NL Central deep-league sleepers 

February, 7, 2012
Feb 7
2:13
PM ET
I remember precisely what I said on ESPNEWS the day Chicago Cubs slugger Jake Fox was called up from Triple-A Iowa. It was Wednesday, May 27, 2009, and Fox had been hitting .409 in the minors, with 17 home runs in 45 games and a magnificent .841 slugging percentage. Sure, it wasn't the big leagues, but I gushed that this guy could clearly hit if given opportunity, and I had him stashed away in a deep league or two.

Of course, while the Fox story isn't officially over, he never really hit much for the Cubs, Oakland Athletics or Baltimore Orioles, and let's just say he doesn't bring much to the table in terms of speed or defense, either. Fox heads to spring training on a non-roster deal with the Pittsburgh Pirates, and while there's still time for him to hit … aw, forget it.

To see five players Eric considers deep-league sleepers for 2012, you must be an ESPN Insider.

Eric Karabell | email

ESPN.com Senior Writer

ESPN Conversations


You must be signed in to post a comment

Already have an account?