Fantasy Baseball Sleepers 2012: Every Team's Pitcher Ready to Break out

There are the obvious choices in fantasy baseball. Justin Verlander, Clayton Kershaw, Roy Halladay and Cliff Lee are top of the line and don't really require much discussion. It is much more interesting to talk about the potential sleepers on the mound.

We all look for them. We all want to find that diamond in the rough who we can grab in the last round and point to at the end of the season as the most obvious display of our own brilliance and brilliant foresight.

Let me try to help you out with that. Here's a pitcher from every team who will probably be undervalued on draft day, but look for him to burst out by the end of 2012.

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Arizona Diamondbacks: Trevor Cahill

Trevor Cahill played for the Oakland Athletics last season and didn't quite live up to the phenomenal year he had in 2010. He only went 12-14 with a 4.16 ERA. Obviously, those numbers were rather disappointing, but he is going to have a fresh start this season in Arizona, and that might help him quite a bit. His poor performance last season will drop him lower in the draft, but be aware that he might be able to regain his form from two years ago. .

Atlanta Braves: Mike Minor

Julio Teheran is a more highly regarded prospect, but Mike Minor has been compiling a very solid minor league resume. In fact, the left-handed youngster is most likely going to be the final starter in the Atlanta Braves rotation at the beginning of the season.

Julio Tehran has already burst out in a sense because everyone knows about him and his high potential. Minor is more likely to be a bargain if you play in a very deep league and need a pitcher with high upside.

Baltimore Orioles: Tommy Hunter

I need to be honest. The Baltimore Orioles do not have very much pitching depth. However, if you look at Tommy Hunter, you'll realize that he had a decent amount of success as a member of the Texas Rangers. He pitches in a very difficult division, but it is very possible that he'll come into his own as a 25-year-old and realize more of his talent.

Boston Red Sox: Daniel Bard

Daniel Bard probably doesn't really count as busting out because he has obviously been a superb setup man for the Boston Red Sox. However, in fantasy baseball circles, middle relief is often times underappreciated.

Therefore, he might be undervalued simply because people are worried about that transition. Don't be worried about him however. He is an effective pitcher, and he should continue to have great success.

Chicago Cubs: Travis Wood

Travis Wood had a decent amount of success with the Cincinnati Reds, however, he never really received a full season of action. Now that he has that opportunity with the Chicago Cubs, we should see how good he is at keeping runners off base. Last year was a bit worse than 2010, but Travis Wood has potential and might be able to burst out in a new environment.

Chicago White Sox: Chris Sale

Chris Sale is another one of the relievers who will be joining a rotation this season. However, he has had two very successful seasons as a setup man and shouldn't necessarily have a problem with the transfer. The Chicago White Sox will need him to come up big if they want to be a factor in the American League Central. It will be rather difficult task with the Detroit Tigers firmly planted on top, but Sale should be able to do his part to help the White Sox attempt this tall order.

Cincinnati Reds: Aroldis Chapman

Aroldis Chapman is one of those guys who we are all waiting for. After watching him light up the radar gun with triple-digit fire, it is obvious that he has raw but powerful stuff. If he ever is able to put it together, he will be pretty amazing.

He is one of those players that you probably should draft on potential. If that potential is ever realized, some fun things could definitely happen in Cincinnati. If not, it won't take very much more than a late-round pick to acquire him. Huge outside for low risk.

Cleveland Indians: Josh Tomlin

Josh Tomlin posted a very respectable 12-7 record last season. Even though his ERA was slightly elevated at 4.25, he could potentially drop that a little bit lower as he matures.

His strikeout rate has been considerably lower in the majors than it ever was in the minors, so perhaps he will be able to bring that dimension back to his game. If he does, he will be able to keep runners off the bases and become a very good option for your fantasy baseball team.

Colorado Rockies: Drew Pomeranz

Drew Pomeranz had a rather unspectacular debut last season. However, he has always been highly regarded and has dominated at every level of minor league baseball. His rapid ascension to Major League Baseball definitely puts his talent in perspective.

Pitching in Colorado is never easy, but if anybody can do it, it will be Pomeranz. Rookie pitchers often times burst onto the scene, and Pomeranz will do that in 2012.

Detroit Tigers: Max Scherzer

Max Scherzer has already become a respectable starter. He even won 15 games last season. However, the reason I put him on this list of most likely to break out is because the Detroit Tigers will be able to produce unbelievable run support for him this year. If he is able to bring his ERA down a little bit, he will have all the run support he needs. He should easily be able to eclipse 15 wins in 2012.

Houston Astros: J.A. Happ

J.A. Happ definitely hasn't been the same pitcher for the Houston Astros as he was for the Philadelphia Phillies. However, he still has that potential. Granted, he doesn't quite have the run support that he had for the Philadelphia Phillies, but he should be able to bring that ERA down. Who knows? Maybe the Houston Astros will be able to give him enough run support so he can actually tally some victories and regain some of his previous success.

Kansas City Royals: Jonathan Sanchez

Jonathan Sanchez has been poor so far, but that is just spring training. In fact, maybe a change of scenery will finally help Sanchez burst out. He has had a somewhat decent ERA throughout his career, but he was playing for the San Francisco Giants who gave him no run support. Hopefully the Kansas City Royals can do a little bit better and help him compile a solid record.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim: Jerome Williams

It could be argued that four of the five starters for the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim have already busted out. However, Jerome Williams might be an interesting option as he is going to have a ton of run support that could very well translate into a lot of wins.

Last season, he only appeared in 10 games but posted an ERA of 3.68. If he pitches like that all season with his offense behind him, he could pile up quite a few wins.

Los Angeles Dodgers: Chad Billingsley

There is no doubt that Clayton Kershaw is the ace of the Los Angeles Dodgers. However, Chad Billingsley is definitely a legitimate secondary option. His record has hovered around .500 for the past few years, but that will probably rise given the fact that he should continue to improve and drop that ERA. If he does improve what he truly does have control over, then he could be a candidate to win 15 games and will probably be available late into the draft.

Miami Marlins: Josh Johnson

There is no doubt in my mind that Josh Johnson has the potential to be one of the best pitchers in baseball. Whenever he steps on the mound, he does very well. The problem is that he spent a lot of time off that mound during his career due to injuries.

Perhaps 2012 is finally the year that he will be able to overcome that bug for good and dominate like he should. I do feel kind of bad for him. Injuries are frustrating.

Milwaukee Brewers: Shaun Marcum

Shaun Marcum has had a few consecutive seasons where he's posted solid records with a respectable ERA. Don't expect that to change in 2012. Because he is in the same rotation as Zack Greinke and Yovani Gallardo, he is forgotten sometimes. Take advantage of that. He might be available late in your draft and will produce at a pretty high level.

Minnesota Twins: Scott Baker

Scott Baker had consistently put up solid numbers for the Minnesota Twins even though he has bounced up and down from AAA multiple times. He cut his ERA substantially last year and should receive much more support from the Minnesota Twins as they have their lineup back together. If his ERA is similar to last year, he should put up quite a few wins and help your fantasy team.

New York Mets: Mike Pelfrey

Mike Pelfrey had a frustrating 2011. However, if you look at his career up until this point, he tends to alternate between good and bad seasons. If that trend continues, 2012 is scheduled to be a good season for him. Even if this trend doesn't necessarily have significance in and of itself, the point remains that he has had a few very successful seasons. If he is able to channel that again in 2012, he could approach his career-high of 15 victories.

New York Yankees: Michael Pineda

Michael Pineda burst on to the scene last season as a dominant pitcher. However, he will burst onto the fantasy baseball scene this season now that wins will be much easier to come by. Last season, he only managed a 9-10 record even with a nice 3.74 ERA. If he is able to maintain that same ERA, he should win quite a few more games and become one of the better pitching options in baseball.

Oakland Athletics: Brandon McCarthy

Brandon McCarthy has quietly been developing into a very solid pitcher for the Oakland Athletics. Although he only went 9-9 last season, he had a 3.32 ERA. If that isn't good enough to get some wins, I'm not really sure what is.

Oakland isn't necessarily the best team in baseball, but they should be able to score enough to improve on that record from last year. He is still young as well, so there really is no reason not to believe that he might get even better.

Philadelphia Phillies: Cole Hamels

Cole Hamels is not really much of a sleeper. Everybody knows he is one of the better pitchers in baseball right now. However, I would argue that this season is going to take him to another level.

First of all, he is going to be a free agent at the end of the year. Historically, players play better the year before they hit the open market. Secondly, he is already a great pitcher. When you put those two together, it wouldn't be incredibly surprising to see him near the top of the Cy Young race again this season.

Pittsburgh Pirates: Erik Bedard

Erik Bedard might be undervalued because he has battled with injuries over the past few years. However, when he was still with the Baltimore Orioles, he had some great years. When you add in the fact that he will now be in the National League where ERAs are traditionally lower, it would not be surprising to see him burst out again and regain the value that he used to have.

San Diego Padres: Cory Luebke

Cory Luebke went 6-10 last season. If I left it at that, you wouldn't think that he is a great breakout candidate. Even though he mostly pitched out of the bullpen, he will be joining the starting rotation this season full time.

Hopefully, with the addition of Carlos Quentin over the winter, the San Diego Padres will be able to generate some runs and improve that record. With run support, his value will rise drastically because he doesn't allow runs to score very often.

San Francisco Giants: Madison Bumgarner

Madison Bumgarner is due for even more improvement in 2012. 2011 was a great season for him, but if he is able to get some run support, his record will get a lot better. Since most fantasy baseball leagues rely on win totals, this will be an important step in his development.

Even though he has no control of his run support, he will probably receive more of it this season given that Buster Posey will be returning to the lineup. As a result, his outstanding performance will shine and produce a lot of victories.

Seattle Mariners: Hector Noesi

Hector Noesi was perhaps the less heralded part of the Michael Pineda trade. However, he is expected to be a major contributor for the Seattle Mariners this winter. He has excelled at every level in the minors, so it is definitely possible that that success continues. He had a little bit of trouble out of the bullpen for the New York Yankees last season, but he should feel more comfortable returning to the rotation.

St. Louis Cardinals: Jamie Garcia

Jamie Garcia has had two fantastic seasons as a member of the St. Louis Cardinals. However, he has been overshadowed somewhat by Adam Wainwright and Chris Carpenter, which has caused his value to drop. With Chris Carpenter potentially having some injury problems already in 2012, Garcia will only become more valuable to the St. Louis Cardinals as the year progresses.

Tampa Bay Rays: Matt Moore

Matt Moore is almost like a successor to David Price. He has come to the major leagues with a similar degree of hype and will hopefully have similar results. People are expecting huge things from him, and if his minor league numbers are any indication, he should start striking out hitters in bunches as soon as the 2012 season starts.

Texas Rangers: Yu Darvish

Yu Darvish is arguably the most talented Japanese pitcher ever to make the move to Major League Baseball. Many Japanese players in the past have initially had success in America (such as Hideo Nomo in his Rookie of the Year), so if Darvish is even more talented than that, his results should be even more fabulous. The Texas Rangers paid quite a bit of money for him, so they will obviously be hoping for the same thing.

Toronto Blue Jays: Henderson Alvarez

Henderson Alvarez only went 1-3 in his major league debut last season. However, he still posted a very nice 3.53 ERA. He is having an excellent spring training as well, so hopefully that momentum will help carry him into the new season. The Toronto Blue Jays are a team to watch in general this season, but Alvarez will be a large part of that success.

Washington Nationals: Stephen Strasburg

Could there be anyone else? Stephen Strasburg has already demonstrated that he is a dominant pitcher. However, he will finally put together a full season of that dominance and become one of the best pitchers in baseball. He has an overpowering fastball that has led him to strike out more than a hitter per inning over his entire career. He should totally breakout this season to an even higher degree and rise to a higher level.

Whether you think I know everything or nothing about Major League Baseball, you should follow me on Twitter and keep in touch. I love hearing what you all have to say!

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