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Tim Williams - AccuScore Analyst
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The fantasy baseball season is either entering the playoffs in head to head leagues, or has a month to go in weekly leagues.  At this point in the season, about half of the teams in each league are out of the picture for the league title.  The remaining teams aren’t in the playoff picture because they have holes to fill via the waiver wire.

With the fantasy football season coming up in two weeks, and the MLB playoff races heating up, this will be the last edition of “Waiver Wire Wonders” for the 2008 MLB season.  Monday will be the last “MLB Trade Market”, as I’m sure most trade deadlines would have passed (a few of mine passed yesterday, and a few pass this weekend.)

The fantasy football articles will start in September, but for now I recommend you check out the draft preparation articles, as well as the cheat sheet to help you with your drafts.  As for baseball, I will be doing a weekly article called “Down the Stretch” focusing on the MLB playoff picture, and the players having a big impact on the races.  Look for that to run on Mondays.

The Waiver Wire Wonders article was my first article for AccuScore, starting last season during the fantasy football season, and for that reason it has always been my favorite to write.  I appreciate the readership this season, and I hope my articles helped you win your leagues.  As this is the final installment of the Waiver Wire Wonders, let’s take a look at the Waiver Wire All-Stars of the 2008 season to wrap this up.

Waiver Wire All-Stars

Batters

Carlos Quentin – Quentin leads the majors in homers with 35, has a .294 average, and went undrafted in the majority of leagues.  He’s arguably one of the top performers in fantasy baseball this season.

Nate McLouth – He’s cooled down recently, but has 22 homers, 14 steals, and a .275 average on the season.  Only Matt Holliday, Lance Berkman, Hanley Ramirez, Alex Rodriguez, and Grady Sizemore have more homers and stolen bases.

Ryan Ludwick – To date Ludwick has 31 homers and a .306 average.  Considering Adam Dunn and Ryan Howard have averages below .240, you could make the case that Ludwick is one of the top five fantasy producers this season.

Jorge Cantu – It’s been a nice bounce back season for Cantu, who is hitting .281 with 22 homers.  This is his best season since 2005 when he hit .286 with 28 homers.

Jay Bruce – Since his call-up around June, Bruce has hit .257 with 13 homers in 296 at bats.  It’s not Ryan Braun 2007 material, but it’s still a good performance.

Alexei Ramirez – He has been eligible at second, short, and the outfield, and is hitting .309 with 14 homers and nine stolen bases.  He has easily been a top five at either second or short this season.

Luke Scott – He was one of the trade pieces in the Miguel Tejada deal, and showed why, hitting 21 homers with a .272 average so far.

Mark Reynolds – Reynolds has a Ryan Howard/Adam Dunn syndrome, hitting 24 homers, but batting .245.  He’s a third baseman, which gives him a little more value than he would have playing at first base or in the outfield (which explains why he is owned in all leagues, but Luke Scott is still owned in half of leagues.)

Aubrey Huff – Huff has 27 homers and a .299 average, putting him within range of his career best season in 2003 when he posted a .311 average and 34 homers.

Pitchers

Cliff Lee – Lee had a 6.29 ERA last season, but broke out this season with an AL-best 18 wins, 141 strikeouts, a 2.43 ERA, and a 1.08 WHIP, and he’s not done yet.

Edinson Volquez – Volquez was traded for Josh Hamilton, and while Hamilton went in the middle rounds of the draft, Volquez went undrafted.  He broke out with 15 wins so far, 150 strikeouts in 151.2 innings, a 2.73 ERA and a 1.31 WHIP.

Ervin Santana – After his horrible season last year where he went 7-14 with a 5.76 ERA, Santana responded with 13 wins, a 3.40 ERA, and 166 strikeouts so far in 2008.

Justin Duchscherer – Duchscherer’s conversion to a starter was a success.  In 141.2 innings he posted 10 wins, 95 strikeouts, a 2.54 ERA, and a 1.00 WHIP.

Mike Mussina – He ranks third in wins this season, behind Lee and Brandon Webb.  Mussina had 106 strikeouts, a 3.35 ERA, and a 1.20 WHIP, despite going undrafted.

Joe Saunders – Arguably the biggest surprise, Saunders posted 14 wins, a 3.14 ERA and a 1.19 WHIP.  Only Roy Halladay, Lee, and Webb have more wins and better ratios.

Aaron Cook – Despite playing in Colorado, Cook put up 15 wins, a 3.86 ERA, and a 1.32 WHIP.  What’s more amazing is that his ERA at home was only 4.12.

Pitchers who put up good numbers all around, but nothing spectacular in any particular area:  Todd Wellemeyer, Jair Jurrjens, Jeremy Guthrie, John Danks, Matt Garza, and Kevin Slowey

Closers

Salomon Torres – Torres lost the closers role in Pittsburgh last year, but was given another chance in Milwaukee when Gagne failed.  He responded with 24 saves, a 2.56 ERA, and a 1.22 WHIP.

Brian Fuentes – Manny Corpas lost the closers job in Colorado, and Fuentes returned to the role, recording 24 saves with a 2.90 ERA and a 1.15 WHIP.  He also recorded 58 strikeouts in 49.2 innings.

Jon Rauch – Rauch took over as the closer in Washington, posting 18 saves before being traded to Arizona.  He now serves as the backup to Brandon Lyon, but I would be willing to bet he becomes the closer in Arizona by the end of the season.