The 10 Best Post-Hype Prospects for Fantasy Baseball

So What is a Post-Hype Player…

A post-hype prospect is someone in his second, third or fourth year who has yet to produce at the level that was expected of him when he made the league. Because of this, these super talented prospects go from over-valued to under-valued, and are now sleepers ready to break out and help your team down the stretch run.

My Top Ten Post Hype Prospects Are…

Howie Kendrick - He is coming off yet another injury, this time to his hamstring, but he’s back with the Angels now. He won’t turn 25 until this June and is only in his third year. The shuttle back and forth to the minors and a couple of injuries have derailed his ABs and lowered expectations. However, Kendrick has enough bat control to be a viable threat to win a batting title at some point in his career; he also steals some bases and puts one over the fence now and again, and oh yeah, he plays second base. Another nice thing to look at that makes us stat geeks drool, are his numbers after 644 career AB’s, which is about what he would get in a full season. They are: .315 BA, 9 HR, 74 RBI, 86 R, 13 SB. Find a way to get this guy, if he’s discounted, and enjoy a nice second half. Fearless Prediction: .318 BA, 8 HR, 51 RBI, 65 R, 8 SB

Stephen Drew - is another good example of a post-hype prospect at a position of scarcity. Drew has yet to put it all together, but given his talent and glimpses he’s given us, I feel he’s ready to break-out. His power numbers and average are up from last year, and I believe his steals will come around. Look for Drew to keep plugging away and finish with solid numbers. Fearless Prediction: .273 BA, 21 HR, 72 RBI, 78 R, 11 SB.

Gavin Floyd - OK so he doesn’t fit my 2-4 year in the league rule, but he is only 25 and has only 39 career starts. Floyd was once the prize prospect in the Phils farm system, but was moved to the Chi Sox last year after failing to live up to expectations. A .315 batting average against, will put a damper on most anyone’s expectations. However, since being moved to the South Side, he has rediscovered his plus fastball and biting curve. His ERA and WHIP are way down, and he has flirted with a “no-no” twice this year. Fantasy owners may have already taken notice, but if they haven’t, go ahead and take a flyer on him. Fearless Prediction: 15-7, 3.65 ERA, 116 K, 74 BB

Casey Kotchman - projects to be another Angel that will compete for a batting title someday, although he doesn’t have quite the ideal power numbers you’d want out of a first baseman. That being said, he’s now completely recovered from a bout with mono and his HR’s should increase as a result. Fearless Prediction: .324 BA, 19 HR, 84 RBI, 74 R, 3 SB

Jeremy Hermida - Coming into the ‘06 season Hermida was touted as a can’t miss hitter on a very young Florida Marlins team. Many of the experts had already crowned him the 2006 NL Rookie of the Year before the season ever begun. But because of injuries to his hip and ankle, he played just 99 games his rookie year and his numbers were less than impressive. In ‘07 Hermida played only 129 games, but his numbers started to come around. Look for Hermida to start to put it all together this year in the second half. Fearless Prediction: .272 BA, 24 HR, 82 RBI, 68 R, 4 SB

John Danks - is a talented 23 year old lefty on the surprising White Sox. He started 26 games in his rookie campaign, but had very ho hum numbers which lowered expectations coming into this year. In ‘08 Danks is 4-4, but his ERA of 2.86, his WHIP of 1.21 and 50 K’s in 63 IP show he could have a much better record. If someone in your league hasn’t noticed these numbers yet, see if you can grab him now, before the wins start to pile up. Fearless Prediction: 13-10, 3.48 ERA, 161 K, 82 BB

Ubaldo Jimenez - is suffering through a classic sophmore slump. He has been terribly inconsistent, but the glimpes of good are still enough to place him on this list. Not to mention, I will always have a soft spot for a 24 year old who can throw 100 MPH. Here’s to hoping he can string together some quality starts. Fearless Prediction: 10-12, 4.64 ERA, 176 K, 101 BB

Adam Jones - was the key player coming back to the O’s in the Erik Bedard deal. The Orioles are committed to giving him a chance in CF, so he will get his fair share of AB’s. Jones doesn’t turn 23 until August. He is a great athlete who needs to start honing his baseball skills, but when he does; look out! For now he may be a surprising source of steals in the second half. Fearless Prediction: .266 BA, 12 HR, 57 RBI, 71 R, 22 SB

Delmon Young - Where did the power go! He hit HR’s all throughout the minors, and had 13 dingers his rookie year. Tampa Bay Rays manager Joe Maddon said. “He started out slowly last year; then he catches fire. He’ll catch his stride, and he’ll be fine by the end of the season.” I hope he’s right! He sat for the first time in over a year on Thursday, maybe this is the rest he needed. He’s still only 22, and one of the most talented prospects around. Fearless Prediction: .281 BA, 12 HR, 73 RBI, 76 R, 19 SB

Matt Garza - I figured we ought to keep Garza right next to Delmon Young, whom he was traded for this off-season. The Rays had plenty of young offense, but needed some young pitchers, so the two teams swapped talented prospects. I’d say things have worked out pretty well for both teams, who are at the top or near the top of their divisions. Garza has had 5 out of 6 quality starts, and most recently struck out a career high 10 batters. Fearless Prediction: 13-6, 4.03 ERA, 141 K, 76 BB

Who did I miss? Drop me a comment about your post-hype prospects, or send an email to andy@fightingchancefantasy.com. Or have your say ranking the prospects with the list ranker below…

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