Fantasy Baseball Sleepers 2012: Mid-Tier Pitchers Sure to Dominate

Michael Pineda is ready to blow up now that he'll actually get some run support. He isn't the only pitcher you'll be able to grab in the middle of your fantasy draft that will produce at a high level.

Read on to see why Pineda and others will score big, even though they'll be drafted late.

Michael Pineda

Pineda could have had a year similar to that of another 6'7" American League hurler in 2011, if he had the run support. Compare Pineda's numbers to Yankees' ace CC Sabathia:

Pineda 

IP - 171.0

W-L 9-10

ERA - 3.74

K - 173

BB - 55

Sabathia

IP - 237.1

W- L 19-8

ERA - 3.00

K - 230

BB - 61

Sabathia pitched more innings with a little better control, but consider Pineda pitching the innings with the comfort of an offense that could provide more run support.

Pineda will have that run support this year after being acquired by the Yankees in the offseason.

Pineda is going from a Mariners team ranked 30th in runs scored to a Yankees team that was the second-highest scoring team in the majors.

Watch those wins go up and don't be thrown by Yankees' manager Joe Girardi's posturing on Pineda's spot in the rotation. George King of the New York Post reported this:

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Due to his mid-90s fastball, a biting slider and who was dealt to get him, the 23-year-old Pineda quickly was viewed as a top-of-the-rotation starter. General manager Brian Cashman said reports that the second-year right-hander could open the season as the Yankees’ No. 2 starter were premature.

Now, Girardi says the 6-foot-7, 280-pounder, who is working on adding a change-up as a third pitch, isn’t a lock for the rotation. Could he be left out and start the season at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre?

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Pineda is a virtual lock as a member of the Yankees' rotation from day one. This report from Girardi is just a motivational tactic to get the best out of a young pitcher. There is no way the Yankees traded highly-touted Jesus Montero for Pineda to go to the bullpen or the minors.

Pineda is a great pickup anywhere from the seventh round on as long as he stays healthy.

Ivan Nova

Another Yankees pitcher set to have a solid season is Nova. He had 16 wins in 2011, but he still isn't getting the respect as a top-tier pitcher in fantasy baseball.

Currently, cbssports.com fantasy rankings of starting pitchers has him ranked 76th overall. The young pitcher doesn't look like a candidate for a sophomore jinx to me.

Many point to the big walk totals late in the season, but I am attributing that to the forearm injury he had in the postseason. He looks fully recovered and most of all, he's determined to prove he belongs in the rotation. He said this to yankees.com:

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"Like I always say, I just want to be in the rotation," Nova said. "That's what I want to do. I don't mind if I'm number one, two, three, four, five. I don't care. I just want to be in the rotation and I want to win games." 

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With he, Pineda, Phil Hughes and Freddy Garcia, the Yankees have a healthy competition for spots in the starting rotation behind Sabathia and Hideki Kuroda.

It is more likely that veterans Hughes and Garcia will be sent to bullpen because of their experience. Nova should get the innings to produce the way he did through last season.

The 16 wins in 165 innings is pretty impressive, even with the modest strikeout totals (only 98).

Snap up Nova anywhere from your eighth pick on.

A.J. Burnett

I have a good feeling about Burnett now that he's leaving New York. I think New York became too overwhelming for Burnett. He had a solid season in 2009, but the continuous pressure to excel under that microscope seemed too much for his personality type.

In 2008, Burnett was coming into his own. He won 18 games for the Toronto Blue Jays. Before that, he had pitched his entire career in Florida, another small-market city. I believe Burnett returning to a smaller market, like Pittsburgh, will revitalize his career.

As a Yankee, his career record was 34-35 over three seasons, elsewhere Burnett was 87-76.

The Pirates are an up-and-coming bunch and must score more runs this season to continue to improve, but I expect Burnett to be the staff ace.

He is going from the stronger American League to the National League, and he'll be in a more comfortable environment.

Snap up Burnett from anywhere from your 10th pick on.