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.
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 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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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