Fantasy Baseball Sleepers 2012: Players Bound to Have a Rebound Year

While superstars are the best and most efficient way to win a fantasy baseball league, those players will be gone after the first two rounds. So you are left searching for underrated or injury-plagued studs that can make an impact on your team in the later rounds. 

Anyone can name 20-25 sleepers that they think will put together a monster season, but it is a lot more complex than that. There are certain trends and patterns available to us that must be considered before making any rash decisions. 

With that in mind, here are some players that you need to have on your fantasy cheat sheets, because they are going to help you earn bragging rights over everyone else in the league. 

Kevin Youkilis, 3B, Boston Red Sox

We are clearly seeing Youkilis near the end of his prime years, if he isn't past them already. He has missed 104 games the last two seasons combined, and his .258 batting average in 2011 was the lowest of his career. 

However, he was still able to put up a good RBI total last year (80), and his .296 batting average on balls in play was 33 points lower than his career average. 

Playing third base is a blessing and curse for fantasy owners. His numbers will have value over there, but the position also takes a toll on his body. As long as he plays in 130 games, he should hit 20-25 home runs with at least a .300 average and 90 RBI. 

Hanley Ramirez, SS/3B, Miami Marlins

Work ethic and character issues aside, Ramirez can flat out hit. He didn't do much of it in 2011 because of injuries to his back and legs, but he is still one of the best and most dynamic fantasy players out there. 

The best part of it all is that he will be eligible at two different positions after the first week of the season. Even if he doesn't play one game at shortstop this season, you can still use him there all year. 

Another 30-30 season is probably too much to expect, but with a new manager, new teammates and ballpark, Ramirez is a virtual lock to go 20-20 again. His batting average should easily jump 50 points too. 

Ubaldo Jimenez, SP, Cleveland Indians

When the Indians acquired Jimenez at the trade deadline last year, an ERA over 5.00 and WHIP of 1.45 is not what they had in mind. 

The good news is that there are clear indications that what happened to Jimenez in 2011 was just bad luck more than anything else. His strikeout and walk rates were virtually identical to his breakout 2010 season, with his home run rate being an outlier. 

With a full spring training to get ready, which he did not have last season, Jimenez should be much closer to the pitcher he was in 2009 and 2010 than the disaster we saw last year.  

Follow @adamwells1985