Anyone that has been around the fantasy-baseball world for even a minute is well acquainted with the term “sleeper.” At this time of year, everyone entering drafts is in search of those players with cheap draft stock that can pay off big time.
My picks have, so far, regularly been available for those final couple of rounds in early drafts based on consensus ADP around the industry. Each of them has the potential to deliver serious value for fantasy managers and could become an absolute steal this season.
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- Hitters to Avoid | Target
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Sleepers Outside the Top 300: Kenta Maeda
The following player is a sleeper to consider in the late stages of 2023 fantasy-baseball drafts.
Maeda has not been seen on a big-league mound since August of 2021. Now, the veteran righty is 16 months removed from Tommy John surgery and looking to reassert himself during a contract year. He is facing no restrictions this spring and eyeing a spot at the back of the Twins’ rotation for the season.
Obviously, Maeda is not expected to log a work-horse load of innings in his first year back, but there should be enough to make an impact far beyond his current draft range. At the time of his injury in 2021, Maeda was carrying a lofty 4.66 ERA and 1.30 WHIP through 21 starts. Notably, he also held a 3.73 xERA and was still getting plenty of whiffs (24.9 K%).
Maeda finished second in A.L. Cy Young balloting back in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. Though a repeat of that is incredibly unlikely, he is certainly intriguing as a comeback candidate this year. He is not Justin Verlander, but Maeda could deliver some nice dividends in his first year back from TJ surgery.
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