Fantasy Baseball Sleepers 2012: Ranking the Top Late-Round Gems

Making sure you pick up some quality late-round players is every bit as important as being smart with your top-round selections. What happens if those guys get hurt or if they slump to start out the season? If you have no one at the ready to replace them with, you'll be stuck with the leftovers on the waiver wire.

Once all of the top fantasy prospects are scooped up in the early rounds, there are plenty of players left who can put up quality numbers that will keep you happy throughout the season. Some of them are veterans who were disappointments last year but are poised for comeback seasons; some of them are younger players still proving themselves.

Here are a few late-rounders to keep on your radar, as well as a ranking of some of the top options in that category.

1. Jayson Werth, OF, Washington Nationals

He finished last season with a .232 average, 69 runs scored, 20 homers, 58 RBI, a .330 on-base percentage and a .718 OPS, which was a disappointment. His batting average plummeted from .296 in 2010, as did his doubles total: He had 46 in 2010 and just 26 in 2011.

Now in his second year with the Nationals, his numbers are projected to increase, though not quite to where they were in 2010. It's possible that the transition away from the Phillies, where he played for four years, was part of the problem, so acclimating further to his new surroundings could help him get back up to a .250 average, and he's still good for 18-20 stolen bases.

Three years removed from his All-Star campaign in 2009, he's a smart sleeper pick. 

2. Ricky Romero, SP, Toronto Blue Jays

He's an appealing pick, because he's managed to maintain the same number of walks while increasing his strikeouts from 141 in 2009 to 174 in 2010 and 178 in 2011. He's also pitched over 200 innings for each of the last two seasons and is projected to maintain that this year. Romero has a low line-drive rate, but his high HR/FB tells the story of a pitcher who finds himself the recipient of a lot of bad luck, making him a bit of a risky pick.

Still, he will make all of his starts and eat up innings, and he should have at least 14-15 wins. But be aware that you'll probably see his ERA increase from 2.92 in 2011 to over 3.00.

3. Coco Crisp, OF, Oakland Athletics

Ever since he left Cleveland for Boston, Crisp has bounced around the league a lot and has been pretty inconsistent as a result. Still, he had 49 stolen bases in 58 attempts in 2011—a career high and tied for the most in the American League. Though his on-base percentage hit a bit of a low last year at .314, it's been .330 or higher since 2007, and he has hit at least .260 in every one of his 10 seasons except one.

Crisp hasn't hit more than eight homers since 2005, so it's unlikely he'll eclipse that number as he enters his 11th season. But he did have 54 RBI last year—the most he's had since 2007—and he scored 69 runs. His numbers should stay fairly consistent with his 2011 totals, and he's worth a pick because of his base-stealing potential.

Power Ranking of Late-Round Picks Worth Taking

1. Jayson Werth, OF, Washington Nationals

2. Ricky Romero, SP, Toronto Blue Jays

3. Coco Crisp, OF, Oakland Athletics

4. Josh Beckett, SP, Boston Red Sox

5. Ted Lilly, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers

6. Nick Swisher, OF, New York Yankees

7. Ichiro Suzuki, OF, Seattle Mariners

8. Erick Aybar, SS, Los Angeles Angels

9. Derek Jeter, SS, New York Yankees

10. Ervin Santana, SP, Los Angeles Angels