Norris Hopper might not be the sexiest name in the Reds' outfield, but he will produce.

Welcome! This is my debut here for Sports Grumblings, but I hope to be around all season long to help guide you to a championship in every one of your leagues (unless any of my competitors are reading). Today we are going to start with 2008 sleepers, in both the American and National League.

Although we are all thankful every day for the wonderful gifts the internet have bestowed upon us, it has had a negative effect on the concept of “sleepers.” Nowadays, with all the information out there, finding a bona fide sleeper, unknown to the rest of your league, is nearly impossible. That is not to say you should not try, of course. That is what this is really designed to help you do – find that player who is either unknown or seemingly undervalued by your opponents.

A disclaimer: some of these guys may seem more obvious than others, but we're trying to cover all sorts of leagues, from the eight-team mixed free league, to the high stakes NL-Only 20 man league, so you will have to forgive me if they are not all applicable to your circumstances.

We will be looking at 10 from each league, listed in no particular order:

National League Sleepers

Norris Hopper, Outfielder, Cincinnati Reds

Although the Reds had Adam Dunn, Josh Hamilton, Ken Griffey Jr., and Ryan Freel as outfield options, Norris Hopper still found his way into 121 games (albeit many as a defensive replacement), and 307 at-bats. Hamilton has moved onto Texas, and while Freel is still around, he has had only 500 at-bats once in his career. The bigger roadblock to Hopper's opportunity is when (not if) Jay Bruce is called up to the show. Therefore, at least early on, Hopper should get plenty of time. He will not give you any power (four career homers between the minors and majors), but he has undeniable speed. Even if the Reds call Bruce up early, Hopper should come reasonably cheap in most leagues, and should net you 15 steals.

Michael Bourn, Outfielder, Houston Astros

Another speedster, Bourn was a pinch runner extraordinaire last year, stealing 18 bases, in only 119 at-bats for the Phillies. Just a few weeks ago, however, the Phillies opted not to use Bourn to replace free agent Aaron Rowand, instead packaging him to the Houston Astros (the team that originally drafted him) for Brad Lidge. Bourn has been a huge base stealer throughout the minors, stealing as many as 57 back in A-Ball, and he has expected to lead off, batting in front of Lance Berkman, Miguel Tejada, Carlos Lee, and Hunter Pence. That should mean a whole lot of runs. Still, if he struggles, the Astros could easily place free agent Kazuo Matsui at the top of the lineup, diminishing Bourn's value. Bottom line: Bourn could be a 30 stolen base option that comes cheaper than your average 30 stolen base threat.

Scott Olsen, Starting Pitcher, Florida Marlins

Yikes. You are probably looking at his 2007 numbers and questioning my sanity. You may be right. There are a whole lot of negatives surrounding Olsen: questionable run support; 29 homers in 176 innings; roughly 1.5 strikeouts per walk; some off-the-field problems (DUI arrest and a suspension for “insubordination”). Still, I went out and acquired him relatively cheaply in two leagues due to two numbers: .315 and .349. Those are Olsen's batting average against and batting average on balls in play numbers, respectively, which are extremely high. Although he certainly contributed to his own problems last year with his high walk and homers allowed numbers, even a slight downward trend toward normalcy could result in a season far closer to his 2006 line than his 2007. Let your league mates worry about his terrible 2007 performance, and snag him late/cheap in NL-Only leagues. There is probably still too much risk to pick him in mixed leagues, but look for a 4.20 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, and a 170 strikeouts.

Shawn Hill, Starting Pitcher, Washington Nationals

After two brief, and highly ineffective, appearances in Washington in 2005 and 2006 (nine starts), Shawn Hill pitched quite well over 16 starts last season. He missed all of June and July with a non-throwing shoulder injury and a sore pitching elbow. The left shoulder was operated on, but Hill should be ready for spring training. He's not a huge strikeout guy, and he probably won't be as effective as he was last year, but it's not unreasonable to expect a 4.00-4.25 ERA and a 1.20 WHIP from Hill. Since he is on the Nationals, of course his win total may be lower than you would like.

Ryan Church, Outfielder, New York Mets

It may seem strange to you to put a player who put up 15 homers and 70 RBIs last year as a “sleeper,” but I put Church in this category, in part because he has never received more than 470 at-bats in a season. He moves to New York this year, where he will get every opportunity to be the starting right fielder for the Mets, although expect Carlos Gomez and Endy Chavez to get plenty of time in the outfield as well. Church struggled mightily against left-handers last year, and could ultimately end up on the right side of a right field platoon. Still, I think 20 homers and 80 RBI is not asking too much from Church, to go with a .280 average and .350 OBP.

Mark Prior, Starting Pitcher, San Diego Padres

Including Prior on a list like this is somewhat questionable. He has not pitched since 2006 – he has not pitched effectively since 2005, and he is coming off a major surgery to repair a torn labrum and rotator cuff. I have read some estimates that he could be ready by May, but I would expect June is more likely. He is still injury prone, and I doubt he will ever be able to dial up his fastball to 2003 levels, but as a cheap, late selection in an NL-Only league, you could do a lot worse.

Ryan Ludwick, Outfielder, St. Louis Cardinals

Heading into 2006, the Cardinals seemed set in the outfield with Juan Encarnacion, Jim Edmonds, and Chris Duncan, with So Taguchi as a fourth outfielder and defensive replacement. Thanks to injuries, Ludwick ended up with 300 at-bats, and made the most of it, smacking 14 homers. This year, only Duncan remains, although Ludwick is still likely to be no more than a fourth outfielder, behind both rookie Colby Rasmus and feel-good story Rick Ankiel. Still, since Rasmus, Ankiel, and Duncan are all left-handed hitters, Ludwick may end up in the lineup frequently. For an NL-Only league, Ludwick is a fine addition, as he should get you double-digit homers, with an upside of 20 homers, depending on playing time.

Josh Anderson, Outfielder, Atlanta Braves

Confession time: I initially pegged Josh Anderson as a sleeper before the Braves acquisition of Mark Kotsay. I briefly reconsidered, but truth be told, he is probably an even better sleeper now, sitting behind a 32-year-old with back problems. Since hot prospect Brandon Jones is not best suited to play center field, Anderson could see the field quite a bit. At the very least, he is another one of those pinch-runner types who can cheaply contribute double digit steals for low cost.

Scott Hairston, Outfielder, San Diego Padres

I have been a sucker for Scott Hairston for a long time. He may ultimately end up falling into the Quadruple-A category: the players who are too good for Triple-A, but not quite good enough for the majors. He is still only 27, and he may open the season as the Padres starting left fielder, but this may be his last chance. The power is there, the opportunity is there, I am expecting a 15-homer season from Hairston with a .270-.280 average.

Rajai Davis, Outfielder, San Francisco Giants

Davis emerged for the Giants last year, stepping in when Dave Roberts went down with one of his typical injuries. He performed quite well for the Giants, batting .282, with a .363 OBP over 51 games and 142 at-bats, stealing 17 bases in the process (the remainder of his stats were accumulated with the Pirates). This year, he has expected to begin the season as the fourth outfielder, but that just means he might be overlooked in your league. Dave Roberts will get hurt at some point, and when he does, expect Davis to pick up where he left off in 2007. At the very least, the Giants are unlikely to contend this year, which means Davis could spell the 34-year-old Randy Winn at times. If Davis only needed 142 at-bats to collect 22 stolen bases, that set forth a solid baseline, and if there is more opportunity, he could easily net 30 or more stolen bases.