Friday, February 13, 2009

2009 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers - End of the Draft

I'm getting tired of writing individual posts for sleepers at each position, so I'm replacing them with just two long posts with less detail. This one consists of players you can probably get in the 20th round or later - or even players you don't need to draft at all because they'll spend some time in the minors. The next one will be mid- to late-round sleepers - guys you'll need to draft in rounds 10-19. Make sense? Here it goes:

Catcher
Taylor Teagarden - Great power, will have to share time with Salty.
J.R. Towles - Historically awful last year; good minor league track record, though.

First Base
Kendry Morales - Should be handed the first base job; could surprise.
Joe Koshansky - Awesome power; just needs playing time.

Second Base
Alexi Casilla - Good speed, with a little pop.
Chris Getz - Should be everyday second baseman; decent speed; possible 10 homers.
Daniel Murphy - If the Mets decide to use him over Castillo, he could put up decent numbers.

Third Base
Mat Gamel - Ryan Braun with fewer steals. Needs playing time.
Dallas McPherson - If he plays full-time, could reach 30 homers and 10 steals.
Andy LaRoche - Awful last year, but has good minor league track record; should be handed the job.

Shortstop
Elvis Andrus - 30 steals will be there immediately.
Brandon Wood - Power is legit; double-digit steals probable; low average; just need playing time.

Outfield
Matt Joyce - Great power, especially against righties; average will be a concern.
Colby Rasmus - Highly regarded prospect; power and speed.
Josh Anderson - Amazing speed.
Matt LaPorta - Great power, will start year in minors.
Fred Lewis - Cheap steals and a little pop.
Ryan Spilborghs - Good average, a little power.

Starting Pitchers
Tommy Hanson - Probably the first fill-in when injury strikes in Atlanta.
J.A. Happ - Good minor league track record; finally has a spot in the rotation.
John Maine - Apparently healthy; still a very solid pitcher.
Brandon Morrow - Should strike out plenty; WHIP could be a problem.
Hiroki Kuroda - Opposite of Morrow - low WHIP, few K's.
Clay Buchholz - I still believe.

Closers (these are guys who aren't closers, but could be before the season is over)
Jose Arredondo - If Fuentes falters, he's next in line and he's good.
Chris Ray - Has closed in the past; Sherrill is nothing special.
Grant Balfour - Love the K's.

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