2007 Fantasy Preview -10 Undervalued Players (Sleepers)

It's not really fair to call these players Sleepers in that you've probably heard of most of them. They are people who you can draft late (or later than comparable players) and get decent production out of.

Player	Position	Average Draft Position	Comparable Players
Kelvim Escobar	SP	202
Comments: dwthtb: Read the comments about Santana in our Busts list. Escobar pitched very well last year and had only 11 wins because of poor RS and poor defense (27 UER). He only made 3 fewer starts than Santana, so while he does have some injury history, he is solid across 4 categories. Take him in Round 20 and then laugh at your friend who drafted Wang in Round 12 when Escobar beats/matches him in every category. tent time: How does Escobar fall so far? Poor run support lead to a record of 11-14, but a 3.60 ERA and a K/BB ratio of nearly 3/1. Last year's bad look will probably even itself out, but even if it doesn't he'll deliver strong numbers in ERA, WHIP and K's.
Player	Position	Average Draft Position	Comparable Players
David Bush	SP	150
Comments: dwthtb: This one has been documented extensively by Eric Karabell, but basically Bush gives up few BB's, gets a ton of K's, and only had a bad ERA due to some bad luck. Phenomenal WHIP too. ERA/Wins should improve assuming that K/BB ratio stays the same. tent time: Fewer hits than innings pitched, solid K's and a great WHIP last year but gave up a few too many homers (26) on a mediocre ballclub. He's a year older and should improve. His K/BB ratio of nearly 4/1 speaks highly of his potential.
Player	Position	Average Draft Position	Comparable Players
Morgan Ensberg	3B	205
Comments: dwthtb: Ensberg is starting to look like : great in odd-numbered years, and average/bad in even numbered ones. One should remember though that last year he was off too a good start before he ran into shoulder problems. Could easily rebound to 25-100 and you can draft him in Round 20+ way behind Aubrey Huff, Chad Tracey, Adrian Beltre. tent time: In CBS Sportsline head to head leagues, Ensberg is currently the 27th third base eligible player being drafted, after the likes of Mike Lowell, Wilson Betemit, Mark DeRosa and Adrian Beltre (who doesn't deserve to even be mentioned in fantasy baseball discussions). Ensberg is only one year removed from a 35 homer season. Last year, he hit 23 long balls, but more importantly put up a .396 OBP in 120 games. Expect at least a decent rebound.
Player	Position	Average Draft Position	Comparable Players
Barry Bonds	OF	172
Comments: dwthtb: Love him or hate him, Bonds put up decent numbers in 2006. Granted his inordinate number of BB's don't really help you in AVG leagues, but he could easily go 25-90 with 80 Runs. tent time: Bonds is currently being drafted after Gary Matthews, Jr. I would rather draft my dog than Gary Matthews, Jr, and she can't hit for much power (fast, though). Everybody in your league hates Bonds and many will attempt a moral stance and say they won't draft Bonds at all. Take advantage of this and add Bonds in the mid to late rounds (12-16).
Player	Position	Average Draft Position	Comparable Players
Pat Burrell	OF	138
Comments: dwthtb: He's a virtual lock for 30-100 and should have plenty of chances for RBI's as team's pitch around Ryan Howard. His average won't be great and he won't score a ton of runs in the number 5 hole, but how many 30-100 guys can you find left in round 15+? tent time: Was Burrell's year really that bad? No. He still hit 28 homers with a .890 OPS. His biggest problem was probably all the at bats he had after Howard cleared off the bases, killing his RBI totals. With all the walks Howard is likely to accrue, Burrell should have tons of RBI opportunities. Right now he's being drafted after Corey Patterson who literally helps you in only one category. Also, my wife says he's hot.
Player	Position	Average Draft Position	Comparable Players
Derek Lowe	SP	163
Comments: dwthtb: He beat or matched Wang in every pitching category last year (ex. wins) but still ended up with 16 (tied for NL lead). His numbers were actually remarkably consistent the past 2 years in LA (ERA, WHIP separated by .02 and K/BB ratio went down slightly last year). Take him 8 rounds after Wang or Barry Zito and get similar results. tent time: Lowe is consistent, and what his last two years in LA illustrate is how little control over their record starting pitchers have. That Lowe is being drafted some 30 spots after Wang is unbelievable.
Player	Position	Average Draft Position	Comparable Players
Scott Olsen	SP	193
Comments: dwthtb: Olsen pitched decently last year and should get better this year. His home numbers were terrible compared to his road numbers (which is strange consider how much of a pitcher's park Dolphin Stadium is). Led all Marlins pitchers in K's and had the best K/BB ratio out of all the young guns. 2006 numbers were virtually identical to Dontrelle Willis and he didn't have any injury problems unlike Sanchez and Johnson. tent time: As a young Marlins pitcher with solid strikeout numbers who has managed to avoid injury this far, Scott Olsen stands out on his staff. If he can cut his walks a little bit, we're looking at a possible breakout season.
Player	Position	Average Draft Position	Comparable Players
Tim Hudson	SP	200
Comments: dwthtb: tent time: My partner in blogging looks at Tim Hudson and sees what most people see, and that is a pitcher whose numbers have been declining for 3 straight years. I see a veteran desperate to turn his career around who underwent a torturous offseason training program. I'll draft him very very late, and probably wait a few weeks to start using him, but I expect to be rewarded when I do. Why? Gut feeling.
Player	Position	Average Draft Position	Comparable Players
Adam Laroche	1B	144
Comments: dwthtb: Laroche caught fire after the ASB last year and hopefully that will continue this year. He could easily be a 30-100 1B with 90-100 runs and decent AVG, yet you should be able to get him several rounds after Giambi, Sexson, and Swisher, all of whom kill your avg. tent time: We all know his numbers in the second half of '06 (.655 slugging) and with a season coming up where he'll hit behind walk machine Jason Bay, look for LaRoche's RBI's to jump.
Player	Position	Average Draft Position	Comparable Players
Ian Kinsler	2B	175
Comments: dwthtb: Kinsler showed moderate power and SB in an abbreviated 2006. He could easily go 20-20 which would be especially valuable at 2B since it is such a week position after Utley. He should also score a ton of runs hitting at the top of that Texas lineup. You can wait til Round 15+ to get production equivalent to Ray Durham, Josh Barfield, or Marcus Giles. tent time: 11 steals and 14 homers in 423 at bats in '06 makes Kinsler a decent pick to go 20-20 in '07. I'd love it if he'd bat second between Lofton and Young, so if he does, watch out for a lot of runs scored. Right now he's the 13th second basemen drafted, so don't panic when a lot of second sackers are coming off the boards and remember there's potential late in the draft.