Fantasy Baseball Sleepers 2012: Pitchers Who Will Surprise Everyone

The surprise stars of 2012 are out there. You just need to know where to find them. 

Fantasy leagues are hardly won in the early rounds when superstars are divvied among the owners, but the sleepers are where the real work comes in. 

These are the pitchers that you can find in the later rounds that will make you seem like a genius by August, when you are riding high off their efforts. 

They may not seem like much at first passing, but they will prove crucial to your rotation when they break free and put together a remarkable season. 

Here are some late-round gems you can't live without. 

Bud Norris

You won't find many Houston Astros flying off the draft board, but Bud Norris is one that you have to consider. 

He has a filthy mid-90's fastball and a slider that comes as a nice complement to make righties think twice, but left-handed sluggers remain the big issue. 

Still, it's hard to argue that he will not improve with another season under his belt, and one that saw him post a 3.77 ERA and 1.33 WHIP.

Doug Fister

It's surprising that this Tigers pitcher isn't getting more hype entering the 2012 campaign and has a ADP of 151.1, according to ESPN's draft projections. 

It may be the stigma left over from his Mariners days, but rest assured, he is a changed man. After going 3-12 in Seattle, he had a 1.79 ERA and eight wins in 11 games for the Tigers. 

This is the last preseason that we see him this low on draft boards. 

Javy Guerra

We throw in a closer to round things out, and there is none with more value on draft day that the Dodgers' Javy Guerra. 

After a fine finish to the season, Guerra won the closers role and will continue right where he left off. He closed out his first 10 saves starting just before the All-Star break and went 21 out of 23 the rest of the way. 

He has great stuff that will keep him on the bump in the ninth the rest of 2012, making him a candidate to get well north of 30 saves. 

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