Doug Anderson takes a break from the usual waiver wire tips to celebrate the Waiver Wire All-Stars of 2008.

The All-Star break is upon us. A time when we can take a small break from our fantasy teams and celebrate baseball's best most popular players. Are you battling for a fantasy title or preparing for football season? Chances are if your fantasy baseball team is even sniffing the money, you were clever (lucky) enough to have rostered one or two players who have surprised the baseball world.

While we're taking a step back from our fantasy teams, you should take the time to look at the rosters of the teams that are leading your league. Hopefully you've been paying attention to Rotoexperts.com and are one of those teams. What do you notice about the teams atop the standings? While they probably have some stars who are having great seasons, like Hanley Ramirez or Chase Utley, they most likely were also lucky enough to stay away from injured studs like David Ortiz or Alfonso Soriano. Look a little deeper and you'll notice something else. Chances are, the fantasy teams that are in money spots have a couple of players on their roster who seem to have come out of nowhere. The owner, whether through clever insight or blind luck, has gotten top notch production, seemingly for free. Today we'll take time to recognize those players that have lifted their fantasy owners to the top of the standings.

The Waiver Wire All-Stars of 2008 are the MLB players that were most likely still sitting at their fantasy homes following the draft. These players were not good enough to roster in March or April, but are now vital cogs on your fantasy team. These guys may not earn "A-Rod" money, but if you win your league, you might want to send them a bottle of Yoo-Hoo as a symbol of your appreciation. What follows are the 2008 Waiver Wire All-Stars for NL Leagues, AL Leagues, and Mixed Leagues. You're not going to see stud prospects like Evan Longoria or Jay Bruce, as they were most likely on minor league rosters or reserve rosters. What you will see are the true waiver wire gems.

[All statistics current through Thursday, July 10]

NL Waiver Wire All-Stars
Depending on how deep your league is, these players were likely there for the taking following your NL only draft or auction.

Catcher: It's been a thin year for break-out catchers for the NL, but one catcher has gone from an afterthought to a reliable starter. While Yorvit Torrealba got the nice contract from the Rockies, it is Chris Iannetta who earns the vote here. Iannetta is a former top prospect who struggled mightily in 2007. He has rebounded this year to post a solid .277 AVG with 9 HR. Torrealba is now prime trade meat. Ianetta's All-Star back-up is Paul Bako, who went from being a terrible player to being a terrible player with a little pop.

First Base: First base is usually the home of prime, established offensive talent, so it's not surprising that the representative at this position comes from the San Francisco Giants. Rich Aurilia and Dan Ortmeier have not represented much of a road block. John Bowker has taken advantage of the situation and contributed a .283 AVG, with 9 HR and 37 RBI. His "15 minutes" may be about over, but his numbers are in the books.

If Clint is starting in Coors, he should be starting on your fantasy team. Photo Credit: patmanfredo

Second Base: While Dan Uggla and Chase Utley have been hitting the long ball, Clint Barmes has returned from Neverland to seize the starting job in Colorado. Barmes, who was actually expected to be Troy Tulowitzki before Tulowitzki came along, has regained his stroke to the tune of a .313 AVG and is playing superb defense. Jayson Nix has been forgotten, and he joined his brother Laynce in the land of bad spelling.

Shortstop: I don't know how Jerry Hairston is doing it. Jerry Hairston doesn't know how he's doing it. Let's face it, he is not a good player now, and he never really was. Somehow he is hitting .331 and has added 15 SB. This coming from the same player who hit .188 and .205 respectively in the last two years. Something tells me Jobu has something to do with this.

Third Base: In 2006 and 2007, Jorge Cantu looked like a player that was prematurely old. At the age of 25, he played like a veteran running on empty. This year, Cantu has moved south to Miami and reclaimed his youth. He's currently on pace for nearly 30 HR and 100 RBI. Dallas McPherson already has 31 HR in AAA and can't even get a call-up because of Cantu.

Outfield: The NL has seen quite a few outfielders come from nowhere and have break-out years. In St. Louis, Ryan Ludwick has turned Chris Duncan into a back-up First Baseman. It may not last but he's an MLB All-Star right now, on pace for 30+ HR and 100+ RBI. Cody Ross has delayed the arrival of Cameron Maybin in Florida for at least a few months by popping 15 HR and lifting his AVG to a somewhat respectable .266. Fred Lewis has chipped in 16 SB and a .276 AVG out in the land of no offense and has fans forgetting all about that Bonds guy (or not).

Starting Pitcher: Waiver wire pitchers are always a risk, but Ricky Nolasco has contributed 10 wins down in Florida and went undrafted in most NL leagues. Joining Nolasco on the staff is Kyle Lohse, who gets little respect for his rise to extreme mediocrity. Both of these pitchers have proven to be safe pitchers who will contribute the random win and won't kill your ERA and WHIP. 

Closer: It's hard to find a waiver wire closer in mono-leagues, because every worthy middle reliever is drafted in hopes that they might be next in line for saves. The pick here goes to Salomon Torres, as most experts had David Riske as the back-up plan for when Eric Gagne went down. Torres has rejoined the land of fantasy viability with 15 SV and a decent ERA/WHIP combo.

AL Waiver Wire All-Stars
Depending on how deep your league is, these players were likely there for the taking following your AL only draft or auction.

Catcher: It's hard to find a catcher that goes undrafted in AL leagues. We're going to pretend that Miguel Olivo might have been available in your league. John Buck emerged as a decent power source in 2007 with 18 HR, so Olivo looked to be nothing more than a second catcher. He has grabbed most of the playing time and added 9 HR with a decent AVG. If we don't take Olivo here, we have to start talking about Toby Hall, and I'd rather not go down that path. I'm not even sure the name Toby Hall will register on Google anymore.

First Base: Eric Hinske came to spring training in Tampa with little shot at a roster spot. He has taken advantage of his versatility to become a useful fantasy player filling in for injuries to the Rays starting lineup. Playing all over the Diamond, Hinske has chipped in with 14 HR and 45 RBI. He's not playing as much of late, but he played a large role in the Rays' early success.

Second Base: In AL-only leagues, you're often relegated to looking for middle infielders who, at their best, won't hurt you. Alexi Casilla fills that role nicely. It looked like Adam Everett would start at short and Brendan Ryan would get the nod at second. The injury to Everett, and Nick Punto being Nick Punto, opened up second base for Casilla, and he has stepped up with a .306 AVG. He's not a big contributor, but you could have had Asdrubal Cabrera and his .183 AVG in 158 AB.

Shortstop: Mike who? Unless you were paying attention to Rotoexperts.com's Jason Revelia, you probably had never heard the name Mike Aviles. He has a hammerlock on the starting gig in KC and doesn't plan to let go. He's hitting near .300 and has 14 HR combined between AAA and the majors. If you're in a keeper league and you got him cheap, you're going to enjoy his offense for a few years.

Third Base: After hitting .230 in 2007 with no speed or power, Ramon Vazquez was likely without a fantasy job this spring. He has taken advantage of a <sarcasm> rare Hank Blalock injury </sarcasm> to grab 200 AB and contribute a nice .320 AVG with 5 HR. If you're the benefactor of this useful production, you might want to bail now, because most players don't hit .230 by accident. For better or worse, Vazquez will remain a starter with Blalock moving to first base if/when he returns.

Outfield: While the NL has seen a number of break-out outfielders, the AL scene is a little weak. Ben Francisco has chipped in 8 HR and 35 RBI in Cleveland and may have slipped through your draft. Rajai Davis is hitting a robust .207 but has added 15 SB. In Texas, Brandon Boggs has had his moments and has tallied 27 RBIs. Basically, if you're in an AL league, and you've been looking for outfield help on the waiver wire, 2008 has been a long season for you.

Starting Pitcher: While NL leaguers have been able to pluck a little offense off the waiver wire this year, it is pitching that has cropped up in the AL. Armando Galarraga's name has been out there for a while, but he has finally broken through to contribute at the major league level. His 7 wins have helped stabilize a Detroit team that is finally above .500. After a 2007 season that ended with a 5.00+ ERA and 1.50+ WHIP, many owners were scared off by John Danks. He has rewarded perceptive owners with a 2.52 ERA and 1.17 WHIP.  Don’t look now, but Andy Sonnanstine leads the surprising Tampa Bay Rays with 10 wins, while lowering his ERA from 5.88 last year to a more reasonable 4.57 in 2008.

Closer: The AL closer scene has been relatively stable this season. Brandon Morrow is filling in for J.J. Putz in Seattle, but he was most likely drafted in AL-only leagues. Grant Balfour has seen his stock rise and was available in pretty much every league, until Troy Percival got hurt. In short, while it's not a good idea to pay big money for saves in AL-only leagues, you're not likely to 'strike closer gold' on the waiver wire either. AL leagues are just so deep that just about every useful pitcher is scooped up on draft day.

Mixed League Waiver Wire All-Stars
Depending on how deep your league is, these players were likely there for the taking following your mixed league draft or auction.

Catcher: After hitting .237 in 2007, Dioner Navarro had fallen off the fantasy landscape for mixed league owners. Navarro has completely turned it around this season. He's hitting at a .308 clip, contributing to the Rays and fantasy teams alike. Navarro's play this season has lifted him into the top 10 of MLB catchers.

First Base: Jorge Cantu is going to move across the diamond for the mixed league all-stars. His production, along with the incredible stats McPherson is putting up in AAA may soon have Mike Jacobs on the trading block.

Second Base: Clint Barmes will not continue to hit like he has thus far, but it still looks like he has earned himself the everyday job in Colorado. His defense and hitter-friendly Coors Field-aided offensive numbers are good enough to have him playing second base on the mixed league team.

Shortstop: Repeat after me. "Jerry Hairston is a fluke." Regardless of how he plays from here on out though, no one can deny the great numbers he has put up so far. His SB and high AVG have given a boost to many fantasy owners... just don't count on those same numbers to continue.

Third Base: Mark Reynolds burst onto the fantasy scene last year for NL-only owners, but his streaky hitting and horrid hitting in the play-offs, along with the presence of Chad Tracy, probably scared off many mixed league owners. Reynolds is still streaky, but a 30 HR / 100 RBI pace will get you noticed in all leagues.

Outfield: The Waiver Wire All-Star outfielders will all be appearing in Yankee Stadium this week for the real deal. We've already talked about Ryan Ludwick and his power outburst. Nate McLouth wasn't even guaranteed a starting job coming into the season. All he's done is turn into a 5-category stud who's on pace to hit 30+ HR, drive in and score 100+ runs, as well as steal 20 or so bases. Our final outfielder and our Waiver Wire MVP is Carlos Quentin. Like Ludwick and McLouth, Quentin was far from a sure thing. Coming into the season he looked like a bat off the bench who might spell Jim Thome against tough lefties. One Jerry Owens injury later, and Carlos Quentin is an MVP candidate in real life.

Starting Pitcher: You could have begun the year with no starters on your mixed league team and still have built the best staff in your league in 2008. Don't believe me? Here's the master plan. First take a pitcher with a 6.30 ERA and 1.52 WHIP in 2007. After you've secured him try to grab an inconsistent failed Texas Ranger Pitching prospect (Don't the Rangers need pitchers?), and toss him into the Great American Ballpark. Next look for an injury prone middle reliever that pitched 16 innings last year with an ERA over 5.00. For depth you can then get a 6th starter with a career ERA near 5.00. Finally to round out your staff you need a starting pitcher with ERAs of 10.04, 7.29, and 5.27 respectively in the last three years. That's all it would have taken to assemble the best staff in any mixed league in 2008. Of course you've probably figured out that you just put together a pitching staff of Cliff Lee, Edison Volquez, Justin Duchscherer, Joe Saunders, and Gavin Floyd.

Closer: The MLB closer situation has been a little more stable in 2008 than in recent years. Still timely pick-ups could have netted an owner quite a few saves in Salomon Torres and Jon Rauch. 2008 seems to be one year where vulturing for saves may not have paid off.

Doug Anderson, a.k.a. Rotodaddy, like Alex Rodriguez has found his soul-mate. Like Madonna, Rotodaddy's true love is an icon from the 80's who still tours the nation from time to time. Rotodaddy's heartthrob has also spent time at the lips of Britney Spears. By now you have figured out that Rotodaddy's roto-romance is of course the McRib sandwich. If you'd like to discuss A-Rod, Madonna, or the McRib sandwich please send an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it

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