It is crunch time for fantasy baseball drafts as Spring Training is now in full swing and the regular season is mere weeks away from opening day. If you are doing your research, which you should be, then the top rated fantasy players should be second nature to you. The names like Stephen Strasburg, Matt Kemp, Ryan Braun, Justin Verlander, Mike Trout and Miguel Cabrera are atop every perspective fantasy GM’s draft day wish list.

Fantasy baseball is an easy draft to partake in, at least for the first five rounds; as by then the top 50 or so players are off the board and each team in the league has one or two representatives. If you are playing in a deeper league of say 12 GM’s and 20 rounds then you had better have an idea of who you are going to be looking at with that 240th pick.

This is eDraft’s fantasy sleeper guide and we are continuing our analysis of potential fantasy sleepers and draft day bargains as we move on to the National League Central. From the Central division we are focusing on the lesser-known and under-valued players whom you can look at grabbing in those later rounds while your co-general manager’s are struggling to find serviceable fantasy options.

Here are ten position players worthy of draft day consideration. Stay tuned to eDraft for fantasy pitchers from the NL Central and check back for more fantasy sleeper picks as we work our way through each division.

Zack Cozart - Shortstop, Cincinnati Reds

Cozart will be the Cincinnati Reds starting shortstop that much is pretty much guaranteed at this point of Spring Training. Despite some struggles early on in the spring games, Cozart figures to replicate his numbers from last season. If Cozart can be more disciplined at the plate this year then he should be able to maintain a higher batting average while keeping his OBP over .300 and a .400-plus slugging percentage. He has decent pop in his bat and he should be able to knock out at least 15 homers, hopefully with that production he registers more RBI’s as last season’s 35 was disappointing.

Todd Frazier - Third Base, Cincinnati Reds

Teaming up with Zack Cozart on the left side of the Cincinnati Reds infield will be Todd Frazier. Frazier figures to get more games and at-bats this season than last, meaning he will have about 80 more chances to produce for your fantasy roster. With the increase in plate appearances it is easy to see that Frazier will surpass his homerun and RBI totals from last season. Expect a rip line of 23 HR, 75 RBI, .255 AVG, .330 OBP and a .446 SLG; all in all pretty decent numbers. Frazier is a middle of the pack third baseman; however, he could slip in drafts behind more notable names like Alex Rodriguez, Chris Johnson and Michael Young. In NL only leagues he is definitely top-ten fantasy material.

Ryan Ludwick – Outfield, Cincinnati Reds

I’m penciling Ryan Ludwick in for a statistical season similar to last year’s numbers. Some fantasy general managers might scoff at a 28 HR, 80 RBI season, but I’ll take it for sure. I don’t see any great improvement on these numbers as Ludwick is 34-years-old and thus unlikely to develop some new power stroke. There is good value here as a late-round pick as many drafts have Ludwick undervalued due to the depth of the outfield spots.

Norichika Aoki - Outfield, Milwaukee Brewers

Norichika Aoki figures to be the everyday leadoff hitter for the Milwaukee Brewers as he will be batting ahead of Rickie Weeks and Ryan Braun. Aoki’s value is his OBP as he posted a solid .355 last season and that percentage figures to be higher this campaign. Aoki hits for decent average, has minimal homerun pop but is good for about 10 a season, he can steal bases and will swipe 20-plus but his runs scored totals are solid as he benefits from having Braun’s big bat behind him. A mid-round draft value; however, if you see him on the board past that point grab him. Look at Aoki instead of overvalued guys like Carl Crawford, Alfonso Soriano and Juan Pierre.

Starling Marte - Outfield, Pittsburgh Pirates

Here is another leadoff hitter for your consideration. Starling Marte is slated to be the opening day leadoff guy for the Pittsburgh Pirates. Marte did play in 47 games last season where he posted 43 hits, 5 HR, 17 RBI, 12 SB to go along with 50 strikeouts. Plate discipline is an issue, as evidenced by a 28% strikeout to at-bat ratio. The talent is certainly there with this kid and with an improved eye at the plate his OBP and AVG will come up. As an everyday player for manager Clint Hurdle, Marte could post a rip line of 15 HR, 60 RBI, 75 runs, 30 SB, .268 AVG, .320 OPB and a .432 SLG. Numbers like that are definitely worthy of a late-round flier and that is likely where you will find him.

Garrett Jones – First Base, Pittsburgh Pirates

Garrett Jones power surge last season went relatively unnoticed. After a down year in 2011, Jones had a resurgence in 2012 as he clubbed out a career high 27 homeruns and had 86 RBI. I don’t expect similar like power numbers again this season; however, a 20-plus HR season with 70-plus RBI is attainable. There is pretty decent fantasy value here for the Pirates cleanup hitter, who will be batting behind Andrew McCutchen in the lineup. I put Jones’ value just a little lower than that of Ryan Howard’s, but the upside could be greater given the lack of health concerns.

Pete Kozma – Shortstop, St. Louis Cardinals

It looks like the St. Louis Cardinals are set to have Kozma start the season at shortstop given the season ending injury to Rafael Furcal. Kozma got a taste of the major leagues last season and he played quiet well over that 26 game period as he posted a .333 AVG, .392 OBP and .961 OPS. It is hard to see these numbers being sustained over a full season as Kozma’s hitting stats in the minor leagues are considerably lower. Nonetheless, Kozma figures to be an everyday player on a pretty good St. Louis team. Solid late-round value here for a guy who figures to get 450 at-bats on the year.

HONORABLE MENTIONS:

Billy Hamilton – Outfield, Cincinnati Reds

Billy Hamilton is making the position switch from shortstop to centerfield and thus far the reviews are very positive. Unfortunately for Reds fans and perspective fantasy owners who are looking to capitalize on Hamilton’s blazing speed, they will have to wait as Hamilton is destined to play at Triple-A this season. Barring injury to the Reds new centerfielder Shin-Soo Choo, Hamilton is a late season call up at best for the time being.

Devin Mesoraco - Catcher, Cincinnati Reds

A very solid talent at the catcher spot; however, Mesoraco lacks the playing time right now to get into a groove offensively. Something to keep in mind here is that Mesoraco didn’t play any college ball and basically went pro right out of high school. The learning curve is still pretty steep given the lack of experience, but he is still only 24 years old and has a ton of upside. Value here is in deep keeper leagues only.

Oscar Taveras - Outfield, St. Louis Cardinals

Taveras is a highly touted outfield prospect for the St. Louis Cardinals. This 20 year old is as major-league ready as anyone, having said that he is likely to start the season in Triple-A. Taveras is still very much worthy of draft day consideration as the current Cardinals outfield is aging and injury prone. Taveras will undoubtedly be the first outfield player call up for the Cardinals. In deep leagues and keeper leagues Taveras represents tremendous potential and is definitely worth of a late-round pick.