Jason Kubel likely will be limited in his appearances early for the Twins, but could grab an everyday role as his recovery from knee surgery progresses.

AP

Last week we offered a few of the top potential hitting sleepers for the season ahead. But that was only half the story. This week, we offer a second round of potential offensive stars flying under the radar.

AL Sleepers, Part 2

Jason Kubel, OF, Minnesota Twins: Kubel, coming off of right knee surgery two years ago, is expected to be the Twins' designated hitter against right-handers again this season. The Twins are willing to hand over the starting left field job to him when he is 100 percent. A solid line-drive hitter, he finished strong last year and should start developing his power stroke.

Mike Lamb, 3B, Minnesota Twins: Lamb is not a great defensive player at third base, but the Twins acquired him for his bat. He has line-drive power, draws walks and hit.367 (17-for-47) against lefties last season. Grab him for his offensive potential and 1B-3B eligibility.

Adam Lind, OF, Toronto Blue Jays: Lind has a beautiful swing and power potential but plays poor defense and doesn't have any speed. He is worth grabbing on reserve because he could garner some playing time as the season wears on. He hit .299-6-28 in 46 games at Syracuse last year. He could be shopped in a trade this summer.

Evan Longoria, 3B, Tampa Bay Rays: Longoria, the Rays' top pick in the 2006 draft, could be the starting third baseman on Opening Day if he has a good spring. He has .280, 20-homer potential in a few years. A shortstop in college, he has the skills that will make him a defensive star at third. Great pick for the future.

Lyle Overbay, 1B, Toronto Blue Jays: Overbay broke his right pinky in early June last year and missed 31 games. He struggled upon his return, finishing at just .240, and was finally shut down in September. He's been working with a personal trainer all winter and is in pretty good shape in camp. Expect a rebound.

Jason Pridie, OF, Minnesota Twins: Pridie will get a look in center field this spring but has never really been regarded as starting material. But if Carlos Gomez struggles (a possibility), it will be Pridie's job to lose. He batted .318-10-39-12 in 245 at-bats for AAA Durham last season and also hit .290-4-27-14 for AA Birmingham. Pridie, whom the Twins had in spring training two years ago as a Rule 5 pick before returning him to the Rays, came back in the same deal that brought Delmon Young to town over the winter.

Alexei Ramírez, SS, Chicago White Sox: The lanky Cuban might spend most of this year in the minors to gain some experience but this kid can hit. He batted .335 with a .574 slugging percentage and led the Cuban league in homers last year, but Cuban hurlers generally equate with Class-A talent at best so the jury is still out. He has played second base, shortstop and center field in his short career but the Sox plan to let him compete for the starting job at second. He is a clank in the field so he might have to begin the season in the minors, but the bat will be his meal ticket to the majors.

Jarrod Saltalamacchia, C, Texas Rangers: Salty played some first base last year but the team wants him to be a full-time catcher, so he might need to hone his defensive skills a little more at Triple A. If Gerald Laird wins the starting job, that's where he would land. But Salty can hit, and that is where his fantasy value lies.

Mark Teahen, 1B, Kansas City Royals: Teahen had surgery to remove loose fibers from his shoulder in '06 and, as a result, struggled with his power all last year. He also started pressing to hit more homers and slumped a bit, going from 18 homers in '06 to just seven last year. Expect a rebound.

Vernon Wells, OF, Toronto Blue Jays: Wells is coming off surgery for a cyst and torn labrum in his left shoulder last September. He said the injury caused tightness all season, forcing him to adjust his swing resulting in a drastic drop in production. Expect a rebound if 100 percent.

NL Sleepers, Part 2

Brandon Jones, OF, Atlanta Braves: Jones will battle Matt Diaz for playing time in left field this spring, and the two could end up in a platoon. Jones improved his strike zone judgment and base running skills last year but is still a tad raw, especially in the base-running department. The Braves envision him as a future starter but could decide to send him back to Triple A, if they believe he needs to play full time. Excellent reserve pick.

Andy LaRoche, 3B, Los Angles Dodgers: LaRoche was supposed to battle Nomar Garciaparra for the starting job at third base this spring but got hurt and will miss at least the first month of the season. But Garciaparra is also injury-prone, so the job could be available when LaRoche returns. Nomar could be better-suited for a utility role at this point in his career anyway. LaRoche has 30-home run potential but needs to work on his strike zone judgment to keep his batting average at the .280-level in the majors.

Lastings Milledge, OF, Washington Nationals: Milledge is an aggressive hitter with outstanding bat speed and good defensive ability but needs to shed his lazy tag. He gets a fresh start in Washington, where he is penciled in as the starting center fielder. If he improves his selectivity and attitude, he could surprise this year, but the hype will likely raise his value too much in most drafts. Don't overpay.

Jayson Nix, 2B, Colorado Rockies: Nix is considered a defensive plus, particularly on double plays, and he batted .292-11-58-24 at Colorado Springs last year after changing his stance at the plate. He will compete for the second base job this spring.

Colby Rasmus, OF, St. Louis Cardinals: Rasmus, the team's two-time minor league player of the year, is the first choice to replace Jim Edmonds in center field this spring. He hit .275-29-72-18 at AA Springfield last year and walked 70 times with 108 strikeouts. He is a power-speed guy, like Edmonds, but is still a little raw. He was San Diego's first-round pick in '05 and is a great pick for the future, but don't expect big numbers this year.

Joey Votto, 1B, Cincinnati Reds: Votto is penciled in as the starting first baseman this spring. He has power and improved discipline, but Dusty Baker would like to see him become more aggressive at the plate. Baker likes veterans, so if he struggles out of the gate, he could be shipped back to Triple A with Scott Hatteberg taking over.

Pitchers coming next week...

Dennis LePore is the head writer and editor of the Sandlot Shrink, a group of sportswriters with a direct pipeline to general managers, managers, coaches, players and scouts in Baseball, Football and Basketball. LePore's columns have appeared in several national newspapers, web sites and magazines over the years. At the Shrink site, he combines scouting reports and statistical data to develop his player rankings and dollar values. LePore is also the author of the Shrink's two annual books, the Fantasy Baseball Insider and the Fantasy Football Insider.