Many owners put a lot of emphasis on finding the next up and comer who is going to carry them to fantasy glory. While being able to project which youngsters will turn into stars is necessary to fantasy success it is also necessary to have a few reliable veterans to round out your squad. Bobby Abreu is about as reliable as they come however he is starting to age and owners are shying away from him. Aramis Ramirez and Coco Crisp are less reliable however they have track records of performing at a high level and have shown signs that they can still contribute at a high level. Their age may be held against them and they could drop in drafts this year as a result. Continue reading to see why you should keep them in mind as the draft winds down.
The Angels Bobby Abreu turns 37 in March which is never a good thing for a player whose value is closely tied to his speed. While age is a concern it should be less of a concern with Abreu as he is one of the game's hardest workers and his body is less likely to break down as a result. He had one of the least talked about 20-20 seasons last year and should be able to come close to repeating those numbers again this year. 20-20 may be a long shot but 15-15 should be easy if he remains healthy. He still walks a lot so he will score plenty of runs and a career low .296 BABIP should return above .300 and help his AVG a bit. An increase of strikeouts is troubling and he may lose some playing time this year but if you're looking for someone to fill out the back end of your outfield depth chart you could do a lot worse than Bobby.
Aramis Ramirez frustrated owners with an AVG below the mendoza line for most of the year. Then he caught fire in the second half and blasted 19 HR. He still has 30+ HR power and will be an excellent source of RBI hitting in the middle of the Cubs order. The AVG will return as well as he is unlikely to repeat his .245 BABIP. With so little upside at third base this year it would be a good idea to capitalize on owners being timid about the aging slugger and you could end up with a top 5 third baseman for peanuts. At the very least he should give you solid production that will match the price you have to pay for him.
Injuries have kept Coco Crisp off the field for much of the past 3 years so he will be forgotten by a lot of owners on draft day. In just under half a season's worth of playing last year Crisp stole 32 bases. That total was a career high so don't feel bad if you're skeptical, however, he was caught only 3 times so a repeat of 30+ SB is possible if given a full year's worth of plate appearances. The Athletics have a team built for small ball so a player like Crisp should be given the green light as often as possible. He still has strong contact skills at the plate and a good eye that should lead to a nice OBP. He also adds a bit of pop for a speedster and could end up a bargain if taken late in the draft. 30 SB with a .340 OBP and 90 R with 7-10 HR is well within reach if he can stay on the field. Even more if his insane second half last year is legit.