Fantasy Baseball Sleepers 2012: Aroldis Chapman and Sleepers Best Left Alone

While everyone loves to search for sleepers in fantasy baseball, there are some that should be left alone. They are appealing, of course, but they will not be the helpful assets that you are looking for. 

There are some obvious signs to look for when deciding which players to avoid as you make your way through the draft. Playing time and career trends are the two most obvious ones, so that is what we will base this list around. 

Here are the fantasy sleepers you might be hoping to grab, but should take a pass on when you make your picks. 

Aroldis Chapman, SP, Cincinnati Reds

When the Reds signed Chapman, there were doubts about what his ultimate role would be. If he could be a starter, then all that money they spent would look like a bargain. If he was a reliever, the team grossly overestimated his value. 

After two years of pitching out of the bullpen, the Reds plan on using the flamethrower as a starter in 2012. That could cause fantasy players to assume that his stock is going to soar, and you may want to jump on him in later rounds. 

Buyer beware, because there are a lot of red flags involved with him. The biggest issue that he is going to have will be throwing strikes consistently. He might rack up some strikeouts, but he is going to walk a lot of hitters too. His WHIP is going to over around the 1.50 range unless he can control his pitches. 

He is better equipped to start than relieve, because we saw what happened to him out of the bullpen when he pitched on back-to-back days. But he is too risky to take a chance on right now. 

David Freese, 3B, St. Louis Cardinals

The hero from last year's World Series is going to command a lot of attention in fantasy baseball this season. 

There is no doubt that Freese has the skills needed to have a lot of success on the field. The problem is he has yet to make it through an entire big league season without breaking down at least once. 

Including the minors, he has not played in more than 101 games in a season since 2008. The bat will play well in fantasy baseball, but the injury risk is too great to warrant drafting him. There are plenty of capable third basemen out there you can get who are safe bets to play in at least 130 games. 

Unless you are absolutely desperate for a starting third baseman late in the draft, don't get sucked into the Freese hype machine. 

Bryce Harper, OF, Washington Nationals

There are whispers about the Nationals possibly breaking camp with Harper, and that is going to send fantasy owners into a frenzy. Personally, I expect him to start the year in Double-A, with a September call-up possible. 

For those of you who are thinking about surprising your fellow fantasy players by going after the most-hyped prospect in baseball history, think twice before you do it. 

Even if he does start the season in Washington, he is going to struggle because there are a lot of holes in his offensive game right now that he will have to work through. He struggles to hit breaking pitches and is still adjusting to left-handed pitching. 

Eventually, he will be one of the first three players taken in a fantasy draft, but for now, let him go. 

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