Fantasy Baseball Sleepers: Low-Profile Starters Sure to Rack Up Wins

Wins and pitchers. 

In reality, it is a waste of time to judge a pitcher based on those nice shiny wins listed next to his name. They tell you nothing of how someone actually pitched, and are the personification of evil in the world. 

In fantasy, wins might be the best thing ever. You have to focus on wins and losses for pitchers when you are drafting in fantasy baseball. It is a very old-fashioned approach to baseball, but it is one we can't escape. 

With that in mind, here are a few pitchers who aren't exactly stars but will pitch well enough to rack up a lot of victories for you. 

Doug Fister, Detroit Tigers

After being acquired by the Tigers at the trade deadline last year, Fister stepped up his performance and became a reliable mid-rotation starter for the team. 

Thanks to a strong lineup supporting him and terrible competition in the American League Central, Fister could be a candidate to win 15 games if everything breaks right. 

He has always had solid fantasy numbers across the board, but now that he is on a team that can actually score him some runs, he will be even more valuable. Don't expect him to have another ERA under 3.00.  

Since we are just talking about wins, Fister is a perfectly acceptable starter for you to grab. He could be the second-best fantasy pitcher on the Tigers this season. 

Homer Bailey, Cincinnati Reds

Years of waiting for Bailey to finally break out paid off last season, sort of. He was able to set career-highs in starts (22), innings (132), strikeouts (106) and ERA (4.43). 

Those aren't exactly big fantasy numbers, but it is a sign that he is starting to figure things out. With a full season in the big leagues, Bailey should blossom into a solid fantasy starter. He has always been able to miss enough bats to succeed, he just has to stay healthy. 

Pitching with one of the best offensive teams in the National League to support him, Bailey could win 12-15 games. He might post an ERA over 4.00, but you can find other starters out there who can drag that number down. 

Another factor to consider with Bailey is age. He has been around seemingly forever, but he is just 26 years old. Perhaps his improved performance last year was just the tip of the iceberg. 

Jake Westbrook, St. Louis Cardinals

Pitching in the same rotation as Adam Wainwright, Chris Carpenter, Jaime Garcia and Kyle Lohse makes it easy to forget about the fifth starter. Westbrook is actually one of the best back-of-the-rotation fantasy starters in the National League. 

He pitches primarily with a sinker and a changeup, and neither pitch is overpowering, so he won't miss many bats. What he will give you are the same things that he gives the Cardinals: innings and wins.

The latter is the product of playing on good teams, but the former is a testament to how (relatively) healthy he has been able to stay throughout his career. 

Westbrook's ERA was a little bloated last season at 4.66. As long as you have a starting rotation stacked with dominant pitchers who can keep your ERA low, he is a solid pick-up if you need more wins. 

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