The Experts' Blog: Fantasy Baseball Waiver Candy

May 24th, 2008 JunkyardJake.Com

Jay Bruce, Cincinnati Reds, OF

According to many scouts, Bruce is baseball's #1 prospect, and it's hard to argue with this evaluation when he is currently tearing up the triple-A league with a .369 average to go along with 10 HR's and 8 stolen bases in 45 games. The Reds are fairly deep in the outfield with Adam Dunn, Corey Patterson, Ryan Freel and Ken Griffey Jr., so it may take a trade for Bruce to see regular playing time, but he is worth picking up anyway, just in case the Reds do the right thing and start rebuilding this year.

Available in 46% of all CBSSportsline leagues.

Chris Perez, St.Louis Cardinals, RP

In between occasional physical breakdowns, Jason Isringhausen has been one of baseballs most reliable closers. This season however, Isringhausen has been about as predictable as Britney Spears trying to parallel park her Hummer on Whilshire Blvd. Izzy's latest meltdown involved a scuffle with a TV set in Tony LaRussa's office and a trip to the DL with a hand injury. Chris Perez, with a fastball that has been clocked at 97-100 mph, is considered the future closer for the Cardinals, and the future may be coming up soon. Perez was very impressive in the minors, amassing 55 saves over the past three years with 1.3 K's per inning.

Available in 81% of all CBSSportsline leagues.

Clayton Kershaw, LA Dodgers, SP

You are probably tired of hearing about Clayton Kershaw, the mythical prospect that the Dodgers keep threatening to bring up from their minor league system. Well, his long-awaited callup is expected to happen this week, and we will finally see how the highly-regarded 2006 1st round left-hander handles major-league hitters. It's a good bet that Kershaw has a very bright future ahead of him, as he is a rare lefty that can throw consistently in the mid-90's and he has a amazing curveball that can pick your pocket, pull a $20 from your wallet, return two five's and a roll of quarters, and then still land over the plate for a called strike three.

Available in 56% of all CBSSportsline leagues.

Adam LaRoche, Pittsburgh Pirates, 1B

Many fantasy teams gave up on Laroche during his injury-plagued April, but he is a fairly solid option at 1st base who could easily deliver 25 HR's and 100 RBI. Remember, he has been a notoriously slow-starter his entire career who seemingly doesn't start hitting until the summer months. In 2006, he batted .200 in April, but had an amazing July and August where he batted .357 with 14 HRs. It was the same story in 2007, when he hit an embarrassing .133 in April, then cranked it up during July and August with a .336 average and 10 homers.

Available in 53% of all CBSSportsline leagues.

Jose Guillen, KC Royals, OF/DH

Guillen had a dreadful April, hitting .192, but he has wielded a potent bat lately with a .352 average and 18 RBI's during the month of May. At 32, Guillen is not a young lad, but he is the most frequent #4 hitter in the Royals lineup, and it helps that the Royals use him in the DH spot a couple times week, giving him some time-off from fielding wear and tear. He is certainly not the type of player that will carry your team, but you can probably expect around a .285 average, 25 HRs and 95 RBIs, which isn't bad if your current fantasy outfield consists of Andruw Jones, Emil Brown and Austin Kearns.

Available in 44% of all CBSSportsline leagues.

Other Players To Consider:
Shane Victorino,Philadelphia Phillies,OF

Available in 33% of all CBSSportsline leagues.
Akinori Iwamura,Tampa Bay Rays,2B

Available in 52% of all CBSSportsline leagues.
Taylor Buchholz,Colorado Rockies,RP

Available in 91% of all CBSSportsline leagues.
Tom Gorzelanny, Pittsburgh Pirates,SP