Recently in Fantasy Baseball Category

Today we're going to take a look at some fantasy players that have been ice cold since coming off the All-Star break. It's not unusual for a player to need some time to get back in the groove, but these guys are stretching the limits of our patience:

While hyping up the post-Tommy John surgery return of Marlins starter Josh Johnson today, Yahoo's Brandon Funston also points out that another Tommy John victim, Twins starter Francisco Liriano, is owned in 40% of Yahoo leagues.

At this time of year it may seem as if the waiver wire is bare bones, filled only with guys who rarely see the field and pitchers who could give Barry Zito a run for the title of 'Worst Pitcher in Baseball'.

But don't fret my fantasy friends, because I have spent an inordinate amount of time with my statistician Min Joon Kim poring over rosters and statistics to help you find that pitcher nobody in your league has even noticed yet despite a string of dominating performances lately.

His name, you ask?

The Good

Hitters:

J.J. Hardy, MIL SS
vs. PIT
3-4, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 2 R, 1 BB

Maybe he was in a good mood after hearing that C.C. Sabathia is on his way to becoming a short-term member of the Brew Crew. Hide your snacks gents, Sabby loves him some snacks.

Chipper Jones, ATL 3B
vs. HOU
3-5, 1 HR, 2 RBI, 3 R, 4 BB

As far as I'm concerned, you should have a pretty decent fantasy line after playing a 17-inning marathon game in which you had nine at bats. Chipper's holding steady with a .388 BA, however, don't kid yourself. The elusive .400 is a pipe dream and is a record that won't ever be broken.

Cody Ross, FLA OF
vs. COL
3-5, 1 HR, 5 RBI, 1 R

While you may not have heard of Ross, this kid is doing some very good things down in the albatross that is Florida Marlins baseball. More on him later.

Hurlers:

Jon Garland, LAA P
vs. TOR
9 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 3 K

That's the Johnny G that the South Side of Chicago had become used to seeing. Only problem is that Garland is one of those guys that is a very good pitcher in real life, but in fantasy his stats don't translate into the same success. Not a high strikeout guy with average WHIP and ERA, Garland won't ever win you a fantasy matchup, but then again he most certainly won't lose it for you either.

Randy Johnson, ARI P
vs. SDG
6 1/3 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 10 K

The old man's still got it. We weren't sure heading into the season what, if any, Johnson had left in the tank, but those questions have been answered. Johnson has had a few shaky starts, but the old man can still deliver a 10 strikeout gem like yesterday and is a nice option to have on your staff.

The Bad

Ryan Howard, PHI 1B
vs. NYM
1-6, 0 BB, 0 RBI, 0 R, 4 K, 5 LOB

If you've been reading the Fantasy Factor, you might think I'm picking on the big guy. But in a game against the division rival New York Mets, Howard absolutely disappeared. The Phillies have a two-game lead over the Marlins in the NL East and would have liked to extend their lead in a big way. But like I told you before, Howard is horrendous against lefties and you seriously have to consider benching him when the Phils go up against a southpaw in the future.

Jesse Litsch, TOR P
vs. LAA
5.1 IP, 8 H, 6 ER

Too bad Roy Halladay couldn't start every game for the Jays. I can't wait for the next round of A.J. Burnett to the Cubs talks.

Here are the top thirty fantasy baseball players overall based on stats and overall performance this season only. Promise, potential, soothsaying and reputation do not play a factor into them because they didn't earn you points yesterday and they won't earn you points today.

Here goes:

Welcome to the Fantasy Factor where Matt and Ricky literally cannot stop thinking about two little words that will change Chicago forever:

DERRICK ROSE

And now on to the best and worst of fantasy baseball from Wednesday night's action:

Eric Stults - Los Angeles Dodgers (SP)
9 IP, 4 H, 3 K
vs. White Sox

Yikes. From now on, I almost have to suggest starting any pitcher that has a heartbeat against this White Sox offense the day after they win a game. I've never seen a team that can go so cold so quickly and Stults caught these guys at the right time. Stults kept feeding White Sox pitches they could make contact with and they obliged by popping up nearly every time.

After a great weekend of baseball, it's time to get your mind back into fantasy mode and start sifting through the waiver wire for that extra arm or bat for your lineup.

We're here to help, so here are the guys you might want to take a look at when you're spending your time at work on fantasy baseball instead of work itself.

Joel Piniero - St. Louis Cardinals (SP)
3.86 ERA, 2-3, 34 K, 1.24 WHIP

He didn't pick up the victory against the Boston Red Sox on Sunday, but Piniero certainly did enough to give the Cards' a chance. Somehow Tony LaRussa is making all the right moves and Piniero is just the latest example. On a team that has consistently defied the odds at every turn, Piniero could be an extremely solid fifth starter for your rotation and should be available in the majority of your leagues.

Sidney Ponson - New York Yankees (SP)
3.88 ERA, 4-1, 25 K, 1.56 WHIP

Chances are you probably can't even pick Ponson up in your league because he's still in the minors after signing a contract with the Yankees last week. Manager Joe Girardi sounds like he will be making a call to the big right-hander due to the injuries that have seemed to pop up almost daily amongst his pitching staff.

Ponson was pitching well for the Texas Rangers, but was booted after a string of questionable behavior. Everyone knows he's got the stuff to be a quality starter for any team, now it's just a matter of keeping it together. As soon as you hear the news that Ponson is getting the call up to the big-show, snag him immediately. With that powerful Yankees offense providing run support, Ponson could possibly give you a very nice second half of service.

Aubrey Huff - Baltimore Orioles (DH/1B)
.271 AVG, 14 HR, 42 RBI, .342 OBP, .500 SLG

It's not too often that I reccomend picking up players from the Orioles outside of second baseman Brian Roberts. But in the case of Aubrey Huff I'll make an exception. If you're in a very deep league, Huff may already be putting up respectable power numbers for one of your foes. But if he's not, I'd take a long hard look at a guy that has been consistently hitting for power and driving in runs this season.

In April he had five homeruns, May he had four and so far in June he's hit five more. Huff is just going about his business while remaining a very valuable fantasy threat and could do wonders if you're in need of a replacement DH or first baseman.

Eric Hinske - Tampa Bay Rays (RF)
.258 AVG, 12 HR, 39 RBI, .339 OBP, .510 SLG

The 2002 Rookie of the Year has seemingly found a home in Tamp Bay and you fantasy baseball players out there should take notice. Up until his oh-fer performance yesterday against the Houston Astros, Hinske was on a seven game hitting streak in which he drove in eight runs and swiped a pair of bases.

It's imperative to have good outfielders in fantasy baseball and if you got stuck on the short end of the stick in this particular area it's time you start making some moves here. Take a flyer on Hinske and stop waiting for guys like Minnesota Twins outfielder Delmon Young to produce. Talent doesn't do anything for you in fantasy baseball, production does. Time to take notice.

Hong-Chih Kuo - Los Angeles Dodgers (RP)
1.76 ERA, 3-1, 55 K, 1.00 WHIP, 46 IP

It's tough to find good bullpen help these days. Everyone knows who the good ones are and once they're gone it basically becomes a crap shoot.

But now the guy you need to know about is Hong-Chih Kuo.

In the past 28 innings Kuo has pitched, he's given up a miniscule three earned runs while posting a eye-popping 0.96 ERA. If it wasn't for a terrible outing against the Reds back in late April (3.2 IP, 5 ER), Kuo would have a grand total of four earned runs and an ERA of 0.84 for the season.

Better yet, he's owned in 16-percent of ESPN fantasy baseball leagues and I can almost guarantee he'd be available in yours.