Sleeper of the Week

With savvy fantasy owners watching the waiver wire like hawks, most sleepers who enjoy any measure of big league success don’t remain available for long. Yet on rare occasions a productive player manages to slip through the cracks, spending the bulk of the season on the wire despite having significant fantasy value. This year’s prime example: Tony Batista.

The reason why Batista is so unpopular in fantasy circles is his batting average, of course (although it doesn’t help that he plays for the Washington, er, Montreal Expos). It’s not just that the veteran 3B is hitting .242 this year - he hasn’t topped .244 for four seasons now, for crying out loud. With an average that low, fantasy owners have been staying away in droves.

Yet consider Batista’s other numbers. One hundred and ten RBI, 12th-best in the majors. Thirty-two home runs. Seventy-four runs scored. And a career-high 14 steals thrown in for good measure. These stats are more than enough to make up for his low average; in fact, Batista’s current 5×5 value is around $15, more than players such as Shawn Green, Jeff Bagwell and Victor Martinez, all of whom have higher batting averages and greater fantasy esteem.

For the past month, Batista has been even better, tying for the league lead in both HR (9) and RBI (26). Among 3Bs, only Colorado’s Vinny Castilla has been more valuable in standard 5×5 leagues over that span.

If you need a late boost in the power categories and can afford to take a hit in average, or if you’re simply searching for an inexpensive hot corner option for next year, take a look at Tony Batista. He just might be the most underrated fantasy asset in the game.