This article is titled “AL Sleepers” but there is no such thing as a sleeper anymore. With the internet everyone has access to the same information.  Rather than try to identify the players no one knows about, we have decided to change the approach and help identify players that you can likely get good value relative to their draft position.  Call them sleepers, value players, or whatever you like, but here are some players in the AL that could help you win your championship.

CATCHERS

John Buck – Kansas City Royals – Age: 24

Projection: .245 – 64R – 18HR – 56RBI – 2SB

Young Mr. Buck is not going to do much to help your teams average, but then again not many catchers will.  What you will get is an endgame selection that could give you 18HR from the thinnest position in fantasy baseball. 

Mike Redmond – Minnesota Twins – Age: 33

Projection: .290 – 19R - 2HR – 24RBI – 1 SB

You might look at this projection and wonder what he is doing here.  Clearly we don’t have a ton of at-bats projected for him, but should Mauer’s knee act up that will all change.  What you get is a high-contact hitter with potential for increased playing time.  He would be especially helpful in AL-only leagues that carry 2 catchers.

FIRST BASEMEN

Dmitri Young – Detroit Tigers – Age: 31

Projection: .281 – 91R – 26HR – 81 RBI – 1SB

Dmitri is flying under the radar for many fantasy owners because he is coming off an injury-shortened season.  He missed significant time in 2004 with a broken leg, a freak occurance, not a chronic injury.  Detroit does hamper his value a little but he is a strong hitter in the peak of his career.

Josh Phelps – Tampa Bay Devil Rays – Age: 26

Projection: .261 – 64R – 23HR – 78RBI – 0SB

This once touted future DH in Toronto fell out of favor and found himself sitting on the bench a lot.  He has managed to improve his contact rate but needs to correct his G/F trend.  Hopefully a full time role in the heart of the TB order will give him the confidence to get the ball back in the air.  He is one of those players we like to target for a bit of a breakout, 26 years old with 2 or more years experience. 

SECOND BASEMEN

Omar Infante – Detroit Tigers – Age: 23

Projection: .274 – 77R – 17HR – 57RBI – 13SB

This 23 year old kid filled in nicely when The Tigers lost Vina.  He had a strong .838 OPS in the first half before suffering a hyper-extended elbow.  His average dropped off in the second half but he maintained his ability to drive the ball when he made contact.  He is still being overlooked by fantasy players but his blend of power and speed is very attractive at 2B.

Michael Cuddyer – Minnesota Twins – Age: 25

Projection: .271 – 65R – 20HR – 60RBI – 5SB

The Twins have gradually exposed Cuddyer to the majors over the last three seasons and now they are ready to give him a full time gig.  He will start the majority of games, playing at either 2B or 3B as needed.  His versatility will be an asset as will the 20 HR and 5 SB he will put up.

THIRD BASEMEN

Chone Figgins – Anaheim Angels – Age: 27

Projection: .295 – 106R – 9HR – 62RBI – 35

Many Fantasy Championship teams picked up Figgins mid season and reaped the rewards.  Despite his performance in 2005 many fantasy owners are still asking about his role this season.  Figgins is very versatile but will be starting the season as the regular 2B for the Angels while Adam Kennedy is on the mend.  Combine his guaranteed starting job, with 3 position eligibility and this speedster is a valuable fantasy asset.

Brandon Inge – Detroit Tigers – Age: 27

Projection: .285 – 53R – 16HR – 62RBI – 6SB

Yes another Tiger is on the list, but that is where you find some sneaky values, on teams no one is paying attention to. Here is a guy poised to turn it up a notch.  He is 27 with 4 seasons of major league exposure.  He has consistently improved his SB%, BB/K, and OPS each year.  He will be locked in to one primary position and will be greatly overlooked on draft day.

SHORTSTOPS

Julio Lugo – Tampa Bay Devil Rays – Age: 29

Projection:  .277 – 80R – 10HR – 75RBI – 20SB

Julio Lugo is Lou Pinella’s favorite player on the D-Rays and that should be all you need to know.  Oh, its not? Ok well how about this: he is a 29 year old hitter who has increased his Contact Rate and BB/K over the last two seasons and has settled into a very balanced G/F ratio for the last 3 years.  He rates ahead of “upside” guys like Crosby and Berroa and only one spot behind Renteria.

Russ Adams – Toronto Blue Jays – Age: 24

Projection: .265 – 97R – 8HR – 67RBI – 7SB

The Blue Jays have decided to hand their starting shortstop job to a rookie.  They think enough of him that he will get a look at hitting at the top of the order, but a bad spring will land him in the 9-hole.  Another rookie to look at is Jhonny Peralta of Cleveland.  He tore up the minors last year and could surprise in 2005.

OUTFIELDERS

Aaron Rowand – Chicago White Sox – Age: 27

Projection: .289 – 115R – 30HR – 91RBI – 24SB

Aaron Rowand has been one of our more controversial projections.  Many people can see him putting up the stats we are forecasting, but have a hard time accepting this would make him the 13^th best Fantasy hitter in baseball.  This kid has a strong growth pattern and is poised to take another step forward with the CF job firmly his this season.  The best part is that he is being draft several rounds after Patterson in most mock drafts.

Coco Crisp – Cleveland Indians – Age: 25

Projection: .302 – 108R – 13HR – 66RBI – 29SB

With Matt Lawton gone from Cleveland, Crisp will be leading off for the solid Indians offense.  He has solid plate discipline and an improving G/F ration and average.  He needs to work on judgement on the bases as his SB% needs work.

Lew Ford – Minnesota Twins – Age: 28

Projection: .300 – 91R – 17HR – 74RBI – 21SB

Lew Ford hit his way into regular rotation between OF and DH for the Twins in 2004.  He was another one of those great mid-season fantasy pickups.  The Twins are planning to give him a full time role this season.  He is a polished, if unspectacular, hitter with a nice blend of power and speed.

Eric Byrnes – Oakland Athletics – Age: 28

Projection: .285 – 99R – 22HR – 78RBI – 16SB

As eager as Beane seems to be to upgrade in centerfield, Byrnes is a solid fantasy option.  He will be batting in the 9-hole but will basically act as a second leadoff hitter after the first inning.  He is another nice power/speed player that will fall late in the draft.

David DeJesus – Kansas City Royals – Age: 25

Projection: .287 – 105R – 13HR – 59RBI – 14SB

The heir apparent to Carlos Beltran, he has big shoes to fill and that is why he will be undervalued.  It is hard to follow a star, and people are very critical in their evaluation.  He is no Carlos Beltran, but he is a solid player who has 15 HR 15SB potential this season.

STARTING PITCHERS

Rich Harden – Oakland Athletics – Age: 23

Projection:  16W – 183K – 3.36 ERA – 1.27 WHIP

Rich Harden had a fantastic second half of the season for Oakland and is ready to fill the void left by the departures of Tim Hudson and Mark Mulder.  Many fantasy owners are unsure if this is the season he moves up into the top tier of pitchers in the AL, we are believers. 

Jeremy Bonderman – Detroit Tigers – Age: 22

Projection: 14W – 185K – 3.65 ERA – 1.26 WHIP

Jeremey Bonderman is clearly a future ace in this league.  We still feel he should have been left in the minors for another year but he has handled the majors with poise.  He has electric stuff and an easy delivery making him unlikely to suffer arm injury.  He might still be a year away from meeting this projection, but we like his chances.

Bobby Madritsch – Seattle Mariners – Age: 28

Projections: 12W - 123K - 3.61 ERA - 1.29 WHIP

Many fantasy owners will overlook the small sample set he posted in 2004 and not see the growth this pitcher has undergone.  He came to the Mariners as a lefty fireballer from the Independent League.  He had little understanding of how to “pitch”.  He spent the bulk of 2003 and 2004 at AAA Tacoma under the tutelage of veteran catcher Pat Borders, learning the art to pitching.  This new found understanding was evident in his late season callup in 2004. He pitched equally well home and away and went deep into every start, only failing to go at least 6 IP once.

RELIEF PITCHERS

Of course most of the value picks in relief pitchers are in situations where the incumbent starter is at risk of losing his job.  We will review a couple of these situations in the AL:

Baltimore Orioles

Jorge Julio was developed to be the closer for the Orioles but he struggled in 2004 and was replaced late in the season by B.J. Ryan.  The team now plans to start the season with Ryan as the closer and they will attempt to trade Julio.  B.J. Ryan is a very attractive closer option due to his strikeout rate. 

Toronto Blue Jays

This bullpen is really a mess.  Everyone thinks they are closer material.  Justin Speier will start the season as the favorite to close out games, but Jason Frasor, Brandon League, and Billy Koch will all make their bid.  If he stays healthy Speier should be able to hold the job, but if he falters the team will not hesitate to make a change.  I warn you against betting on Koch, there is no reason to believe he will suddenly be a successful reliever again, he was never really that good when he was a closer before.

Cleveland Indians

This is another situation similar to Toronto.  If Bob Wickman can stay healthy it is his job.  The problem is that he is 35 and has been hurt each of the last two years.  If he goes down there are several options waiting in the wings.  The team brought in Bob Howry to be another veteran with closing experience, but he is not really the best pitcher in the bullpen.  That honor goes to Rafael Betancourt.  The team realized last year he was more valuable in middle relief so David Riske became the alternate closer.  Both Betancourt and Riske are better options than Howry.

If you are looking to take advantage of either the Toronto situation or the Cleveland situation I would advise you to wait until the late rounds to pick up one of the back up closer options.  Do not draft Speier or Wickman with the expectation they will be a closer for you all year.