – Draft: Late Rounds

Koda Glover, P, Washington Nationals (Age: 23)

It’s a small sample size, but Glover’s arsenal has the fantasy world abuzz. A dazzling fastball and slider accompany a rather impressive Spring, one that has Nationals manager Dusty Baker mulling over who will be Washington’s closer on Opening Day. Glover has pitched in the ninth inning eight times in March and has captained the ship with a strong hand. He’s one of those players that you could stash now in keeper leagues, mainly because you’d hate to miss out. His 97 MPH fastball should result in a lot of strikeouts this year, and his 42.4% groundball rate in 2016 is a promising number.

Optimism Level: Medium – Draft: Waivers/Stash

Travis Jankowski, OF, San Diego Padres (Age: 25)

Hold off on Jankowski in your drafts, because he probably isn’t worth a pick. He is, however, worth picking up on waivers, solely because the Padres seem so invested this Spring. Owners, it might be worth showing some blind faith here, particularly if you’re in need of steals, as Jankowski stole 30 bags in 382 plate appearances last season. He’s likely to be a high strikeout guy again this year, his 26.1% strikeout rate is scary, but Jankowski did score 30 runs last year giving him some offensive value. It’s a really limited sample size, I know, but Jankowski is guaranteed to be the main man in the Padres’ outfield throughout April, and if he can get on base more and swing less, he’s one to watch.

Optimism Level: Low – Draft: Waivers

Robert Gsellman, P, New York Mets (Age: 23)

Gsellman has been a popular sleeper pick for a number of reasons. The main one being: the numbers. He was a ginormous help to the Mets last season who were ravaged by injuries, and his 2.42 ERA is quite remarkable. Even more, Gsellman finished the season with a 22.7% strikeout rate, and although he has a menacing fastball, the curveball is perhaps his most effective up and coming pitch. Last year Gsellman’s curve struck out 23.5% of hitters and finished with a BABIP of .167 in the 76 times he threw it. Gsellman is easily in the ‘Most Underrated Pitchers’ category in the N.L and is expected to meet his ceiling again in the back end of the Mets’ rotation.

Optimism Level: High – Draft: Late Rounds

Michael Conforto, OF, New York Mets (Age: 24)

The upside on Conforto is huge. The downside is the Mets might be too dumb to realize it. Fighting for a roster spot and Jay Bruce aside, Conforto’s .725 OPS last year is a valuable stat in its own right, coupled with his 10.3% walk rate and 12 HRs. Heaven forbid Conforto sees real playing time, we’re looking at a ceiling of .250 AVG/15 HRs/50 RBIs and the second most productive Mets outfielder not named Yoenis Cespedes. It’s a shame we as owners are so handcuffed to Terry Collins’ decisions, though.

Optimism Level: High – Draft: Middle Rounds/Stash

Adalberto Mejia, P, Minnesota Twins (Age: 23)

The mediocrity of Jose Berrios hit a new level during Puerto Rico’s defeat in the World Baseball Classic, casting more doubt on the fifth spot in the Twins’ rotation. By all accounts, Mejia has had a fantastic Spring, striking out eight batters against the Cardinals earlier in March. He’s the kind of pitcher that doesn’t throw much heat, and since he tends to hang towards the lower part of the plate, he might be flirting with disaster one day. For the time being, Mejia will provide you with a nice fastball and slider mix, both of which are terrific against lefties. He finished with a 6-3 record last year in AAA and a total of 68 strikeouts as he battles for a spot in Paul Molitor’s lineup.

Optimism Level: Low – Draft: Waivers

Next: Potential N.L Central Hold Targets

There you have it, ten sleepers under the age of 25 who are worth every bit of your time as the season approaches. Some of these guys aren’t worth your time in standard leagues, others can be stashed from mid to late rounds. Either way, consider any one of them if you find yourself with holes on your roster.

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