2013 All Fantasy Baseball Sleepers Team

The annual All-Sleeper Team has arrived. This report has taken many forms but as always it is jam packed with names for your consideration. There are at least three names listed at every position. If you like this article please share it (with strangers if not your league mates).

Catchers

Jesus Montero, Seattle Mariners

Here are some stats for Montero that you may have missed - he hit 310/343/498 last year when playing behind the plate; on the road he batted .295/.330/.438 with nine homeruns in 258 at-bats; and his HR/FB was a healthy 13.4 percent on the road. Did you know that in 2012 Safeco Field tended to reduce right-handed power by 30 percent? Runs were reduced by 22 percent. The Seattle Mariners are attempting to move their park factors closer to neutral in 2013 by bringing in the outfield walls. Safeco will still be a tough park for hitters but it should be a little less intimidating this season. Montero still has superstar potential.

UPSIDE: .280/.330/.480 with 25 homeruns

Erik Kratz, Philadelphia Phillies

Erik Kratz has been around for a while. He has a great reputation as a defensive catcher. Supposedly, pitchers love to throw to him. His bat looks better than the average catcher and his power looks like it could be around league average if not a bit better. Last season in the minors he hit .266/.326/.540 with eight homers in 141 plate appearances. He was called up to the Phillies and received 157 PA in which he batted .248/.306/.504 with nine homeruns. He was scheduled to spend 2013 in the majors as a back-up but thanks to Carlos Ruiz getting himself suspended, Kratz figures to get an extra month of starter at-bats. He should be more than worth his purchase price.

UPSIDE: 350abs, .250/.310/.460 with 15 homers and a few stolen bases.

Others to Consider: Jason Castro, Houston Astros; John Jaso, Oakland Athletics; Rob Brantley, Miami Marlins

First Basemen

Ike Davis, New York Mets

Davis began the 2012 season recovering from the Valley Fever which can severely weaken people for long periods. Davis chose not to complain about it but after the season finally admitted that he was not right the first few months of the season. His second half was a better indication of what Davis can do. He batted .255/.346/.542 with 20 homers in his last 251 at-bats. Davis has seen more than his fair share of injury and illness in his short career. It is possible that some of your league mates will perceive him as injury prone or even as a mediocre hitter. Do not believe it. Davis has very good power and has the patience and discipline to hit for a solid batting average (a skill becoming more rare). 

UPSIDE: .275/.365/.500 with 35-plus homeruns

Others to Consider: Brandon Belt, San Francisco Giants; Logan Morrison, Miami Marlins;

Second Basemen

2B Matt Carpenter, St. Louis Cardinals

 In the minor leagues Matt Carpenter has produced numbers that would mediocre at best coming from your first baseman or outfielder. But at second base (particularly in NL-only leagues) he would be a very solid fantasy option. He hits for a solid to good batting average with a strong on-base percentage driven by above average walk rates and improving contact skills. He has average or maybe slightly better power and should safely hit in the 10-15  homer range every season with more a clear possibility as he gains experience. He does not have great speed but will steal the occasional base given the opportunity. Best of all, manager Mike Matheny seems to like him and has projected him as a potential leadoff hitter. He only qualifies at the corners for now in most leagues but should be eligible at second within the first week or so of the regular season.

UPSIDE: .290/.370/.470 with 15-18 homeruns and a few stolen bases and a ton of runs scored

Others to Consider: Dustin Ackley, Seattle Mariners; Gordon Beckham, Chicago White Sox

Third Basemen

3B Josh Donaldson, Oakland Athletics

Donaldson’s numbers as a major leaguer look mediocre overall. It would be pretty easy for a fantasy owner to overlook a player with a .232/.280/.386 slash in 328 plate appearances. However, he hit a very solid .290/.356/.489 with eight homers, 26 RBI and three steals in 47 games after returning from a stint at Triple-A. Donaldson is just 27-years old and general manager Billy Beane has declared that Donaldson will be the starter at third base in 2013. While 47 games is just a small sample of Donaldson’s season – his line at AAA Sacramento was .335/.402/.598 with 13 homers and five steals in 234 plate appearances. Donaldson has BABIP issues. Last season in the majors it was just .278 (far below average) and an indication that his poor start to the season was at least to some degree bad luck. 

UPSIDE: .280/.350/.450 with 15-20 homers and 5-10 stolen bases.

Others to Consider: Brett Lawrie, Toronto Blue Jays; Lonnie Chisenhall, Cleveland Indians; 

Shortstops

SS Cliff Pennington, Arizona Diamondbacks

Cliff Pennington is not popular among fantasy owners. He does not hit for much power and his batting average at times has been pathetic. So why is he listed here? He has skills and tools that indicate he has not reached his full potential just yet. Pennington has tremendous speed and solid base stealing skills. He has solid patience at the plate and makes decent contact. Now he is moving from Oakland's tough pitcher centric park into the Diamondback's Chase Field which favors hitters. He has been working with Diamondbacks hitting coach Don Baylor on shortening his swing. If his BABIP bounces back from his career low .259 in 2012 towards his career levels he could have a very nice season at a weak fantasy position.

UPSIDE: .275/.350/.425 with 10-12 homers and 25-plus stolen bases and a truckload of runs if he leads off.

Others to Consider: Manny Machado, Baltimore Orioles; Jean Segura, Milwaukee Brewers

Outfielders

OF/1B Chris Carter, Houston Astros

Chris Carter is seen as a player with tremendous power who is not a talented enough hitter to be a star in the Major Leagues. In actuality, 2012 was Carter’s first extended opportunity to play in the major leagues. He does in fact have massive power but he also has more patience at the plate than his K-rate would seem to indicate. His strikeout rates were not so bad in the minors and he even showed some ability to hit for average. He is moving from one of the better pitchers’ parks in baseball to one that actually boosts right-handed power stats. In 2013 you could see a decent batting average with gargantuan power (nice to have with overall power numbers dropping).

UPSIDE: .270/.370/.550 with 30-plus homers and a few stolen bases

OF Jose Tabata OF Pittsburgh Pirates

How good does Travis Snider have to be to keep Tabata on the bench all season. Admittedly Tabata has fallen off the last few years. But he was once lauded for his power potential and showed a knack for base stealing. He kicked off Spring Training looking determined to win back at least a share of the job starting in the outfield corners. At this point it looks like Snider will start but Tabata has made the team. His price should be ultra low and Snider has not been much better than Tabata as a major leaguer. He makes an excellent flyer in deep NL-only leagues or in deep mixed leagues with bench spots. 

UPSIDE: .275/.340/.400 with ten homers and 20-plus stolen bases

OF Jordany Valdespin, New York Mets

His Spring Training performance has probably jacked up his price on those of us with post-Easter drafts this year. The Mets have no established outfielders on their roster coming into the 2013 season. This has provided Valdespin and others with a fantastic opportunity for Major League playing time. He is not a patient hitter but makes excellent contact. He has the power to hit 15-20 homers and the speed to steal 20-plus bases in a full season. 

UPSIDE: .280/.340/.440 with 15-plus homers and 20-plus stolen bases

OF J.D. Martinez, Houston Astros

He is a tough pick since he will begin the season in the minor leagues. With a career batting line of just .252/.313/.375 it would be easy to dismiss Martinez as just another mediocre Astros outfielder. You would be missing out on a player with huge breakout potential. In the 603 at-bats that led to the line above Martinez hit 17 homeruns and collected 90 RBI. It becomes even more encouraging when you know his career minor league batting line was .334/.397/.532 in over 1200 minor league at-bats. He certainly has no obstacles to consistent playing time. Special thanks should go to my friend Dave McKay of thefantasysportsbrain.com who likes him even more than me. 

UPSIDE: .300/.360/.450 15-20 homeruns and the odd stolen base

OF Andy Dirks, Detroit Tigers

It would be easy to dismiss Dirks as a BABIP fluke and pass on him during fantasy drafts. That might be a mistake. Dirks has a track record of high BABIP and high batting averages in the minors. Dirks is a strong contact hitter with some patience at the plate. He swings at too many pitches out of the zone but makes much better than average contact. He is not a power hitter but with an uptick to his plate discipline he could hit for average power. His Achilles issue kept his decent speed under wraps but Dirks has the skills to steal bases. There is some talk of Dirks platooning with Avisail Garcia. That seems unlikely but even if true; Dirks would be on the strong side of it.

UPSIDE: .300/.350/.450 with 15-20 homeruns and 10-15 steals

Others to Consider: Colin Cowgill, New York Mets; Gerardo Parra, Arizona Diamondbacks; Lorenzo Cain, Kansas City Royals; Peter Bourjos, Los Angeles Angels; Nolan Reimold, Baltimore Orioles

Middle Infielders

MI Eric Young, Jr., Colorado Rockies

Eric Young has been neglected by the Rockies for a long time. He has awesome stolen base potential. He makes excellent contact and has shown patience at the plate. He should hit for average if given consistent at-bats and new manager Walt Weiss seems determined to make better use of Young. He only qualifies at outfield in most leagues at this point but could see time all over the field. He came up as a second baseman. 

UPSIDE: .290/.350/.425 with 40-plus steals and a few homers

Others to Consider: Luis Cruz, Los Angeles Dodgers; Eduardo Nunez, New York Yankees

Corner Infielders

3B Matt Dominguez, Houston Astros

His strength as a Marlins prospect was his excellent glove. Scouts believed in the potential in his bat but there was very little statistical evidence that he could hit. Last year he began to work on his swing with coaches and changing his hand position to create less movement and a shorter swing path. The results have been promising. At his present ADP he will cost nothing so the risk is minimal. The payoff could be pretty good especially relative to his cost.

UPSIDE: .290/.330/.450 with 15-plus homers

Others to Consider: Justin Smoak, Seattle Mariners; Brett Wallace, Houston Astros

Designated Hitters

DH Adam Lind, Toronto Blue Jays

After his stint in the minor leagues Lind was an above average player in every remaining month of the season. Health is obviously the largest obstacle between Lind and a full season of statistics worthy of a major league first baseman. In an off- season where the Blue Jays have filled every hole on the roster and added a ton of depth, they have done nothing to indicate they have lost faith in their first baseman (well, besides move him to designated hitter). See my article for an expanded look at Adam Lind.

UPSIDE: .280/.350/.500 with 30 homers

Others to Consider: Jeff Keppinger, Chicago White Sox; Raul Ibanez, Seattle Mariners

Starting Pitchers

SP Max Scherzer, Detroit Tigers

Not every pitcher develops as quickly as Stephen Strasburg. Justin Verlander took a few years to put it together. The same is true with Cole Hamels and David Price. Scherzer showed many signs of reaching his incredible potential during the 2012 season. His K9 took a big jump supported by a similar jump in his swinging strike rate. His solid control and strikeouts limit the damage down by his less than ideal HR9. 

UPSIDE: 20 wins, 3.50 ERA and 250 strikeouts

SP Jaime Garcia, St. Louis Cardinals

The fraying in his shoulder will keep a lot of owners away from Jaime Garcia. It will also bring his price way down, possibly into the lower single digits. That provides you with an opportunity to purchase a very talented pitcher on the cheap. Garcia has a great swinging strike rate with a solid K9 that should improve. He has good control and a nice groundball rate. He plays for a very good Cardinals team with a nice defense.  For what should be a very small investment you could win big. Garcia is already throwing and will face hitters today (Saturday, Feb. 16^th). 

UPSIDE: 15 wins and an ERA< 3.50

SP Phil Hughes, New York Yankees

The mini-Rocket has not reached the once lofty heights the Yankees were hoping he would. He has been solid and flashed some of the greatest but has not been able to sustain it for any great length of time. In 2012 his swinging strike rate jumped back up and his K9 jumped with it. With some regression to his HR/FB, Hughes could have a big season in 2013 leading into his first shot at free agency. 

UPSIDE: 15 wins and an ERA < 4.00

SP Kyle Kendrick, Philadelphia Phillies

Kyle Kendrick has been nothing if not inconsistent in his time spent as a major league pitcher but has usually posted acceptable ERAs and WHIPs. But his strikeout rates have left much to be desired. He won't be confused with Stephen Strasburg anytime soon but thanks to a change in his pitch usage he seems to have hit on the key to greater dominance. He has reduced his use of the cutter in favor of his 2-seam fastball (a sinker) and his change-up. The result was a K9 over 6.0 for the season and approaching 7.0 K9 in the second half. If the improved strikeout rate sticks with his control (2.60 career BB9) and strong groundball rate (45.8 career GB percentage) he could be a huge breakout pitcher this season.   

UPSIDE: 12-plus wins and an ERA < 4.00

SP Rick Porcello, Detroit Tigers

Many forget that Porcello is still just 24-years old. He spent very little time in the minors and has been forced to develop his skills on the major league stage. Given the way he has been thrown to the metaphorical wolves, Porcello has done quite well. The perception of Porcello is no doubt as an average or perhaps slightly above average starting pitcher. What is not as obvious to most observers is how much the Tigers awful defensive infield hurts Porcello. Porcello is a groundball pitcher (52.3 career GB percentage) and defense matters to him a great deal. His velocity has been on the rise and he now pitches in the low to mid 90’s. His strikeouts have been lower than fantasy owners would like to see but his K9 has seen small increases the last two seasons and his swinging strike rate has also risen to nearly average. If his slider had been more effective in 2012 it may have gotten all the way there. He has been emphasizing his curveball as an alternative to the slider this spring with great results. This is a pitcher who could explode on the scene if traded to a team with an effective infield defense (the Orioles would be a great spot for him).

UPSIDE: 15 wins and an ERA < 3.75

Others to Consider: Corey Kluber, Cleveland Indians; Brian Matusz, Baltimore Orioles; Jacob Turner, Miami Marlins; Erasmo Ramirez, Seattle Mariners; David Phelps, New York Yankees

Relievers

MR Christian Garcia RHP Washington Nationals

He will be a bit late to start the 2013 season but in keeper leagues that should not be a major problem. His late arrival will also reduce his already low cost. Garcia was a top prospect of the New York Yankees but a series of elbow problems prevented him from pitching much and eventually robbed him of his stellar stuff. After two Tommy John Surgeries and a third procedure to remove bone chips, the Nationals picked him up and placed him in the bullpen. His high nineties stuff was back and his hammer curve was back and his change-up is solid. Saves are probably not in his near future but stranger things have happened.

UPSIDE: 65 IP, 2.90 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, 10K9, 3.00BB9,  

MR Sean Doolittle LHP Oakland Athletics

The one pitcher that you should be looking for in the Athletics bullpen is Sean Doolittle. He was drafted with the 41st overall pick as a first baseman but knee injuries almost ended his career. The A’s converted him to pitching and rushed him through the system in 2012. From Class A to the Major Leagues - 17 games, 26 innings, 1.04 earned run average, 50 strikeouts, 8 walks. He has a very deceptive delivery and a blazing mid-90s fastball. He could stabilize the A’s closer position for several years.

UPSIDE: 20 saves with a ridiculous K9

MR Kelvin Herrera, Kansas City Royals

Herrera has it all. He has the strikeout rate, excellent control and a great ground ball rate.Herrera is good enough to be worth drafting in deeper leagues even without the possibility of saves.If the Royals regain faith in Herrera's health they could potentially place him back in a starting role where he would have frontline pitcher stuff.

UPSIDE: Superb ratios with 15-plus saves and 80-plus strikeouts

Others to Consider: Jake McGee, Tampa Bay Rays; J.J. Hoover, Cincinnati Reds; Junichi Tazawa, Boston Red Sox

2013 Sleeper: Jaime Garcia

The fraying in his shoulder will keep a lot of owners away from Jaime Garcia. It will also drive his price way down, possibly into the lower single digits. That provides you with an opportunity to purchase a very talented pitcher on the cheap. Garcia has a great swinging strike rate with a solid K9 that should improve. He has good control and a nice groundball rate. He plays for a very good Cardinals team with a nice defense.  For what should be a very small investment you could win big. Garcia is already throwing and will face hitters today (Saturday, Feb. 16^th).

Jaime Garcia will face hitters for the first time today since his abortive two-inning playoff performance against the Washington Nationals last October when he throws batting practice to a group of Cardinals position players headed by David Freese.

Today is the first day that pitchers will throw batting practice. Following Garcia, who had shoulder problems much of last season, will be Shelby Miller, who will pitch to a group of hitters including Yadier Molina and Matt Carpenter.

Garcia made nine starts at the end of the 2012 season but was forced out of a playoff game after just two innings against the Washington Nationals after experiencing some shoulder stiffness. Garcia was declared fully healthy in November after several sessions with the Cardinals coaching and medical staffs. He has been throwing regularly since early January without set-backs or problems.

Said pitching coach Derek Lilliquist, "He looks incredibly strong. His arm strength is there and he's in a good frame of mind. We look for good things from Jaime."

"It was one of the toughest things I've had to experience in my career," Garcia said. "But you move forward, you learn from the bad and take the good things and move forward and that's what I did this offseason. I went home and had a good, positive mentality and I did everything asked of me to do and worked as hard as I possibly could and I've been saying this the whole time since the Winter Warm-up but I'm feeling healthy, I'm strong and I just want to take it one day at a time.

"I came into camp like any other pitcher and obviously there's things I have to take care of which are a part of my career, doing my rehab stuff (between starts), but that's just part of it. But checkups with doctors, we're all clear of that. It's been normal the whole time."

2013 Sleeper: Josh Donaldson

Donaldson’s numbers as a major leaguer look mediocre overall. It would be pretty easy for a fantasy owner to overlook a player with a .232/.280/.386 slash in 328 plate appearances. But if you look at Donaldson’s entire history he becomes a bit more interesting. Last season after his 3-for-32 start he was optioned to the minors. He was called up again in May to cover for Yoenis Cespedes’ first DL stint but was, again, rather useless at the plate. He was sent back to the minors in June and stayed there until Brandon Inge went on the disabled list in August.

This is where it gets interesting. He hit a very solid .290/.356/.489 with eight homers, 26 RBI and three steals in 47 games after returning from Triple-A.  Just 27-years old, general manager Billy Beane has declared that Donaldson will be the starter at third base in 2013. While 47 games is just a small sample of Donaldson’s season – his line at AAA Sacramento was .335/.402/.598 with 13 homers and five steals in 234 plate appearances. Donaldson has BABIP issues. Last season in the majors it was just .278 (far below average) and an indication that his poor start to the season was at least to some degree bad luck.

UPSIDE: .280/.350/.450 with 15-20 homers and 5-10 stolen bases.

2013 Pre-Season Closer Report - American League

American League East

Baltimore Orioles

Closer – Jim Johnson

Next – Pedro Strop

Sleeper – Darren O’Day

Super-Sleeper – Luis Alaya

The Orioles do not have a fantasy superstar stud closer but their closer situation is more stable than a lot of teams. Jim Johnson has been a consistent performer but does not get the strikeouts that owners and lets face it - most Major League Managers - want to see in their bullpen ace. Johnson would be a great closer to pair with a high strikeout non-saves reliever such as Jacob McGee. But until Johnson starts to falter there is little reason to worry about the rest of the Orioles bullpen. The Orioles have quite a few young pitchers that could work their way into the majors (or back there) through the bullpen but none of them are likely to compete for saves in 2013.

Boston Red Sox

Closer – Joel Hanrahan

Next – Andrew Bailey

Sleeper – Junichi Tazawa

Super-Sleeper – Koji Uehara

The Red Sox are one of the teams that have shown interest in Brian Wilson. A Wilson signing would create even more chaos in a bullpen that has shown little stability over the past few seasons. Hanrahan had control problems in 2013 and has had them in the past. Frankly with the exception of the 2010 and 2011 season he has always had shaky control. It was that lack of control that led to him becoming a Pirate in the first place.It would be a poor idea to bet on Hanrahan regaining his 2011 BB9. However the Red Sox bullpen is loaded with intriguing candidates for saves. Bailey has also had inconsistent control numbers but not quite as bad as Hanrahan. Bailey has had more problems staying healthy and available. Tazawa was excellent in 2012 and is probably the most likely to become a stud closer of this group. Unfortunately, Tazawa will probably have to wait for both Hanrahan and Bailey to fail first.

New York Yankees

Closer – Mariano Rivera

Next – David Robertson

Sleeper – Joba Chamberlain

Super-Sleeper – David Phelps

Until 2012 Mariano Rivera was easily the most consistently great closer in the game. He is almost certainly a Hall-of-Famer and one of the greatest closers of all time. This is the first season in over a decade that Rivera enters with anything less than great expectations. At this point Robertson is clearly Rivera's successor but Joba Chamberlain (if he proves healthy) will attempt to make a case for himself this season. He has the stuff he just needs to go do it. Chamberlain is a nice sleeper for saves in 2014 as he should come very cheap and provide value in any case. Phelps is likely to be a Jack-Of-All-Trades for the Yankees pitching as the long reliever, spot starter and Joba insurance. The role could hurt Phelps stats but he has nice skills. He is better drafted in leagues where he can be stashed.

Tampa Bay Rays

Closer – Fernando Rodney

Next – Kyle Farnsworth

Sleeper – Jake McGee

Super-Sleeper – Joel Peralta

Fernando Rodney should be as close to a lock to regress to his career numbers as any pitcher listed in this article. He had an amazing, once in a lifetime season that is miles from his career levels. The Rays may be great pitching instructors and they have put together a great bullpen but they are not miracle workers. Rodney is much closer to a middle tier closer than the best closer in all the lands. The pitcher to own in this bullpen is McGee who has great numbers and will eventually have to be considered for the more prestigious bullpen roles.

Toronto Blue Jays

Closer – Casey Janssen

Next – Sergio Santos

Sleeper – Esmil Rogers

Super-Sleeper – Steve Delabar

Casey Janssen has been very good the last two seasons and has proven more than worthy of holding the closer role indefinitely. Janssen did undergo successful surgery on his right shoulder to repair lingering AC joint soreness. While this is not expected to delay his start to Spring Training or the season it does create enough of a question to provide Santos owners a glimmer of hope. But Santos is himself coming back from much more serious shoulder surgery and until we actually see that his stuff has not changed he is a tough investment. Esmil Rogers was quite good once he escaped from Colorado. He has the stuff, strikeout rate and Ground Ball rate to be a very successful pitcher. With the two favorites adding recent shoulder surgery to their resumes, Rogers could be a nice low-risk investment.

American League Central

Chicago White Sox

Closer – Addison Reed

Next – Matt Thornton

Sleeper – Jesse Crain

Super-Sleeper – Matt Lindstrom

Addison Reed had to fight through the crowds of contenders to earn the closer role. He has the stuff as shown by his stellar minor league statistics but has not quite reached his major league potential to this point. Reed has the potential for a much higher k-rate which would shoot him up the closer ranks. For now he should be the stable holder of the closer role for a team in the midst of restructuring. When a team attempts to rebuild on the fly it can be very difficult to judge what they will do in certain situations. So while there should be optimism regarding Reeds ability to improve, there should also be caution in investing in the bullpen of an unpredictable team.

Cleveland Indians

Closer – Chris Perez

Next – Vinnie Pestano

Sleeper – Brett Myers

Super-Sleeper – Matt Albers

Lots of analysts suggested it was time for Perez to give way to Pestano in the 2012 fantasy guides. At Advanced Fantasy Baseball we experimented with a different idea. With the closer position in constant flux we suggested that owners consider low investments in the closers that no one wanted or that were being projected to lose their jobs. Perez was the successful side of this idea, Frank Francisco was at the less successful end. Still, Perez had a nice season. It could be that Perez improved as a pitcher and the control gains are for real. More likely, it was a one year anomaly. For now Perez holds the job and should be considered fairly stable in the position.

Detroit Tigers

Closer – Bruce Rondon

Next – Joaquin Benoit

Sleeper – Al Alburquerque

Super-Sleeper – Octavio Dotel

The Tigers are insisting they have no interest in adding a veteran closer. They further insist that they would like rookie Bruce Rondon to take the closer role. He has the the strikeout stuff though his control is not great. He could thrive in the role but rookies with less than 150 innings in the minors rarely come up to dominate in the majors. The Tigers have had some success with moving prospects quickly through their minor league system. They have also had some spectacular failures in this department. The bet here is on Benoit who is probably the best pitcher in their bullpen.

Kansas City Royals

Closer – Greg Holland

Next – Kelvin Herrera

Sleeper – Aaron Crow

Super-Sleeper – Tim Collins

Greg Holland stepped up and eventually filled the closer role for the injured Joakim Soria and the traded Jonathan Broxton. Holland's strikeout rate almost makes up for his lousy control but fantasy owners will not enjoy his high WHIP. Kelvin Herrera could be a much better option. Herrera has it all. He has the strikeout rate, excellent control and a great ground ball rate.Herrera is good enough to be worth drafting in deeper leagues even without the possibility of saves.If the Royals regain faith in Herrera's health they could potentially place him back in a starting role where he would have frontline pitcher stuff.

Minnesota Twins

Closer – Glen Perkins

Next – Jared Burton

Sleeper – Alex Burnett

Super-Sleeper – Casey Fien

The Twins are in re-building mode so anything can happen. Glen Perkins is solid in all areas and should be a competent closer for the Twins and would retain some value even without the job in deeper leagues. Burton would probably be as good as Perkins at closing but his chance depends on Perkins failing since he isn't likely to be drastically better. The Twins have acquired two power arms this winter that could be future power closers - Trevor May and Alex Meyer. Both are still being developed as starters but the Twins have often broken in starters as relievers.

American League West

Houston Astros

Closer – Jose Veras

Next – Josh Fields

Sleeper – Jarred Cosart

Super-Sleeper – Phil Humber

At this point no one outside of the Astros front office has any real idea who the 2013 closer will be. Veras is probably the favorite as the most experienced pitcher and a veteran minor league closer. He is in the high strikeouts/high walks mode, his WHIP will be on the high side.

 "If you're going to take a chance on someone to be a first-time closer, that's the type of guy you want," Porter said. "We do have other pitchers that will get an opportunity to pitch late in the game, whether it's [Rhiner] Cruz, who had a really good winter league, or [Hector] Ambriz. There are others who will get a look, but Veras has the experience right now and is the front-runner."

Josh Fields is another power option.He is a Rule V pick from the Boston Red Sox. His control has improved the last two seasons in the minors and he could be a nice closer. Cosart is still on the starter path but has been mentioned by the Houston front office as a potential closer. At this point he looks like a mediocre starter so the bullpen may be his opportunity to shine.

Los Angeles Angels

Closer – Ryan Madson

Next – Ernesto Frieri

Sleeper – Scott Downs

Super-Sleeper – David Carpenter

Madson is coming off Tommy John Surgery and could potentially miss the first two weeks or so of the season. When healthy Madson has great stuff with excellent command. The fact that Madson may miss a few weeks gives Ernesto Frieri a boost in value. Frieri owners should hold him if they have him at a low keeper cost. Frieri does not have great control but his real problem in 2012 was an elevated HR/FB. If his HR/FB regresses back towards his career rates he should be an excellent option in 2013. Scott Downs as ever is the Angels insurance policy in the bullpen. The Angels seem reluctant to ever actually give him the closer role but he is usually the guy they turn to when they need to lock things down.

Oakland Athletics

Closer – Grant Balfour

Next – Sean Doolittle

Sleeper – Ryan Cook

Super-Sleeper – Pat Neshek

There is really just one pitcher that you should be looking for in the Athletics bullpen and that is Sean Doolittle. He was drafted with the 41st overall pick as a first baseman but knee injuries almost ended his career. The A’s converted him to pitching and rushed him through the system in 2012. From Class A to the Major Leagues - 17 games, 26 innings, 1.04 earned run average, 50 strikeouts, 8 walks. He has a very deceptive delivery and a blazing mid-90s fastball. He could stabilize the A’s closer position for several years.

Seattle Mariners

Closer – Tom Wilhelmsen

Next – Carter Capps

 Sleeper – Stephen Pryor

Super-Sleeper –Oliver Perez

Wilhelmsen has a great story and was a huge success for the Mariners this season. He gets a decent number of strikeouts and has decent control as well. He induces a bunch of groundballs and his 2.89 FIP says he earned his 2.50 ERA. You might wish Wilhelmsen had a higher strikeout rate but other than that this seems like a pretty stable closer situation. Carter Capps rampaged through the Mariner system using his moving upper-90s fastball and slider. He performed well in his first stint in the majors and should only improve with experience. Capps seems to be the clear closer of the future. Stephen Pryor does not have the same sort of stuff as Capps but he too marched from High-A to the Major Leagues in 2012. He gets nice strikeout numbers but his control is pretty shaky. The Mariners have a ton of young arms that could contribute to the bullpen this season as the Mariners advance talent through their system.

Texas Rangers

Closer – Joe Nathan

Next – Tanner Scheppers

Sleeper – Robbie Ross

Super-Sleeper – Joakim Soria

Joe Nathan completed his return from TJS with the Texas Rangers in 2012 and looked almost as good as ever. The strikeouts were there. The command was there. He did not seem to suffer much in the more hitting oriented environment. As he nears 40-years old, Nathan can be expected to fade a bit but there are not many signs of that in his 2012 statistics. Scheppers allowed a few too many homers in his first Major Leagues stint but he has the stuff to be the Rangers closer of the future. Joakim Soria was signed this offseason after the Royals declined to re-sign him as he rehabbed from TJS. Soria is expected to be ready by the All-Star Break and while he contribute in the second half, he is more likely to be of value in 2014.