Mound Talk

Today I wanted to take a look at some real deep sleepers and bombard you with numbers as justification. But, with so much basketball on, I haven’t been able to focus. So I’ll save that for later this weekend and give you a look at some younger sleepers.

Manny Parra has been pitching very well in Spring Training. Without looking at the stats, because they are fairly meaningless in Spring Training, Parra has done very well focusing on his command and throwing strikes. Parra has always had front line stuff but has been hindered in the minors by injuries. But that, is supposedly behind him. He had a healthy season last year and is looking to continue that into 2008. The Brewers have a plethora of starting pitchers but certainly are looking for more guys with Parra’s impact potential. Parra can be had for a measly buck in auction leagues or taken with one of your last picks.

Jason Bartlett is a nice shortstop sleeper. His batting average took a dip in 2007, expect a bounce back in 2008. His shift from Minnesota to Tampa will give him more chances to run. I’m expecting 30 stolen bases from Bartlett. He shows tremendous plate discipline, rarely striking out and will certainly get his chances to put some runs on the board. He’s not going to be a stud or the reason you placed in the money, but don’t sell Bartlett short. He’s going to be a good source of steals and should be looking at a nice total in runs.