Welcome to the first edition of ‘Sleepy Hollow Stars,’ a segment where I discuss sleepers that are not getting the attention they deserve, thus fantasy lineups around the country are hollow without them. OK, so it’s not the most relevant title, but I like it, so I’m sticking with it.

With the first half-week of MLB action commenced, I got to thinking about why some guys are available in my league and I began to look around all ESPN Fantasy Leagues and saw some shocking information. These 25 guys below are not getting the love they need, so take note. The number accompanying each player is the percent of leagues the player is owned in.

Kurt Suzuki (owned in 72.1 percent of ESPN leagues)
This Suzuki is no .350 hitter, but he can hit .290-.300 and he came up with the fourth-best season in my points league last year. This year, he’s an integral part of the Oakland A’s offense (if that’s what you could call it) and needs to be owned in all leagues. Most leagues only require one catcher, so even in the shallowest of leagues (8-10 teams), as one of the top 5 or 6 catchers in the game, Suzuki should be on a team in every league, plain and simple.

Colby Rasmus (66.5 percent)
The sophomore is far from slumping. Hitting behind Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday, Rasmus should have plenty of opportunities to drive in runs and the way he’s been stroking the ball, he could reach the 90 RBI plateau. The kid has all-world talent, and this could be the year he is harnessing it. He should be owned in every single league out there at this point, no matter the format.

Kyle Blanks (57.5)
So the Padres don’t really have much of an offense and PetCo park isn’t exactly the easiest place to hit, but Blanks has big-league power and is cleaning up for San Diego, hitting right behind Adrian Gonzalez. Not a bad spot to be. Take notice, this kid will eventually be a 40-homer threat and it could be this year.

Nick Johnson (56.8)
OK, so there is injury risk here, considering he has only played at least 130 games just three times in his career, but he’s hitting in cozy, homer-friendly Yankee Stadium and manager Joe Girardi has him slotted in the two-hole the first couple games so far, hitting right in front of Mark Teixeira and Alex Rodriguez. Could make for a crazy-good season for Johnson.

Delmon Young (24.8)
He was once the most highly touted prospect in the game (think Jason Heyward now), even though that seems like ages ago. Young hasn’t set the world on fire, but has reportedly come to spring training in better shape and with a different agenda—a career year. Hitting behind Jason Kubel, Joe Mauer and Justin Morneau, Young will get plenty of chances to drive in runs and if he ever finds that power stroke he was supposed to have, could easily drive in 100 runs.

Orlando Cabrera (21.3)
The starting shortstop of a potentially solid lineup in a hitter’s ballpark? Yes, please! Especially when he comes with the hitting pedigree Cabrera has. You know he’ll give you solid average and steals and in that ballpark could set a career high in homers. He could also score a lot of runs hitting two in that lineup. He definitely should be owned in more than 21 percent of leagues, especially when middle infield is so shallow to begin with.

Drew Stubbs (15.8)
Though he’s getting beat out for at-bats by Chris Dickerson in some of these early games, Stubbs will eventually win the center field job in Cincinnati and will take over leadoff duties whenever he is in the lineup. His power has been incredibly uncharacteristic lately (8 homers in a small sample size last season and 5 in spring training), so I wouldn’t count on it, but he’s found his power stroke two separate times, so you never know. Pay for steals and a lot of runs scored hitting in front of Cabrera, Votto and Brandon Phillips.

Josh Willingham (15.8)
He’s got power, that’s for certain. And he’s hitting right behind Ryan Zimmerman and Adam Dunn, so when he does go yard, they likely won’t be of the solo variety. Just sayin…

Carlos Gomez (14.2)
Another highly touted prospect who has amounted to next to nothing thus far in his Major League career. But, he’s hitting two in the Brewers’ lineup, and that means right behind Rickie Weeks, who looks like the Weeks we all knew he could be so far, and directly in front of the best 1-2 tandem in the league—Ryan Braun and Prince Fielder, who led the Majors in runs driven in by a duo in 2009. If Gomez continues to earn his at-bats on his new team, he will score close to 100 runs and with his blazing speed, could easily steal 40-50 bags, though 30-35 is more likely.

Austin Jackson (13.6)
The long lost member of the Jackson 5 is the new Detroit leadoff hitter. He’s taking over for Curtis Granderson in center and in the leadoff spot, which should equate to plenty of runs in front of Miguel Cabrera. He’s still very unproven, but 13.6 percent is a joke. That means that 17 out of every 20 leagues is Austin Jackson-less. Man, give the kid some love! Take a chance.

Troy Glaus (11.8)
He’s returning from injury and is getting up there in age, so there’s obviously risk here, but he’s only owned in 11.8 percent of leagues? This is a guy with 30-homer power who is hitting behind Chipper Jones and Brian McCann and ahead of Yunel Escobar and Jason Heyward, so he should drive in and score plenty of runs to go along with his dingers.

Sean Rodriguez (8.8)
He’s the starting second baseman for a possible playoff team in Tampa Bay. Not a bad choice at a thin position.

Skip Schumaker (8.1)
He’s slated as the leadoff hitter for the Cardinals. That means he’s hitting in front of Albert Pujols and Matt Holliday. Throw in his .300 batting average and Schumaker will score you plenty of runs at a shallow position.

Scott Rolen (7.2)
OK, so he hasn’t exactly been a fixture of health the past few years, but he’s the five-hitter in a decent lineup hitting behind Brandon Phillips and Joey Votto. Cincy is also a hitter’s park and nobody is behind him crying for playing time, so if Rolen can stay healthy, there’s no reason to think he can’t go .280-20-90 for your team.

Cameron Maybin (5.2)
This is a guy who everybody was just as gaga over last year as they are over Jason Heyward this year. He didn’t perform or get many at-bats, but he still has the skill set and is Florida’s starting center fielder and two-hitter. Pick him up before the rest of the world notices he’s available.

Travis Hafner (4.8)
See Rolen, Scott and Glaus, Troy. Hafner’s in the same boat. He has had exceptional power in years’ past and is hitting in the heart of the order so far this year (cleanup), so he could have a good year. Or, he could prove that he was just on steroids and struggle to hit 15 homers again. It’s a risk, but one I think is worthy of taking.

Aubrey Huff (4.2)
Another benefactor of where he hits in the lineup, Huff is cleaning up for the Giants, which means he is hitting behind Aaron Rowand, Edgar Renteria and Kung Fu Panda himself, Pablo Sandoval. Look for 85+ ribbies from Huff, who is Tampa Bay’s all-time leading home run hitter.

Ian Desmond (3.6)
Alright, let’s face it—a lot of these guys are on this list because of where their managers are plugging them into the lineup so far this season. Desmond is hitting two for the lowly Nationals, but that’s about the best spot you could put a young, up-and-coming top-prospect shortstop. He’s right behind a rejuvenated Nyjer Morgan and just ahead of Ryan Zimmerman and Adam Dunn. Assuming he stays in the two-hole, Desmond should drive in 50-60 runs and could easily score 85-100 runs at a shallow position.

Casey Kotchman (3.2)
Samsies to the opening sentence for Desmond. Kotchman is hitting three for the Mariners so far, which is right behind two on-base machines (Ichiro and Chone Figgins) and ahead of Milton Bradley, Ken Griffey, Jr., and Jose Lopez. Kotchman won’t set the world on fire with his power, but he could be a high-average guy with a lot of doubles and a good amount of RBIs (he had 4 on Opening Day alone).

Akinori Iwamura (3.0)
The starting second baseman for the Pirates, Iwamura figures to be slotted in the 1-3 spots in the lineup throughout the 2010 season. He’s a good on-base guy, so manager John Russell has him slated leadoff, ahead of the uber-talented Andrew McCutchen and Garret Jones, who apparently is for real, leading the Majors in homers and RBIs in the short season to date. Iwamura could easily score 90 runs and could crack the century plateau.

David DeJesus (2.2)
He’s leading off for the Royals and his career track record proves that DeJesus can hit .290 with double digit steals and home runs and somewhere around 75-80 RBIs and runs scored. So why do less than 3 percent of leagues own him? One of the seven wonders of the world, no doubt. Pick him up!

Edgar Renteria (2.0)
Last year, all the talk surrounding Renteria was how his hands had slowed down and his bat speed was nowhere near where it needed to be. Yeah, tell that to Astros, who just gave up five hits and a walk to Renteria the other night. The aged shortstop isn’t what he used to be at the plate, but in a shallow position, he offers stability, good average and runs.

Michael Brantley (1.1)
I’m going to let one of my friends, an avid Indians fan, tag in and take this one: “Michael Brantley will be a star for the Indians. He’s getting a chance to prove himself now and when Russell Branyan comes back from the DL, Brantley will be in at a point where he has forced whoever his manager will be at the time to play him. The kid is a former top prospect who can steal a ton of bags and will play solid defense and provide some pop, so he will warrant at-bats whenever available.”

Jim Edmonds (0.7)
So, Corey Hart might want to go back to singing, because Edmonds is taking at-bats from him by the bushel. Hart, who two seasons ago had the worst OBP of all ML starters, has fallen far from grace and is now in a platoon with Edmonds, a left-handed hitter. Jimmy will figure to see most of the at-bats against right-handed pitchers and when he is in the lineup, which has been a lot in the early going here, he hits five, directly behind Fielder and Braun. Not a bad place to be for a guy who still has plenty pop left in his bat.

Ryan Sweeney (0.6)
Alright, so you catch on to the theme, right? These guys on this list are all a product of their role in their respective lineups. Well, Sweeney is no different and may actually be the biggest benefactor of where he hits. He’s a high-average guy who is still learning the game and adapting to Major League ball and is slotted in the three-hole, behind Mark Ellis and Rajai Davis and ahead of whoever the heck the Athletics consider to be their cleanup and five-hitters on any given day. Sweeney is relatively unknown, but I project him to drive in 85 runs with a .300 average and 10-12 homers based on his contact rate and place in the lineup. Give him some love!

Span put up a line of .311/.392/.415, which was good for a .359 wOBA and a 3.9 WAR. He is one of the premier leadoff men in baseball and the Twins got him signed to a reasonable contract. He should be an upgrade over Carlos Gomez in center field even though he is not quite the defensive player in center that Gomez was. He will make up the difference in defense with his bat. Him moving to center allows Ron Gardenhire the option to put Jason Kubel in left, which would be an improvement over Delmon Young.

If the Twins are able to re-sign catcher Joe Mauer to go along with Justin Morneau and Span they could have a good core offensively and that should make them contenders in the AL Central for the next few years.

I think it’s about time the Minnesota Twins have started re-signing their own players. They have let a lot of players walk in the past and it’s good for the Twins and their fans that the team is starting to spend money to keep their own players. It’s also a smart move because it locks Span up through 2014 without the risk of going to arbitration.