Earlier this week, I talked about Chris Davis' physical transformation and early resurgence this spring, unbelievable though it may be. How about another blast from the past?

Or actually, two.

Miguel Cabrera homered twice Thursday and looked impressive doing it. I don't just mean the home runs looked impressive. I mean he did. See for yourself:

No, that's not a Marlins uniform he's wearing, and this video is definitely from 2020. But the Cabrera trotting around the bases looks nearly as fit and trim as when he first broke into the big leagues. Apparently, he's committed to having a late-career resurgence after seeing his numbers squashed by injuries the past two years. He had to alter his swing while playing through a sore knee last year, according to MLB.com, and of course, carrying extra weight isn't a good way to keep knees feeling their best. 

I know what you're thinking. We've already washed our hands of this guy, and in an era when hitting is so easy to find, sticking your neck out for him feels regressive. But Hall of Fame-caliber hitters with good contact skills generally age well, and Cabrera is still only 36. He still has a high average exit velocity. He still has a low strikeout rate. There may still be something here. After all, did you notice who those two home runs came against? Only the pitcher regarded as the best in the game today, Gerrit Cole.

So fine, don't take a flier on Cabrera in a standard 12-team league. I wouldn't either. But I did just trade up to grab him in the 18th round of a 24-team league. We're over 400 players in at that point, but still ... I traded up.

Some other tidbits from around spring training:

  • Don't worry so much about the four home runs Gerrit Cole gave up Thursday (two to Cabrera and two to Travis Demeritte). Though Cabrera's shots weren't cheapies, the wind was a contributing factor. And as Cole himself explained, he wasn't exactly approaching hitters like he would during the regular season. "There's probably an element that we are going to continue to push the fastball, especially this early in the spring, and they're probably there to get timed up on the fastball," he said.
  • Jordan Montgomery, who had been dominating this spring, also gave up four home runs to the Tigers Thursday. Nonetheless, manager Aaron Boone more or less declared him a lock for one of the Yankees' final two rotation spots. Stock up.
  • Does Masahiro Tanaka have his splitter back? The 31-year-old saw the whiff rate on his trademark pitch basically cut in half last year, and it led to some of the worst numbers of his career. He was one of several pitchers to complain about the change in seam height and the effect on his grip last year, but earlier this spring, he said that the current balls felt similar to the ones used in 2017. He then had a brilliant outing against the Red Sox Tuesday, striking out five over three hitless innings, and some of those splitters looked pretty nasty.
  • J.A. Happ may well be on the path to redemption as well. The 37-year-old has had an up-and-down career, but it was just the year before last when he went 17-6 with a 3.65 ERA, 1.13 WHIP and 9.8 K/9. He has talked about changes he made to his delivery this offseason and is getting results early in spring training, most recently striking out six over four two-hit innings Wednesday. We tend to fixate on youth when targeting upside late, but Happ may fit the bill, especially with the win potential the Yankees present him.
  • I promise this entire notebook won't be about Yankees pitchers, but the battle for the fifth spot is heating up, with former prospect Jonathan Loaisiga and current prospect Clarke Schmidt making a push for it. Loaisiga has struck out nine in five innings without allowing a single baserunner, but his durability issues are well documented by now. Schmidt has allowed just one earned run in his five innings, striking out six, and has caught Boone's attention with "a special curveball." Whichever wins that job (assuming it's not someone else) is going to fly up the rankings.
  • You thought a high walk rate was just baked into the cake for Robbie Ray at this point, right? Maybe not. The 28-year-old lefty whose WHIP tends to be as high as his strikeout rate has made a change to his delivery this spring, according to MLB.com, working with Zack Greinke to add an over-the-top motion to his windup. The goal is to make him more direct to the plate, and he didn't walk anyone in his four innings of work Thursday. It's something to monitor.
  • Popular breakout pick Kyle Tucker started hearing naysayers when he got off to an 0-for-16 start this spring, but manager Dusty Baker wasn't among them, saying he understood why the lanky 23-year-old was slow out of the gate. "He's a long-lever guy and the long-lever guys tend to take longer," Baker said. "The shorter-lever guys tend to have a shorter stroke, tend to get it quicker than the guys like him being a longer-lever guy." Honestly, 16 at-bats is too few to mean anything to anyone, and sure enough, Tucker broke out with three hits Thursday, including a double and a home run. MLB.com beat writer Brian McTaggart has said Tucker already has a spot on the team. It's just a question of how he and Josh Reddick will divvy playing time.
  • J.D. Davis, another popular breakout pick, has hardly played this spring because of a sore shoulder, but "all the strength is there" and "all the range of motion is there," he told reporters after taking batting practice Wednesday. He should still be ready for opening day and hasn't moved a spot in my rankings.
  • The news for Chris Sale isn't so great. Sure, it isn't a UCL tear bringing him elbow pain but a flexor strain, which means, yeah, he could be back this season — perhaps even as early as May. But within those reports is the acknowledgement that he may yet still need elbow surgery, and a setback seems likely. I've talked about how I want four of my top 37 starting pitchers this year, but I'm reducing that number to 36, ranking him just outside of it.
  • A.J. Puk, an early rotation favorite for the Athletics who left his most recent spring outing, has a strained shoulder, but that's all it is, an MRI revealing no structural damage. The hard-throwing lefty with big strikeout potential missed most of last season due to Tommy John surgery, but this doesn't sound like the sort of thing that'll keep him out for long. Still, it opens the door for Chris Bassitt who had a 3.81 ERA and 1.19 WHIP last year, to make the starting rotation.
  • Noted 2019 bust Yusei Kikuchi dazzled again Thursday against the Padres, striking out five over three hitless innings. His fastball continues to hit 96 mph after averaging just 92 last year, an improvement he credits to having a more familiar routine this year. "He looks like a different guy," manager Scott Servais said.
  • Kikuchi's opponent in that game, Dinelson Lamet, didn't do anything to undermine his own sleeper hype, striking out five over three one-hit innings. The 27-year-old averaged 12.9 K/9 over 14 starts in his return from Tommy John surgery last year.
  • Though Nick Solak has convinced Rangers manager Chris Woodward that he's capable of manning center field from time to time, the Rangers have decided that Danny Santana is their best option there, leaving Solak to fill more of a utility role. He isn't a great defender anywhere, but the Rangers like his on-base ability and still plan to play him plenty. It could end up being a good thing if he becomes multi-eligible in Fantasy (with third base, second base and outfield being most likely positions). Right now, he's DH-only.
  • With Omar Narvaez out of the picture, Tom Murphy is presumed to be the Mariners' starter at catcher, with his power giving him sleeper appeal in Fantasy. But manager Scott Servais said it's more like a platoon situation with Austin Nola. "Everybody says, 'Oh, Murphy is the starting catcher.' He'll start opening night, probably," Servais said. "We'll see. But those guys are going to be more of a 55-45 [percent split]. They're both going to play a very similar amount." Murphy should still have value in that role — he homered 18 times in just 75 games last year — but he's more like a No. 2 than a No. 1 catcher in 12-team leagues.
  • Josh James continues to make his case for the fifth spot in the Astros starting rotation, throwing three scoreless innings Thursday, and manager Dusty Baker already sounds like a believer. "I'm telling you, he's focused," Baker said. "He wants to take a job. We're giving him every opportunity. He's looking good, he's looking real good." One word of caution: James is saying he's looking to get quick outs and induce soft contact this year, which isn't exactly what you want to hear from a guy who averaged nearly 15.0 K/9 in relief last year. Still, the stuff speaks for itself.
  • Dylan Cease deserves more sleeper hype after another outing with no walks Wednesday. That's six innings without one, with eight strikeouts in all. Though the 24-year-old debuted last year, he took a step back in the minors after a breakthrough 2018. Apparently, his stuff wasn't playing the way it should then, but it's back now. "I just feel like I have a better feel of my body," he said. "Last year, there was no part in the season where I wasn't cutting the ball. Right now, all my stuff is staying true."
  • Remember Wil Myers? He's in line to play virtually every day with Manuel Margot getting moved just before spring training and is making sure it sticks. So far, he's batting .421 (8 for 19) with three homers and just four strikeouts, and let's not forget he's a two-time 20-20 guy. Even in a part-time role last year, he stole 16 bases.

So which sleepers should you snatch in your draft? And which undervalued first baseman can help you win a championship? Visit SportsLine now to get rankings for every single position, all from the model that called Kenta Maeda's huge breakout last season, and find out.