Fantasy Baseball 2015: Breaking Down Overall Rankings and Late-Round Sleepers

Fantasy baseball players have a week left to draft a squad before the Chicago Cubs and St. Louis Cardinals open the season on April 5. Whether patiently waiting or lazily procrastinating, drafters have precious little time left to cram.

Studying the early-round superstars and deep sleepers proves a delicate balance. Anyone who prepares for only the first few rounds will get dismantled when the real value is later procured, but a solid foundation is also vital for success.

To combat those gaps, let's look at top stars and late fliers, starting with top-50 overall rankings and wrapping up with deep sleepers best saved for the final round of two.

Rankings

Rank	Player	POS
1	Mike Trout	OF
2	Andrew McCutchen	OF
3	Paul Goldschmidt	1B
4	Giancarlo Stanton	OF
5	Clayton Kershaw	SP
6	Carlos Gomez	OF
7	Jose Abreu	1B
8	Miguel Cabrera	1B
9	Jose Bautista	OF
10	Edwin Encarnacion	1B
11	Adam Jones	OF
12	Felix Hernandez	SP
13	Robinson Cano	2B
14	Adrian Beltre	3B
15	Anthony Rizzo	1B
16	Max Scherzer	SP
17	Yasiel Puig	OF
18	Troy Tulowtizki	SS
19	Ian Desmond	SS
20	Stephen Strasburg	SP
21	Josh Donaldson	3B
22	Hanley Ramirez	SS
23	David Price	SP
24	Jose Altuve	2B
25	Michael Brantley	OF
26	Chris Sale	SP
27	Jacoby Ellsbury	OF
28	Corey Kluber	SP
29	Ryan Braun	OF
30	Anthony Rendon	2B/3B
31	Madison Bumgarner	SP
32	Bryce Harper	OF
33	Freddie Freeman	1B
34	Zack Greinke	SP
35	Justin Upton	OF
36	Corey Dickerson	OF
37	Albert Pujols	1B
38	Cole Hamels	SP
39	Adrian Gonzalez	1B
40	Buster Posey	C/1B
41	Jon Lester	SP
42	David Ortiz	1B/DH
43	George Springer	OF
44	Starling Marte	OF
45	Jose Reyes	SS
46	Johnny Cueto	SP
47	Carlos Gonzalez	OF
48	Billy Hamilton	OF
49	Ian Kinsler	2B
50	Jordan Zimmermann	SP

Spending a first- or second-round selection on a starting pitcher is also perceived as a no-no. Still, it's unfair to discredit select aces who have proven just as durable as their offensive counterparts.

Although Clayton Kershaw snapped a four-year streak of surpassing 200 innings pitched, he made amends with a 1.77 ERA and 0.86 WHIP through 198.1 frames. Over the past four years, he holds a 2.11 ERA and 9.53 strikeouts per nine innings (K/9), making him just as trustworthy as any bat.

In fact, ESPN.com's Tristan H. Cockcroft pointed out that nobody besides Kershaw has finished in the top 10 of ESPN's player rater during each of the past four seasons. He has a legitimate case for the No. 2 spot before consensus top choice Mike Trout, but the preference for a superstar slugger bumps him down to No. 5.

Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images

Just don't go crazy and refuse him for Miguel Cabrera, whose ankle injury makes him a much riskier ploy to open the proceedings.

Many drafters will wait and wait some more on starters, but the pitching dominance only inflates the average starter's perceived worth, preserving a true standout ace's status as a precious commodity. Landing Kershaw or Felix Hernandez isn't necessary, but at least eye a Stephen Strasburg or David Price in Round 3 or a Cole Hamels or Jordan Zimmermann during Rounds 4 or 5.

Offensively, load up on as many reliable position players are possible. He hit only 14 homers last year, but Robinson Cano gets bonus points for playing all but 19 games since 2007. Also, the second baseman is a .310/.358/.499 career hitter, making him much safer than average-dependent Jose Altuve and hobbled Anthony Rendon.

Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

Those drafting this week must shuttle Rendon down their rankings. Originally a top-20 play after batting .287/.351/.473 with 21 homers, 111 runs and 17 steals last year, the second baseman is battling a knee injury that could sideline him to start the year.

Consider Washington Nationals manager Matt Williams' warning to The Washington Post's James Wagner:

"

I think Opening Day’s in jeopardy. That being said, he could come in tomorrow and feel much better, or at the end of this week and feel much better, and we can look at things. But right now, it could be in jeopardy because he simply hasn’t had the baseball activity to get ready. Does that mean he’s not ready for Opening Day but ready four days later? Potentially. We just don’t know at this point.

"

That's too much uncertainty for someone with a No. 18 overall average draft position (ADP), according to FantasyPros. Unless he endures a steep tumble, let somebody else take the risk.

Sleepers

POS	Player	Team
C	John Jaso	TB
1B/DH	C.J. Cron	LAA
2B	Micah Johnson	CHW
3B	Jake Lamb	ARI
SS	Wilmer Flores	NYM
OF	Anthony Gose	DET
OF	Travis Snider	BAL
SP	Shane Greene	DET
SP	T.J. House	CLE
RP	Evan Marshall	ARI

Anthony Gose, OF, Detroit Tigers

Stacy Revere/Getty Images

Need speed late in the draft? Consider playing the lottery on Anthony Gose, who is working his way to a heavy portion of a platoon with a scorching spring.

Through 18 games, Gose is hitting .321/.379/.509 with five steals. Not only will he get playing time versus right-handed pitching this year, but he could spend those games atop the Detroit Tigers batting order.

"I think Gose is a very viable option against right-handed pitchers at the leadoff spot," manager Brad Ausmus told MLB.com's Jason Beck.

The 24-year-old has always displayed tremendous speed, swiping 76 bags in 2011 and compiling 15 during 94 games with the Toronto Blue Jays last season. Even while sitting against southpaws, he's a 30-40 steal threat who will only cost a late-round flier or $1 in mixed-league auctions.

T.J. House, SP, Cleveland Indians

David Maxwell/Getty Images

Danny Salazar's head-scratching demotion paves the way for T.J. House locking down one of two contested spots in the Cleveland Indians rotation. Although nowhere near the high-upside flamethrower as Salazar, House is a sneaky source of quality innings.

Last year, he produced a 3.35 ERA, and his bloated 1.32 WHIP stems from a .332 batting average on balls in play (BABIP). Given his excellent 1.94 walk rate, his WHIP will deflate with a normalized BABIP.

In shallow mixed leagues, he's probably more of a streamer to start the season. Managers in deeper leagues and AL-only formats, on the other hand, should lock him down on draft day.

C.J. Cron, 1B, Los Angeles Angels

Otto Greule Jr/Getty Images

For a power hitter possibly batting fourth in last year's best offense, C.J. Cron sure isn't receiving much attention.

A cheaper model of Mark Trumbo, Cron launched 11 homers in 253 plate appearances last year. It also came with .289 on-base percentage and 24.1 strikeout percentage, so he's far from perfect.

But he's a pure power chase who could club 20 long balls with regular playing time. Hitting behind Trout and Albert Pujols wouldn't hurt his RBI tally either. 

His .412 spring average won't hold up, but it should help him stick into the Angels' lineup against lefties and righties.

Note: All advanced stats courtesy of FanGraphs unless otherwise noted.

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