Short Nap: Fantasy Baseball Sleeper Shortstops for 2012

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Although there are several decent options at the top of the list of fantasy shortstops for 2012, if you find yourself fishing for a player to fill this middle infield position in your draft or auction, you’ll want to have several options available. There are several sleeper candidates for shortstop in 2012 and these are some names of interest:

Stephen Drew (Photo credit: phxwebguy)

Stephen Drew (ARI) –

Drew was off to a miserable start in 2011 before being sidelined with a broken ankle in July. Like his brother, J.D., Stephen has disappointed fantasy owners somewhat over the years. However, he did have a solid season in 2008 and also offers a little power and speed to go with a boatload of triples and a decent batting average at home. Drew may be a bit of a forgotten man among your fellow fantasy owners. Check his status in spring training. If he’s recovered from the ankle injury and is running well, he may be a decent late-round bargain.

Dee Gordon (LAD) –

Sure, he’s becoming everyone’s trendy sleeper pick for 2012, but for good reason. After a first half spent primarily in the minors, Gordon had a fantastic September in the bigs with 12 SB (his 15 in the second half led all shortstops in that category). He won’t provide any power but if everything works out, he could wind up with 40 steals by season’s end.

Zach Cozart (CIN) –

Tommy John surgery on his non-throwing elbow in August of last season will surely scare off the majority of your fellow fantasy owners. As a result, Cozart may slip right into your hands. He has shown the ability to put up decent power/speed numbers and has impressed at every level of his minor league development. He has a shot to hit out of the number 2 spot in a potent line up with a good hitters park for home games.  He may deliver double digits in home runs and RBI as early as this season.

Cliff Pennington (OAK) –

The number 9 hitter in a weak Athletics line up is not the likeliest of places to go looking for a sleeper fantasy pick. However, Pennington stole 29 bases as recently as 2010 and shouldn’t hurt you in the batting average department. His performance after the All Star break last season (.303 BA) makes him an interesting option in the later rounds.

If you decide to forgo your middle infield picks until the later rounds, you might want to consider one of these players as a fantasy baseball sleeper pick at shortstop in 2012.