Waiver Saviors: Digging Deep Edition

As the season grinds along, managing your rosters in competitive leagues becomes increasingly more difficult as everyone is targeting ways to make a run at the league title or finish in the money spots.

Let's look at a group of players with extremely low ownership rates who can help you in very deep mixed leagues or league-only ones. Shallow mixed leagues aren't worth playing in nor worth talking about. Stick to fantasy football. I hear there could be a season or something. Whatever.

• OF Hideki Matsui, OAK (10.8% ESPN; 8% Yahoo!) is hitting .469 (15/32) since the All-Star break with two home runs and 11 RBI. He's the kind of player to own while he's on a hot streak and dump the moment he goes cold.
• OF Dexter Fowler, COL (21.3% ESPN; 18% Yahoo!) is making the most of his recent call-up from AAA. In 10 games, he's hitting .324 with a .439 OBP, three doubles, three triples, three stolen bases and 10 runs scored. With Carlos Gonzalez on the DL, Fowler should get every opportunity to start in center field and prove he's the player the Rockies and fantasy GM's wish he'd become.
• OF Marlon Byrd, CHC (14.0% ESPN; 17% Yahoo!) is back as the Cubs everyday center fielder and proving he can still hit after suffering multiple facial fractures. In 19 games since his return, he's hitting .329 (23/70) with four doubles, a triple, two home runs and 10 runs scored.
• 1B/OF Mike Carp, SEA (0.5% ESPN; 1% Yahoo!) has a five-game hitting streak since being recalled from AAA, going 8-for-22 (.364) with two home runs. Expect the Mariners to continue running out their youngsters to see what they're capable of and whether or not they fit in to the team's long-term plans.
• 2B Mark Ellis, COL (6.7% ESPN; 8% Yahoo!) has produced a .325/16/2/11/2 line in 20 games since being traded to the Rockies and should be considered a viable option at second base or middle infielder position.
• RP Edward Mujica, FLA (3.3% ESPN; 7% Yahoo!) has been named closer-in-waiting should the Marlins deal current closer Leo Nunez. If you are desperate for saves, now might be the time to pick up Mujica. You can drop him in all non-holds leagues come early next week if Nunez is still with the team.
• RP Glen Perkins, MIN (2.9% ESPN; 7% Yahoo!) is now the primary setup man for the Twins after Matt Capps recent implosion and Joe Nathan's return to closer. He is a must-own in holds leagues with his 10.01 K/9 ratio.
• 2B/3B/SS/OF Michael Martinez, PHI (18.1% ESPN; 10% Yahoo!) has filled in quite nicely as the Phillies have dealt with injuries to Shane Victorino and Placido Polanco. In July, he's hitting .296 with two home runs, 15 RBI and three stolen bases. Polanco is due back from the DL this weekend, so keep an eye on his playing time.
• 3B/SS/OF Willie Bloomquist, ARI (7.3% ESPN; 11% Yahoo!) should be the primary beneficiary as the result of Stephen Drew's horrific injury. Bloomquist is hitting .327 with two stolen bases in July. As long as he is hitting and stealing bases, he should keep Cody Ransom on the bench.
• 2B Brett Lawrie, TOR (1.7% ESPN; 5% Yahoo!) has returned to the lineup in AAA and hitting .367 with a home run and seven RBI in seven July games. Expect him to be called up soon and inserted into third base as the Blue Jays fade from the playoff picture in the AL East. Lawrie should now be owned in all keeper leagues and dynasty formats.

If your league is still very active heading into August, then the action on the waiver wire should remain fiercely competitive. Dig a little deeper into the statistics (last 7 days, last 15 days, etc.) and keep an eye on injuries, playing time, trades and rookie call-ups to find the players who'll benefit the most from these moves and don't be afraid to anticipate the transactions with a bold move of your own.

The Knurve's American League All-Star Ballot

Shalom Everybody!

Ever since they made the All-Star game "mean something" by having it decide homefield in the World Series, I've had mixed feelings about the game. I'm pretty comfortable saying that the person the San Francisico Giants have to thank the most for winning last year's World Series (not getting there) is not Tim Lincecum, not Cody Ross, not Brian Wilson, not even Brian Wilson's beard, but......Brian McCann?!?!?

McCann's bases clearing double in the All-Star game propelled the NL to victory and gave the Giants homefield where Jonathan Sanchez, Lincecum, Madison Bumgarner and Matt Cain were stupendous last year. I should also mention that I'm a huge believer in the Home Run Derby ruining a players swing for the second half, so I never want my fantasy hombres to be in the contest. I will say I'm looking forward to the bombs that are going to be dropped in Arizona.

So it is with this frustration in mind that I give you my American League All-Star starters, but I'll have two names under each position. The first name is who it WILL be and the second name is who it SHOULD/COULD be, just like this game SHOULD/COULD be an exhibition. If I say it "should be", then you know I feel strongly about the 2nd name, but if I say "could be" then you know a case could be made.

Catcher
It will be: Victor Martinez
He qualifies there, so it will be him. This one's all in the name for Victor. He is not the best catcher on his team (hint, hint...) but he's hitting solidly over .320 and is producing runs at a pretty solid clip. His production is a big reason the Detroit Tigers are in good shape to take a very winnable division.

It should be: Alex Avila
Now Avila is the best catcher on the Tigers and he's having a breakout year. I passed on the chance to pick him up in one of my leagues in favor of Wilson Ramos, and that's been my biggest regret so far this fantasy season. He's showing great flashses of power, has 10-steal potential, and is an even bigger reason than Martinez, and maybe even Miguel Cabrera, that the Tigers are where they are. Avila is the MVP of the Tigers this season because without his production, this team would be as average as every other team in the AL Central seems.

First Base
It will be: Adrian Gonzalez
This one is pretty straighforward. Gonzalez has been the most complete hitter in the AL and it's not even close. He's scoring runs, hitting for power, hitting for average, driving runs in at a ridiculous clip, and has carried the Red Sox, at times. People forget that he started somewhat slow, hitting a paltry .314 in April. What? David? That's not paltry!!! It is when you consider he hit .341 in May and .404 in June with 15 dingers in those two months. The man is a stud.

It should be: Paul Konerko
This is not a knock on Gonzalez, Cabrera, or Mark Teixeira at all, but Konerko has done everything but steal bases for the White Sox when the rest of their offense has been as useless as bacon to someone who keeps kosher. Like V-Mart, it's refreshing to see Konerko put these past two seasons together and bounce back to the stud he was when the White Sox won it all last decade. Think about the White Sox offensive potential in Alex Rios, Juan Pierre, Adam Dunn and Gordon Beckham. When you consider none of those guys have been hitting and it's been Konerko, Alexei Ramirez and Carlos Quentin keeping this underperforming team in the race. Many players can fold under that pressure, but Konerko has excelled.

Second Base
It will be: Robinson Cano
I don't have many qualms with this. I have really enjoyed watching Cano's career blossom in the way that it has. He hit .342 in his second full year in the bigs with just 15 homers. He has evolved his game to hit for power and not feel like he has to pull everything, which I think is rare for a young player who is entering his prime. I also like the fact that Cano was a homegrown Yankee. The fact that he came from their farm system is refreshing. He's hovered around .300 the whole season despite not being the most patient hitter, but he makes it work. This is a pretty clear choice.

It could be: Ian Kinsler
I only say this because Kinsler is Jewish. Just kidding. Seriously though, when Kinsler is healthy, he gives such an unbelievable boost to the Texas Rangers. His batting average is down a little bit this year, but with double digit homers and steals, already. His BABIP is 40 points lower than his career mark, so I can see him having a big second half if he's healthy. His run production is also down, but there's only so much he can do since he's been leading off five out of every six games.

Shortstop
It will be: Asdrubal Cabrera
He's been the rock of the overperforming Indians offense. He's been hitting for power, stealing bases and simply doing it all for the Cleveland Indians. I don't think there's much of an argument here. Jeter's days as an All-Star are done. Who better to fill his shoes than a player as similar to him as Cabrera. Cabrera has a touch more power than Jeter did but he's also a stud defensively, which us fantasy players have to take into account, as boring as that may be.

It could be: Jhonny Peralta
There are a lot of options here, including J. J. Hardy, Erick Aybar, and Elvis Andrus, but I think Peralta has been a critical performer for the Tigers. He's on pace for around 25 HR/95 RBI and gets on base at a pretty decent clip. If you told the Tigers at the beginning of the season these would be Peralta's halfway stats, then they'd have given you a hot dog. Chubby Jhonny Peralta could be eating tons of hot dogs in Arizona.

Third Base
It will be: Jose Bautista
Is there really any argument here? He is head and shoulders better than any other third baseman in the AL. This is the weakest position, by far, in fantasy and the majors this year, so what's to argue with here? I chronicled in one of my "Knurve to Say" articles that Bautista was having a brutal June, but his April and May will put him in the All-Star game. He's on pace for 10 steals, he takes walks, scores runs, he does it all. I boldly predicted the Toronto Blue Jays to get the Wildcard, and I truly believe this team has it all. Bautista is the anchor.

It should be: Jose Bautista
Is there really any arguing here? Sure Alex Rodriguez has a case, but I can't see any possible scenario where America would feel A-Rod gets the nod over Bautista, who is finally getting the recognition for what he's been doing.

Outfield
It will be: Curtis Granderson, Jacoby Ellsbury and Ichiro Suzuki
I'll start with the two locks: Granderson and Ellsbury. Is there even any question? These two guys are studs who you got for pretty cheap on draft day compared to the levels they have performed. AL Outfield is so weak this season that these two are shoo-ins. The pragmatist in me wants to be realistic and say Ichiro's going to get the votes to become an All-Star because he always does. He is starting to pick it back up, so it's not a completely lame assertion. B. J. Upton has hit 11 more dingers with the same number of steals and significantly worse batting average, so it might be six of one half a dozen of the other.

It should be: Granderson, Ellsbury and Upton
As for Upton, people want to rip on his batting average, and that's pretty easy because it's THAT terrible, but if you look at his counting stats, he's on pace for another 25 HR/45 SB season, which makes the batting average much easier to swallow. Considering the other possible names for this list are Alex Gordon and Brennan Boesch, I think we can be confident in this tandem.

Starting Pitcher
It will be: Justin Verlander
I think Verlander is well-liked enough across the country that he has to be the favorite here. As much as CC Sabathia, Josh Beckett and Jon Lester will garner a ton of votes, I'd hope baseball fans can appreciate Verlander's dominance this season. With this being another "Year of the Pitcher", it's not easy to pick this spot, but Verlander leads the majors in K's, WHIP, and Wins. His ERA is a full run higher than Weaver's, but the defense behind Verlander is 24th in the majors in Fielding Percentage whereas the Angels are 4th in the AL (8th in the majors).

It could be: Jered Weaver
There's certainly a great case to be made for Weaver. His April was Zack Greinke-esque (circa 2009) and he has established himself as a dominant starter in the AL. Along with Verlander, he's proven himself durable and reliable. Aside from one slight hiccup against the Indians, he's been as good as they come. When you're 6'7", throwing downhill is much better, especially when you're able to locate your off-speed stuff as well as he has.

So there it is... thoughts? Tweet me @TheKnurve. I'd love some feedback!
-David Kaplan

Fantasy Baseball News and Notes from June 12th, 2011

Here are some fantasy baseball-relevant tidbits and notes I picked up from box scores and recaps from games played on Sunday, June 12th, 2011:

• Miguel Olivo homered twice, giving him 10 on the season. It was the fourth multihomer game of his career. Over the last 30 days, he's put up a 5x5 line of .289/16/8/21/2, making him the #1-ranked fantasy catcher over that span. He's only owned in 40.5% of ESPN and 39% of Yahoo! leagues.
• Ichiro Suzuki had his second consecutive two-hit game. I think someone translated all of those "Is Ichiro done?" articles. I think the answer is no. Sure he's only hitting .258 but still on pace for 172 hits and 34 stolen bases. I'll take the over on batting average and hits at this point and under on stolen bases.
• Derek Jeter had two hits and is now at 2,993 for his career. You could do a lot worse at shortstop in fantasy baseball than the Yankee Captain. I'll be watching and cheering when 3,000 comes.
• Curtis Granderson went 4-for-4 and now has a season's 5x5 line of .279/54/20/47/10 making him the 5th-best fantasy baseball player this season. Not bad for a guy with an ADP of 91.6 in ESPN leagues.
• Jon Lester became the AL's first nine-game winner.
• Jose Bautista ended a 13-game homerless streak with his 21st of the season. He's still on pace for 52 home runs. Fluke? Nope.
• Dustin Pedroia (5), Adrian Gonzalez (13), Kevin Youkilis (9) and David Ortiz (17) all homered. The Red Sox offense has scored 30 runs in their last two games. I think it's safe to say they're firing on all cylinders.
• Kyle Drabek gave up eight earned runs in four innings and saw his ERA jump from 4.98 to 5.70 with a 1.79 WHIP. If he wasn't already unownable prior to this start, he definitely is now.
• Daniel Hudson won for the seventh time in eight decisions since starting the season 0-4. Congrats to all the owners who stuck with him or those who were able to grab him off waivers.
• Ryan Roberts hit his 10th home run of the season and second in two days. He also has nine stolen bases on the season and now on pace for a 25/22 season. He qualifies at 2B, 3B and even OF in some formats. This all screams MUST OWN to me.
• Ryan Madson pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his 15th save in 16 chances. Brad Lidge who?
• Johnny Damon hit his 27th career leadoff home run and has reached base in a career-best 37 consecutive games. He's only owned in 54% of all Yahoo! leagues. Look past the name. His numbers (.279/30/8/33/7) are very ownable.
• Evan Longoria hit his first career inside-the-park home run. Discuss.
• J.P. Howell picked up his first save of the season. Kyle Farnsworth was not available because of the flu. Keep an eye on who gets the next handful of saves for the Rays.
• Jose Reyes had three hits, including a home run, and increased his batting average to a major league-leading .346. He's the sixth-ranked player in fantasy baseball and doing all he can to get a one-way ticket out of New York.
• Andrew McCutchen has an 11-game hitting streak in which he's hitting .488 (20/41) with 10 RBI.
• Tommy Hanson struck out a career-high 14 against the Astros to earn COSFBA's "Line of the Day" award (shameless plug). He improved to 3-0 with a 0.97 ERA in five career starts against the Houston.
• Dan Uggla broke out of a 7-for-76 slump by going 5-for-11 with a home run in last three games against Houston.
• Wandy Rodriguez was activated from the DL and scheduled to start today. Adjust your rosters accordingly.
• Prince Fielder hit 19th home run of the season, a 440 foot blast, and continues to lead the NL in RBI with 58. Enjoy it while you can, Brewers fans.
• John Axford converted his 15th straight save opportunity and 18th out of 20 overall.
• Philip Humber is 5-1 with a 2.53 ERA over his last nine starts and is now owned in 59.6% of ESPN and 45% of Yahoo! leagues. Grab him off waivers if you're struggling in your pitching categories.
• Adam Dunn hit his second home run in four games. He's 3/12 (.250) with six RBI and three walks over that span. Sad to celebrate those numbers as a "good thing" but it is. And more of the bad: he's hitting .031 (1-for-47) against left-handed pitching this season.
• Francisco Liriano was six outs from his second no-hitter of the season. In his last 38 innings, he has a 1.89 ERA and allowed 17 hits and 17 walks. That's what fantasy owners wanted to see.
• Matt Kemp hit his NL-leading 20th home run and is the #1-ranked fantasy baseball player this season with his .331/45/20/56/14 line and on pace for a 48/34 season. There's the future MVP we've all been waiting to see.
• Pablo Sandoval was activated from the DL. Adjust your rosters accordingly.
• Brian Wilson converted his 18th save in 20 opportunities. His beard approves.

PHEW! That was a mouthful of information. I'll be sure to get started on those recaps earlier in the day to have them posted at a more favorable time. Regardless, please enjoy and feel free to comment or let me know how helpful this information would be if delivered earlier in the day after.

Fantasy Baseball News and Notes from May 25th, 2011

Here are some fantasy baseball-relevant tidbits and notes I picked up from box scores and recaps from games played on May 25th, 2011:

• OF Carl Crawford, BOS went 4-for-4 with two doubles, a home run, two RBI and three runs scored in the Red Sox 14-2 rout of the Cleveland Indians (and earned himself a "Line of the Day" award). Crawford went 6-for-11 in this series and seems ready to reward fantasy owners that hung onto him through all of his struggles.
• OF Grady Sizemore, CLE ran the bases without any problems and is expected to be activated from the DL before this weekend's series versus the Rays.
• DH David Ortiz, BOS hit his 10th home run of the season and is 13/32 (.406) with three homers and a 1.250 OPS over the last seven days. Keep an eye on late-June when the Red Sox play road interleague games without a DH.
• OF Andruw Jones, NYY hit a pair of two-run home runs in a spot start in left field. He doesn't play regularly enough to have much fantasy value but it's nice to see he still has some gas left in the tank.
• SP Jo-Jo Reyes, TOR suffered the loss against the Yankees and dropped his record to 0-4 on the season and tied a major league record with 28 starts without a victory. With only three quality starts in 10 games started, it's probably safe to avoid Reyes until he proves he can be effective.
• 1B/OF Mike Morse, WAS hit his third home run in three days and should be owned in all leagues except the most shallow. He'll play first base regularly until Adam LaRoche returns.
• SP Zack Greinke, MIL struck out 10 (or more) batters for the 10th time in his career and also hit his second career home run. His 39 K's in just 28 innings translates into a 12.54 K/9 ratio to go along with a ridiculous 39:3 K:BB ratio of 13-to-1. Wow. Hopefully he's given up pick-up basketball.
• SP Erik Bedard, SEA pitched six shutout innings and earned his third win in his last five starts without a loss. He's allowed two runs or less in all five of those starts. With 45 K's in 51.2 innings pitched, Bedard seems to have returned to the land of the fantasy relevant. Owned in only 47% of ESPN and 36% of Yahoo! leagues, now would be a good time to take a shot at streaming him in his next start against Baltimore.
• CL Brandon League, SEA pitched a perfect ninth inning to record his 12th save in 15 chances (and three in a row now) and seems to have regained control over the closer's role after nearly losing it with three straight blown save opportunities.
• C J.R. Towles, HOU broke an 0-for-32 slump with three hits and a walkoff RBI in the 9th inning. You can do much better at the catcher position in fantasy baseball.
• OF Melky Cabrera, KC hit his sixth home run of the season and has 15 RBI and 11 runs scored over his last 19 games. He's 93.9% owned in ESPN leagues but only 60% in Yahoo! leagues. Why the disparity? Odd. Check your Yahoo! waiver wires if you are in need of some outfield depth.
• OF Mike Stanton, FLA was 4-for-6 with four RBI in a wild game against the Giants. Over the last 15 games, Stanton is 17/44 (.386) with six home runs, 14 RBI, eight runs scored, 10 extra-base hits and a 1.309 OPS.
• C Buster Posey, SF has reportedly suffered a broken leg and torn ligaments in a home plate collision. Details are just coming out this morning. Horrible news. On a positive note, 1B/OF Brandon Belt was recalled and should receive regular playing time going forward.
• SP Ian Kennedy, ARI raised his record to 6-1 on the season and went 3-0 with a 2.02 ERA in five May starts. Eight of his 11 starts have been quality starts.
• CL J.J. Putz, ARI pitched a perfect ninth inning, registering a franchise-record 14th straight save to start the season.
• CL Jordan Walden, LAA recorded his 10th save in 13 opportunities and has regained control over the closer's role. He now has a 24:11 K:BB ratio in 23.1 innings with a 2.70 ERA and 1.24 WHIP.

I'd love some feedback from readers about this feature. Is it useful? Worth continuing? More in depth analysis needed to make it useful? More commentary to make it fun? Any information is greatly appreciated.

Waiver Saviors: Who's Hot and Available

This edition of Waiver Saviors is not a celebrity gossip edition. There will be no Kardashians mentioned unless one of them is dating Matt Kemp. Today's post will be focusing on those players owned in approximately 50% or less of all ESPN and/or Yahoo! fantasy baseball leagues AND having a significant statistical impact over the last 15 days (through May 24th).

Here's the latest batch of waiver wire targets you need to be aware of at this point in the season:

• OF Jon Jay, STL (13/8% ESPN; 5% Yahoo! owned) is hitting .392 (20/51) with nine RBI and three stolen bases while filling in across an outfield dealing with injuries. If your team needs offense, Jay is worth the look while he's hot and making the most of his opportunities.
• OF Laynce Nix, WAS (21.9% E; 8% Y!) is hitting .362 (17/47) with three home runs, nine RBI and a stolen base as the Nationals' regular left fielder. He's projecting to hit 20 HR this season, which isn't much of a stretch for a player averaging 17 HR per 162 games over his career.
• 1B/2B/3B Adam Kennedy, SEA (2.5% E; 4% Y!) is hitting .297 (11/37) with two home runs and two stolen bases and can be a short term fix to a fantasy roster dealing with injuries. As second basemen go, Kennedy is ranked higher than Chone Figgins, Brian Roberts, Aaron Hill and Gordon Beckham.
• OF Raul Ibanez, PHI (47.6% E; 33% Y!) is hitting .326 (15/46) with two home runs, six RBI and 10 runs scored and has raised his average from a season-low .154 on May 1st to a season-high .252 today.
• 1B/OF Brad Hawpe, SD (5.8% E; 5% Y!) is hitting .318 (14/44) with two home runs, six RBI and 10 runs scored and could be a nice addition to your team in deep leagues utilizing extra roster positions such as CI, IF, UTL and DH or NL-only leagues.
• C Jonathan Lucroy, MIL (29.4% E; 26% Y!) is hitting .390 (16/41) with four home runs, 15 RBI and a 1.188 OPS and deserves to be owned in all formats. He's climbed the charts to become the 5th-ranked catcher on ESPN in just 32 games played.
• OF Seth Smith, COL (46.7% E; 29% Y!) is hitting .372 (16/43) with three home runs, nine RBI and two stolen bases while settling in as the Rockies' everyday right fielder. He may sit against some of the tougher lefties (.327 vs RHP; .214 vs LHP), but I think the concerns over him being a platoon should be put to rest.
• 1B Juan Miranda, ARI (0.5% E; 1% Y!) is hitting .375 (9/24) with one home run and five RBI and the reason the Diamondbacks recently released Russell Branyan. He's currently dealing with a hand/wrist injury but seems to be in Arizona's long term plans at first base.
• 1B/OF Michael Morse, WAS (2.3% E; 10% Y!) is hitting .407 (11/27) with two home runs and five RBI and will get an extended look at first base while Adam LaRoche in on the disabled list. He's now showing signs of being the player who hit nine homers  this past Spring and highly touted as a sleeper.
• 2B/3B Justin Turner, NYM (46% E; 17% Y!) is hitting .326 (15/46) with one home run and 12 RBI while seeing time at second base and third base for the injured David Wright. Check your league settings to see which position(s) he qualifies at because his value increases with dual eligibility.

Being extremely proactive in your daily leagues is the easiest way to stay ahead of lazy owners. We are nearly 1/3 of the way into the season and soon, if not already, it will be time to cut ties with under-performing players and take a chances on others that can help your team make up points in the standings. Head-to-head leaguers should be ready to treat each week separately and play as aggressively as possible to win.

Line of the Day: May 21st, 2011

SP Michael Pineda of the Seattle Mariners allowed two hits and struck out nine in seven innings in a 4-0 over the San Diego Padres. He and two relievers combined on a four-hit shutout and struck out a total of 13 batters.

Line: 7 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K; W, QS

My fantasy perspective: Pineda upped his record this season to 6-2 while lowering his ERA to 2.16 ERA and WHIP to 0.94. He's gone at least six innings in all eight of his starts and has record a quality start in seven of those eight. He's only allowed 41 hits in 58.1 innings while striking out 61 and walking just 14. We are witnessing a very special start to the 22 year old rookie's career. Congratulations to you fantasy owners who drafted him in the late rounds or were able to grab him off waivers. This is the kind of player that helps you win fantasy baseball leagues.

Agree? Disagree? Check out ESPN's formula for determining the best daily performances and nominate your own Line of the Day player using the comments section or hitting me up on Twitter.

Be sure to check out the past winners of COSFBA's Line of the Day awards and subscribe to its feed, too.

A Steady Stream: Probables for May 5th, 2011

A Steady Stream will be a semi-regular column that looks at probable pitchers starting games tomorrow and owned in approximately less than 50% of all ESPN and/or Yahoo! leagues that could be "stream-worthy" if they are available in your league.

Here are my "stream-worthy" pitchers for games to be played on a shortened schedule for Thursday, May 5th, 2011:

• Colby Lewis, TEX (50% ESPN; 54% Yahoo!) @ Jason Vargas, SEA (0.1% E; 3%Y!) - Both pitchers are streaming options in this game. Lewis finally got things going in 2011 with an eight inning, six hit, one walk, six strikeout effort win against the A's his last time out and looked strong, too. He's 0-3 in five career starts with a 3.82 ERA and 30 strikeouts in 30.2 innings pitched at SAFECO. Vargas hasn't faired well at home this season, going 0-2 in four starts with a 6.86 ERA in 21 innings pitched. VERDICT: Stream Lewis
• Brandon Beachy, ATL (49.7% E; 36% Y!) vs Shaun Marcum, MIL - In 36.1 innings, Beachy is just 1-1 but has recorded a quality start in each of his last three starts. His 36:10 K:BB ratio is the real deal as is his 8.92 K/9 ratio. His 3.47 ERA and 0.99 WHIP make him not only streamable but ownable. This is Milwaukee's second look at him and Marcum (3-1, 2.21 ERA, 1.06 WHIP) is a tough match up but a pitcher putting up number like Beachy deserves to be run out there every fifth day until he proves otherwise. VERDICT: Stream/Own Beachy
• John Lackey, BOS (35.1% E; 45% Y!) vs Joel Pineiro, LAA (10.6% E; 5% Y!) - Both pitchers are streaming options in this game. Lackey has strung together three straight quality starts after a miserable start. It helps his case that the Red Sox offense is producing. Pineiro made his first start of the season a good one against the Rays (7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 3 K) after missing the first month of the season with shoulder issues. VEDICT: Stream Lackey at home
• Chris Tillman, BAL (0.4% E; 2% Y!) @ Bruce Chen, KC (8.8% E; 12% Y!) - Both pitchers are streaming options in this game. Something about this match up is screaming slugfest to me. VERDICT: Avoid both pitchers at all costs.

There's one match up involving a streamer which I really like:

• Jason Hammel, COL (3.9% E; 5% Y!) @ Ian Kennedy, ARI - Hammel has quietly gone 3-1 with a 3.23 ERA, 1.30 WHIP and 18:8 K:BB ratio in 30.2 innings pitched. Team have a .283 BAA (batting average against) and a perfectly average .301 BABIP, so I think what we are seeing is for real. In six career starts against the Rockies, Kennedy is 0-1 with a 3.66 ERA, 1.44 WHIP and a 26:15 K:BB ration in 32 innings. VERDICT: Stream Hammel and be prepared to own him

Avoid streaming these available pitchers at all costs:

• Jake Westbrook, STL (3% E; 3%Y!) vs Josh Johnson, FLA - Johnson should have been the first pitcher to throw a no-hitter this season. His stuff has been filthy.
• Mike Pelfrey, NYM (0.9% E; 6% Y!) vs Jonathan Sanchez, SF - Pelfrey has been horrible (1-3, 7.39 ERA, 1.96 WHIP, 16:13 K:BB ratio) and until he can string together several quality starts in a row, he should be avoided.
• Rick Porcello, DET (3.3% E; 5% Y!) vs A.J. Burnett, NYY - On any given night, the Yankees offense can go crazy on a pitcher and they seem due. Porcello could easily be the next sacrificial lamb if he's not careful.
• John Lannan, WAS (0.7% E; 1% Y!) vs Roy Halladay, PHI - This is not so much anti-Lannan as it is pro-Halladay. Look elsewhere if you are desperate for a streamable pitcher.
• Homer Bailey, CIN (0.4% E; 8% Y!) vs Brett Myers, HOU - Bailey is making his first start of the season and needs to string some healthy starts together before being worth a look as a streaming option.

Some might argue that it's a little early in the season to already be streaming and that might be true for the Rotisserie crowd but head-to-head leaguers need to be looking at those match ups daily to see if there's an opportunity to win a category or two with some strategic streams.

Be sure to check back each morning to see who earns COSFBA's "Line of the Day" award and nominate your own if you disagree or had a different player of impact on your squad.

Waiver Saviors: April's Fantasy Baseball All-Stars

My Waiver Saviors articles have always been about finding players available in a high percentage of leagues (I use ESPN and Yahoo! data because those are the two sites I personally prefer to play leagues in) and are having a statistical impact at the time the article is written.

This version of Waiver Saviors will look at a lineup of All-Star performances by players either not drafted or drafted near the end of most drafts this offseason. ESPN only tracks ADP (Average Draft Position) up to 260 picks and it looks like Yahoo! is in the same neighborhood. I believe a standard 5x5 10-team league uses 26 roster spots by default.

Here are your Fantasy Baseball Wavier Saviors All-Stars through the month of April:

• Catcher Russell Martin of the New York Yankees has shown he's fully recovered from his injury and reversed the downward trend his career was taking with the Dodgers. His 5x5 line of .293/13/6/19/2 makes him the #1-ranked catcher in ESPN and Yahoo! leagues. He was virtually undrafted on ESPN (260) and while he did a little better on Yahoo! (213.5). Joe Mauer owners need to step away from the edge.
• First baseman Ike Davis of the New York Mets is showing owners he's worth all of the hype he received last season. His 5x5 line of .337/16/5/20 has him ranked 7th on ESPN and 8th on Yahoo! among such fantasy heavyweights as Albert Pujols and Ryan Howard. All this from an ESPN ADP of 210.2 on ESPN and 229.2 on Yahoo!
• Second baseman Darwin Barney of the Chicago Cubs has secured the majority of the playing time with his 5x5 line of .326/15/1/14/1, after being virtually undrafted in all formats. Jeff Baker is still in the mix for playing time, so keep an eye on things if Barney falters and Baker takes advantage of additional at-bats.
• Third baseman Placido Polanco of the Philadelphia Phillies is healthy again and thriving as a fantasy baseball hitting machine. His 41 hits in just 26 games led to a 5x5 line of .398/18/2/19/3 from a player with an ADP of 203.3 on ESPN and 229.5 on Yahoo!
• Shortstop Jed Lowrie of the Boston Red Sox is proving he deserves to be in the mix for at-bats, having already made an appearance at all four infield positions, by producing a "legendary" 5x5 line of .368/13/3/12/0 in April.
• Outfielder Lance Berkman of the St. Louis Cardinals was considered by most to be on the downside of his career but has proved everyone wrong by opening the season with a 5x5 line of .393/23/8/22/0. Could he return to the player that has averaged 33 home runs and 110 RBI per 162 games played over his 13 year career? Current fantasy owners sure hope so.
• Outfielder Jeff Francoeur of the Kansas City Royals has regained some of his 2005-2007 lightning that made him a fantasy-relevant player breaking in with the Braves. Both he and the Royals were the butt of many offseason-signing jokes but who's laughing at his 5x5 line of .314/16/5/20/3 now?
• Outfielder Alfonso Soriano of the Chicago Cubs is tied for the major league lead in home runs with 10. Let that soak in for a moment as you look at the entire 5x5 line of .258/15/10/20/0 he was able to put up in April. His average and the fact that he's not stealing bases are both negatives but, for a player with an ADP of 207.8 on ESPN and 206.6 on Yahoo!, the risk versus reward factor is proving to be low at this point. Plus if he totally tanks it from this point on, very few owners will feel bad about dropping him to waivers.

This All-Star team deserves a place for two additional stars:

• Outfielder Alex Gordon of the Kansas City Royals has gone from highly touted rookie to fantasy baseball bust to roto-relevant in just five seasons in the big leagues. His early 5x5 line of .339/20/2/19/2 has ranked inside the top-20 on ESPN (17th) and Yahoo! (19th), thanks to a recent 19-game hitting streak.
• Outfielder Sam Fuld of the Tampa Bay Rays became a "legend" too when called upon to fill in for the retirement-bound Manny Ramirez. A recent 0-17 streak brought his 5x5 line down to .289/17/1/8/10, but quick reacting fantasy owners grabbing him off waivers aren't complaining...yet. It will be interesting to see what his numbers look like after the month of May is over.

No All-Star team would be complete without some pitchers, so here are a few that have dominated out of virtually nowhere:

• Starting pitcher Kyle Lohse of the St. Louis Cardinals went from undrafted to a must-own with a 4-1, 1.64 ERA, 0.73 WHIP start to the season.
• Starting pitcher James Shields of the Tampa Bay Rays has provided owners that drafted him in ESPN (203.9) and Yahoo! (225.2) leagues plenty to smile about by going 2-1 with a 2.14 ERA, a 0.95 WHIP and 39 strikeouts in 46.1 innings pitched.
• Rookie starting pitcher Michael Pineda of the Seattle Mariners has started of his career with five straight quality starts and a 4-1 record, 2.01 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 30 strikeouts in just 31.1 innings. His ADP of 225.1 on ESPN and 237.4 on Yahoo! prove there were some very savvy owners grabbing him in the last few rounds of drafts.
• Starting pitcher Justin Masterson of the Cleveland Indians went 5-0 in April with five quality starts, a 2.18 ERA and 1.12 WHIP and seems ready to live up to the hype Red Sox fans witnessed back in 2008.
• Relief pitcher Brandon League of the Seattle Mariners has stepped in brilliantly for the injured David Aardsma as closer, going 7-for-7 in saves with a 2.45 ERA and 0.91 WHIP. Could a closer controversy be brewing? It will be interesting to watch what develops as Aardsma is due back soon.
•  Relief Pitcher Kyle Farnsworth of the Tampa Bay Rays has been given the first chance to be the team's closer and has done a good job, saving his first five chances before blowing a save on the last day of April. With young arms Joel Peralta and Jake McGee and an injured J.P. Howell due back soon, you wonder how much longer Farnsworth will get the call to close games.

So there are your April 2010 Waiver Saviors All-Stars. What players were you able to grab off waivers in your leagues who've made the most difference to your success in April? Are you daily or weekly change leagues? Which do you prefer?

Did You Know?: April 29th, 2011

If you weren't already aware, know this. I am a box score guy. I love the simplicity of the story it tells with numbers. I'm also excited about all of the new baseball statistics that seem to pop up yearly and even though I'm a little late to the game in understanding their utmost importance in using them when evaluating fantasy baseball players, it doesn't mean that I'm not paying attention. I hope to incorporate more of them into my analysis as I see fit. Stay tuned.

Now on to some statistics which you may not be aware of nearly a full month into the season in the latest installment of Did You Know?:

• Adam Dunn has just two home runs and 10 RBI in 19 games this season, while Ben Zobrist accomplished those numbers in yesterday's doubleheader.
• Names I did not expect to see in the top 10 in Total Bases this early in the season: Lance Berkman (1st), Jeff Francoeur (tied 6th) and Ike Davis (tied 9th).
• Aren't stolen base guys supposed to be stealing bases? Juan Pierre has five steals and has been caught six times. Brett Gardner has four steals and has been caught three times. Chone Figgins has three steals and three caught stealings.
• Josh Johnson has allowed just 13 hits in 34 innings pitched. Batters are "hitting" .116 off of him this season.
• Austin Jackson is hitting just .167 (16/96) and has nearly twice the number of K's (31) as hits (16).
• Vladimir Guerrero is hitting .284 with a .303 BABIP with zero walks in 95 at-bats. He must like his own chances when swinging the bat. Hopefully you don't own him in an OBP league.
• Ryan Dempster has allowed 33 earned runs in 31 innings pitched. His ERA of 9.58 is higher than his K/9 ratio of 8.42.
• At age 37, Johnny Damon is on pace for 130 RBI in just 136 games played (20 RBI in 21 of Rays first 35 games). Don't forget about 26 HR/26 SB pace, too.
• Jorge Posada and Russell Martin have each hit six home runs in exactly 69 at-bats this season. Martin is batting .290 compared to Posada's .130 average.
• Huston Street leads the majors with nine saves and is on pace for 63 total.
• Matt Garza has 41 K's in just 30.2 innings pitched for a staggering 12.03 K/9 ratio yet he's 0-3 with a 4.11 ERA and an ugly WHIP of 1.47.

Are there some surprising statistics floating around out there already that have you scrambling to acquire or drop a player? If so, share them with the group, please. We all have a right to know.

Fantasy Baseball's Line of the Day: 04/27/2011

1B Justin Smoak of the Seattle Mariners was 2-for-4, homered and drove in a career-high five runs in a 10-1 victory over the Detroit Tigers. It was Smoak's second home run in as many days and his fourth of the season.

Line: 4 AB, 2 R, 2 H, 5 RBI; HR, BB

My fantasy perspective: Smoak burst on the fantasy scene in 2010 as the "next great thing" at first base but struggled in Texas and Seattle to the tune of a .218 overall batting average. In 19 games this season, he's got a triple slash line of .302/.408/.571 with four home runs, 14 RBI and a 14/12 K/BB ratio. Only being 17.4% owned in ESPN leagues and 19% owned in Yahoo! leagues proves fantasy owners aren't sold that he's the real deal yet. He definitely needs to be owned in deeper mixed leagues that utilize roster positions such as CI, IF or even multiple DH or UT slots.

Agree? Disagree? Check out ESPN's formula for determining the best daily performances and nominate your own Line of the Day player using the comments section or hitting me up on Twitter.

A Steady Stream: Probables For 04/05/2011

A Steady Stream will be a semi-regular column that looks at probable pitchers starting games tomorrow and owned in approximately less than 50% of all ESPN and/or Yahoo! leagues that could be "stream-worthy" if they are available in your league.

Here are my Stream-Worthy Starting Pitchers for games to be played on Tuesday, 04/05/2011 and the level of RISK associated with streaming:

• Anibal Sanchez, FLA (65.6% ESPN; 46% Yahoo! owned) @ home vs WAS (Jason Marquis) - In the first three games of the season, the Washington Nationals, as a team, are batting .209 with 1 HR and 8 Runs Scored. RISK: LOW
• Derek Lowe, ATL (58.1% E; 59% Y!)  @ MIL (Yovani Gallardo) - Reports have Lowe using his slider more and increasing his K/9 from a career rate of 5.9 to a rate of 8.6 over his last five starts of 2010. He opened 2011 with 6 K's in 5.2 IP (9.5 K/9) and faces a Brewers team that strikes out a lot but also hit home runs (7 in 4 games). RISK: MODERATE
• Gavin Floyd, CHW (24.4% E; 50% Y!) @ KC (Luke Hochevar) - The White Sox are scoring runs in bunches (8 runs per game) and Floyd should be the beneficiary of this lineup facing Hochevar. RISK: LOW
• Mike Leake, CIN (1.1% E; 4% Y!) @ home vs HOU (J.A. Happ) - As a team, the Reds are batting .350 in their first three games. Leake should be able to control an Astros offense (and I use that term lightly) that has a 28/3 K/BB ratio. RISK: LOW
• Jo-Jo Reyes, TOR (0.1% E; 1% Y!) @ home vs OAK (Dallas Braden) - Toronto is back to hitting home runs and scoring runs while Oakland is pitching well but struggling offensively. Is Reyes worth owning? This start will speak volumes about his fantasy value. RISK: MODERATE

2011 Draft Results: First Basemen Targeted

If you are new to the world of fantasy baseball, you should be very aware that first base is traditionally a position of great depth filled with some of the most impactful players. Heading into the 2011 season, this still holds true. MockDraftCentral.com is showing 10 of the top 50 players being drafted currently qualify as first basemen. If your league uses a corner infielder (CI or 1B/3B), extra infielder (IF), designated hitter (DH) or even a utility slot (UTIL) or two, there's a great opportunity to add one or more of these highly coveted players.

I went into all of my drafts having some players within the different tiers of first basemen as targets but draft position was really going to determine who I grabbed in the early rounds and how that would shape my entire roster. I wound up drafting 1st, 6th, 8th and 7th in my four snake drafts which meant three of my four drafts would have a lot of familiar faces...so I thought.

But before getting to the snake draft results, I wanted to talk about my online auction draft, which had me aggressively biding for the players I deemed "must have" and produced some interesting results:

• Adam Dunn, CHW ($30)
• Paul Konerko, CHW ($20)
• Mitch Moreland, TEX ($4)
• Dan Johnson, TB ($1)

I was in on all of the big name first basemen (Pujols, Miggy, AGon, etc) early but wound up bailing when I realized the prices were going to go a lot higher than I was willing to go. That strategy allowed me to focus in on and win such big names as Tulo ($39) and CarGo ($34) and drop down into the next tier of players and outbid everyone for a nice Dunn/Konerko duo to fill my 1B and CI roster slots. Moreland was a definite "sleeper" target while  Johnson was simply a late-round flier to add some possible depth to my bench, IF he wins the starting job in Tampa Bay. There were 390 players drafted in this league, so I fell pretty confident in what I was able to acquire and look forward to putting this plan into action.

Finding Keepers: Seattle Mariners

Even though the Seattle Mariners' 2010 offense as a whole was inept, they still managed to produce several very good individual fantasy baseball performances worthy of a keeper selection.

What little offense you do squeeze out of this team can probably be attributed to OF Ichiro Suzuki. He's led the MAJORS in hits seven out of his ten seasons since joining Seattle in 2001, while averaging 224 hits per season. He's also carrying a career .331 batting average and has hit .350 or better four times! RotoChamps.com reports his 2011 5x5 projections around .319/90/7/48/33 and ranks him as the 6th-best outfielder overall. Ichiro is one of those fantasy baseball players that you really know what you are getting when you draft (or keep) them and this season should be more of the same excellence.

Who knew that the major's worst offense would wind up being at the center of the AL Cy Young Award voting too? SP Felix Hernandez received the lowest Run Support Average of all qualifying pitchers in the majors for 2010 and it was reflected in the fact that he recorded 30 Quality Starts in 34 Games Started but produced just a 13-12 record. "King Felix" led the AL in Innings Pitched with 249.2 and the majors with a 2.27 ERA. At just 24 years old, the sky's the limit for a pitcher that deserves so much more support than the anemic Seattle Mariners offense can provide him.

2B Chone Figgins was just one of the many Mariners that had an awful offensive season, hitting a career-low .259 and scoring a career-low 62 runs. Positively, Figgins still managed to steal 42 bases and could come at a discount in auctions and new league drafts. There's talk that he'll be moved back to third base for the 2011 season, so he should gain 3B eligibility early enough in the season to give owners some nice roster flexibility with a guy that could easily produce a .280/90/2/45/40 line.

2010 Fantasy Baseball Awards: 10/09/2010

The 2010 regular season is now behind us and it's time to hand out some hardware. The Baseball Bloggers Alliance has new names for the awards we all know and love and I'll be handing them out from a fantasy perspective. And the winners are...

The Connie Mack Award for AL Manager of the Year: Joe Maddon, TB

Joe Maddon manages the Rays like a true fantasy baseball god. Position flexibility is the best friend of every good fantasy baseball manager and Maddon gets the most out of his roster. Ben Zobrist played 15 games at 1B, 56 at 2B, 2 at 3B, 1 in LF, 14 in CF and 104 in RF. He used Sean Rodriguez at 1B for 3 games, 94 at 2B, 7 at 3B, 5 at SS, 5 in LF, 9 in CF and 8 in RF. He batted his catcher, John Jaso, in the leadoff spot for 169 at bats (+ 30 walks) to the tune of a .380 on-base percentage. Toss in guys like Reid Brignac (2B/SS/RF) and Willy Aybar (1B/2B/3B) and you can see why Maddon is taking home this award.
2nd Place: Ron Washington, TEX
3rd Place: Ron Gardenhire, MIN

The Connie Mack Award for NL Manager of the Year: Bobby Cox, ATL

Bobby Cox managed his Braves to the NL Wild Card and probably helped many fantasy managers win their leagues with the likes of fantasy no-names such as 1B/2B/3B Martin Prado and 2B/3B/SS/LF/RF Omar Infante. Cox is single-handedly responsible for convincing Billy Wagner to come to Atlanta to be his closer and Wagner responded big time (7-2, 37 SV, 1.43 ERA, 0.87 WHIP). Add potential NL Rookie of the Year Jason Heyward and NL Comeback Player of the Year Tim Hudson into the mix and you can see why Bobby Cox is taking home this award.
2nd Place: Bruce Bochy, SF
3rd Place: Bud Black, SD

The Willie Mays Award for AL Rookie of the Year: RP Neftali Feliz, TEX

I hate the mantra, "Don't pay for saves", because sometimes saves are worth paying top dollar for (Mariano Rivera, for one). For those owners that were able to get Neftali Feliz at the end of their drafts (ADP 222.5), they struck fantasy gold. Frank Francisco opened the season as the Texas Rangers' closer and promptly blew two saves (April 8th and 10th). Feliz recorded his first save on April 12th and never looked back, converting 40 of 43 save opportunities the season.
2nd Place: Austin Jackson, DET
3rd Place: Brennan Boesch, DET

The Willie Mays Award for NL Rookie of the Year: C Buster Posey, SF

Most people would agree that this award was a two-horse race, Jason Heyward and Buster Posey. Looking at it from a fantasy perspective, their numbers were relatively similar. The differences are that Posey put his numbers (.305/18/67) in 108 games while Heyward put up his numbers (.277/18/72) in 142 games. Also, Hayward's ADP was 114.1 while Posey was virtually undrafted. Lastly, Posey put up premium numbers for a catcher and finished 3rd overall for his position while Heyward finished as the 40th ranked outfielder.
2nd Place: Jason Heyward, ATL
3rd Place: Jaime Garcia, STL

Line of the Day: 09/22/2010

1B/2B/3B Jose Lopez, SEA went 3-for-4 with three home runs, four RBI and three runs scored in a 6-3 win over the Toronto Blue Jays. Lopez was drafted by most as a second baseman for his .272/25/96 numbers in 2009 and has been nothing but a huge disappointment at .237/10/56 in 2010. Lopez will only be third base eligible in 2011 and nothing more than a late round filler for most teams. If you were unfortunate to still have Lopez on your roster, enjoy the output....and my condolences to your team.

Agree? Disagree? Nominate your own Line of the Day player using the comments section or hitting me up on Twitter.

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Line of the Day: 08/10/2010

SP Felix Hernandez, SEA pitched eight shutout innings, allowing five hits and a walk while striking out a career-high 13 against Oakland. It was his first win since July 10th. With a 2.71 ERA, 1.12 WHIP and on pace for a career-high 234, Hernandez deserves better than his eight wins, so far.

Agree? Disagree? Nominate your own Line of the Day player using the comments section or hitting me up on Twitter.

Line of the Day: 06/23/2010

SP Cliff Lee, SEA pitched his 3rd complete game in his last four starts, striking out nine and walking none. He threw 90 of his 115 pitches for strikes and has only walked four batters THIS SEASON (86.2 IP). Want more stats? How about a 19.0 K/BB ratio? And his 2.39 ERA with a 0.91 WHIP aren't too shabby either. If Lee is auditioning for a mid-season trade, teams are noticing. The Mariners are 11 games under .500 and could get a king's ransom in return for Lee. Sorry, Mariners fans, but your team just isn't getting it done. NOTE: Lee is owned in 98% of Yahoo! leagues and was starter in 88% of them yesterday. Those 10% that didn't start him should quit fantasy baseball (or probably already have).

Agree? Disagree? Nominate your own Line of the Day player using the comments section or hitting me up on Twitter.

A Steady Stream: 05/24/2010

A Steady Stream will be a semi-regular column that looks at probable pitchers starting games tomorrow and available in a majority of all ESPN and/or Yahoo! leagues.

Here are my Stream-Worthy Starting Pitchers for games to be played on Tuesday, May 25th, 2010 and the level of RISK associated with streaming:

• Mike Leake, CIN (64% E; 50% Y!) @ home vs PIT (Maholm) - Leake is 7 of 8 in quality start, 4-0 overall, 31:9 K:BB over his last six starts while carrying a 2.91 ERA and 1.18 WHIP. The Pirates offense may be in for a long day if Leake gets going early. RISK: LOW
• Doug Fister, SEA (57% E; 51% Y!) @ home vs DET (Verlander) - Fister has gone 8 IP in 4 of 8 starts and racking up some nice peripheral stats (1.96 ERA, 0.91 WHIP) but only a 3-2 record. Unfortunately, he draws Verlander tomorrow and the best to hope for is a pitcher's duel. RISK: EVEN
• Ian Kennedy, ARI (29% E; 35% Y!) @ COL (Chacin) - Kennedy is 2-1 in May with 1.93 ERA in 28 IP. Pitching in Colorado will always pose a risk, humidor or not, so tread lightly. RISK: SLIGHT
• Ervin Santana, LAA (29% E; 57% Y!) @ home vs TOR (Romero) - Santana has been up and down so far this season, so predicting this outcome could be tricky. The Blue Jays are an offense to be reckoned with right now and should be avoided. RISK: VERY HIGH
• Anibal Sanchez, FLA (4% E; 12% Y!) @ home vs ATL (Kawakami) - Sanchez is having a very good May (2-0, 24.1 IP, 19 H, 6 ER, 9 BB, 22 K) but has limited career success versus Atlanta (3-5, 4.71 ERA, 1.51 WHIP). RISK: MODERATE
• Jeremy Guthrie, BAL (2% E; 4% Y!) @ home vs OAK (Braden) - Roy Oswalt's not the only guy that should be asking for a trade. Guthrie has 7 of 9 quality starts but just two wins. His 3.86 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 3.30 K/BB ratio are all very ownable numbers, IF he wasn't on the Orioles. RISK: EVEN

Other possible streamers I'm simply avoiding:

• Randy Wolf, MIL (19% E; 58% Y!) @ home vs HOU (Paulino) - I drafted Wolf in three of four leagues and just recently dropped him in all four. I can't recommend streaming him at any risk until he pulls his head out of his ass and strings a couple of gems together.

Be sure to pop over and check me out on Twitter, too. Almost at 100 followers.