As you’ve heard me rant before, there’s no such thing as a sleeper anymore. There are just too many viable sources for fantasy baseball information available to think there is some “hidden gem” lurking in the shadows somewhere that no one has ever heard of before. But while that may be the case, it doesn’t mean that we don’t have a boatload of quality players who just don’t see the same coverage as, say, the top-100 does. They are the unheralded, for sure, as they’re out there busting their asses just as hard as the superstars are, but don’t often get the credit they deserve.
So with that, I thought I’d bring you my two-months-into-the-season All-Unheralded Fantasy Baseball Team. You know the names, but do you know the numbers? Are any of them available in your league? Are you in need of plugging some holes via trade? The price tag isn’t likely to be a steep one, so take a look-see and figure out if any of them fit your future plans.
C: Martin Maldonado, LAA – The DFS community has been loving on Maldonado this year and while the numbers are far from gaudy -- .266 with four home runs, 14 RBI and 15 runs scored – by catcher standards, they’re pretty darn good. He’s been Mike Scioscia’s rock behind the plate and will continue to work as such for the duration of the year. You’re not getting world-beater numbers here, but given the state of the position, if you’re in need of a set-it-and-forget-it, Maldonado is definitely your man.
1B: Justin Bour, MIA – Talk about a guy who gets zero love…yeesh! Fine. We get it. The position is loaded with talent, but there are some out there (especially those with a corner infield spot to fill) who are sitting on a lot worse than Bour. I won’t crack on the under-performing superstars, but think about where Eric Hosmer, Greg Bird and Carlos Santana went in relation to Bour during your draft. And are they batting .285 with 13 home runs right now? Um, nope! Nor are they able to match his 33 RBI or 24 runs scored. You’ll likely see a little pull-back on the BABIP which should drop the average closer to the .265-.270 range, but there’s no reason to believe 20-25 home runs aren’t coming from him this year.
2B: Whit Merrifield, KC – Remember when Raul Mondesi had the second base job locked up? Yeah, me neither. While Mondesi was the supposed speed sleeper, Merrifield has become a team MVP for the lowly Royals as he’s batting .293 with six home runs and six stolen bases since taking over the job. There’s actually a lot to like about this late-bloomer, beginning with the plate discipline. The 6.6-percent walk rate isn’t the greatest, but a K-rate below 15-percent and above-average contact rates gives me hope that he can remain a solid power/speed threat and strong fantasy contributor. He’s almost like a poor man’s Jason Kipnis and that’s not too shabby.
3B: Eugenio Suarez, CIN – He was actually one of the most popular kids in school when he hit .329 with five home runs and 13 RBI in April, but a .255 average for the month of May seems to be turning everyone off, regardless of another five home runs, 17 RBI and two stolen bases. That’s just fine by me as it makes him a great trade target. Everyone is running around trying to pry away the likes of Kris Bryant and Josh Donaldson, but I’ll be super-happy to pay a discount for Suarez and the 10-15 home runs he’s going to bring me the rest of the way. His plate discipline has been significantly improved and there’s no reason to think his BABIP is going to pull back too much. Even if he hits .265-.270 the rest of the way, he’s going to bring you plenty of help in the counting stats.
SS: Tim Beckham, TB – He’s probably a household name this week given the way the Rays have been crushing the ball lately, but he’s on the list because no one…and I mean no one…had him pegged as a solid fantasy contributor this year. The departure of Logan Forsythe obviously helped open the door, as did the injury to Matt Duffy, but Beckham has done plenty to earn his keep thus far, batting .272 with eight home runs, 26 RBI, 19 runs scored and three stolen bases. It should be interesting to see what manager Kevin Cash does once his infield is at full health. Both Duffy and Brad Miller will be back from the DL soon, so either Cash will need to do some serious juggling between second, short and the DH spot to get everyone a fair number of at-bats or someone is going to have to ride the pine for a bit. Here’s hoping it’s not Beckham.
OF: Aaron Hicks, NYY – Another shout-out to my man Joey from Brooklyn who tried to pitch me Hicks in an episode of Fantasy Shark Tank and I dismissed him for Matt Adams. Not that Adams was a bad choice, but Hicks is now sitting with full-time work with Jacoby Ellsbury on the DL and has already given his fantasy owners a .302 average with eight home runs, 23 RBI and seven stolen bases. The Yankees have him batting in the two-hole and while I don’t expect the power production to be this strong moving forward, I see nothing wrong with the speed he’s going to provide. When the Yankees are back to full-health, he’ll lose the at-bats, but as Joey said, it’s not like Ellsbury or Brett Gardner are the perfect pictures of health by any stretch of the imagination.
OF: Leury Garcia, CHW – He’s been one of the better waiver wire grabs and the fact the White Sox continue to use him as their leadoff hitter only inflates his value even more. He’s not one to draw a walk, but he’s thrown down a .287 average with six homers and four steals while posting a decent .333 OBP. Unfortunately, this ride is going to end soon as Charlie Tilson is expected to return from the disabled list in early June. The White Sox are champing at the bit to start their fire sale and get their youngsters some regular playing time, so you can expect Garcia to take a back seat to him once Tilson is deemed ready to take over center field full-time. There’s an outside chance Garcia wrangles some extra time if the team trades quickly, but you’ll just have to wait and see on that front.
OF: Marwin Gonzalez, HOU – I mean…someone get this guy a piss cup, amirite? Where the hell did this power come from? He was one of those guys everyone avoided because he didn’t have a starting job anywhere but somehow manager A.J. Hinch has found a way to get him 148 plate appearances and now he basically qualifies everywhere other than pitcher or catcher. While he’s not seeing everyday at-bats, he’s offering up everyday production to the tune of a .304 average with 11 home runs and 32 RBI. Kick in the 22 runs scored and a pair of stolen bases and you’ve got some serious umph in your lineup. This power is insane and the 31.4-percent HR/FB will eventually come back to normal, but for now, you might as well ride the wave until it breaks.
SP: Marco Estrada, TOR – Maybe it’s because he calls the Rogers Centre home or maybe it’s because he’s never thrown more than 181 innings in a given season, but whatever the case may be, there are plenty of folks who are somehow overlooking Estrada. His 10.22 K/9 is one of the top among starting pitchers, his command has been on-point and his 3.67 xFIP tells me that his 3.15 ERA is the real deal. The strand rate is a little high which means we may see a slight uptick in earned runs, but not enough for me to say stay away. Embrace him, actually, and also love the fact that he pitches better at home than on the road right now. And now that the Jays offense is at full health, you can expect a ton of run support.
RP: Corey Knebel, MIL – In nearly every draft I did, I used a late round pick on Knebel and happily used him as a middle-relief supplement to my fantasy rotation. Now that he’s the closer, oh baby! That’s what I was waiting for. I had zero faith in Neftali Feliz to hold down the job and Knebel, with his mid-to-high 90’s heat and masterful curveball, had all the makings of a proper closer for the Brewers. His ratios are outstanding and that 15.84 K/9 has me drooling every time he takes the hill. Add in saves and he’s likely to be one of the more valuable bullpen assets this season.