Fantasy Baseball Sleepers 2012: Players Who Will Help You Win Your League

Forget that football game that was played over the weekend; the biggest story of February is that Major League Baseball is coming back. Fantasy baseball drafts will start getting set up, which means you need all the advice you can get. 

Superstars will carry your team early, but it is the underrated or overlooked players that will put you over the top in the dog days of August. Whether you are looking for players late in the draft or the waiver wire, there are plenty of good names to be had. 

Here are some of the best sleeper picks out there for the 2012 fantasy baseball season. 

Grady Sizemore, OF, Cleveland Indians

At this point, Sizemore is more than a sleeper. He is a player that you have to see on the field for about a month just to see if he can stay healthy before you add him. 

The Indians felt strong enough about his health and ability to produce to bring him back on a one-year contract. He has a lot of work ahead of him if he wants to approach the production he had from 2006-2008. 

The odds against him being a 20-20 threat are long because his knees are so bad, but we know the power stroke is still there. He likely won't hit for a high average, so he is one-dimensional at this stage of his career. 

The fact that he had 31 extra-base hits in 268 at-bats is an encouraging sign, and you can get him near the end of the draft or on the waiver wire if you don't want to use a pick. 

Aaron Hill, 2B, Arizona Diamondbacks

It is amazing to look at Hill's 2009 season with Toronto, when he hit .286/.330/.499 with 36 home runs, and see how far he has fallen in such a short amount of time. He hit 26 homers in 2010, but the average dropped all the way down to .205. 

The Blue Jays couldn't wait for him to turn things around anymore, so he was shipped to Arizona late last year. He performed well, albeit in a small sample size, hitting .315/.386/.492 with two homers and 12 doubles. 

Getting out of the American League East will keep his production levels above what they were in Toronto at the end. He won't hit over .300 for an entire season, but he can hit .265-.270 with 20-25 home runs in the homer-friendly Bank One Ballpark. 

Anthony Rizzo, 1B, Chicago Cubs

When the Cubs acquired Rizzo from the San Diego Padres for Andrew Cashner, they were telling the world that things were going to be different under the new regime. 

It is unclear if Rizzo will start the season in Chicago or go to Triple-A, but he will make his presence felt soon enough. If you have enough depth to wait for him to adjust, he has the talent to make you happy late in the year. 

His swing is going to play very well in the hitter-friendly confines of Wrigley Field. His patient approach at the plate will help him hit for a high average. The one thing that might stop him this season is left-handed pitching, but he should be able to do enough damage against righties to make up for it. 

Look for him to hit close to .260 with 15-20 homers if he plays a full season with the team. His RBI total won't be great because the Cubs don't have players that can take walks, but he is going to hit for power right away. 

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