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As we get closer to the season, we're starting to see more and more mock drafts come out, and data is starting roll in. So now is as good a time as any to start identifying who your targets will be when your actual draft clock starts counting down.
The later rounds where bargains and true sleepers are found tend to be the most fun and controversial for many; either a guy can make your season or he can spend the year in AAA or at the end of the bench, whether warranted or not. Either way, these picks will rarely break your season's chances, so the majority of interest must lie in the gratification that comes when one or more of the players you select late turns in a monster year.
Here are three guys I feel have as good a chance as any to turn a nice profit for you late in your draft (or should you decide to throw a buck or two their way in your auction):
Brandon Wood
Wood embodies the post-hype sleeper mold this year in my mind. This guy was on everyone's late-round-bargains list this time last year (and for some the year before), but, for some reason, this season he's either going undrafted or being taken in the last rounds of mocks.
The only difference for us -- now that Chone Figgins is a Mariner -- is that Wood seems to have a pretty solid shot at getting consistent ABs this year. He continued to mash in the minor leagues last season, and the Angels are going to need to find pop somewhere. I think this is the year he finally delivers on that potential we've always known he's had. The strikeouts are a concern, and because of that, no one thinks he'll hit .300 or very close to it, but 20 or so homers with a few SBs mixed in should be pretty nice for your CI spot (even nicer if he's a MI and still qualifying at SS in your league). And I definitely like taking his upside over more established yet unspectacular folks like Mark DeRosa or Paul Konerko.
Colby Lewis
Japan League success has never really been indicative of MLB success, and with Lewis it's pretty much all we have to go on right now. Before heading to Hiroshima in 2008, he never displayed anything stuff or numbers wise to say he would be a guy fantasy managers care about. All he did while over there, however, was lead his league in 's the last two seasons and put up a ridiculous K/BB number while doing so. He's going later than late in the drafts (if he's taken at all), making it worth your while to see if he somehow learned control while dining on sushi and sporting kimonos. If he can bring his knack for missing bats and keeping runners off base back with him stateside, there's the possibility that he becomes that pitcher nobody in your league saw coming. In most leagues you can simply put him on your watch list and grab him if he shows some of the skills he displayed on the other side of the Pacific. (By the way, RotoAuthority recently posted a more in-depth look at Lewis as a sleeper for the upcoming season, which you can read right here.)
Mat Latos
While other managers in your league are trying to figure out whether Francisco Liriano or Dice-K are going to bounce back to their pre-injury selves, whey not gamble a bit and go for someone who hasn't burned you or others in the past? Latos has shown a lot of promise while jumping through the minors the past few years and even flashed a bit of it in his brief stay with the big club last season. It also seems to be a well established fact that Latos' new home is one of the best places to pitch in the majors, and that should only help build his confidence as he joins the Padres rotation full time this spring. Last year's 120+ IP across three levels was a decent increase, so there's not a lot of hope that he will deliver a big inning total in '10. The Pads will assuredly want to bring their best young arm along slowly. Still, close to a K per inning and an ERA right around 4.00, possibly under if he continues to stay ahead of the curve, would prove to be a nice value from the last SP you take on draft day.
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