Opinion

June 3, 2011. That is the last time Ivan Nova lost a game pitching for the New York Yankees. Even on that day, he only gave up two earned runs in six innings pitched.

“Whatever the Yankees bring up as far as having success, you can easily knock it out by saying we knocked you out after being 0-and-3. The one the Boston Red Sox were able to get from the Yankees was probably the most painful ever, I think, in any sport to the Yankees fans.” 

School: Barbe HS (LA)
D.O.B.: 12/22/93 (18-years-old)
Height: 6’1" ft.
Weight: 180 lbs.
Bats/Throws: Right/Right
Position: SS

Stats:

Houston Astros outfielder J.D. Martinez had a decent rookie season, compiling a .274/.319/.423 slash average with six home runs and 35 RBI in 226 plate appearances after joining the team in late July. 

Though he's slated to be the Astros starting left fielder this season, Martinez wanted to be in great shape when he got to spring training. To achieve that, he wanted to be pushed hard. So hard that he'd leave his effort all over the training room. Literally. 

There's nothing like seeing your late-rounder blossom and become one of the stars of your fantasy baseball team.

There will always be waiver-wire wonders, but sometimes all you need is a good draft of sleepers to give you that edge over the competition.

Plus, there's nothing like beating an unsuspecting foe with players he never even thought of before.

Chad Billingsley, SP, Los Angeles Dodgers

Last month I wrote a piece about Reds second base prospect Brodie Greene. This month, I'm bringing you another second baseman, Henry Rodriguez.

Picking out quality starting pitching for your fantasy baseball team can be a fickle enterprise, given how difficult it is to project how well any given MLB hurler will fare from year to year.

Not to mention how few and far between aces tend to be.

The catcher position is very deep this year, and that means you can afford to wait to grab a backstop in upcoming fantasy baseball drafts.

Granted, the position is a little weaker at top. 

No. 1 Mike Napoli exploded last year, and it's tough to justify paying for a career year. No. 2 Carlos Santana struck out 133 times and hit a pedestrian .239 in 2011.

Guys such as Buster Posey and Joe Mauer are obviously terrific, but they are injury-prone. 

Earlier today, Buster Olney reported that Miguel Cabrera has a small fracture under his right eye and might be out a week or two.

With the 2012 MLB season just a few weeks away, it’s time to get to the nitty-gritty of the fantasy baseball sleepers for this season.

This piece will discuss the top three sleeper sluggers that fantasy owners can wait a few rounds longer on and still reap the rewards.

All of the following MLB stars will have stellar 2012 seasons, so feel free to grab them as late as physically possible.