The Major League leaders with 112 home runs, the Yankees have fallen just off the pace in June, hitting the seventh-most homers (32) in baseball. But in the place of overwhelming power, baseball’s most star-studded, veteran-laden and patient lineup has worked over opposing pitchers and scored runs the old-fashioned way.

New York has drawn 126 walks this month, by far the most in the Majors; struck out just 134 times, the second-fewest in the Majors; stolen 25-of-27 bases, the highest success rate in baseball; and slugged 82 extra-base hits, fourth-most in baseball.

The Yankees are presenting nearly the same power threat, while frustrating pitchers with their patience and running the bases with extreme efficiency.

At the same rate, New York’s pitchers have shown marked improvement, helping the club win five straight games and keep pace with the Boston Red Sox in the American League East.

CC Sabathia eased injury concerns with a dominant Friday start against the Mets; A.J. Burnett is on fire with three straight excellent outings; Joba Chamberlain lowered his ERA for the third straight month in June; and Chien-Ming Wang finally has his first victory of the season under his belt.

And, Phil Hughes has made a smooth transition from starter to reliever, helping to cure what ailed the team’s bullpen. The 23-year-old has a 1.50 ERA, .122 opponents batting average and a 15-to-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio in seven relief appearances. If Wang continues to improve as the season moves along, the decision to move Hughes to the ‘pen will only look more brilliant.

Collectively, the staff has been baseball’s most unhittable in June. New York leads the Majors with 208 strikeouts and a .222 opponents this month and has a tidy 3.49 ERA - nearly a full run lower than its season mark (4.47).

The recipe bodes well going into the summer months, and this club could be downright dangerous when all the big boppers get going again. If the same offensive approach holds true in the second half, and some of the team’s scuffling stars — Mark Teixeira, Robinson Cano, Alex Rodriguez and Jorge Posada — snap out of their funks, the American League could be in serious trouble.

Here’s a glance at the Yankees’ lineup by position, with brief notes on their recent statistics and fantasy prospects.

C - Jorge Posada: Still working his way back from hamstring injury; has 10 HRs, but is hitting just .182 (10-for-55) in his last 17 games

1B - Mark Teixeira: Has cooled off since torrid May/June stretch; homerless drought has reached 14 games and 56 at-bats

2B - Robinson Cano: Showing signs of life again, but struggling in run production role; has zero RBIs in his last nine games

3B - Alex Rodriguez: Issues are well-publicized, but is quietly rounding into form; is 7-for-15 with 2 HRs, 9 RBIs, .667 OBP his last 5 games

SS - Derek Jeter: Power, run production have flatlined (0 HRs, 0 RBIs last 9 games), but making up for it with surprising 17-for-18 stolen bases

LF - Johnny Damon: Adding SBs back into his fantasy game; after 20 games without a SB attempt, is 3-for-3 in his last seven games

CF - Brett Gardner: Has slight edge over Cabrera for ABs in CF; take out big 5-for-6 effort in Subway Series opener, and his .289 average falls to .268

RF - Nick Swisher: Enhances Yankees’ powerful, patient dynamic; hitting just .237, but with 14 HRs, 50 BBs and .373 OBP

DH - Hideki Matsui: Moves back into DH role after nine straight games in National League parks; finished interleague play with .139 average (5-for-36)

Rotation
#1 - LHP CC Sabathia: Tight bicep looked plenty fine in dominating the Mets; early exit in Florida was only time in last 10 starts he didn’t go 7+ innings

#2 - RHP A.J. Burnett: Dominant starts against crosstown Mets (15 IP, 0 ER) can help fans forget struggles against Boston (7.2 IP, 11 ER)

#3 - LHP Andy Pettitte: Having issues with consistency and working deep into starts, but is still good bet to win 14+ games for 12th time in his career

#4 - RHP Joba Chamberlain: Take progress where you can get it; BB rate, HR rate, ERA have gotten progressively lower each month of the season

#5 - RHP Chien-Ming Wang: Reason to be hopeful; Sunday start was his first win (1-6) and first start allowing fewer hits (4) than innings pitched (5.1)

Closer
RHP Mariano Rivera: Had a milestone day against the Mets; recorded career save No. 500 and career RBI No. 1

In trying to project for an upcoming season, the tendency is to look at last season’s results and assume they are going to repeat themselves. Understandably so, too; the fresher information is the safest approach to evaluating players and the best way to feel good about the picks you’ve made.

It takes some guts to reach for a rookie or a player coming off an injury plagued season. We can’t look at the statistics and feel safe in our decision-making, so we tend to avoid those players and only look at them when prices are absolutely right.

This is most true for aging veterans. We don’t give a 33-year-old coming off a rocky season much of a chance to bounce back and have a career year. We would prefer to avoid those players and consider them washed up and no longer worth our time in fantasy.

The “warm and fuzzy” factor is big because we all want players on our fantasy rosters who excite us. To capture that feeling, good numbers from the previous season are a near must.

Every season, though, there is a group of players who defy expectations by making unprecedented improvements. These kinds of pleasant surprises are the glue that binds our fantasy rosters together; the draft day bargains who provide big-time bang for the buck.

Here are 10 such players …

Derek Jeter, SS, New York Yankees: Fantasy owners didn’t think that The Captain’s career was over. They thought it could be over and that he may no longer deserve serious fantasy consideration. Jeter had a fine season in 2008, but he put up pedestrian numbers with 11 home runs and 11 stolen bases. He had to prove himself again in those categories to re-claim his status as one of fantasy’s elite shortstops, and so far he has. Jeter already has nine homers and 17 stolen bases, while looking like a sure bet for another 200-hit, .300-average season.

Michael Young, 3B/SS, Texas Rangers: Young was in a similar position to Jeter entering this season, with his power dwindling and only a superior batting average remaining in his fantasy arsenal. His move to third base also clouded the picture, but it looks like a blessing since Young takes less of a pounding on defense and can put more energy into his offensive game. The 32-year-old should do his usual with a .300+ average, but he’s also got 10 homers already - just two off his 2008 season.

Prince Fielder, 1B, Milwaukee Brewers: Fielder had an OK season in 2008, but fell short of lofty expectations that come with a 50-home run season. That lingering disappointment made Fielder a great value in fantasy drafts, where he was costing fewer auction dollars and lasting later on draft boards. By most statistical measures, Fielder is leaps and bounds ahead of his sluggish start to the ‘08 season, but that’s especially true in his RBI count. Fielder, who is second in the Majors with 73 RBIs, didn’t drive in his 73rd run of the ‘08 season until Aug. 13.

Carl Crawford, OF, Tampa Bay Rays: Early in his career, Crawford was pegged as a future 40-40 type player, a fantasy owner’s dream come true. We waited years for Crawford’s superior skill set to yield a more respectable home run count, and it simply never came. That fact, combined with a finger injury that limited him to 109 games last season, made Crawford a forgotten man this season. Even if he’s plateaued as a 15-home run hitter, Crawford has become baseball’s best basestealer (the Major League leader with 39) while putting up respectable numbers in every other rotisserie category.

Curtis Granderson, OF, Detroit Tigers: Granderson has blown past expectations of another 20-20 season and thrown his name into the ring for 30-30. He’s moved to the middle of the Tigers’ lineup, so his objectives have become more of a run producer’s and less of a table setter’s. Granderson is hitting for more power (18 HRs) and driving in more runs (43 RBIs), but he’s also on target for a career-high in stolen bases. Granderson strikes out too much to add a .300 average to his arsenal, but the rest of his game is that of an upper tier fantasy outfielder.

Victor Martinez, C/1B, Cleveland Indians: Faith was lost in Martinez’s ability to stay healthy; not his ability to flat-out rake. The Cleveland star had been swiftly knocked off his perch as fantasy’s No. 1 catcher, but he’s fighting back to try and re-claim it. Martinez is hitting .321, leading all catchers with 57 RBIs, and erasing doubts in his power with 14 homers in 290 at-bats. While fellow backstops Geovany Soto, Russell Martin and Brian McCann have fallen off, Martinez has joined Minnesota’s Joe Mauer as head of the catchers class.

Felix Hernandez, SP, Seattle Mariners: King Felix, still just 23 years old, has continued a steady trend of improvement and gotten even closer to his massive potential this season. He posted sound numbers in 2008, but didn’t make a quantum leap in large part because of his team’s inability to compete. Hernandez has improved in virtually all statistical measures, but the biggest benefit to his fantasy game has come from improvements in the team around him. Hernandez had a lowly 9-11 record last season, but barring a second-half tailspin, he should reach 15 victories (he’s 8-3 now) to go along with his current 2.54 ERA and 1.17 WHIP.

David Aardsma, RP, Seattle Mariners: Aardsma can’t even be called a preseason sleeper; he was in more of a hibernation or coma. Things ended badly for him as a middle reliever in Boston, when he suffered a groin injury and fell apart in the second half of last season. Even at just 27 years old, there was no indication that Aardsma would ever warrant fantasy consideration. But, through the the struggles of closer-turned-starter-turned-closer-turned-starter Brandon Morrow, Aardsma got his big chance to close games. He’s held up his end of the bargain, too, especially this month with a 0.00 ERA, 8 saves and a 20-to-4 K-to-BB ratio in 9 innings of work.

Michael Cuddyer, OF, Minnesota Twins: Cuddyer has never been a fantasy star, but he’s always had the potential to be a nice role player, a No. 4 or No. 5 outfielder type. Most were expecting a big breakout following a 2006 season in which Cuddyer hit .284 with 24 home runs and 109 RBIs, but it never came. This season, Cuddyer is approaching that same form with 11 homers and 38 RBIs in 67 games. He finds himself in the heart of Minnesota’s lineup once again, which should translate into another run at 20 homers and 100 RBIs.

George Sherrill, RP, Baltimore Orioles: Sherrill has not only rebounded from some adversity in the second half of last season, but from a rocky start to this one. Orioles manager Dave Trembley said he would deploy a closer-by-committee on May 4, and since that day, Sherrill has allowed one earned run in 19 innings. He’s also grabbed the closer’s job by the horns once and for all by going a perfect 12-for-12 in saves over that same stretch. The hot streak suddenly has Sherrill among the top half of fantasy closers with a 2.05 ERA, 1.01 WHIP and 16 saves.

There are all kinds of ways to split the numbers and get a deeper sense for a player’s long-term value. One of the easiest, most common ways is to take periodic snapshots of his production. Constantly take looks at the last seven days, the last two weeks, this month, last month, before the All-Star break, after the All-Star break. The numbers and the trends reveal stories and tell you where players have been and where they could ultimately be going.

Season numbers, especially right now with such small sample sizes, can mask what’s really happening. Players who were ice cold to start the year can heat up and easily be worth more than their season numbers suggest. Similarly, players who started off hot still have owners feeling all warm and fuzzy inside, even though they’ve steadily run out of steam.

We’ll take a snapshot of just this month alone, but we’ll also try our best to tell the stories behind the numbers. Here are some June storylines that we think fantasy owners should know …

Your American League RBI leaders in June …
… are Toronto Blue Jays first baseman Lyle Overbay and Los Angeles Angels outfielder Juan Rivera, with 18 apiece.

Overbay is quietly having himself a nice, little season. In typical Overbay fashion, he’s not blowing anyone away in the power department (9 HRs), but he’s ripping doubles and driving in runs. His stat line is shaping up to be a useful .280-25-100-70-0, which merits ownership in more than 8 percent of ESPN.com leagues.

June is just part of the story for Rivera, one of fantasy’s most popular waiver wire pickups over the past two weeks. He’s got 18 RBIs in 17 games this month, but he’s hitting .380 with 8 home runs and 24 RBIs over his last 24 games. When Rivera is healthy and playing everyday, he’s an excellent source of cheap run production and 30-home run pop.

McCutchen’s big splash
Pittsburgh Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen made sure fans got over the team’s decision to ship reigning All-Star and Gold Glove winner Nate McLouth to Atlanta. McCutchen has impressed with his work ethic, baseball smarts, speed and bat control, and the numbers have warranted serious fantasy consideration. The 22-year-old hasn’t even been in Pittsburgh the entire month, and he leads the majors with 5 triples and is tied for eighth with 26 hits. All in all, McCutchen is hitting .333 with 1 home run, 13 RBIs, 2 stolen bases and 13 runs scored in his first 17 games.

Pujols reigns supreme
We don’t need any more proof that St. Louis Cardinals first baseman Albert Pujols is the best player in baseball, but we’re getting it anyway. Pujols leads the majors with 10 home runs and 26 RBIs this month, putting him right back in the hunt for a National League triple crown. He leads the league in homers (26) and RBIs (68) this season, while steadily compiling a .328 average that should put him in the conversation for a batting title. Perhaps most impressively of all, Pujols has 52 walks to just 27 strikeouts and a Major League-leading .445 on-base percentage.

Return of Scott Podsednik
Thought Chicago White Sox outfielder Scott Podsednik’s career was finished? You’re in the majority. Pods is back and taking full advantage of regular left fielder Carlos Quentin’s trip to the disabled list with 27 hits, a .333 average and seven stolen bases in seven attempts this month. Who knows how long this can last — we don’t expect his legs to stay underneath him much longer — but enjoy it as long as it does.

Patient and powerful Pablo
There’s not a whole lot conventional about San Francisco Giants third baseman Pablo Sandoval. He’s a round 5-foot-11 and 246 pounds. He swings at everything, and he never walks. Yet, at just 22 years old, he’s a .340 career hitter. In June, the high contact rate is meeting improved patience and much better power, helping Sandoval finally start to follow through on all the preseason sleeper hype. Sandoval had a combined three home runs and eight walks (to 22 strikeouts) in April and May, but has already hit five homers and walked eight times in June.

Quiet-Lee getting on track
A similar story can be told about Chicago Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee. Like most of his Cubs teammates, Lee couldn’t get much of anything going in the season’s first two months. The 33-year-old had gotten his fair share of base hits, but he had also seriously disappointed his fantasy owners with another major power outage. June has been a season-changing kind of month for him, though, especially the past week. Lee has six homers and 17 RBIs this month, including four and nine, respectively, in his last four games. Lee had just five homers and 19 RBIs combined in April and May.

All’s well that ends well
There are few players in baseball as bipolar in their production as Colorado Rockies third baseman Ian Stewart. He has difference-making power that could translate into perennial 40-homer seasons playing at Coors Field, but he goes through epic peaks and valleys that make him extremely hard to trust in fantasy. Stewart has big home run (6) and RBI (17) totals this month, but the huge majority of production came in a handful of games. Fifteen of Stewart’s 17 RBIs came in four individual games, and he had just one game where he drove in a run without the benefit of a homer.

Can’t stop the slide
Struggling Philadelphia Phillies shortstop Jimmy Rollins hasn’t fared any better in June, continuing his skid into the summertime with a .195 average. For the season, the 30-year-old is hitting just .217 with 6 home runs and 10 stolen bases. Rollins does have a tendency to save the best for last — his best statistical month is September — so not all is lost. Know that fact and try to scoop him up low around mid-July.

Slowey reaches 10 wins
Proof that wins aren’t always the best measure of a pitcher’s effectiveness, Minnesota Twins right-hander Kevin Slowey has three victories this month to join Toronto’s Roy Halladay as the game’s only 10-game winners. Slowey has been significantly less than dominant with a 4.04 ERA, a 1.37 WHIP and 12 home runs allowed in 14 starts, but he’s working deep into enough games, avoiding major damage and getting enough support to be on the right side of 10 decisions.

Johan showing signs of weakness
Even at his most dominant point this season, New York Mets left-hander Johan Santana still had a little to be desired in fantasy leagues. As unhittable as he was, Santana wasn’t getting enough run support to reel off as many victories as he deserved. Santana has combined hard luck with some struggles of his own this month in going 1-3 with a 7.33 ERA and just 11 strikeouts in 23.1 innings (four starts). Four of Santana’s five losses on the season have come when he’s posted Quality Starts; the other was a 15-0 shellacking at the hands of the New York Yankees on June 14.

No run support for Vazquez
Quietly, the Atlanta Braves’ acquisition of right-hander Javier Vazquez has been one of the better deals of the offseason. Vazquez has been strong in his return to the National League, posting a 3.18 ERA, 1.05 WHIP and 117 strikeouts in 99 innings. Problem is, Vazquez has just a 5-6 record, including a 1-2 mark in June and a 1-3 mark in his last six starts. His hardest luck came in his first two June starts when he got just one run of support in going 0-1 with a 1.93 ERA, 19 strikeouts and zero walks in 14 innings in losses to the Milwaukee Brewers and Pittsburgh Pirates.

Pitching like an ace again
Boston Red Sox right-hander Josh Beckett has regained the form that made him one of the game’s best, most productive pitchers. Beckett is 3-1 this month and 6-1 in his last nine starts, eight of which have been Quality Starts. He’s really picked up steam since May 23, allowing zero earned runs in four of his six starts since then. For the season, Beckett is 8-3 with a 3.74 ERA and 88 strikeouts 91.1 innings.

Surprisingly dominant relievers
Huston Street and David Aardsma are rewarding fantasy owners handsomely this month, producing unexpectedly impressive stat lines. No closer has gotten as many save opportunities as Street’s nine this month, and Street has converted eight of them and picked up one victory. Aardsma, on the other hand, has recorded six saves while making leaps and bounds in his strikeout-to-walk ratio. Aardsma has 15 Ks, two walks and a 0.00 ERA in eight June appearances.

Impressively, Reimold has 10 walks to just six strikeouts so far in June. Combined with his .326 batting average, the 25-year-old rookie has an impressive .453 on-base percentage and 1.034 OPS this month.

Patience is one area where Reimold has really improved, manager Dave Trembley told the Sun. The numbers back up that assertion, too. After walking six times to 16 strikeouts through his first 23 games, Reimold has walked eight times to just one strikeout in his last eight games.

Until his last game, when he failed to draw a base on balls but went 2-for-4 with a double, home run and RBI, Reimold had walked at least once in seven straight games.

In standard rotisserie leagues, the walks and on-base percentage figures themselves don’t do much for fantasy owners. But, the underlying themes of patience, discipline, maturity and self-improvement are great reasons to think Reimold could be an excellent pro. He’s already got one tangible roto asset in his 30-homer power, and he’s showing the intangibles to expect even more.

Rivera burst onto the scene in 2006 with a .310 average, 23 home runs and 85 RBIs and, with a current hot streak, is on target for eerily similar numbers this season. His batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS are all within a few points of his 2006 marks. Season projections have Rivera surpassing those career-best totals in homers, RBIs and runs scored.

Rivera has been one of the game’s most productive hitters in June, hitting .333 with 5 home runs and a MLB-best 17 RBIs (tie). He has a .387 average (34-for-88), 7 home runs and 23 RBIs over his last 22 games.

Still owned in less than 30 percent of ESPN.com leagues, Rivera is the best, most accomplished hitter currently on the waiver wire.

His full free agent profile …

Status: Racking up the RBIs
Basics: .316 AVG, 10 HRs, 36 RBIs in 57 games
Key Stats: .387 AVG, 23 RBIs over last 22 games
What to Watch For: Power - best-case would be 30 HRs
Other Notes: Has at least one RBI in each of his last six games, collecting nine total over that stretch … acquisition of Torii Hunter last season sent Rivera into a reserve outfielder role … organization committed to getting his power bat into the lineup this season, and the decision has paid off … is an excellent run producer who could challenge 30 home runs with 550 at-bats … had a similar hot stretch in his last full season, hitting .335 with 12 HRs and 49 RBIs after the All-Star break in ‘06
Verdict: Is red hot and heading towards a career year - add immediately

As closers get injured or lose their managers’ confidence, doors open for setup men to win jobs and for fantasy owners to score on the waiver wire. Closer is the only position where playing time translates directly into fantasy value, so all it takes is one chance for a no-name player to be worth a roster spot.

Take Oakland A’s new closer Andrew Bailey, for example. No baseball fan or fantasy owner outside of the Bay Area could have told you who this guy was until this season. But, lo and behold, he starts pitching lights-out as a setup man, and suddenly finds himself as the team’s go-to reliever in the ninth inning.

St. Louis Cardinals closer Ryan Franklin has had even more success, and he was on very few fantasy teams’ rosters at the beginning of the season. Scott Downs is another; David Aardsma; Fernando Rodney; all of these guys won jobs this season after starting the season on fantasy’s “unownable” list.

And of course, injuries create sudden chances for middle relievers, even if they’re just of the temporary variety. For the sake of simplicity, these interim closers — Ryan Madson, C.J. Wilson and Jeremy Accardo — have been listed in our rankings below, rather than the injured closers they replaced. If a player is getting save chances RIGHT NOW, he’s included in the rankings below.

Here’s the full list of current closers, along with short captions on what they’ve been up to lately:

1. Jonathan Broxton, LAD: Season numbers blow away next-best closer; leads full-time stoppers with 53 strikeouts, 6 wins, 0.70 WHIP
2. Francisco Rodriguez, NYM: Free agent steal hasn’t allowed an earned run since April, a span of 24 appearances; T3rd in MLB with 17 saves
3. Jonathan Papelbon, BOS: Solid season, but already has nearly twice as many walks this season (14) than he did all of ‘08 (8)
4. Joe Nathan, MIN: Doing what he always does; chasing 40 saves (he has 15) with pristine ratios (1.78 ERA, 0.91 WHIP) and a decent K rate (10.3 K/9)
5. Mariano Rivera, NYY: Showing signs of weakness with .245 opponents’ batting average and career-worst 5 HRs allowed; still is 15-for-16 in save chances
6. Heath Bell, SD: Big-time surprise as MLB saves leader; more than holding his own post-Trevor Hoffman with 18 saves, 1.32 ERA, 0.95 WHIP
7. Trevor Hoffman, MIL: Hitting his first rough patch; has allowed runs in 2 of his last 3 outings after starting the year with 18 straight scoreless innings
8. Francisco Cordero, CIN: Improved command has been a pleasant surprise; on pace for 1.17 WHIP and near career-best efficiency (16.6 P/IP)
9. Brian Fuentes, LAA: Has driven ratios (4.43 ERA, 1.39 WHIP) down with 5 straight scoreless outings; leads MLB with 21 save opps and 18 saves (tie)
10. Joakim Soria, KC: Back healthy (shoulder), but looks more human and has yet to record a save since returning from the disabled list

11. Bobby Jenks, CHW: Good bet for fourth straight season with 30+ saves, but low strikeout rate keeps him in second tier of closers
12. Ryan Franklin, STL: Has taken command of the ninth inning, but manager Tony LaRussa typically gives short leash to his closer
13. Matt Capps, PIT: Tied for MLB lead with 6 June saves; even with DL stint, ranks among National League leaders with 16 saves
14. Kerry Wood, CLE: Hasn’t allowed a hit in June; hasn’t allowed a run since May 19; but hasn’t gotten a save opportunity since May 28
15. Brian Wilson, SF: Good, not great, option as fantasy closer; is on pace for 42 saves, but has the distinct look of a career 4.00+ ERA guy
16. Huston Street, COL: Rockies’ recent success good for Street in 2 ways; more save chances (7 in June) and less likely to be traded
17. George Sherrill, BAL: Threat to lose job woke him up; is 9-for-9 in save chances with a 1.20 ERA since May 4
18. Kevin Gregg, CHC: Numbers (3.99 ERA, 1.43 WHIP) still have room for improvement, but has been good with 1.50 ERA, 0.75 WHIP since May 16
19. Jose Valverde, HOU: ‘Stros are slow to give closer role back since return from DL; is making his case with 2.1 scoreless innings and 5 strikeouts
20. Chad Qualls, ARI: Nursing a forearm injury and working through mechanical flaws; issues show in his results - he has a 5.17 ERA over the last 5 weeks

21. David Aardsma, SEA: Still tip-toeing around walks (20 in 31.1 IP) to rack up 12 saves; hasn’t historically gotten away with baserunners over the long haul
22. Andrew Bailey, OAK: Has been up and down as closer, but is secure in new job; be wary of heavy work load - leads closers with 9.2 IP in June
23. Ryan Madson, PHI: Having a career season with 2.36 ERA, 1.14 WHIP, but returns to setup role once Brad Lidge (knee) returns from DL
24. Mike Gonzalez, ATL: Enigmatic, but has dominant stuff and is explosive with strikeouts; save chances aren’t exclusive with Rafael Soriano in town
25. Fernando Rodney, DET: June hasn’t been good to Rodney (0-1, 10.80 ERA), but 32-year-old is still a perfect 12-for-12 in save chances this season
26. Matt Lindstrom, FLA: Has power arm, but needs to shape up; walks have been major contributor to 5.68 ERA and 1.82 WHIP
27. C.J. Wilson, TEX: Not the sexiest option for saves, but should get a handful more while Frank Francisco mends sore shoulder
28. Jeremy Accardo, TOR: Best guess to get save chances with Scott Downs on DL; got the save Thursday in first appearance since recall from Triple-A
29. Randy Choate, TB: Leader of committee that also features J.P. Howell and Dan Wheeler; has gotten 3 of the team’s last 5 save chances
30. Mike MacDougal, WAS: Nats’ closer situation gets worse and worse; MacDougal takes over after White Sox designated him for assignment

All those strikeouts — he ranks third in the American League with 96 and is one of a handful of starting pitchers averaging better than 10 Ks per 9 innings — are new to Lester’s game. He made leaps and bounds last season, going 16-6 with a 3.21 ERA, but was never a true dominant force because he had too many walks and not enough strikeouts.

Those figures are on pace for some changes. The walks are still a factor, but Lester’s strikeout rate has risen meteorically from 6.50 to 10.62 Ks per 9 innings. His strikeout-to-walk ratio, as a result, is much improved as well. All this while Lester struggled through April and May. There’s no telling how good he can be now that he’s heating up.

Lester got off to a slow start last season, too. He had a 5.40 ERA in late April and hit some bumps in the road in May. Through his first six starts, he had just 16 strikeouts to 19 walks. But then, Lester got hot, winning seven straight decisions and going 13-3 in June, July and August.

Still, even at his best last season, Lester never struck out 10 or more batters in a start. This season, even through some great struggles, he’s already got four starts with at least 10 Ks, including his last three straight. This looks like one of those situations where Lester took one step backward to take two steps in the right direction.

Just as timely late fliers on Raul Ibanez or Mark Reynolds can push fantasy teams to the top of the standings, early picks on Josh Hamilton or Matt Holliday can anchor them to the bottom. Either through injury, ineffectiveness or some combination of both, underachievers put fantasy teams permanently behind the eight-ball.

Fantasy owners often recover from bad draft days, but can rarely bounce back from drafts that feature multiple swings and misses in the early rounds. The following lineup consists of those kinds of players - highly acclaimed busts and sleepers who have yet to wake up.

C - Russell Martin, Los Angeles Dodgers: Martin had a plan to stay fresher for an entire 162-game schedule, which was all well and good in theory. In practice, something happened between last season and this one, and Martin lost the five-category prowess that made him such a valuable commodity in fantasy. Maybe his plan to maintain energy will kick in after the All-Star break, but as it is, Martin has become little more than a reserve catcher with his .244 average and zero home runs.

1B - Chris Davis, Texas Rangers: If strikeouts were a positive category in rotisserie leagues, you could kindly remove Davis from this list. The popular sleeper candidate has a Major League-leading 92 Ks, compared to just 42 hits and a .208 average. He’s on the doorstep of manager Ron Washington’s dog house, too, so there’s only so much time to get his act together. The power potential is still there and Davis isn’t THIS bad, but he’s got to start putting the bat on the ball to keep his spot in the Rangers’ lineup.

2B - Howie Kendrick, Los Angeles Angels: We were optimistic in the early part of the season because Kendrick was starting to hit for some power and run a little bit. But, as that part of his game started to come along, Kendrick’s superior contact skills disappeared. Where he once was thought to be a perennial contender for the American League batting title, Kendrick is now a Triple-A player trying to find his stroke again.

3B - Garrett Atkins, Colorado Rockies: There have been few bigger flops in fantasy this season than the ice cold Atkins. Traditionally a slow starter, new manager Jim Tracy decided to give slugging youngster Ian Stewart a shot at the third base job while Atkins compiled a .204 average, 5 home runs and 20 RBIs. The results have been good enough with Stewart at the hot corner that Atkins likely doesn’t get his chance to re-claim the job anytime soon.

SS - Jhonny Peralta, Cleveland Indians: Peralta has made the move from shortstop to third base for the Tribe, and the transition has not gone well. Fantasy owners knew not to expect the world from Peralta, but they did pencil him in for superior home run and RBI totals at a thin position. Whatever the explanation — the rigors of learning a new position, the emotional wound of being moved from his natural position — Peralta is really struggling. If he doesn’t cozy up to the hot corner soon, there won’t be much improvement in his current .255-5-71-52-0 stat projections.

OF - Matt Holliday, Oakland Athletics: The Coors Field factor was bigger than fantasy owners realized, but so was Holliday’s dwindling power. His surprising 28 steals last season masked the fact that his home run total dropped from 36 to 25, and his slugging percentage fell nearly 70 points, from .607 to .538. Holliday is a nice hitter, and he could one day contend for a batting title again, but his power and fantasy value were hugely influenced by the thin air in Colorado. Looks like the only thing that could save his season would be a trade to a contender.

OF - Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers: Hamilton was a borderline first-round pick in a lot of drafts because of his monstrous 2008 season. But, he stumbled out of the gates in ‘09 and has dealt with a groin strain for much of the first two months. Hamilton still has a chance to return from the disabled list and make valuable second-half contributions, but it could be too late for those who used a first-round pick on him. Hamilton is clearly not the same guy who played in 156 games and led the American League in RBIs last season.

OF - Magglio Ordonez, Detroit Tigers: Home runs have never been Ordonez’s strong suit, so he gets a pass on his early power outage (2 HRs). But, the 35-year-old was expected to hit on the right side of .300 and knock in 100-plus runs for a fourth straight season. He’s not a candidate to accomplish either feat at this point, hitting just .276 with a disappointing 21 RBIs. And to throw a little salt in the wound, his slap-hitting .348 slugging percentage is five points lower than his .353 on-base percentage.

SP - Chien-Ming Wang, New York Yankees: The one thing you could count on from Wang, at least before an ankle injury derailed his 2008 season, was a big-time wins total. He would never set the world on fire with his ratios or strikeouts, but with his consistency and run support, wins were a given. Well, with an 0-4 record and a 14.34 ERA, wins have been a virtual impossibility. He’s got one more start to turn it around, says manager Joe Girardi, but it’s hard to predict against poor results and a return to the Yankees’ bullpen.

SP - Francisco Liriano, Minnesota Twins: Liriano’s struggles to recover from 2006 Tommy John surgery are well documented. What threw fantasy owners for a loop this preseason was the fact that Liriano finished the ‘08 season on such a strong note. After being recalled from Triple-A Rochester in August, Liriano went 6-1 with a 2.74 ERA. The popular thought was that Liriano had nearly recovered from the surgical procedure, so he became a top-75 selection in most drafts. The early results were a not-so-pleasant surprise to fantasy owners, but Liriano has provided reasons for optimism with two straight Quality Starts.

SP - Ricky Nolasco, Florida Marlins: Nolasco wasn’t a househould name when he burst onto the scene last season, so he had a few skeptics this winter. His doubters were proven correct early when Nolasco compiled a 2-5 record and 9.07 ERA and was sent down to Triple-A New Orleans to work things out. Since being recalled in June, though, Nolasco has looked like a different pitcher. He’s gone 0-1 with a 2.77 ERA, 1.46 WHIP and 13 strikeouts in 13 innings (two starts).

SP - Scott Kazmir, Tampa Bay Rays: Kazmir has pretty quietly had a miserable season. Already a suspect fantasy candidate because of his hefty walks total and higher-than-average WHIP, Kazmir has become much more hittable this season. The results have shown in career-worst totals in strikeout rate (6.9 Ks per 9) and opponents’ batting average (.316). Kazmir must a.) get healthy and b.) do better in those two areas if he’s to make up for an inordinate number of walks.

SP - Daisuke Matsuzaka, Boston Red Sox: Matsuzaka has flat-out gotten pounded in his seven starts this season. Like Kazmir, he walks a fine line because he does put so many runners on base. He’s been on the wrong side of that line this season, allowing his opponents to post a .372 average and .628 slugging percentage. Certaintly, he’s suffered from both a bum shoulder and a bruised ego, but those excuses don’t do much for fantasy owners dealing with his unsightly 7.55 ERA and 2.10 WHIP.

CL - Brad Lidge, Philadelphia Phillies: Landing on the disabled list with a sprained knee could be the best thing to happen for Lidge. He can lick both his physical and emotional wounds, compose himself, maybe make a few rehab appearances, then give closing another go. His venomous home fans will be almost rooting against him upon his return from the DL, so it will be put up or shut up time this summer. Lidge either sucks it up or goes completely in the tank; there’s no middle ground.

Three homers in a game made for good SportsCenter highlights, but they were just part of a much bigger picture. Most fantasy owners could have already told you that Hunter was in the midst of a career year.

Following a disappointing debut in L.A. last season, Hunter is on a tear to start 2009, hitting .319 with 16 homers, 51 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. The 33-year-old ranks second in the American League in slugging (.620) and third in OPS (1.017), and he is one of just one of five players in all of baseball with double-digit homers and steals.

At this rate, Hunter could very well surpass his 2008 home run total (21) before the All-Star break. And, he should storm past his previous career-highs in homers (31), RBIs (107) and stolen bases (23). For good measure, Hunter has also added a career-best stolen base percentage (11-for-14, .786).

We talked in the early part of last season about how little respect Hunter got in fantasy circles. Turns out, we were a year premature as Hunter, at least by his standards, fell flat in ‘08.

When he’s on his game, Hunter has the potential to hit 30 homers, steal 20 bases and drive in 100 runs. Those numbers, barring an extensive cold streak, look well within his reach this season. It just took Saturday’s huge performance to make casual fans take notice.

But, since new manager Jim Tracy has taken the reins, Stewart is getting the regular at-bats he’s needed to find his rhythm and become a fantasy force. Given his recent National Player of the Week award, that may be an understatement. Stewart is getting on track in a big way, hitting .349 with 5 HRs and 13 RBIs in his last 11 games.

Batting average and inconsistency may be persistent problems, but even with a .250 average, Stewart’s explosive potential and projected 33 home runs are worth your time in fantasy.

Stewart’s full free agent profile …

Status: Reigning NL Player of the Week
Basics: .226 AVG, 12 HRs, 33 RBIs, 3 SBs in 59 games
Key Stats: 12 of his 36 hits have been HRs
What to Watch For: Where playing time comes from
Other Notes: Had just 2 multi-hit games in April and May, but already has 6 in June … hitting .327 with 5 HRs and 13 RBIs this month, raising his average from .182 to .226 in the process … new manager Jim Tracy is showing a commitment to give Stewart at-bats at the expense of struggling 3B Garrett Atkins … his early-season scramble for playing time is a good thing in most fantasy leagues; his 17 games played at second base give him valuable middle infield eligibility
Verdict: Pick him up now and get explosive returns in HRs and RBIs