The Sleepers

Continuing with the Draft Guide, here's a few sleepers to keep an eye on in the mid-to late rounds.

The Sleepers

1. 3B Ryan Zimmerman

Washington has become a good place for great players to hide, and Zimmerman seems ready to break out. Zimmerman played in every game last season and posted .266/24 HR/91 RBI/99 R. At age 23, Zimmerman may give David Wright a run for his money this season at third base.

2. 2B Ian Kinsler

Kinsler has been a highly anticipate player for the past two years, but injuries have hampered his production, missing 74 games over the past two seasons. He made some nice improvements from ’06 to ’07 and his 20 HR at the second base position look nice on any team. Throw in 23 SB and he has the potential become a top tier second baseman in ’08.

3. OF Matt Kemp

Kemp shared right field with Andre Ethier for the Dodgers last year but made a huge push to become the starter. The 23-year-old hit .342/10 HR/42 RBI/47 R/10 SB in only 98 games last season. He also spent the off-season working out in Arizona and lost 25 pounds since the end of last season. That spells breakout.

4. P Yovani Gallardo

Gallardo was thrust into a Brewers pennant race last season at age 21 and showed notable poise down the stretch. He went 4-1 with a 1.58 ERA over his last six starts and finished with a 9-5 record over only 17 starts. His 101 Ks in 110.1 innings-pitched make a reliever-like ratio.

5. OF Jacoby Ellsbury

Ellsbury won the starting job over Coco Crisp late in the season and showed his grit when he batted .438 in the World Series. He posted a .353/3 HR/18 RBI/20 R/9 SB stat line in only 33 games last season. On top of that, having the protection of David Ortiz, Manny Ramirez and Mike Lowell can’t hurt his production.

Tomorrow, we'll look at some superstars who might not come as advertised.