Waiver Saviors: 05/20/2010

Here are a few names of note that are widely available in ESPN and Yahoo! leagues in the latest installment of Waiver Saviors:

• 2B/SS Mike Aviles, KC (32% E; 18% Y!) was a huge steal in 2008 (68 R, .325 BA, 10 HR, 51 RBI, 8 SB) and a major bust in 2009 (10 R, .183 BA, 1 HR, 8 RBI, 1 SB). He's now back in the bigs, starting and getting the job done (16 G, .390 BA). He's definitely worth owning in deeper mixed leagues, especially if there is a MI roster position.
• C Francisco Cervelli, NYY (5% E; 10% Y!) will now be the primary catcher for the Yankees with Jorge Posada on the DL for about a month. Cervelli doesn't have the power (0 HR) of Posada but he's hitting .373 with 17 RBI and should be a nice upgrade if you are struggling at the catcher position, especially in two-catcher format leagues.
• 1B/OF Luke Scott, BAL (17% E; 20% Y!) is hitting home runs in bunches (7 HR in 13 games in May) and should get more playing time on an Orioles team lacking much of anything these days. Scott is a player that you ride while hot and dump when he cools off.
• SP Jason Vargas, SEA (16% E; 24% Y!) has recorded six consecutive quality starts and overall has a pretty nice line (3-2, 2.93 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, .250 OBA, 33:13 K:BB, 6.46 K/9). His line looks even batter at home (3-1, 2.00 ERA, 0.85 WHIP, .163 BAA) and could be a very nice addition to the back end of your rotation or a serviceable spot starter.
• SP Ian Kennedy, ARI (23% E; 24% Y!) is getting the chance he never got with the Yankees and making the most of it. In his last four starts (28 IP), Kennedy is 2-1, allowing only 24 H, 6 ER, 8 BB while raking up 22 Ks. He's another guy that could be a very ownable asset to any pitching staff.

This is the time of year that waiver wire guys could prove to be difference makers to savvy managers that are willing to take a chance on upgrading or filling holes in their rosters. Don't dump an under-performing veteran for a waiver pickup. Try to trade that player first to get some type of value and then dump late-round picks that haven't worked out the way you had hoped.

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