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Everyone loves a sleeper, right? I know I do. Well, I will be offering some fantasy sleepers every Friday during the Consensus Rankings Series. I kicked off the Sleepers series with my AL-only league first basemen who could outperform their draft day values in 2014.
Here is a look at a few AL-only league first basemen who will be available late in drafts who could outperform their draft day value in 2014:
Mark Teixeira, Yankees
I participated in a 12 team mixed league draft on Tuesday night, and was a little surprised Teixeira was not drafted. Then again, there are concerns he may not be completely healthy after wrist surgery ended his 2013 season after just 15 games last season. Like I wrote in part 2 of the Top 30 first baseman article, Teixeira won't help you in the batting average category, as he is nothing more than a .250ish type hitter now, but if he can stay healthy, and the wrist is 100%, he is capable of 25-30 home runs and 80-90 RBI in the Yankees lineup. Like LaRoche, he is a streaky hitter and is a notorious slow starter, as he owns a career .238 average in the month of April, with just 33 of his 331 career home runs and 111 of his 1,100 career RBI.
Corey Hart, Mariners
Hart is another guy who was injured last season, as he missed the whole season due to two knee surgeries. He is healthy now, and moves from Milwaukee to Seattle this season, where he will play some first base and DH. He has loads of power, but the move from Milwaukee, one of the more prolific home run parks in baseball, to Seattle, which is more of a pitchers park, even after moving in their fences last season, could result in a bit of drop on his home run totals. But, Hart is a late round pick in mixed leagues, so if he can offer 20 home runs and 70-75 RBI, he will provide more than enough value to his fantasy owners.
Nick Swisher, Indians
Swisher is coming off a bit of a disappointing season at the plate, as his slash line dropped to ,246-..341-.423 with 22 home runs, 74 runs and 63 RBI. His home run total was right in line with his career average, but his RBI total and batting average were well below what we have come to expect from Swisher. His line drive percentage actually increased last season, yet his batting average dropped, along with his BABIP, so with a bit more luck this season, we should see him return to the .260-.270 hitter we have come to expect, and with that a possible improvement in the RBI category.
Jonathan Singleton, Astros
The Astros are not a good team and currently have the likes of Brett Wallace, Chris Carter and Jesus Sanchez manning first base this season. Well, they are only keeping first base warm for prospect Jonathan Singleton who is two to three months away from playing first base in the big leagues. Singleton is one of the top first base prospects in the game, capable of hitting for solid power and not hurting you in the batting average category.
Jason Hunt wrote a player profile on Singleton on Tuesday and you can read it here.
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