Deep Sleepers: Five Off-the-Radar Players to Target

by
Nick Turchiaro-USA TODAY Sports

Here's a look at five potential steals that most drafters will completely ignore:

C Nick Hundley, Rockies

Hundley enjoyed a career year in 2015 at the age of 31, hitting .301 with 10 home runs and 43 RBIs in just 366 at-bats. He'll likely go undrafted in just about every fantasy league based on the assumption he won't repeat.

What gives Hundley a chance to repeat is Coors Field. Easily the best hitters' park in baseball, Hundley posted a .957 home OPS last season after spending the majority of his career playing in pitcher-friendly Petco Park in San Diego.

1B/DH Byung-ho Park, Twins

Having not had a single MLB plate appearance, Park is a complete wild card.

Pirates IF Jung-ho Kang hit .356 with 40 home runs and 117 RBIs in his final year in Korea's top baseball league before posting a .287/15/58 line in his first year in the majors. Park, a four-time KBO home run and RBI champ, erupted for .343/53/146 in his final Korean league season and brings an extremely quick, yet violent swing with power to all fields.

Park has so much upside compared to other first basemen being drafted in the middle-to late rounds that he's worth the risk. If he flakes, 1B is a position that can easily be filled via the waiver wire.

2B Devon Travis, Blue Jays

Travis will be drafted extremely late - if at all - due to a shoulder injury that will keep him off the field for the first month or two of the season. As a rookie in 2015, Travis slashed .361/.498/.859 in 239 plate appearances.

The Blue Jays second baseman showed an advanced approach at the dish, displaying a great eye and a level swing that produced line drives to all fields. As a potential leadoff hitter in a loaded Toronto lineup, Travis makes for a great late-round pick and IR stash.

OF Gerardo Parra, Rockies

Parra enjoyed one of his better seasons as a pro in 2015, hitting .291 with 14 homers, 51 RBIs and 14 steals between Milwaukee and Baltimore.

The move to the most hitter-friendly ballpark in baseball should certainly help a line drive specialist like Parra. He's a near-lock for career highs in hits, doubles, triples, home runs and RBI as long as he stays healthy.

With so much depth at OF, Parra will be an afterthought in the majority of 10-team leagues due to his inability to "wow" in any one category.

SP Kris Medlen, Royals

Medlen isn't one of the top-100 ranked starting pitchers in many fantasy leagues, and he'll most likely go undrafted in yours. Yet, the 30-year-old owns a career record of 40-22 with a 3.06 ERA and a 1.16 WHIP.

The former Braves ace missed all of 2014 after having Tommy John surgery, and returned last July, going 6-2 with a 4.01 ERA down the stretch. Most pitchers regain their form after their second season back from Tommy John. With a spacious ballpark and a great offense, defense and bullpen behind him, the sky is the limit for Medlen.

The Digest

theScore's 2016 Fantasy Baseball Draft Kit

by theScore Staff
Bob Stanton / USA TODAY Sports / Reuters

Fantasy baseball season is upon us - and theScore has you covered with the most comprehensive fantasy content offering available. Check back often, as we'll be updating our content offering daily until the season starts.

Positional Rankings

Where does each fantasy-relevant player rank? Look no further than theScore's position-by-position rankings, which include nearly 350 player projections for the upcoming season:

Team-by-Team Fantasy Projections

We provide fantasy projections from three well-respected sources - ZiPS, Steamer and Zeile Consensus - for key players on all 30 major-league teams:

AL East: Toronto | N.Y. Yankees | Baltimore | Tampa Bay | Boston

AL Central: Kansas City | Minnesota | Cleveland | Chicago WSox | Detroit

AL West: Texas | Houston | L.A. Angels | Seattle | Oakland

NL East: N.Y. Mets | Washington | Miami | Atlanta | Philadelphia

NL Central: St. Louis | Pittsburgh | Chicago Cubs | Milwaukee | Cincinnati

NL West: L.A. Dodgers | San Francisco | Arizona | San Diego | Colorado

Mock Drafts

Fretting over which player to pick? Our fantasy baseball experts offer a variety of mock drafts for your perusal (all drafts use 5x5 scoring format):

Fantasy Spotlight

Every major-league team has at least one player whose fantasy outlook is a major point of discussion. Here are some of 2016's most intriguing cases:

AL East: Chris Colabello (TOR) | Starlin Castro (NYY) | Alex Rodriguez (NYY) | Chris Davis (BAL) | Steven Souza (TB) | Brock Holt (BOS)

AL Central: Alex Gordon (KC) | Byung-ho Park (MIN) | Francisco Lindor (CLE) | Brett Lawrie (CHW) | Justin Upton (DET)

AL West: Mitch Moreland (TEX) | George Springer (HOU) | Yunel Escobar (LAA) | Adam Lind (SEA) | Danny Valencia (OAK)

NL East: Neil Walker (NYM) | Daniel Murphy (WAS) | Giancarlo Stanton (MIA) | Freddie Freeman (ATL) | Maikel Franco (PHI)

NL Central: Randal Grichuk (STL) | Gregory Polanco (PIT) | Kyle Schwarber (CHC) | Chris Carter (MIL) | Devin Mesoraco (CIN)

NL West: Corey Seager (LAD) | Denard Span (SF) | A.J. Pollock (ARI) | Alexei Ramirez (SD) | Carlos Gonzalez (COL)

Fantasy Faceoff

Faced with choosing between two terrific draft options? theScore helps fantasy players answer some of the most difficult 1-on-1 decisions they may face at draft time:

Winning Strategies

Hoping to end that lengthy fantasy championship drought? Looking to extend your title reign? Here are theScore's guides on how to find success in a variety of league types:

Must-Read Fantasy Baseball Lists

Every good draft kit has its share of handy lists - and this one is no exception. Check out theScore's collection of informative and entertaining list material:

  • Preseason Rookie Report
    (Andrew Potter takes a comprehensive look at the top rookies in each league for daily and season-long fantasy purposes.)

Fantasy Baseball Tips and Tricks

Don't even try to walk into your fantasy baseball draft without going through theScore's exhaustive list of fantasy strategy posts:

  • How to Smartly Spend Your FAAB
    (James Bisson examines how to use a season-long free-agent budget, targeting players in leagues which use the FAAB format.)
  • Building a Winner Through Trades
    (James Bisson looks at how fantasy owners can use savvy trading as an alternative - or complement - to scouring the waiver wire.)

Daily Fantasy Strategy

No draft kit would be complete without a handy guide for those looking to give daily fantasy baseball a try:

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