Sleepers - Batters

An overview of the Top Sleepers for MLB Fantasy Baseball 2018. Season outlooks, projected stats for each roto category and past stats to help you win your leagues.

Trey Mancini, 1B, OF - Baltimore Orioles Sn

Season	AB	H	Avg.	HR	R	RBI	1B	2B	3B	TB	SB	HBP	SO	BB	Pts	Roto
2018 (proj)	561	154	0.275	22	74	81	101	28	3	232	2	5	146	39	329.00	1722.18
2018	582	140	0.241	24	69	57		23	3	241	0	5	153	44	209.00	0.00
2017	543	159	0.293	24	65	78	129	26	4	265	1	6	139	33	353.00	343.25
2016	14	5	0.357	3	3	5	4	1	0	15	0	1	4	0	12.00	166.45

Mancini enjoyed a very good rookie campaign last season, belting 24 home runs and driving in 78 while batting .293 in the heart of the Baltimore lineup. A much less heralded prospect than teammate Austin Hayes, Mancini's 2017 output looks to have solidified him for the near future as an everyday outfielder for the Orioles. As long as he can maintain last year's production then he's a solid late round option to round out the position.

Christian Yelich, OF - Milwaukee Brewers Sn

Season	AB	H	Avg.	HR	R	RBI	1B	2B	3B	TB	SB	HBP	SO	BB	Pts	Roto
2018 (proj)	538	170	0.316	27	96	91	104	37	2	265	13	5	123	70	370.00	1715.19
2018	574	187	0.326	36	118	110		34	7	343	22	7	135	68	305.00	0.00
2017	602	170	0.282	18	100	81	132	36	2	264	16	6	137	80	402.00	502.52
2016	578	170	0.294	21	78	98	127	37	6	282	9	4	138	72	375.00	482.11

After putting together one of the finest young outfields in baseball, the Marlins blew it up this offseason, shipping Giancarlo Stanton to New York, Marcell Ozuna to St. Louis, and finally Yelich to Milwaukee. He should open the season hitting either first or second for the Brewers, but it's the move to this offense and this ballpark that is exciting. Marlins Park is one of the worst for left handed power in baseball, while Miller Park rates as one of the best. Though he's far from a power hitter, Yelich started to develop some pop in 2016, hitting 21 home runs followed by 18 last season. Still just 26 years old, he's one of the best young all around hitters in baseball and there's no reason not to expect an uptick in home runs. Part of the optimism stems from the fact that he's averaged 37 doubles over the past two seasons playing half his games in Miami, combined with what we saw this stadium do for Eric Thames and Travis Shaw (both lefties) last season. Yelich also runs enough (72 steals in 90 attempts over his first four and a half big league seasons) to benefit from Milwaukee's aggressive approach on the base paths, one that has them significantly ahead of the rest of baseball in stolen base attempts over the past two seasons. Yelich could easily make the leap to top ten outfielder this season.

Nomar Mazara, OF - Texas Rangers Sn

Season	AB	H	Avg.	HR	R	RBI	1B	2B	3B	TB	SB	HBP	SO	BB	Pts	Roto
2018 (proj)	569	157	0.276	26	85	85	101	28	2	241	3	5	121	56	343.00	1599.67
2018	489	127	0.260	20	61	77		25	1	214	1	4	116	40	188.00	0.00
2017	554	140	0.253	20	64	101	108	30	2	234	2	4	127	55	312.00	272.36
2016	516	137	0.266	20	59	64	118	16	3	219	0	6	111	39	314.00	311.62

Despite not turning 23 until the end of April, Mazara has already posted back to back 20 home run seasons for the Rangers. While the counting stats were lacking in his rookie campaign, 2017's production certainly holds some promise. In addition to last year's 20 bombs, Mazara also drove in 101 runs (up from 64) and hit 30 doubles (up from 13) despite logging just 38 more at bats than in his rookie year. The doubles number is particularly interesting, as we know with young players that a jump in that department can often be a prelude to more power on the horizon. The plate discipline still leaves a little to be desired, but his career .259 average becomes more palatable if he can continue on his current trajectory.

Gregory Bird, 1B - New York Yankees Sn

Season	AB	H	Avg.	HR	R	RBI	1B	2B	3B	TB	SB	HBP	SO	BB	Pts	Roto
2018 (proj)	492	125	0.254	30	77	86	69	25	1	212	3	5	125	64	271.00	1575.20
2018	272	54	0.199	11	23	38		16	1	105	0	5	78	30	77.00	0.00
2017	147	28	0.190	9	20	28	21	7	0	62	0	2	42	19	69.00	98.26

Bird is one of the biggest unknowns heading into the 2018 season, as injuries have derailed a once promising career for the young first baseman. But we saw flashes of that promise late last year and into the postseason. In limited action in 2015 and 2017 Bird has already totaled 20 career homers and 59 RBIs, and that's in a little more than 300 major league at bats. This is one of the best lineups in baseball, and if he can stay healthy (always a big "if" with him) then he's truly the type of talent that can return third or fourth round value, but can easily be had in the back half of drafts.

Bradley Zimmer, CF - Cleveland Indians Sn

Season	AB	H	Avg.	HR	R	RBI	1B	2B	3B	TB	SB	HBP	SO	BB	Pts	Roto
2018 (proj)	445	107	0.240	14	59	56	68	22	3	163	22	6	153	45	234.00	1559.00
2018	106	24	0.226	2	14	9		5	0	35	4	1	44	7	38.00	0.00
2017	299	72	0.241	8	41	39	55	15	2	115	18	4	99	26	168.00	334.09

Zimmer has been drawing Grady Sizemore comparisons since even before he landed with the Indians. Sometimes those comparisons are wanting, but in Zimmer's case this one is pretty fair. With early season injuries hitting the Tribe, the Indians called up Zimmer and plugged him into the lineup as a lefty platoon bat. The then 24 year old responded by hitting .241 with 8 home runs and 18 stolen bases in just 332 plate appearances. Much like his minor league career, the strikeouts continue to be an issue (he fanned 99 times), after striking out 131 and 171 times in his 2015 and 2016 minor league seasons respectively. That said, he also did manage to swipe 44 and 38 bags in those two seasons, and that speed was on full display last year when he nabbed 18 in 19 attempts in Cleveland. Playing time will be an issue again, but he's a plus glove and finds himself on the right side of a platoon split to provide some value as an end of the bench outfielder.

Lewis Brinson, OF - Miami Marlins Sn

Season	AB	H	Avg.	HR	R	RBI	1B	2B	3B	TB	SB	HBP	SO	BB	Pts	Roto
2018 (proj)	515	133	0.258	21	65	71	81	26	5	211	23	5	131	43	279.00	1513.37
2018	382	76	0.199	11	31	42		10	5	129	2	4	120	17	107.00	0.00
2017	47	5	0.106	2	2	3	4	0	1	13	1	1	17	7	11.00	43.89

The Marlin's addition of Cameron Maybin isn't ideal for Brinson, who prior to the signing looked like he'd take over in center field to start the season. Just 23 years old on Opening Day, Brinson was the key piece of the trade that sent Christian Yelich to Milwaukee. Though he had a less than stellar cup of coffee with the Brewers last season, the talent is obvious. While strikeouts continue to be a concern, it's worth noting that Brinson did hit ..349 over 470 AAA plate appearances the past two seasons. Should he make the major league roster out of camp, he's the kind of rare power-speed combo that could put together a 20-20 effort or better, even as a rookie.

Trea Turner, SS - Washington Nationals Sn

Season	AB	H	Avg.	HR	R	RBI	1B	2B	3B	TB	SB	HBP	SO	BB	Pts	Roto
2018 (proj)	562	167	0.297	16	93	65	112	32	7	245	48	4	113	41	372.00	1415.13
2018	665	180	0.271	19	103	73		27	6	276	43	5	133	69	283.00	0.00
2017	412	116	0.282	11	75	45	87	23	6	184	46	4	80	30	278.00	693.35
2016	307	105	0.342	13	53	40	82	14	9	176	34	1	59	14	240.00	600.34

Depending on the value of stolen bases in your league, there's a case for Trea Turner as a mid-late first round pick in most drafts. While a fractured wrist cost Turner nearly two months of 2017, through just 198 big league games he has posted a .304 average, 133 runs, 25 home runs, 86 RBIs, and 81 steals. That's a per 162 game pace of .304, 109 runs, 20 homers, 70 RBIs and 65 stolen bases. That's right, we're talking Dee Gordon/Billy Hamilton-type stolen base chops with 15-20 homer power at a position that isn't that deep to start with. He's not quite as safe as some of the more established players at the position, but the upside is pretty tantalizing with the 24-year old.

Orlando Arcia, SS - Milwaukee Brewers Sn

Season	AB	H	Avg.	HR	R	RBI	1B	2B	3B	TB	SB	HBP	SO	BB	Pts	Roto
2018 (proj)	563	147	0.261	15	62	68	102	27	3	210	15	3	109	41	311.00	1327.12
2018	348	82	0.236	3	32	30		16	0	107	7	1	87	15	114.00	0.00
2017	506	140	0.277	15	56	53	121	17	2	206	14	1	100	36	317.00	343.08
2016	201	44	0.219	4	21	17	29	11	4	75	9	0	47	15	94.00	144.75

Heading into his age 23 season Arcia already has more than 200 big league games on his resume. But there have been some growing pains along the way for the Brewers former number one prospect. To date Arcia has been mired in the bottom third of the order, as his glove was big league ready it seems long before his bat. But there are reasons to be optimistic about his development as a player. After hitting just .219 across 55 games as a rookie, Arcia upped his average to .277 last season and added 15 homers and 14 steals as the everyday shortstop. He doesn't possess elite power by any means, but another step forward as a hitter this season could force the Brewers to move him into the leadoff or number two hole in a very good hitting offense. Such a move would also open running opportunities up for a player who has 22 big league swipes to his name, but averaged better than 31 steals per 162 games across five seasons in the minors.

Aaron Hicks, OF - New York Yankees Sn

Season	AB	H	Avg.	HR	R	RBI	1B	2B	3B	TB	SB	HBP	SO	BB	Pts	Roto
2018 (proj)	476	120	0.252	18	68	65	75	25	2	185	12	4	104	63	263.00	1317.12
2018	480	119	0.248	27	90	79		18	3	224	11	3	111	90	209.00	0.00
2017	301	80	0.266	15	54	52	62	18	0	143	10	3	67	51	196.00	253.88
2016	327	71	0.217	8	32	31	56	14	1	111	3	0	68	30	159.00	201.36

Hicks figures to be a regular in the Yankees outfield, as Judge or Stanton are likely to occupy the DH spot in most lineup configurations. His 15 home runs last year in just 88 games were a bit of an eye opener, and Hicks managed 10 swipes in 15 attempts as well. Despite a season where his playing time was limited by injury and the depth of the New York roster, Hicks still posted hands down his best offensive season to date. His upside will be a bit limited by hitting in the bottom third of the order, but he could also post some nice power numbers from there given how deep the Yankee lineup is coming into 2018.

Gregory Polanco, OF - Pittsburgh Pirates Sn

Season	AB	H	Avg.	HR	R	RBI	1B	2B	3B	TB	SB	HBP	SO	BB	Pts	Roto
2018 (proj)	508	136	0.268	18	65	71	86	30	2	206	12	3	98	50	287.00	1306.09
2018	467	117	0.251	23	76	81		33	6	231	12	3	117	62	193.00	0.00
2017	379	95	0.251	11	39	35	75	20	0	148	8	3	60	27	209.00	231.63
2016	527	137	0.260	22	79	86	97	35	5	248	17	0	119	53	313.00	457.21

Once one of the more promising outfield prospects in the game, Polanco struggled with injuries and inconsistency in 2017 en route to a disaster of a season. That said, there's still upside here. The 26 year old outfielder has stolen as many as 27 bases (2015) in a season and hit as many as 22 home runs (2016). Also encouraging are the 69 combined doubles he hit between 2015 and 2016. If he is truly healthy coming into the season then there's certainly 20-20 upside and the hope is that he can improve on his career .252 average, which is certainly a possibility. There's no safety, but for where he can be had on draft day he's at least intriguing.

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