We are all very aware that in this day and age, there is no such thing as a sleeper anymore. The internet and media have blown up the coverage of baseball to the point where, if you don’t know the name of the Phillies Double-A back-up catcher, you’re doing it wrong. So in fantasy baseball, we’re not looking for the player no one knows; we’re looking for the player we know has the strong skill-set but people seem to be avoiding for one reason or another. Maybe it was a down year. Maybe the home park in which they pitch half their games is hitter-friendly. Whatever the case may be, they have fallen under the radar and they can be had for a bargain cost. My list below isn’t made up of people no one knows. It’s made up of players who fantasy owners have mistakenly given up on or are considering avoiding in drafts this year. I urge you to not make the same mistake.

 

  1. Maikel Franco 3B Philadelphia Phillies

Franco was a major disappointment for the Phillies last season as he slashed a mere .230/.281/.409 and seemingly took another step back from his rookie campaign. He did belt a career-best 29 doubles to go along with his 24 home runs which resulted in 76 RBI for the year, so there is no doubting his skill-set or his potential. He still has great bat speed and power, but needs to hone his plate discipline and learn how to have more professional at-bats. At age-25, he is entering his “prime years” and is capable of making a statistical jump similar to what we saw in 2017 with Marcel Ozuna and Avisail Garcia. The Phillies signing of free agent Carlos Santana, the only active player to have an OBP of .350 or greater every season since 2011, brings in a veteran who should set a good example for Franco in the areas he needs to improve -- learning to take more pitches, work counts and draw more walks. If Franco learns to make the proper adjustments and provides better at-bats, he could become a fantasy star as early as this season.

  1. Christian Yelich OF Milwalkee Brewers

Updated: Tuesday, January 30

Yelich has been a very consistent player the last two years, averaging 20 home runs and 88 RBI with an on-base percentage of .372.  At 26-years old, he has one of the best swings in baseball, evoking memories of great hitters such as Fred Lynn and Will Clark. We’ve witnessed steady growth and an increase of his fly-ball rate, so if he can continue to make the proper adjustments to his swing and improve his launch angle, there is no reason to believe he can’t become a 25-30 home run hitter. The trade to the Brewers increases his fantasy value because of stadium factors which should result in more home runs.  In addition, he goes to a team where manager Craig Counsell is known for his aggressiveness on the bases and willingness to let his base stealers run more than most teams. The only question remaining is where he will hit in the Brew Crew lineup which will have a direct impact on his runs and runs batted in categories.

  1. Albert Almora OF Chicago Cubs

Entering the 2018 season, the 23-year old Almora is expected to be the Cubs every-day center fielder. As a strong, defensive outfielder, his glove should help keep him in the lineup and allow him to develop into a decent fantasy player.  Last season, he hit an impressive .342/.411/.486 against left-handed pitching and .271/.291/.420 against righties which led to eight home runs with 39 runs scored and 46 RBI over just 323 plate appearances.  Almora was Theo Epstein’s first first-round pick after he joined the Cubs and team’s President remains quite bullish on his potential.  If he can get 500 plate appearances this season, 15-18 home runs are possible, but, more importantly, the runs scored and RBI total should be beyond expectations that to their deep lineup.

  1. Ryon Healy 1B Seattle Mariners

Just 26-years old, Healy is coming off a solid season in which he batted .271 with 25 home runs and 78 RBI for Oakland. His offseason trade to Seattle instantly improves his overall fantasy value. While Safeco Field didn’t play as well offensively as the Oakland Coliseum, the opportunities Healy will have with Robinson Cano, Nelson Cruz, Kyle Seager and Mitch Haniger hitting in front of him should negate and type of ballpark shift. He should get plenty of pitches to hit. The result should be an increase of power to approximately 30 home runs with 100 RBI. UPDATE: Healy underwent surgery to remove a bone spur from his hand in early February and isn;t expected back until mid-to-late March. He's still a strong talent and should eventually regain the power, but he may get off to a slow start this season and force his owners to stash him until he shows the power is back in full.

  1. Xander Bogaerts SS Boston Red Sox

Bogaerts is coming off a down year where he slashed .273/.343/.403 with only 10 home runs, 62 RBI and 15 stolen bases.  Get ready for his break-out season.  New Red Sox manager Alex Cora will be able to connect with him quickly and I expect to see his home run go back to the 21-range he hit in 2016. I also think you’ll see him run more, giving him a chance at 20-25 stolen bases.  He’s smart, instinctive and works hard at his craft.  Just 25-years old, his prime years begin now, so brace yourself and put your seat belt on. He could have a banner season.

  1. Gregory Polanco OF Pittsburgh Pirates

Though he has yet to put it all together for a full season, Polanco has the power/speed combination to hit between 20-25 home runs with the potential to steal the same number of bases.  But be warned, he doesn’t have the “hit” tool to become a superstar, so if you draft him, don’t expect much more than a .260 average or .320 on-base percentage. Still the 20-20 potential is what you need in fantasy as the counting stats should be your primary focus.  The Pirates lineup should be solid enough for him to reach 85 runs and 85 RBI so with his home run and stolen base projections, he will prove to be an outstanding asset.

  1. Eduardo Rodriguez LHP Boston Red Sox

The 24-year old southpaw has a 93-96 mph fastball with above-average life which he cuts and rides.  He has a nasty slider and deceptive change-up as well.  The only question is if he can stay healthy.  If his knees, shoulder and elbow hold up, he could develop into a top of rotation starter with high-strikeout potential.  He’ll definitely benefit from an outfield with three center fielders and a strong bullpen, so that, coupled with the expected run support and playing on a winning team, gives him a chance to do well in the multiple pitching categories.

  1. Greg Bird 1B New York Yankees

Bird has dealt with serious injuries the last couple of years which included shoulder surgery, but he’s 100-percent now and I project him to be a serious impact bat for the Yankees this season. The 25-year old slashed just .190/.288/.422 with nine home runs and 28 RBI last year in 170 plate appearances, but it’s no secret that his talent is far beyond that. In a season of full-health, I expect him to slash closer to .270/.340/.470 with 20 home runs for the Yankees this year. You also have to take the surrounding lineup into account as well. Hitting in the lineup with Giancarlo Stanton, Aaron Judge and Didi Gregorius around him should give him high numbers in both the runs scored and RBI categories.  A legit fantasy sleeper this year.

  1. David Dahl OF Colorado Rockies

Dahl was supposed to be a Rookie of the Year candidate this past season, but instead spent most of the year on the disabled list, playing in just 19 minor league games. Just 25-years old, he has the potential of posting a 20-20 season and I don’t have to tell you how those power numbers could inflate, playing half his games at Coors Field.  Dahl is expected to start the year in Triple-A, but should be a solid late-round pick with huge upside if he gets healthy and an opportunity. The latter may not be as easy as one would think after the year Gerardo Parra had in 2017, but if Ian Desmond stays at first base, Dahl has a great shot at a very early call-up.

  1. Addison Russell SS Chicago Cubs

The 24-year old was a huge disappointment last year, demonstrating no improvement with the bat and hitting below .240 for a second-straight season. He also hit just 12 home runs in 385 plate appearances.  But Russell was also dealing with some personal issues which could have slowed his development.  However, make no doubt about the fact that he has 25 home run type raw power and when he finally figures it out at the plate, he could become a real slugger with 100-RBI potential.  I would expect that he will trend upwards in all offensive categories this year and being in one of the National League’s best lineups will certainly help him reach his potential faster than other young hitters. A .250 average with 25 home runs and 100 RBI this year -- I’m calling it now. Believe it!

  1. Tyler Skaggs LHP Los Angeles Angels

Another full year removed from surgery, the 26-year old left-hander has his 92-93 mph fastball velocity back and is ready to tear up big league hitters in 2018. His curve ball needs to be thrown less, his change-up thrown more and he needs to pitch off his fastball command, but make no mistake, his three-pitch mix says he should become a 12-game winner with an ERA close to 4.00 and can easily deliver a strikeout-per-inning type K-rate.  Having the league’s best defense up the middle is certainly going to help out, especially if he can keep his ground-ball rate up above the 42-percent mark.

  1. Matt Olson 1B Oakland Athletics

Olson, who has serious 40-homer potential, is a prototypical Billy Beane player as he loves hitters who hit home runs and draws a lot of walks. The 24-year old has a career .364 on-base percentage in the minor leagues and twice has walked over 100 times.  He showed off his power at the major-league level last summer when he destroyed 24 home runs in just 59 games.  Combine that with the 23 he belted in the minor leagues and that brings him to 47 home runs and 105 RBI at the two levels. His swing is sick -- tremendous bat speed with upper-cut power.  Light towers and upper-deck seats beware, because Olson will be doing some damage to both.

  1. Wilson Ramos C Tampa Bay Rays

The 30-year old backstop had a career year in 2016 while with the Washington Nationals, slashing .307/.354/.496 with 22 home runs and 88 RBI. He was an all-star on his way to winning the Silver Slugger Award.  Then he blew out his knee and signed with the Tampa Bay Rays. He made it back to the majors in June and ended up slashing .260/.290/.447 with 11 home runs and 35 RBI over 64 games.  Another year away from his knee surgery will give him a stronger lower-half and should allow him to return to the form he had in Washington. He’s a legit sleeper especially at a position with a low inventory of good offensive players outside of Gary Sanchez, Buster Posey, J.T. Realmuto and Wilson Contreras.

  1. Zack Godley RHP Arizona Diamondbacks

Godley is one of the best starting pitcher sleepers in fantasy baseball in 2018 despite pitching half of his starts at Chase Field.  The soon-to-be 28-year old won just eight games last year in 25 starts but finished with an impressive 3.35 ERA and 165 strikeouts in 155 innings (9.6 K/9). He’s got strong command over his four-pitch arsenal and finished last year with a 55.3-percent ground-ball rate which he should be able to maintain.  Expect him to get 30 starts this year with a similar ERA which should result in 180-200 innings and more strikeouts than innings-pitched.  The Diamondbacks will, once again, have a formidable offense and a winning team which should help him see an increase in the win column as well. If he can learn to cut down the walks, he’ll also help you with a reasonably stable WHIP.

  1. Yoan Moncada 2B Chicago White Sox

The 22-year old Moncada was the headliner in the Chris Sale trade of last December and he’s been rushed to the big leagues which has forced him to develop his bat at the major-league level.  He has some holes to fill if he’s going to live up to his potential, but when he does, watch out because he could become a fantasy giant when (not if) it happens.  He has the potential of being a 25-40 player with 100 runs and 100 RBI in time, but most analysts (including me) are expecting it to take another two or three years for him to reach those plateaus. However, putting an exact time table on a player is almost impossible.  Players arrive at different times and if you don’t draft him before he does it, you’ll never get him after.  Why not take a chance late in your draft and watch him trend upwards for your team?

  1. Bradley Zimmer CF Cleveland Indians

Despite posting a strikeout rate near 30-percent, the 25-year old outfielder makes my list because he could easily deliver 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases this year. He hits in a lineup so stacked that the runs and RBI categories could very well fill up to the 85 range as well.  He was the Indians’ first-round pick in the June 2014 MLB Draft out of the University of San Francisco and was deserving of such a selection, not just because of his abilities shown in college, but because of the raw skill-set and overall ability as a power/speed threat we expect to see him develop as he matures. He profiles out to a .280 hitter who has the skills and plate discipline to post a .360 OBP as well.

  1. Manny Margot, CF San Diego Padres

The speedy 23-year old had a solid rookie season for the Padres as he hit 13 home runs and stole 17 bases while scoring 53 runs in 125 games. With stolen bases such a scarcity in baseball he could be a nice late-round sleeper in the outfield. If he plays a full season, 15-18 home runs and 22-24 stolen bases are realistic for this year, as well as an improved batting average that should get to the .270-range. Add onto that, an expected on-base percentage in the .330 area.  It’s important to watch the Padres offseason moves to see if they can sign or trade for more offense for the middle of their batting order which will be important for his runs scored potential and his overall value.

  1. Julio Teheran RHP Atlanta Braves

Teheran is coming off a disappointing season with an inflated 4.49 ERA to go along with just 11 wins and only 151 strikeouts.  However, the Braves are committed to not only getting him turned around but also getting him back to his 2013-2014 form when he won 28 games with an ERA in the low 3’s those two years.  Teheran was impressive on the road last year going 8-3 with a 3.14 ERA in 15 games but atrocious at home as evidenced by his 3-10 record and 5.86 ERA. The Braves are going to work extensively with the 26-year old in the offseason to find the best way to negate his struggles with the short porch in right field, so monitor his pitch-mix and his approach to left-handed hitters moving forward. If they can get him to work the outside corner against them better, he should be able to bring those home splits back down to a respectable level.

  1. Kolten Wong 2B St. Louis Cardinals

Wong’s first two years in the big leagues were solid -- 12 home runs and 20 stolen bases in 2014 and 11 home runs and 15 stolen bases in 2015.  However, the last two years have been a complete disaster and included trips to the minor leagues and, basically, zero fantasy value.  However, don’t give up hope as he’s now entering his prime years and if the Cardinals give him one more opportunity to play every day, 12-13 home runs and 20 stolen bases are a legitimate possibility. He is signed through 2020 with $21.75 million remaining, so trading him is as unlikely as not giving him another chance would be.

  1. Tyler Chatwood RHP Chicago Cubs

The 28-year old right-hander just signed a three-year, $38M deal with the Chicago Cubs who have a strong track record of trading for pitchers just before they break-out. Remember Jake Arrietta and Kyle Hendricks? Chatwood might just be their next big notch in their pitching belt.  His 3.49 ERA on the road last year is the split to take notice of as opposed to that debacle of a 6.01 mark at Coors Field. Even more impressive was that he gave up only 55 hits in 77.1 innings on the road with 62 strikeouts.  He does need to cut down on his walks to lower that WHIP and needs more downward plane on his fastball, but new Cubs pitching coach Jim Hickey should be able to help with that.  The Cubs offense and defense up-the-middle should help him in the win category and hopefully reach his potential. I expect him to be one of the true sleepers this year as you’ll be able to grab him in the later rounds.