Conventional wisdom says that the best way to succeed in fantasy baseball is to stay ahead of the curve - to pick up players before they have a breakthrough and to drop players before they start performing poorly. This approach is typically effective, yet it is often difficult to execute without the benefit of a crystal ball.
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An easier approach is to continuously monitor the waiver wire and free agent listings because they will yield some surprises even in the most sophisticated leagues. There is a good chance that your league has at least one or two free agents in the midst of an extended period of good play.
Two of the hottest players of the last fortnight, Geovany Soto and David Ortiz, became available in a few leagues about a month ago when their struggles reached a summit. Although most owners stayed relatively patient with these two players, one in five leagues had either Soto or Ortiz available at the beginning of June.
Likewise, there are a number of excellent players that have flown under the radar in a handful of leagues. Whether the availability of players is due to the inattentiveness of owners, the smaller size of some fantasy leagues or the relative obscurity of the player, vigilant owners can still make effective acquisitions.
David Aardsma entered 2009 with the Seattle Mariners, his fifth club in his five-year major-league career. He had never recorded a save, so he would not be the obvious choice as one of the American League's most dominant closers. However, that is exactly what he has become.
Since opening-day closer Brandon Morrow went on the disabled list on May 15, Aardsma has taken over the job. Aardsma has thrived as the full-time closer, converting 12 of 13 save opportunities. Only Huston Street has more saves (13) than Aardsma in this time span.
Aardsma is 2-1 with a 1.53 ERA and 1.189 WHIP as the fireman for the M's. As effective as Aardsma has been in the last month and a half, his stranglehold on the closer's job has tightened in June. This month he is 1-0 with seven saves, a perfect 0.00 ERA and a WHIP of 0.778. He has 17 strikeouts in nine June innings.
Despite the fact that he pitches for a Seattle squad that does not give him as many save opportunities as closers on elite teams get, Aardsma has proven that he has been one of the best in baseball since mid-May. Aardsma's performance merits ownership in nearly every fantasy league, yet he is still available in 25 percent of leagues.
Scott Rolen is a more common name, but owners have ignored his recent torridness as well. Rolen is currently the fifth-leading hitter in the American League at a .329 clip. He is hitting .387 in June, a mark topped by only Chone Figgins among full-time third basemen. Furthermore, no player has surpassed Rolen's total of 10 June doubles. His fourth-inning double Friday extended his hitting streak to 15 games, during which he is rapping an incredible .429.
The talent pool at third base has become deeper in the last year or two and some good first basemen, like Russell Branyan and Pablo Sandoval, have third-base eligibility. Even so, it is hard to imagine that Rolen does not warrant a spot on a fantasy roster. He is currently available in one-third of all leagues.
First base is almost always the deepest position from a fantasy perspective. One of the hottest first baseman right now is a player that is not often considered among the cream of the first base crop: Pittsburgh's Adam LaRoche.
LaRoche is fourth among first basemen in hitting in the month of June. This month, LaRoche has a .338 average with four homers and 14 RBIs. For his career, LaRoche hits 40 points higher after the All-Star Game, so he may be able to maintain this stretch. For fantasy owners that already have a steady man at first, LaRoche can be used as a utility player in the 40 percent of leagues where he is a free agent.
Chip Smedley is a staff writer for the Sunday News. E-mail him at csmedley@lnpnews.com.
