The deciding factor in a successful fantasy baseball season is not always the biggest, most obvious stars.

Often, one's season comes down to a manager's ability to recognize which under-the-radar players will have a breakout season and provide them points most may not have accounted for. They can also recognize someone who may have an underwhelming season based on trends or surrounding pieces and be willing to leave that player for another manager to test their luck with.

Ahead of the fantasy baseball season, these are some sleeper and bust candidates, all of whom may prove the difference between a league victory and a crushing defeat.

Sleeper: Brett Baty, 3B, New York Mets

To say that Brett Baty's first season with the New York Mets was uninspiring would be an understatement.

He entered the season as a Top-25 prospect and was expected to shine as the third baseman of the future. He did not, tallying just nine homers, 34 RBI, a -0.8 WAR, and one trip back down to the minors.

"He got kicked in the mouth last year," new Mets manager Carlos Mendoza told Jon Heyman of the New York Post, leaving no doubt about the perception of Baty's first year as a starter.

He tore it up in the upper minors, proving he can play the game, but had trouble acclimating to the bigs in his first year there.

Some will understandably suggest that he is not worth a valuable fantasy pick until he proves he has what it takes to perform consistently in the majors. That time may be coming sooner than they expect.

Baty has had 35 at-bats thus far in spring training, tallying nine hits, scoring six times, hitting one homer, and driving in three runs.

He would hardly be the first player to figure out the big league game as he goes and it is not out of the question that he will be the star the team envisioned him to be when they picked the 24-year-old with the 12th overall pick in 2019.

Even if that means moving him to the outfield.

"I just want to hit and I just want to be out there on the field winning games, wherever that may be," Baty told Heyman.

Regardless of where he plays defensively, Baty can be one of the better power hitters for the Mets and is worth fantasy managers' attention, especially in the late rounds, where he could prove to be one of the most valuable picks by season's end.

Bust: Max Muncy, 3B, Los Angeles Dodgers

Max Muncy's value to fantasy managers in 2023 was the 36 home runs and 105 RBI he hit.

Beyond those two stats, though, it became clear that the Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman was an all-or-nothing hitter. He accumulated an anything-but-impressive .212 batting average, suggesting he either hit the ball hard and far or did not hit at all.

His 153 strikeouts support that idea.

Some managers will pay attention only to the balls he did hit and select him with hopes that he replicates or improves upon those numbers in 2024. That might work for them but if you are looking to get the best value out of your picks, consider leaving Muncy on the board and opting for a more consistent hitter.

Sleeper: Jose Caballero, 2B, Tampa Bay Rays

Jose Caballero is not going to wow anyone with his offensive output and the fact that he is in the discussion as a potential sleeper may even make some managers scratch their heads.

He hit four home runs and drove in 26 runs in 231 at-bats.

Where Caballero shined in his first season with Seattle was in stolen bases, where he amassed 26. His ability to swipe that many bags helped him account for a 2.4 WAR.

In his second season in the bigs, this year with Tampa Bay, Caballero should have more opportunities to steal bags and improve on his hitting, especially as part of an offense-minded Rays team.

Bust: Luis Robert Jr., CF, Chicago White Sox

Luis Robert Jr. is one of the most dynamic young players in the league when he is on the field. Unfortunately, he has struggled to stay healthy, limiting his value and offensive output.

In 2023 alone, he suffered from injuries to his hamstring, hip, calf, finger, quadriceps, and knee, all of which caused him to miss time.

Consider that the White Sox are in the midst of a rebuild and have purged the locker room of the majority of their most valuable players, including former superstar-in-waiting, Tim Anderson, you have a team that is going to struggle offensively.

Even if Robert Jr. does make it through the 2024 season healthy, the lack of firepower on the team will severely limit how often he can round the bases and score, leaving it up to him to carry the brunt.

That is not recipe for fantasy success.