Fantasy Baseball Sleepers 2012: Undervalued 5-Tool Players

Quick—name the five main tools for an MLB position player.

C'mon, you've got this...

Okay, if you guessed speed, arm strength, glove work, power and average, then you've earned yourself a free pat on the back.

Of course, when it comes to fantasy baseball, the defensive skills don't factor into point totals, though the other three tools are certainly important. As far as fantasy value is concerned, these guys should provide plenty of value in every offensive category.

Jayson Werth

Have you checked the fantasy baseball dictionary recently? There's a picture of Jayson Werth's bearded mug next to the entry for "buy low, sell high."

Werth struggled his first season with the Washington Nationals in 2011, posting career-worsts in batting average (.232), on-base percentage (.330) and strikeouts (160).

On the flip-side, it was his first season in a new situation in a new city, with new teammates, under the heavy burden of expectations that comes with a seven-year, $126-million deal. Even with that, Werth still managed to string together 20 home runs and 19 stolen bases, even if his RBI total (58) left much to be desired.

Werth may not be a spring chicken anymore (he'll be 33 in May), but it's not as though the dude simply lost it overnight. Don't be surprised, then, if his batting average rebounds into the .270 or .280 range on the way to another 20-20 campaign. 

Jeff Francouer

Jeff Francouer's days as an uber-prospect are long gone, if only because, at age 28, he's much closer to a salty veteran than a kid up for a cup of coffee.

Nonetheless, Francouer appears to have finally found his comfort zone with the Kansas City Royals. The big right fielder hit a solid .285 with 20 homers, 78 RBI and 22 stolen bases last season.

And while it may be risky to take numbers like that from a strikeout artist like Francouer with anything more than a grain of salt, it wouldn't be all too shocking, either, to see the one-time Atlanta Braves farmhand grow his game alongside K.C.'s ripening nucleus of power hitters.

Melky Cabrera

Melky Cabrera had a coming-out party of his own in the Royals outfield last season, posting career-bests in just about every offensive category on the way to a 200-hit season.

To expect Cabrera to again approach 20 home runs and a batting average above .300 would be a bit foolish—especially on a San Francisco Giants ball club that plays most of its games in the pitchers' havens of the NL West, most notably AT&T Park.

Still, Cabrera will have his fair share of opportunities to send 10-15 balls sailing out of the yard. What's more, his speed figures to factor in much more prominently now that he's in the National League, where Giants skipper Bruce Bochy can (and likely will) put it to good use on the basepaths.

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