I was going to bust out my RP preview, but then I figured why waste your time. Some people like to take the top tier guys like Jonathan Papelbon and Joe Nathan early, while others like to wait and grab the Mike Gonzalezs and Trevor Hoffmans much later on. Either way, there’s no point in writing about them, as you know what you’re getting when you take a closer.  Instead, here’s a list of five guys that don’t get drafted real high, but could turn out to be steals in 2009.

1. Andre Ethier OF Dodgers - Early reports have stated that Joe Torre plans on hitting Ethier ahead of Manny in the Dodgers’ lineup, which should give the 26 year old OF some added value. He is just now entering his prime, and has shown the ability to hit for both power and average. Ethier’s Yahoo! ADP is 152, meaning you can leave an OF slot open on your team and snatch him up real late. It would not surprise me at all to see him put up a line of 90 R, 25 HR, 90 RBI, 5 SB, and a .300 average, something that you cant usually find in the later rounds of your drafts.

2. Cameron Maybin OF Marlins – Maybin is expected to hit-lead off for Florida in 2009, replacing Hanley Ramirez at the top of the lineup. The 6-4 205 pound OF was the centerpiece of the package that the Marlins received from Detroit in exchange for Miguel Cabrera. At 21, Maybin is still extremely young, and while he might be fantasy useful as early as this year, there are surely going to be some growing pains along the way. He strikes out a ton – something that might limit him early on – but as long as he is able to get on base, he should be good for 20+ steals. Combine that with his double digit HR power, and you have yourself a late round sleeper that could prove to be plenty valuable in 2009.

3. Yovani Gallardo SP Brewers - During his highly anticipated 2007 rookie season, Gallardo went 9-5 with a 3.67 ERA and 1.27 WHIP, but dropped in last years draft rankings due to a knee injury he suffered in spring training. He made his 2008 debut towards the end of April, and was on his way to a fantastic season until he tore his ACL on a freak accident while trying to get over to cover first base. Gallardo is now back to 100% and should be able to build on the success he had early last season. On average, he is currently the 26th SP taken in Yahoo! drafts, but could easily crack the top 10 by the end of the season.

4. Pablo Sandoval 3B/1B/C Giants - This 22 year old switch hitting monster doesn’t seem to be getting the fantasy love that he deserves in 2009. After getting called up in the middle of August last year, all Sandoval did was hit, hit, and hit some more. He hit .345 in over a month and a half of major league ABs, and is currently projected to hit third in the Giants lineup that will (hopefully) be much better then it was last year. Sandoval should be a decent source of R and RBI considering his slot in the lineup, and when you add that to 15-20 HR and an average that should be around .300 (AND catcher eligibility in Yahoo! leagues!!!), what you get is a huge fantasy sleeper with tremendous upside.

5. Nelson Cruz OF Rangers - Cruz has been called up to the majors and been sent back down to the minors more times then Ethan has dreamt about beating The Bad Guy in the NQTC fantasy league. 2008 marked the first time that the Texas slugger was was able to continue raking at the Major League level after being called up – he held just about a .231 BA in his previous 442 MLB ABs. After absolutely destroying AAA pitching last season, the Rangers decided to give him another shot, and Cruz was finally able to deliver. If you take his major league stats from last season and span them out over 162 games, you get a line of 99 R, 35 HR, 135 RBI, 15 steals, and a .330 average. I’m not saying he will reach those totals, but with him hitting cleanup  in that potent Texas lineup, it would not be surprising to see him come close close.

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Tags: Fantasy Baseball