There’s a new bar that just opened called “Sleepers.” You passed it on the way to work a few days ago, Googled it on your phone, and saw two one-star Yelp reviews. There’s a board outside advertising a noon-9 p.m. Happy Hour with $2 Guinness. There even appears to be one of those erotic photo hunt machines at the end of the bar.
This place looks awesome. But you can’t figure out why nobody likes it. This bar is, in effect, the idea of a fantasy sleeper — nobody’s talking about it, but things seem … pretty cool, actually. Digging a little deeper and ignoring the bad reviews can, at long last, be applied to both bars and fantasy baseball.
The first guy you see inside Sleepers is Jedd Gyorko, the 26-year-old Padres second baseman. He has a .231 career batting average over 236 major league games. He has hit 33 home runs over the past two seasons and, according to the National Fantasy Baseball Championship’s early average-draft-position (ADP) returns, the 229th player taken in drafts so far this year.
Nevertheless, hidden behind these numbers are some compelling arguments to embrace Gyorko far earlier. In more than 1,375 career minor league at-bats, Gyorko hit .320. He hit 55 home runs and 75 doubles in just the 2011 and 2012 campaigns. Last season, he struggled through a foot injury before eventually being shelved. When the dust settled, Gyorko found himself back in a lineup that featured just one player with an OPS over .800, and no regulars hitting above .267, or more than 15 home runs.
The Padres retooled their lineup this offseason, and brought in power bats that should take pressure off Gyorko and allow him to flourish (while offering far more run-scoring and RBI opportunities). There is a lot of talent here, and those who believe in Gyorko’s ability should reap the rewards by season’s end.
Also hanging out inside Sleepers are a pair of AL pitchers. Kansas City’s Danny Duffy and Oakland’s Drew Pomeranz. The duo produced excellent numbers last year. Duffy (261.7 ADP) had a 2.53 ERA and 1.11 WHIP in 149 ¹/₃ innings, while Pomeranz (317 ADP) had a 2.35 ERA and 1.12 WHIP in 69 innings.
Both have their issues. Duffy’s strikeout rate hit a career-low in 2014, with 6.8 strikeouts per nine innings. But it was Duffy’s first full season back from Tommy John surgery, and he had a 10.5 K/9 in the minor leagues. History suggests the strikeouts will return. Pomeranz, meanwhile, shifted between the rotation and bullpen and had a stint on the disabled list with a broken hand, suffered from punching a clubhouse chair.
Unlike Duffy, Pomeranz — a former top-30 prospect when he was in the Colorado system — maintained a decent strikeout rate, with an 8.9 K/9 in 2014 (following a 10.1 in the minors). Pomeranz also will benefit from a set role in the rotation and, like Duffy, a friendly home park in which to pitch.
The key to Sleepers’ existence is keeping it quiet. If too many people find out about the place, it will be overrun with hipsters, and you will end up seeing all your photo-hunt high scores bumped off.
So in case these three get too popular before your draft, a few bonus players to consider: Nick Franklin, SS, TB (former top prospect with a fresh start in Tampa Bay); Miguel Alfredo Gonzalez (hyped Cuban pitcher who struggled with injury and rust in 2014); DJ LeMahieu (not so much a sleeper as an overlooked batting average and speed presence); Avisail Garcia (a younger version of Miguel Cabrera, with more speed and slightly less power potential); and Alex Guerrero (he destroyed minor league pitching last year; has the skill, just needs a position).
Let’s try to keep this our little secret, though. And remember to never trust bad reviews until you dig a little deeper yourself.
For more fantasy analysis from Nando Di Fino and his team, watch the Fantasy Sports Network (FNTSY) on Cablevision Ch. 147. Post readers also can take advantage of a special fantasy baseball draft package offer at fantasysportsnetwork.com/post.