The most important thing is to try to get those sleepers at the cheapest price possible, meaning you can wait until later in the draft and grab them. Timing is everything, though. If you wait too long, another owner grabs them and you’ve lost out on your target. You also don’t want to spend a high draft pick reaching for a player who may not have that big year you were planning on. There is some risk when it comes to sleepers, but if you go about it the right way, you can set yourself up to be successful this season.
Here are 7 sleepers to target in fantasy drafts this season:
Jameson Taillon (PIT)
Expected Draft Position: 70th overall
Jameson Taillon is a very likable guy, and after seeing what he went through over the past couple of years, it’s hard not to root for him. Taillon took a line drive off his head in 2016 and underwent surgery for testicular cancer last season but would return to the mound just a few weeks later for the Pirates.
Taillon expressed that he felt like a different person after the surgery:
“I don’t want to say I feel things are easier now, because this game is never easy, but I do feel a lot more comfortable,” Taillon said. “Not just with the pitching aspect, but just everything that goes into playing in the major leagues… Now, I feel like I belong. I feel confident, on and off the field.”
That confidence was evident in Taillon’s game as it translated to big numbers the rest of the way. He ended up going 14-10 with a .320 ERA and 179 strikeouts in 191 innings. He limited opponents to 50 walks and a .246 average, helping him to the best statistical season of his career.
Jameson Taillon is just throwing 🔥🔥🔥 tonight!pic.twitter.com/FSnLEBhIxW
— FanDuel (@FanDuel) July 13, 2018
At 27 years old, Taillon is set to become a huge piece of the Pirates’ rotation. There’s even a chance he’ll be regarded as the team’s ace, but that may depend on how well Chris Archer performs in his second year with Pittsburgh.
Taillon makes for a great second starter in fantasy leagues with a strong shot at 200 strikeouts. Wins may be a bit tougher to come by, but he has the pure stuff to throw some gems this season.
Roberto Osuna (HOU)
Expected Draft Position: 85th overall
Once tabbed to be the future closer of the Toronto Blue Jays, Roberto Osuna finds himself on a different team entirely. After serving a 75-game suspension, Osuna was traded to the Astros where he performed well by going 12-for-12 in save opportunities. He posted a 1.99 ERA with the Astros across 22 2/3 innings.
Osuna has experience in the ninth inning and will turn 24 years old in April. He is set to begin the season as Houston’s closer and could very well wind up with 30 or 40 saves.
The leash may be short, however. If Osuna experiences late-inning troubles, the Astros have a couple other options they could go with. The young right-hander went through some of those issues with the Blue Jays, and he led MLB with 10 blown saves in 2017.
There’s some risk to this pick, but there is also some upside. You could even get him at a much lower point in the draft, depending on how your league values
Mallex Smith (SEA)
Expected Draft Position: 90th overall
Remember when Billy Hamilton was the guy to own in terms of stolen bases? While he may have another big season, Mallex Smith could challenge the top base stealers this year.
Once an up-and-coming prospect, Smith was traded to the Mariners after a solid season with Tampa Bay. He swiped 40 bases while keeping his average at .296 for the year.
“A team wanted me enough to come get me again, so I appreciate that.”
Hear what Mallex Smith had to say about joining the Mariners. pic.twitter.com/l32q9TWLlN
— Seattle Mariners (@Mariners) November 9, 2018
If your league counts
Nomar Mazara (TEX)
Expected Draft Position: 140th overall
There’s a breakout feeling when it comes to this Rangers’ outfielder. Nomar Mazara will be just 24 years old this season, but he’s already put together three solid seasons. He has proved to be an unexciting, but consistent option thus far, belting 20 home runs in each of his first three seasons. He has already achieved a 100-RBI season and hovers around .250 or .260 at the plate.
It swings like this one that owners should be buying into:
May 25th: Nomar Mazara creams a 491-foot bomb to the right field bleachers at Globe Life Park. pic.twitter.com/6eq8EmPGSD
— Rangers Updates (@TXUpdate) March 23, 2017
Fangraphs data shows that his hard-hit rate of 37.5% in 2018 was the best of his career. Mazara has plenty of years ahead of him and could become a stronger player and start lifting those home run totals to the 30s.
Mazara has been taken low in recent years since he only offers mediocre help, but he can be a fantastic steal in 2019. He could go from becoming a bench stash to one of your top three outfield starters this season.
Digging Deeper
Amed Rosario (NYM)
Expected Draft Position: 150th overall
The Mets got a full season out of one of their top prospects, but it didn’t go as well as many had hoped. There were lofty expectations, but not every player is going to come into the league and tear the cover off the ball. Amed Rosario had a slash line of .256/.295.676 over his first full season in New York.
Rosario wouldn’t be on this list if it wasn’t for his production over the last two months of the season, though. Once August arrived, Rosario started finding his swing and was getting on base much more frequently. In turn, he started swiping a lot more bases. He went 6-for-11 in stolen base attempts before the All-Star break but went 18-for-24 after that.
#LGM Amed Rosario in 2018:
March through July: .237 avg, 4 HR, 27 RBIs, 9 SB
August & Sept: .284 avg, 5 HR, 24 RBIs, 15 SB— 🏒 Kevin Freiheit ⚾️ (@kmf418) February 5, 2019
Is he able to maintain those late-season numbers across a full 2019 campaign? That’s the biggest question, but he showed signs of what he can do.
Sunday sweep, courtesy of @Amed_Rosario. 🍎🍎 pic.twitter.com/XqpfNuMqbB
— MLB (@MLB) May 20, 2018
You also have to remember that he just turned 23. Now with some time under his belt as an everyday player, Rosario looks for a more consistent season.
10 home runs, 30 stolen bases, and a .260 average are all reachable benchmarks for Rosario this year, but he could be even better than that. At such a cheap price, Rosario could be your second, or third,
Jordan Hicks (STL)
Expected Draft Position: 220th overall
He’s been tabbed as the Cardinals’ closer of the future for quite a few years now, but his time may finally be arriving. Jordan Hicks has shown off his fastball that can touch 105 MPH and he posted a 3.59 ERA over 77 2/3 innings in his first year in the big leagues.
He primarily throws his fastball and mixes in a slider, and that difference in speed is key for him.
Jordan Hicks was throwing absolute CHED 🔥🔥🔥pic.twitter.com/83Oux3nmzP
— Baseball King™ (@BasebaIlKing) May 20, 2018
Hicks showed some wild inconsistencies in 2018, though, including a crazy home/away difference.
#STLCards Jordan Hicks 2018 split:
Home: 38.2 IP, 5.12 ERA, 33 BB, 26 K, .226 opp avg.
Away: 39 IP, 2.08 ERA, 14 BB, 44 K, .186 opp avg.— 🏒 Kevin Freiheit ⚾️ (@kmf418) February 6, 2019
It’s hard to explain why he’s been so much better on the road, but you can see from the above highlight that he sometimes has trouble locating that fastball, which can be problematic. Hicks did record six saves last season, but that’s not great when you consider he had 13 opportunities. The Cardinals haven’t even named him as the team’s closer, which is why you can draft him at a great value.
Hicks is only 22 years old and should get a decent shot at the closer’s role. It’s not guaranteed that he’ll excel there either, but if he can improve his command and be a little more consistent, those saves will come. If the bullpen doesn’t work out, he could transition to become a starter as well. There are a lot of possibilities with him.
I don’t think 30 saves is out of the question if he starts the season as the closer. Even if he doesn’t, Hicks had 24 holds last year and could still be a solid late-inning option. He’s a low-risk, high-reward pick in the latter half of drafts. Why not take a shot on a guy who can top 100 MPH on average?
Jake Lamb (ARI)
Expected Draft Position: 300th overall/undrafted
When your draft is nearing the end and the only thing you have left to fill are bench spots, Jake Lamb could make for a great pick. It’s crazy how a player who had seasons of 29 and 30 home runs is on a sleeper list, but a rough 2018 season has many fans forgetting about the power that Lamb possesses.
Lamb sustained a shoulder injury early last season but came back over a month later, and the problem persisted. He elected to get shoulder surgery, keeping him out for the rest of the year. Surrounding the injuries, Lamb wasn’t himself. His stats weren’t mirroring his efforts of the two seasons prior when he drove in a combined 196 RBIs.
Lamb played in just 56 games in 2018 and batted just .222, making him droppable in most leagues even before the surgery. However, he still showed some power. In fact, Fangraphs data shows that his 42.5% hard-hit rate was actually the highest of his career.
Jake Lamb, CLUTCH!
That 3-run HR erases a 5-run deficit for the @Dbacks! (via @FOXSPORTSAZ) pic.twitter.com/D4ctYw2S5A
— FOX Sports: MLB (@MLBONFOX) June 12, 2018
The D-Backs have him locked into an everyday role at first base since they traded Paul Goldschmidt to St. Louis. He may feel a little more pressure in the lineup now, but healthy start to 2019 could be just what Lamb needed.
Lamb strikes out a ton (505 strikeouts in 500 games), but if you can live with that, he’s worth taking. Lamb should quickly return to form and you could grab a plug-and-play option that can club 30 home runs.
