2012 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers: Position-by-Position Targets

Spring training for the 2012 MLB season is under a month away right now, and that means one thing: Fantasy baseball is just around the corner.

Okay, so it means a lot more than just that, but for fantasy baseball fans, that's the main thing on their minds. Rankings are being made, and people are getting their draft boards ready to go, as well as perhaps deciding on clever team names.

Who are some players to look at relatively late in the fantasy draft, or potential pickups who may be undrafted?

Here are some players, at least one at every position, who are good sleeper picks.

Catcher: Geovany Soto

Geovany Soto is a catcher who hits for a low average but can put up some solid power numbers without sacrificing catching defense. Young guns such as Buster Posey and Carlos Santana will naturally be the first to be targeted in drafts.

Due to the influx of young talent, a guy like Soto would probably fall far in a fantasy draft. He'll have to step up with a team starting to rebuild, and as a result, I see him having stats a lot closer to when he won the Rookie of the Year Award.

First Baseman: Paul Konerko

The sheer number of productive first basemen out there means that a few great bats will fall down the ranks. Due to the confusion of what's going on in Chicago, as well as his age, I see Paul Konerko falling quite a bit.

Konerko will be 36 in 2012, but he's put up great numbers time and time again. Even if they take a slight hit, he's still a great fantasy pickup, especially if you're in a league that's harsh on strikeouts.

First Baseman: Ike Davis

First baseman Ike Davis only played 36 games last year for the New York Mets, but he put up great numbers in those 36. Should he play a full season this year, it looks like he'll be a great fantasy option.

Because he isn't a proven name like Konerko or many others who will be drafted, he will fall down pretty far in the draft and will be a great addition, just as long as his stats so far are not a fluke.

Second Baseman: Rickie Weeks

Rickie Weeks has put up some pretty nice numbers the past couple seasons, but he had a low number of RBI, hurting his fantasy value.

Missing 50-plus games doesn't help either.

This year, with Prince Fielder gone and Ryan Braun out for 50 games, someone will have to step up and bat in the runs. Why not Rickie Weeks? He had 83 RBI in 2010, and he could certainly have a great year next year.

He's not a huge sleeper, but he'll certainly produce better than where he's drafted. If he can get his stolen bases back into double-digits, then that's a bonus as well.

Shortstop: Erick Aybar

After the top level of talent at shortstop, the position is full of a lot of risky players (Jose Reyes, J.J. Hardy, etc.), so finding that sleeper means a lot more here. A player who will likely fall down much further than he should is Angels catcher Erick Aybar.

Having Albert Pujols in the lineup should mean more opportunities to score runs, but besides that, his offensive production has gotten better every year.

He should put up big stolen-base and doubles numbers again and will perform better in 2012 than his previous surface stats may suggest.

Shortstop: Dee Gordon

The best way to find sleepers sometimes is to look at rookies who didn't get the kind of publicity Freddie Freeman and others did, as they could be the ones to make an impact.

Dodgers shortstop Dee Gordon is a prime example of this.

He had 24 stolen bases in 56 games while hitting .300, so if you're looking for someone to boost up that stat, he's the guy to acquire, and what will help is that he should be available quite late in any drafts.

Third Baseman: Mike Moustakas

The best advice I can give on third basemen is to stick to the American League, since they seem to perform better fantasy-wise. The advice works for sleepers as well.

While Mike Moustakas got a good amount of publicity, his numbers with the Royals this past season were rather modest.

Now that he's more used to the big leagues, I see him putting up far better numbers, and he could end up performing as well as many of the usual players at the top of the list.

Outfield: Coco Crisp

There are many players, such as Mark Reynolds, who put up the same kind of numbers every year, and as a result, you know what you'll get from them.

Coco Crisp does not fit into that group at all.

He seems to change what kind of player he is yearly, but he's always effective in some role. He will be one of the Oakland Athletics' go-to guys in 2012, so that should further boost his totals, making him a nice addition.

Outfield: Carlos Quentin

Carlos Quentin will be playing in San Diego in 2012, where hitters seemingly go to die. As a result, he should fall quite far in fantasy drafts. Ironically, his destination is actually why I consider him a sleeper worthy of acquiring.

He doesn't really hit for average, but he had great power in his bat. He hit 17 of his 24 HR away last year, so Petco Park should not be a hindrance to a guy who doesn't hit all that many home runs at home anyway.

When it comes to Quentin, you don't have to scoff at the change in scenery.

Outfield: Andre Ethier

Andre Ethier had a disappointing 2011 in the power department, and people who picked him up early in fantasy drafts definitely regretted it.

Will we see the Ethier of 2009 or 2011 next year?

Because he's in a contract year, I see Ethier bouncing back and having a much better season Since he will be available after many outfielders due to his down year, he should end up being a great steal.

Outfield: Peter Bourjos

With all the talk about Mark Trumbo putting up huge power numbers for the Angels in his first year, Peter Bourjos fell under the radar when it comes to young Angels talent.

Bourjos is a well-rounded player who had 11 triples last year to go with 12 home runs and 22 stolen bases.

He should put up similar or better numbers last year and is a great value pick, since he should be available around the time that teams are wrapping up any outfielder selections.

Starting Pitcher: Hiroki Kuroda

Hiroki Kuroda is ranked surprisingly low on many fantasy ranking sheets despite being consistently great stat-wise during his time with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

While playing on the Yankees might bounce up his ERA slightly, his win total should have no problem skyrocketing. As a result, he's a major steal, even if you take him a little bit higher than expected.

Starting Pitcher: Jaime Garcia

Jaime Garcia has generally been the third-best fantasy option on his own team, behind Chris Carpenter and Adam Wainwright, or in the case of last year, Kyle Lohse.

While he has merely been good, his surface stats should continue to improve. He's not going to be an ace, but he should provide a great number of wins and strikeouts based on where you'll likely be able to acquire him.

Starting Pitcher: Roy Oswalt

Despite playing for the Philadelphia Phillies, Roy Oswalt had a poor 2011 if we go by the stats he normally puts up. Him being on this list, I should note, is dependent on whether or not the team he lands on is a good fit.

After 2011, I think he'll bounce back to show that he still has it and will be the Oswalt of old.

That Oswalt throws plenty of strikeouts, never allows any walks and provides good fantasy value, especially since he'll be available late this year.

Relief Pitcher: Joel Hanrahan

There is a relief pitcher outside the top 10 in some rankings who had a 1.83 ERA and 40 saves last year despite pitching for a lousy team.

That player is Joel Hanrahan.

While playing for the Pirates might give some people pause, he proved that he can be a great closer, and if he can put up numbers similar to what he did in 2011, then he'll end up being a great sleeper pick.

Relief Pitcher: Kyle Farnsworth

For all the flack Kyle Farnsworth gets, he actually had a very good year in 2011. He won five games with a 2.18 ERA and had 25 saves in 63 appearances.

While the 25 saves should ideally improve, given that he's a closer, all his other stats, especially the low walk total, can be carried into next year without any difficulty, so he can be a great late acquisition.