2008 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers - Semi-Sleepers Edition

Everyone's definition of a sleeper is different. I defined mine as players who were being drafted after pick #200 on average and you can see my Top 30 MLB Sleepers countdown here, here, and here. But, I thought it would be worth looking at those players being drafted in the 150-200 range who could break out. Let's call them semi-sleepers. Here are my favorites:

1. James Loney – I believe in the power increase. A .300 average and 20-25 homers sounds pretty good to me.

2. Geovany Soto – The next power-hitting catcher has arrived. The kid destroyed AAA last season and while some bumps in the road are to be expected, Soto should approach 20 homers this season.

3. Oliver Perez – Strikeouts and wins, my friends.

4. Kelly Johnson – Are people afraid of him because he has a girl’s name? Kelly Leak was pretty good. Johnson is still young (26), plays for a very good offensive team, hits homers (16 last year), could get to double-digit steals, and should score a bunch of runs. If you miss out on the Uptons and Kinslers of the second base world, just wait and grab Johnson.

5. Jeremy Bonderman – By now, you probably know how I feel about Bonderman. Good K's, still young, great run support, funny nose.

6. Edwin Encarnacion – PECOTA loves this guy. Who am I to disagree? He has a very nice power/speed combo.

7. Stephen Drew – He has a real shot at 20 homers and 15 steals. The batting average should improve too, unless he’s just unlucky. I'd rather take Drew in the 18th round than Renteria in the tenth.