Few starting pitchers generate more conflicting feelings about whether they’re a pending sleeper or bust than Washington Nationals right-hander Stephen Strasburg. A former No. 1 overall pick, Strasburg was supposed to have won multiple Cy Young awards by now and be a sure fantasy building block, not end up ranked behind someone like Cleveland Indians right-hander Carlos Carrasco. But that’s the case and while I see both sides, that’s kind of the fun of it all, speculating whether “this is the year” for someone so talented and accomplished (his career ERA is 3.09, after all), yet somehow seen as disappointing.

Strasburg gets the sleeper nod for me, though it’s tough for any recognized top-20 hurler to truly engender the designation. Perhaps that’s for another blog entry, the pitchers I could see ending up in the top 10 not ranked that way!