Max Scherzer has been the most successful pitcher in baseball. Yasiel Puig is attempting to save the Dodgers single-handedly. And Jean Segura is the best short stop in baseball. If you heeded my advice and was able to draft those three and maybe a few more of these sleepers, I’m interested in knowing how your season has gone so far?
Like any other list of sleepers, mine did offer it’s fair share in duds. I expected a much better season from the newly demoted Boston third baseman Will Middlebrooks. I also expected more from Rockies’ second baseman Josh Rutledge who was demoted and then promoted because of an injury to teammate Troy Tulowitzki. New York Mets starter Jonathan Niese was also a pitcher I liked later in the draft. I guess, what I meant by draft Niese was “draft Matt Harvey.”
Prior to this season I had sifted through the infield and outfield of the MLB and picked out the players I felt warranted the sleeper title. The government has checks and balances, a successful restaurant has its customers and the military has quality control to keep them honest and productive.
I have this article.
Along with Scherzer, the Athletics’ Jarrod Parker and the Braves’ Julio Teheran were two other starting pitchers that you could draft in rounds 14-16 but I pushed for both of them to go as early as the 12th or 13th round. I felt the two starters offered more than their perceived value indicated and after a tough start to their seasons, the both of them are being started above guys draft four or five rounds before them.
As for Scherzer, who has been the most successful (not best), he has done even better than I had expected. I’m convinced my Uncle Eugene (who was drafting one spot ahead of me in the draft) read the article and drafted him right around where I had planned on drafting him in a points league. He currently is ranked second in total points to Cardinals’ starter Adam Wainwright (who I own). Here is what I said about Scherzer back in March:
“You don’t watch a chick flick with a woman because of the cinematic value, you don’t eat fast food for its health benefits and you don’t draft Scherzer for his ERA and WHIP. Although he is decent in those categories, the righty offers a lot to the table in strikeouts and wins and deserves to go ahead of many pitchers going earlier than him.”
If you drafted him, congrats. But for those like me who allowed him to pitch for their team, I feel your pain.
When it came to catchers this year I offered up two names: Salvador Perez and Wilin Rosario. I didn’t promise that they would outplay Buster Posey, Yadier Molina or Joe Mauer but here is what I said:
“If Perez is able to mimic what he has done the last two years in one full season in Kansas City, he should be able to garner another .300 average and have a 20-70-70 season that is well worth the 12th or 13th round selection you’ll have to pay to get him.”
“Recently I’ve seen Rosario taken off the board in rounds 14-16 aside players like James Shields, Mike Napoli, Grant Balfour and Daniel Murphy. If you get the chance to take him there or feel obligated to reach a bit on him, don’t shy away from it.”
Both catchers are currently top ten at their position outscoring A.J. Pierzynski, Andre Ethier and Paul Konerko.
Ethier was one player; along with Puig and Carl Crawford, who I expected more from this season. One of my sleeper selections was “Dodgers Outfielders Not Named Matt Kemp.” Kemp was one player I refrained from drafting and luckily I grabbed Puig instead. Hopefully you too headed that advice and grabbed the hottest hat in baseball. Puig, who has 40 hits in 96 AB’s also has four doubles, seven homers and 16 RBI.
Milwaukee outfielder Norichika Aoki sleeper I pointed out who has lived up to my expectations of him and surpassed those of drafters who didn’t know who they were drafting. He has hit for average at .290 and added some power numbers that have tailed off since he went on paternity leave. This homer drought (39 games) will surely pass so hold onto him.
I used Rangers’ short stop Elvis Andrus as a verbal punching bag earlier in the year when I compared him with Andrelton Simmons and Alcides Escobar.
“To put these numbers in a bit of perspective, Escober hit one less double and two less triples than Rangers’ shortstop Elvis Andrus. Escobar also had 19 more stolen bases, two more home runs and a better batting average than Andrus. Although I expect an average a little closer to the one he had in his first two seasons, Escobar is definitely worth a good look as he is going in rounds 15 and beyond, while Andrus is somehow going as early as the ninth round.”
Escobar has lived up to the billing and currently leads Andrus in total hits, batting average, doubles and home runs. Andrus does have six more steals, four more RBI and 10 more runs than him but it does make you reconsider drafting Andrus four rounds earlier than the young Kansas City short stop.
If you were unable to draft either (which I actually drafted both) I wrote to grab Segura. If you were fortunate enough to miss on Escobar or Simmons and grabbed him I’m sure you’re loving it just as much as I’m loving the success of my Oakland A’s.
Kyle Seager and Chase Headley were two corner infielders I liked in March and both have played well given where they were being taken in the draft. Anthony Rizzo and Josh Rutledge have been two of my major flops when it came to sleeper predictions. Like Segura, I had mentioned to draft Manny Machado if Headley or Middlebrooks got by you. Unfortunately for me, Machado wasn’t a guy I felt strong enough to draft him late in either of my drafts. Shame on me.
A few months ago I wrote in one of these sleepers articles that having a team made up sleepers wouldn’t be a good game plan. But if you drafted a team made up primarily of the sleepers I highlighted in my spring articles, your roster would have looked something like this:
C: Wilin Rosario, Salvador Perez
CI: Mark Trumbo, Todd Frazier, Anthony Rizzo, Chase Headley, Manny Machado
MI: Jean Segura, Kyle Seager, Alcides Escobar, Andrelton Simmons, Josh Rutledge
OF: Yasiel Puig, Josh Willingham, Norachika Aoki, Ichiro Suzuki, Andre Ethier, Carl Crawford
SP: Max Scherzer, Jarrod Parker, Julio Teheran, Jonathan Niese, Ryan Vogelsong
RP: Huston Street, Greg Holland
As we get closer to the halfway point in the season, my team of sleepers doesn’t appear that way. Many players of which will be going much earlier in drafts next season.
