Fantasy Baseball Draft Kit : Passed Out in The Offseason - Pitchers Edition

'Passed Out ...' is FanHouse's way of not saying that stupid, sexy "s" word that everyone gets so caught up on. Regardless of what they're called, though, you still want to draft and/or own these players.

The term sleeper is apparently a very bad work around these parts. I think the word just has too many definitions. One mans Scott Baker is another mans Scott Kazmir. Until the industry has figured out the proper usage of the term "sleeper", we're just not going to use it. That doesn't mean that I can't share with you a few pitchers that I feel should exceed expectations in 2009. You'll find guys here who should outperform there draft position or auction dollar value. Basically... you're going to get a good deal on these pitchers if you draft them properly.

Aaron Harang, Reds - You should cringe every time you think of Dusty Baker managing one of your fantasy pitchers. Many feel it was his decision to use Harang in an extra innings game last season that caused his meltdown. And when I say meltdown... dude lost 17 games in 2008 and ballooned his ERA up to 4.78 from 3.73 a year earlier. Harang isn't the pitcher you saw in 2008. His strikeout rate was down, his walk rate was up and nothing seemed to click after that fateful relief appearance. He's being taken in mock drafts this year in the 14th round. If he can put 2008 behind him, get his strikeouts back up and regain his control, there is no reason why Harang can't win 12-15 games, strike out 185 and earn a sub-4.00 ERA. That's great value in the 14th round.

Josh Johnson, Marlins - Reconstructive elbow surgery stole most of 2007 and 2008 away from Johnson. Before that, in 2006, Johnson showed everyone that the young hurler was going to be something special. And it's my belief that he still will be. Proof is in the pudding and the final 14 starts of 2008, after returning from the DL, were a delicious flavor of top notch pudding. He went 7-1 with a 3.61 ERA in those final starts of last season and even threw a complete game. There is a good chance that Johnson will pitch Opening Day for the Marlins. There's also a chance that now that he's fully recovered from elbow surgery, Johnson could strikeout more than a batter an inning, post an ERA below 4.00 and win 15 games. That'd be a steal if you drafted him in the 13th round, which corresponds with his current ADP of 147.25.

Ubaldo Jimenez, Rockies - Jimenez won 12 games last season, struck out 172 and posted an ERA of 3.99. All those are signs of a successful year for a starting pitcher. So, why is he on this sleeper undervalued list? The biggest reason is that fact that his current ADP is 290.24. That means he's being taken in mock drafts in the 24th round. Two other reasons are his rising strikeout rate and his falling home run rate. Jimenez has always been a strikeout machine. But, he's still getting better. He's got the juice and zip to reach the 200 strikeout mark. He also cut his HR/9 ratio in more than half last season from a 1.10 in 2007 to 0.50 in 2008. That means he's learning to keep the ball in the yard. If he can finally control his walk rate (an issue in the past, think Wild Thing pitching blind folded) Jimenez could take a few steps towards top-20 pitcher. It's not going to hurt that he gets to pitch on the road in the National League West. Outside of Colorado the ballparks favor pitchers in a big way.

Oliver Perez, Mets - Perez just resigned with the Mets and is slated to be their third starter in the rotation. You're not ever going to get top of the rotation stuff from Perez, but you really don't need to. His ADP is 292.45 which places him in the 25th round of fantasy drafts. You're, most likely, going to get ten to twelve wins from Perez, and ERA between 3.90 and 4.30 and a boat load of strikeouts. It's his strikeout potential alone that makes Perez an outstanding selection in the 25th round. He had 180 strikeouts last year and it's easy to imagine him fanning more in '09. The fact that he pitches for one of the better teams in the league is just icing on the cake; his double digit win total should be easy to come by.

Anthony Reyes, Indians - Reyes turned into the prospect that everyone thought he'd be in September of last season. He was 2-1 with a 1.83 ERA in six starts before elbow issues caused him to shelve to rest of the season. The upside is there and 2009 could just be the year Reyes puts it all together. He's now pitching with Cleveland, so the change in scenery could help. He also spent the off-season with pitching coach and psychologist Tom House who fixed a minor mechanical problem and moved him towards the middle of the mound; both changes to help with injury prevention. With a new mindset and physical tools, combined with a move to a moderate ground ball pitcher from an extreme flyball pitcher, Reyes could see success like scouts predicted long ago. That would be great for all of you who draft him late. His current ADP is 330.45, well outside the 25-26 rounds of most fantasy drafts.