Different editors/writers have differing definitions of the term, “sleeper”. The concept has been watered down in the current fantasy baseball lexicon, probably because there are writers who can’t be bothered to do the analysis required to uncover real “sleepers”. In my opinion, rookies have no place on a sleeper list. They aren’t sleepers. They are prospects who are hoping to have a major league career. Thus, there aren’t any rookies on my list. (If you feel you have to have a rookie on your sleeper list, start with Craig Kimbrel and/or Jordan Walden).
I also don’t consider guys like Drew Stubbs (Cin, OF) to be a sleeper. He had nearly 600 plate appearances, hit 22 HR and registered 30 SB last year. On what planet is a 20/20 guy a “sleeper”? Yet, I have read several lists on which he has been labeled a sleeper for 2011. If you are playing fantasy baseball and you don’t know about what he has done, give up fantasy baseball, try fantasy legislators. Stubbs is not a sleeper! Ditto Brandon Morrow (Tor, RHP), who led all of the major leagues with a 13.01 K/9 in 2010, yet somehow still shows up on numerous sleeper lists heading into 2011.
I believe the guys on my list fit the classic definition of a “sleeper”. They are big league players who have not put up the kind of numbers that were expected of them. In most instances, their names are familiar to you, but you might look beyond them either because of poor performance, a lack of opportunity, or injury. For those reasons, they are guys who might otherwise fly under the radar at your 2011 auction/draft, thus, they are a “sleeper.” Don’t get caught napping on them in March.
Here are my top ten fantasy baseball sleepers for 2011.