Fantasy Baseball Sleepers 2012: 3 Players on New Teams Who Will Shine

You never know what to quite expect when a baseball player changes scenery.

Some blossom, some fall off the face of the earth and some remain relatively the same.

Heading into the 2012 MLB season, there are a few sleepers out there who you should target. Here's a look at three players who won't disappoint in their new colors.

Hiroki Kuroda, SP, New York Yankees

Hiroki Kuroda may be 37 years old, but his production ever since joining the big leagues in 2008 has been outstanding and he had his best season in 2011.

Kuroda is one of the most underrated pitchers in baseball. Last season, he posted a 3.07 ERA and 1.21 WHIP, even adding 161 strikeouts in 202 innings.

And those 13 wins he had with the disappointing Los Angeles Dodgers? Expect those wins to soar with the high-powered Yankees.

Carlos Beltran, OF, St. Louis Cardinals

Sure, Carlos Beltran is a big name, but he's far down draft boards this season, primarily because he's had trouble staying on the field due to injuries and he's getting older.

But, the fact of the matter is, Beltran is a great hitter. Last season, in split duty with the New York Mets and San Francisco Giants, Beltran hit .300 with 22 home runs, 84 RBI and 78 runs. In the second half of the season with the Giants, he hit .323 with seven home runs, 18 RBI and 17 runs in 44 games.

Remember when the Cardinals signed some struggling star named Lance Berkman last season? Turned out pretty well for them, didn't it?

Beltran is ranked 99th overall in Yahoo! Sports leagues. He's definitely worth grabbing that late.

 

Yu Darvish, SP, Texas Rangers

Yu Darvish is the essential boom-or-bust player this season. He dominated in Japan, but has yet to play Major League Baseball.

But Darvish looks to be for real. He's better than any of the other Japanese phenom pitchers who have come to the big leagues through the years. He throws five plus pitches and his stuff and control is outstanding. He went 93-38 with a 1.99 ERA, 0.98 WHIP and 1,259 strikeouts in just over 1,268 innings in Japan.

Plus, Darvish is on the high-scoring Rangers. If he pitches like he has been in Japan, he's guaranteed to rack up wins.

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