Perhaps you thought my Sleepers 2.0 was child's play, a list designed for baseball smooth-brains who wouldn't be able to tell one Luis Garcia from another.
All right, hot shot. Let's go deeper.
How deep? Beyond the top 300 in consensus ADP, according to FantasyPros -- and even then, I'm excluding spring risers like Henry Davis, Jackson Merrill, A.J. Puk and Luis Severino, as much as it pains me. If you look at their ADP from the past week, it's much higher than 300.
Naturally, not every one of these players will be worth rostering in every league. Some leagues don't even draft as many as 300 players. But if yours does -- or if you just want some players for your scout team at the start of the year -- here are some names (and by some, I mean 40) to know.
They won't all pan out, of course, but among those featured on last year's list were Spencer Steer, Kyle Bradish, Esteury Ruiz , Bailey Ober, Logan O'Hoppe, Mitch Garver, Edouard Julien and Christian Encarnacion-Strand.
Catcher
A trendy pick at this time a year ago, Kirk is an afterthought now, but he's the better defender in the Blue Jays' catching tandem and arguably the top contact hitter at the position. At 25, he's no lost cause.
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Only one catcher (Willson Contreras) hit a ball harder than Jeffers did as a part-timer last year, and his .858 OPS gives you some idea what his upside could be if he can shake off Christian Vazquez once and for all.
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First base
France was already a reasonable bet for a bounce-back campaign just on strength of his 2021 and 2022 seasons, but then we learned he spent the offseason working with Driveline Baseball to optimize his swing, having witnessed the effect it had on teammate J.P. Crawford last season.
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The prize of the Aaron Civale deal has done everything he could to win the Guardians' DH job this spring, proving it won't be long until he does even though they're leaning another direction to begin the year.
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The Rays have made no secret their desire for Aranda to win the DH job this spring, and he's risen to the challenge so far. How is it that someone who slashed .339/.449/.613 at Triple-A last year, homering 25 times in just 95 games, is so overlooked?
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Second base
Schneider's .275/.416/.553 slash line at Triple-A Buffalo last year became a .276/.404/.603 slash line once he reached the majors, proving that his patient approach and pull-oriented swing would translate to the highest level of competition. Only reason he isn't hyped more is because the Blue Jays have been dodgy about his playing time.
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Last year's disappointment might be explained by Vargas playing with pain in his right hand all season. There's no opening for him right now, but there may be soon enough with the way Gavin Lux's throws are looking at second base.
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One of several candidates for the Brewers' second and third base openings, Ortiz is a superlative defender with some speed. More notably, though, his high-end exit velocities hint of a much higher ceiling than his minor-league stat lines would suggest.
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Third base
A consensus top-25 prospect at this time a year ago, Baty has been an absolute wrecking ball in the upper minors but has struggled to acclimate to the majors, for whatever reason. He's the Mets' intended starter at third base again and wouldn't be the first young hitter to figure things out a year later.
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Always a tough defensive fit with the Dodgers, Busch was rescued by the Cubs in an offseason trade and immediately anointed their starting first baseman. It's been met with a collective yawn, though, even though he slashed .323/.431/.618 at Triple-A Oklahoma City last year.
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Black may have never been a serious candidate for the Brewers' third base job this spring, but the speedy prospect could be a difference-maker in stolen bases when he inevitably gets the call. It's hard to say which of his 55 stolen bases and 88 walks was more impressive last year, and he wasn't a total zero for power either.
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A 20/20 man in the minors last year, Pauley has already secured a spot on the Padres opening day roster and is expected to fill in at third base until Manny Machado (elbow) is ready to slide back over from DH.
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Shortstop
Anderson has explained how an MCL sprain suffered early last year messed up his mechanics, but it's fallen on deaf ears so far, which is how a player who hit .318 from 2019 through 2022 (and with power and speed to boot) is still being drafted outside the top 300.
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Geraldo Perdomo has the advantage of incumbency but is no great shakes offensively for the defending NL champions. As long as Lawlar does his thing at Triple-A, the consensus top-15 prospect will step in sooner than later.
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The top prospect worked to shorten his swing this offseason after an embarrassing first showing in the majors, and the Cardinals haven't once hedged about making him their starting shortstop for 2024.
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If you're looking for a cheap steals play, Caballero swiped 26 bags in just 280 plate appearances for the Mariners last year. The Rays sought him out to be their starting shortstop this offseason, which should mean much more playing time.
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Outfield
The most overlooked member of the Reds lineup had 11 homers and 19 steals last year despite not being a regular contributor until June. Even you presume Benson continues to sit against tougher left-handers, a 20-homer, 30-steal outcome is potentially in the offing.
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Even while losing significant time to injuries, Siri managed to deliver 25 homers last year. He's set a goal of 30 steals for this season, and his 98th percentile sprint speed makes it probable enough.
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Perhaps the truest of three-true-outcome hitters in the game today, Wallner is sort of a poor man's Kyle Schwarber and could approach 30 homers if he can hang in there against lefties.
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Flashing power and speed this spring, Rafaela has likely earned a spot on the Red Sox's opening day roster, whether at his long-term home in center field or as a fill-in at second base. He hit .302 with 20 homers and 36 steals in the minors last year.
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The much-hyped prospect already showed his power would play in the majors during his brief trial last year and also had a combined 41 steals between the majors and minors. He might not make it back from Tommy John surgery until midseason, but if you have an IL spot, he's a must-stash.
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A center field-capable defender with plus on-base skills from the left side of the plate is an absolute certainty to find at-bats at some point, especially after he slashed .316/.388/.474 in his first look as a major-leaguer.
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The fifth overall pick in the 2021 draft has nothing more to accomplish in the minors and has been one of the biggest headline-grabbers this spring, putting pressure on the Orioles to find at-bats for him.
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Scott stole 94 bases in the minors last year and has been the talk of Cardinals camp, which is good timing with Tommy Edman (wrist surgery) and Lars Nootbaar (rib fractures) sidelined for the start of the year.
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Burleson is an even better bet than Victor Scott to fill in for one of the injured Cardinals outfielders. His low strikeout rate and high exit velocity readings both point to him being a plus hitter, as does his .331 batting average and .905 OPS in his final minor-league season (2022).
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Starting pitcher
A sore shoulder may have ruined Sheehan's favored status for Dodgers' fifth starter job, but let's not throw out the baby with the bathwater. He still had a 20 percent swinging-strike rate in his two months in Double-A last year and a 23 percent swinging-strike rate in his final three major-league appearances, in which he put together a 1.98 ERA, 0.73 WHIP and 15.8 K/9.
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Olson's overall numbers last year are reason enough to buy in at this price, but when he began mixing in his changeup more last September, he had a 1.44 ERA and 0.77 WHIP across five starts.
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Montas' velocity has been fine this spring after he missed most of last season with a shoulder injury, and when his splitter is at its best, he can resemble an ace, as we saw in both 2019 and 2021.
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Back from Tommy John surgery, Paddack has been working to expand his arsenal this spring, which might explain his so-so performance, but we already know that his fastball/changeup pairing is enough to make him a strikeout-per-inning guy -- and with elite control to boot.
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A completely new arsenal led Fedde to a 20-6 record, 2.00 ERA 0.95 WHIP, 10.4 K/9 and 70 percent ground-ball rate in Korea, and now he brings it back with him to the U.S.
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The underrated strike-thrower was the Orioles' best pitcher in the first half last year and should excel in WHIP, if nothing else, given that his fly-ball tendencies mesh perfectly with Camden Yards' expansive outfield.
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Mechanical and pitch-tipping issues prevented Stone from living up to his dominant minor-league numbers from 2022, but he'll get another chance with much less hype now, slotting in as the Dodgers' No. 5 starter to begin the year.
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The left-hander was hurt most of last year but had a 16.8 K/9 rate when he wasn't and could be the first man up should a rotation opening develop in-season.
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An absurdly high walk rate kept Boyle off top prospect lists in the minors, but his fastball and slider are both top-of-the-scales offerings. There's hope his command has improved enough to make good on them.
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Megill has been racking up strikeouts this spring with a harder slider and a splitter modeled after Kodai Senga's "ghost fork."
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The surprise rotation candidate ranks among the spring leaders in strikeouts with improved control and a fastball that's regularly hitting 97 mph.
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Relief pitcher
While the Orioles never seemed sure what to do with him, the Brewers seem committed to making Hall a starter, and his fastball is the sort of weapon that could position him among the league leaders in strikeouts someday.
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Harvey had seemingly overtaken Kyle Finnegan as Nationals closer last summer before an elbow strain put him on the IL around the All-Star break. There isn't much question in my mind which is the more talented of the two.
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The Braves zeroed in on Lopez early in the offseason and immediately announced they would convert him to a starter even though he's mostly succeeded in relief. Even if he's merely competent in the role, the Braves offense should put him in position to win 10 games or more.
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An intimidating presence as a reliever before Tommy John surgery derailed him in 2022, Crochet is auditioning for a rotation spot this spring, and between the Dylan Cease trade and the Michael Kopech bullpen reassignment, he seems to have secured it.
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