NL Report

Don't call them sleepers, but keep your eye on these guys

Adrian Beltre hit a career-high 21 homers last season. Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

By Jason Grey, Special to SI.com

Like we did in this week's AL Report, we'll look at some players who aren't necessarily sleepers, but could be undervalued or overlooked on draft day:

Arizona: Danny Bautista showed signs of taking the next step as a hitter before getting hurt last year. He had some pretty extensive shoulder surgery, so a slow start may be expected after a long layoff. Throughout his career, every time he's seemed to be on the verge of breaking out, injuries have derailed him, so he is far from a guarantee. Make no mistake, a healthy Bautista is a legitimate offensive player with speed potential. I think his power ceiling is a bit lower than most others do, but I rate his stolen base skills higher if they give him the green light and he can adapt to a feet-first slide. Either way, you should see production across the board, and he may go for a bargain price.

Atlanta: Just consider 2002 a lost year for Marcus Giles, with his own injury trouble and the death of his infant daughter. The fact remains that a healthy, focused Giles is a good hitter, one capable of hitting .275-plus with double digits in homers and steals. He should be a bargain in many leagues.

Chicago: Damian Miller was headed for a great season, but then his back gave out, and it was all downhill from there. Even when he did return, the Diamondbacks had established Chad Moeller and Rod Barajas as personal catchers for some of the staff, so his playing time was limited. If his back can recover, he'll see the bulk of the playing time in Chicago, and we could see some of that power he showed in the first half manifest itself over a full season. Expect him to get back to around the .270 level in batting average.

Cincinnati: John Riedling is a good short reliever who may have been the closer by now if not for some poorly timed DL stints. He's a good endgame pick, because if things fall right, he could close. He should give you quality innings regardless of when he pitches.

Colorado: Pablo Ozuna was part of the age scandal, but he got REALLY busted, as he wound up being FOUR years older than advertised. That moved him from being a prospect to a vet. Now he has the inside track on the second base job in Colorado and does have some hitting skills, posting averages in excess of .300 multiple times at the higher levels of the minors, and being in Coors, you never know. He also has excellent speed and can swipe a few. If he gets the full-time job, he could be a bargain waiting to be had.

Florida: Mike Redmond was looking like a lot better pick before Pudge came on board, but he still is a good play for NL-only leagues as a cheap second catcher. The bottom line is: Redmond is a hitter, no matter how much or how little he plays. He'll go cheap and not hurt you and can actually help your batting average. If injuries take their toll on Pudge, as they have the past couple of years, he'll produce more. He is a fine, cheap pick for a buck or two, as he always has been.

Houston: The move to the outfield may help Craig Biggio get one last productive year out of his bat. His batting average decline is commensurate with consistent troubles against left-handed pitching over the past few years. He still can get on base, though, and he hasn't lost much of his speed. Some people are predicting a big decline this year, but he should be steady if not show mild improvement for one more year.

Los Angeles: Adrian Beltre turned it on in the second half last year, putting power back in his game and raising his average 40 points. We have to remember that he is still just 24 as the season opens. His bat speed appeared to have returned. Early in the year, he appeared to doubt himself and his abilities, but it looks like he got himself straightened out. The well-publicized appendectomy issues probably set back the breakout a couple of years but didn't eliminate it. Considering he started to hit the ball with authority again, he looks like a strong play this year. The breakout is coming soon.

Milwaukee: I would bet that Luis Vizcaino has more saves than Mike DeJean in Milwaukee by year's end. DeJean is on shaky ground to start, and Vizcaino has the makeup and the stuff to be very successful at the job. If you miss out on DeJean, no worries, grab Luis.

Montreal: Endy Chavez turned out to be not so bad in center for the Expos at the end of last year. At 25, there may be something here. He can hit for average and steal some bases (though his percentage won't be great), and it looks like he has the inside track on the center field job again. Do not overlook him; this could be a breakout guy in 2003, and the price should be right. Don't forget Brian Schneider as your second catcher, either.

New York: The Mets have brought in Brett Butler to help Roger Cedeno with playing center, which should keep his bat in the lineup. With his good year/bad year trend, you'd think his name was Bret Saberhagen. Cedeno rebounded a bit in the second half, and his inconsistency should keep his price down on draft day. We may have a buying opportunity here as he hasn't lost the ability to steal 50 again if he can get back to hitting lefties like he used to (a down year at .231 in 2002).

Pittsburgh: After injuring his ankle charging the mound in April, Aramis Ramirez's season basically went into the tank as he was never 100 percent again. Ramirez will not be a consistent .300 hitter (2001 spike notwithstanding), but is more like a .270 to .280 guy. He struggled with his power stroke early on, but found it in the second half despite not being at 100 percent (14 of his homers after the break). Hopefully the down year will keep the price down in your league, because he should rebound very strongly. And at age 25, the best is yet to come.

San Diego: Ramon Vazquez will be eligible at three positions this season, so that is a plus. He also hit .291 after the break last year after recovering from a hamstring injury that bothered him earlier in the season, another plus. Vazquez does not hit lefties well, though (.157), so he could be in danger of platooning. He has the capability to reach double digits in steals, so a single-digit bid on draft day could give you a very serviceable, versatile player.

San Francisco: Yorvit Torrealba shapes up to be a good buck catcher, like he was last year. The first thing you look for out of your $1 catchers is that they don't hurt your batting average, and Torrealba actually helped a small amount. That wasn't a fluke. Torrealba will turn 25 during this season, so he is still developing as a hitter and eventually will develop some power to go along with what should continue to be a respectable batting average. With Benito Sanitago's age, Torrealba's playing time could increase.

St. Louis: Mike Crudale was quietly a terrific reliever last year. He has a chance to work his way into the saves mix if Jason Isringhausen can't get it going from his shoulder surgery. Crudale's numbers were not THAT much of a fluke last year. He won't be sub-2.00 again, but I think he'll surprise you with the fact that he can put up an excellent season again, and maybe vulture some wins and saves. He's an excellent endgame pickup for the staff.

Jason Grey is the publisher of The Masters of Fantasy Baseball at www.mastersball.com, a free daily source for news, analysis, insight, and opinion. Their 2003 annual featuring strategy and player profiles as well as their 2003 projections for various game formats is available now.

 

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