Fantasy Baseball Sleepers 2012: Pitchers Who'll Emerge as Fantasy MVP Candidates

The Detroit Tigers possess two sleeper pitchers that are capable of being your fantasy baseball MVPs in 2012 in Max Scherzer and Rick Porcello.

Of course, everybody is going to be trying to snag MVP-pitcher Justin Verlander, but the reality of the situation is that unless you're the lucky one in your league, chances are you'll have to do without.

That's okay though...

Scherzer and Porcello aren't big names in the national fantasy scope, but they are incredibly productive players with a lot to offer to your pitching staff.

The difference between a fantasy championship team and a dud is the amount of sleeper picks a manager is able to finagle. Every team will have its fair share of stars, but it's the sleepers that get the work done and separate the best from the rest.

Here's what you can expect from these two pitchers in 2012:

Max Scherzer

Scherzer has the talent of an ace, but the consistency of a second or third guy, and that's exactly where the Tigers are going to have him.

The thing you have to like about Scherzer coming into this year is that you know he'll have a ton of run support—just look at the Tigers' lineup. Either he'll play loose and sloppy because of this, or he'll play loose and confident. I'm leaning towards the latter.

Like I said, he's got number-one talent when he's on. He's got good stuff and is developing a pretty nice slider that will cause some damage.

He'll improve on his 15-9 record from last season without a doubt, and I fully expect him to bring down his 4.43 ERA. I wouldn't be surprised if Scherzer will pile up about 17 to 18 wins in 2012 with an ERA in the low threes.

Spring Numbers: Six games, 1-1 record, 4.26 ERA, 24 strikeouts, 1.30 WHIP

Rick Porcello

Porcello may not have lived up to the expectations that were placed on him when he first came up to the big leagues, but he'll be more than serviceable as the the Tigers' fourth pitcher, and he's a great fantasy option.

What makes Porcello such a great option in fantasy is his sinker ball. At his best, Porcello will have batters grounding out all day, but that sinker is nasty enough to pile up some strikeouts as well.

This makes Porcello a very productive play as a fantasy pitcher.

He wont give up many runs and he'll put up some low hit totals. He's also only 23 years old mind you, so his upside is huge.

With the team and pitching staff he has around him this season, it's far to project his best season yet.

Spring Numbers: Four games, 2-0 record, 1.59 ERA, nine strikeouts, 1.12 WHIP