Fantasy Baseball Sleepers 2012: Underrated Pitchers You Must Draft Late

Fantasy baseball owners are sneaking in a couple more drafts before the MLB season begins in earnest on Wednesday night. While most players' value has stabilized recently, there are still a couple underrated pitchers to help teams chase down a championship.

Let's take a look a three starters who will provide owners with better seasons than they are expected to based on draft position. Savvy owners should make sure to target them late on draft day.

Hiroki Kuroda

Joining the New York Yankees will lead to more run support for Kuroda. He spent the past four seasons with the Los Angeles Dodgers and never had an ERA above 3.76, which should set him up for success despite the increased pressure of New York.

Kuroda has been remarkably consistent. That's a trait which often gets overlooked because owners are searching for the next big thing, but when you are able to rely on solid numbers from one pitcher, drafting the rest of your team becomes a little easier.

He shouldn't have much trouble reaching 15 wins assuming he stays healthy. Throw in a 3.40 ERA and 1.20 WHIP and you get a pitcher that will help a lot of pitching staffs even though he's being drafted in the late rounds.

Tim Hudson

Hudson is expected to miss the first couple weeks of the season as he rehabs a back injury, but should be ready to help fantasy teams by early May at the latest. That's more than enough time for him to make a major impact.

He's another consistent performer who normally provides terrific value. A lot of owners don't give him the respect he deserves because of an average strikeout rate, but his other strong numbers along with a bounce-back year for the Braves offense should make him a must-start fantasy option.

Owners should take a chance on Hudson late and stash him on the bench for the first month. Once he gets back, there's no reason to believe he won't continue to post numbers in line with other recent seasons. Those will make him a steal.

Brandon Morrow

For owners looking for a little less consistency in favor of upside, Morrow looks like the sleeper for you. He's not garnering much interest from owners despite striking out more than 10 batters per nine last season for the Toronto Blue Jays.

His ERA was nearly five, however, which scares a lot of people away from him. His peripheral numbers say he really wasn't that bad, so the chance of a rebound season remains likely. Any improvement should lead to a monster fantasy season.

Taking chances becomes a lot easier in the final few rounds because the investment is so small. If Morrow struggles, cutting him won't be difficult. More likely, though, he'll provide his owners with plenty of reasons to keep him all season.