Fantasy Baseball Sleepers 2012: Players That Will Turn Their Careers Around

The scrapheap is good for more than just dumping your unwanted junk and digging around for spare parts to contraptions that no longer exist.

It's also an excellent place to find fallen MLB stars to fill out your fantasy baseball team. With baseball being the cruel game that it is—and regression to the mean being a real thing in statistical analysis—let's have a look at a few big names who are bound for bounce-back seasons in 2012.

Jayson Werth

To say that Jayson Werth was a disappointment last season is an understatement, is itself an understatement.

Whatever that means.

The former Phillies star saw his numbers plummet across the board in his first campaign with the Washington Nationals, posting a .232 batting average with 20 home runs and 58 RBI while presumably playing under the enormous weight of a seven-year, $126 million deal he signed last winter.

But don't cry for him, Argentina. The truth is, the power and run-producing ability haven't left the soon-to-be 33-year-old just yet. Expect his numbers to improve now that he's had time to adjust to his new digs and will be surrounded by some pretty good players on an ever-improving team. 

Colby Rasmus

At least Werth had a full offseason, spring training and regular season to acclimate himself to the Nats. Colby Rasmus, on the other hand, was dogged by injuries and a feud with Tony La Russa in a turbulent season that saw the St. Louis Cardinals ship him north of the border to the Toronto Blue Jays.

Once there, Rasmus' batting average dipped to .173 with three home runs and 13 RBI in 140 plate appearances.

So why, pray tell, would anyone want him on a fantasy squad? Well, he's still only 25 years old, loaded with natural ability and not that far removed from a season in which he smacked 23 round-trippers and drove in 66 runs.

With the way Colby cratered and the Blue Jays lineup in which he currently finds himself, don't be surprised if the mercurial outfielder finds his way back to higher ground and picks up his production in a big way.

Ubaldo Jimenez

There's no telling yet whether or not Ubaldo Jimenez is fully recovered from last year's groin injury, or whether or not he'll ever be the dominant pitcher he was during the first half of the 2010 season.

But, as a late-round pick (or cheap auction pickup), in a weak AL Central, he's certainly worth whatever minimal risk he'd incur, given the tremendous potential for success that he's shown in the recent past and his relative youth (he turned 28 in January).

Follow @J0shMart1n