Hope springs eternal for all 30 Major League Baseball teams, as camp begins. We’ll take a look at three sleepers at the pitcher position, and three sleepers among the hitters, to get you ready for the 2013 Fantasy Baseball season.
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Patrick Corbin, SP: Corbin was part of a three-headed monster battling for the fifth starter job, and he appears to have a leg up in the competition. In fact between Randall Delgado (below) and Tyler Skaggs (below), Corbin has had the better spring, and the organization is probably most familiar with what he can do at the major league level. Corbin was 6-8 with a 4.54 ERA over 107 innings in 22 games (17 starts) last season. He should easily be able to improve upon those numbers, and will need to. The team has plenty of starting pitching depth to call upon if he cannot get the job done.
Randall Delgado, SP: Delgado was one of the key parts of the Justin Upton trade with the Atlanta Braves. The Diamondbacks get a pitcher who has combined for a 3.95 ERA and 94 strikeouts over 127 2/3 innings in parts of the past two seasons with the Braves. Delgado has had an uneven spring, and it is hard to think he is anywhere close to being ahead of Patrick Corbin for the fifth starter job. Delgado could start the season in the bullpen in a long relief role, he could still win the No. 5 job, although that seems unlikely right now, or he could begin at the top of the rotation with Triple-A Reno. Right now, the latter looks the most likely, but he is one to remember. If and when he gets his chance, he’ll come with a cheap price tag, and will be a fantasy sleeper early on.
Tyler Skaggs, SP: Skaggs really struggled during the early days of spring training, digging himself a hole too deep to emerge. He was optioned to Triple-A Reno March 18 after being part of a three-way battle for the fifth starter position. He will now likely need an injury or two to occur before he is summoned to the big club now. The Diamondbacks are not likely to use Skaggs in any type of relief role with the big club, as they’d rather have him start on the farm and be ready if and when needed. Skaggs is a huge talent that the team managed to retain despite a busy offseason with a handful of trades. He’ll be a cheap starting option when he gets his chance, but when that will be is uncertain.
HITTERS
Adam Eaton, OF: With Upton shuttled to Atlanta, Eaton is penciled in as the team’s starting center fielder. He cracked a pair of homers with 14 RBI and a .259 batting average in 85 at-bats over 22 games with the big club last season. The team really had to be impressed with the fact he drew 14 walks while striking out 15 times, while posting a solid .382 on-base percentage. Eaton has the potential to be a .275 hitter with 20 homers and 80-90 RBI over a full season, and 15-20 stolen bases is not out of the question either. He’ll need to fire out of the chute if he wants to keep his job, because Gerardo Parra (below) is hungry for a full-time role.
Didi Gregorius, SS: Gregorius was limited early on in the spring due to an elbow issue, but he scorched the ball early on in his spring play. He is still expected to start the season with Triple-A Reno, but it shouldn’t be long for the team to be comfortable enough to hand over the everyday job to Gregorius. The team has just Cliff Pennington and Willie Bloomquist standing in the way, keeping the position warm. Pennington didn’t do a ton of good at the plate, at least early on in the Cactus League spring schedule, but he is still expected to stick as the starting shortstop with Willie Bloomquist remaining in more of a utility role. Still, don’t be surprised to see Gregorius around Memorial Day or the All-Star break at the latest.
Gerardo Parra, OF: The Snakes added Cody Ross to fill their right field spot, they kept Jason Kubel to play left field, and Adam Eaton is slated to start in center. So where does that leave Gerardo Parra? Well, manager Kirk Gibson hinted earlier in the spring that Parra could receiver plenty of at-bats, with sort of a four-man rotation for the three outfield spots. That remains to be seen if that will be the case, but Parra has led all four of the outfielders in spring offensive numbers to help his cause, and he has shown off the wheels as well. Parra might be a sneaky fantasy play for a good chunk of the first half, as he tries to play his way into a bigger role.
