Micah Owings would be the ace on most other teams. Oh, and he hits pretty well too.

AL Only Options

Jose Lopez – Middle Infielder – Seattle Mariners – Lopez is off to a hot start for the Mariners this season, batting .315 with 2 home runs, 21 RBI, 20 runs scored, and 2 stolen bases. He has been getting moved around in the order lately because the Mariners have struggled with their offense and manager John McLaren is trying to take advantage of Lopez’ hot bat. Lopez continues to develop as a hitter and should put up double digit home runs, along with 80-90 RBI, and 80-90 runs scored, along with a handful of steals. All of which makes him a fairly valuable middle infielder in AL only formats. Given the lack of talented second basemen in the AL Lopez will likely end up among the top 5 in the position.

Kevin Mench – Outfielder – Toronto Blue Jays – The Blue Jays obtained Kevin Mench from the Rangers when they lost Vernon Wells for the foreseeable future with an injury and immediately installed him in their outfield scheme. Mench had been toiling away for the Rangers Triple A affiliate after failing to make the club out of spring training. He is only 30 years old, and is far from washed up, though you would never know that from the way the Rangers tossed him aside like yesterday’s trash. Anyway, Mench is a capable hitter with plenty of power potential, the only problem is that he can be terribly streaky and is often inconsistent in his approach at the plate. When he is hot, he can mash, and has had as many as 25 homers in a season twice (2004, ’05). He had a dreadful season with Milwaukee last year, so they let him go during the offseason, and he landed in the Texas farm system, where he was batting .282 with 3 homeruns and 18 RBI in 29 games. Mench should put up similar numbers with Toronto if he is playing every day, and is worth a look in AL only leagues if you need an outfield sub or utility player with power.

Nick Blackburn – Starting Pitcher – Minnesota Twins – Blackburn is one of several pitchers the Twins had in the pipeline that made them confident enough to trade away Johan Santana. He nearly made the team out of spring training, and would have done so had Livan Hernandez not worked out so well. Injuries to Boof Bonser an Scott Baker have opened an opportunity for Blackburn to shine, and he has seized the opportunity so far. With 8 starts under his belt, he is 3-2 with a 3.93 ERA. His strikeout rates have been a tad low, but I expect improvement with more innings, and his walk rate is right on the money. Most importantly, he is not giving up the long ball, with only two bombs so far in his 50+ innings. Blackburn could find himself becoming a fixture in the rotation if he continues to pitch this well, and is worth a flier in AL only leagues for those in need of low ratios and wins.

NL Only Options

Rick Ankiel – Outfielder – St. Louis Cardinals – Ankiel has successfully negotiated the transition from pitching prospect to full time outfielder with the Cardinals organization, which to their credit never gave up on him. He has plus power and is showing increasingly better pitch selectivity at the plate, as he has almost as many walks (20) as strikeouts (28). Ankiel is currently batting .294 with 7 home runs, 20 RBI, and 24 runs scored. He could easily mash 30 home runs this season, drive in 100, and score another 100 as he typically bats in front of Albert Pujols in the lineup. One concern was playing time, but his hot hitting has kept him in the lineup, and he has sat out only 4 games thus far. Ankiel should be rostered in all NL only leagues, and could emerge among the top 30 outfielders before all is said and done this season.

Micah Owings – Starting Pitcher – Arizona Diamondbacks – Micah Owings is the number 4 or 5 starter on the Diamondbacks but on many other teams he would be the number two, or even the ace of the staff. After 8 starts Owings has a record of 5-1 with an ERA of 3.81 and 42 strikeouts in 49+ innings of work. His strikeout and walk rates are in line with the better pitchers in the league, and the fact that he plays for one of the best teams in baseball this season only makes him more appealing as a fantasy pitcher. Owings should be on someone’s roster in every NL only league and is good enough for consideration in mixed leagues as well.

Ryan Church – Outfielder – NY Mets – Ryan Church bounced around the Washington Nationals organization for several years dating back to the days when they were known as the Montreal Expos. Injuries and inconsistent play led to several shortened seasons in the majors and several stints in the minors. He was traded to the Mets over the winter, and the “change of scenery” has sat well with Church who finally appears to be living up to his considerable promise as their every day right fielder. He is currently batting .317 with 8 home runs, 30 RBI and 29 runs scored. His BABIP is not unsustainably high and he appears to be driving the ball to all fields with authority, so it could just be that he is a late bloomer at age 30. Church’s average may come down a bit, but not terribly so, and the power is real, so he is worth adding to all NL only leagues at this point. He plays for a team with a high powered offense, and is hitting in the middle of their order, so expect the production to continue as long as he continues hit line drives at the current rate.