Fantasy owners are smart and savvy in lots of ways. Fake GMs understand stats and trends as well as anyone, and they appreciate the merits of rising stars before the public spotlight finds them.

But, they are also naturally out of touch with reality and heap unrealistic expectations on players. Take Detroit Tigers RHP Rick Porcello, for example.

Poll baseball people everywhere, and they will give all kinds of praise to a 20-year-old kid who not only survived an entire season in the Tigers’ rotation, but pitched well enough to win 14 games. Porcello showed maturity beyond his years this past season, John Lowe of the Detroit Free Press said after Porcello finished behind Oakland A’s RHP Andrew Bailey and Texas Rangers shortstop Elvis Andrus in American League Rookie of the Year voting. Read more »

Ladies and gentlemen, a list of 10 players to start your preseason “sleeper” lists for 2010.

Chances are, all 10 of these soon-to-be rookies and sophomores will be exposed and no longer “sleepers” in the truest sense of the word come next season, but that doesn’t make it any less important to know who they are.

Regardless of how hyped the top young players are, you must know what they are all about in order to compete. If you’re the only one in your league to know about their forthcoming stardom, great, you’ve got first dibs on their services. If every manager in your league is onto them, it’s just as vital to know who they are for the sake of keeping up with the Joneses.

Some of these guys — Andrew McCutchen, Tommy Hanson, Neftali Feliz and Rick Porcello — are making an impact right now. Their abilities have already been identified, but they still have plenty of ways to improve their games next season. A handful of others — Justin Smoak, Jason Heyward and Buster Posey, to name a few — are future stars who should get their shots at some point in 2010.

Get to know ‘em now. By the time 2010 drafts come around, you’ll be glad you did. Read more »

Rookie pitchers are seldom good investments in fantasy.

Like a quarterback in the NFL, there’s just so much to learn, even for polished pitchers with years of minor league experience under their belts. Scouting reports are more detailed, there’s more scrutiny and pressure on them, and the hitters are world class. Youngsters aren’t typically trustworthy enough to make the right adjustments and be useful in fantasy. Read more »

Young pitchers and recovering veterans are the theme this week, since a handful of each offer the best potential value on the waiver wire. The must-know name is Atlanta Braves phenom Tommy Hanson, who will make his much-anticipated 2009 debut Saturday against the Milwaukee Brewers.

Another youngster, Detroit Tigers right-hander Rick Porcello, has been pitching effectively in the big leagues all season. He is not a perfect addition to a fantasy rotation — he faces an innings limit and has a low strikeout rate — but Porcello has a lot of talent and a knack for earning decisions in his starts.

Injured veterans John Smoltz and Kelvim Escobar are rehabbing right now, and we know exactly what both have to offer when healthy. Of course, there are questions about just when they’re healthy and how long they can stay that way, but those risks are what makes them so widely available in fantasy leagues. Take on the injury risk, and there are huge potential rewards. Read more »

Yes, we know there were no free agent profiles for Week 2, for a couple of reasons. Time got in the way, and there were really no changes from our original group of suggestions. As a testament, either to our ingenuity last week or our continued ignorance, eight of the 10 on our Week 1 list have carried over to Week 3.

The two names since removed are Mike Pelfrey, who is dinged up, and David Purcey, who is showing the inconsistencies we originally feared. It seemed like a good time to replace them with advisories on youngsters Ricky Romero and Tommy Hanson. Read more »

This early in the season, chasing starting pitchers on the waiver wire is a classic risk vs. reward proposition. Starts and innings limits are so far off, deploying spot starters is a questionable strategy in season-long roto leagues. In weekly leagues, though, playing matchups is a sound play and choosing the right free agents is key in making that strategy work.

Some starters offer good matchup potential AND a shot at sticking on fantasy rosters all season. Those are the kinds of pitchers we’ve tried to identify below. The best way to treat free agent starting pitchers is to give them a start or two, determine how much leash they have, then figure out whether to keep them around or cut them loose and start over again. Those who played this strategy with Cliff Lee last season were rewarded with epic results. Read more »