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Looking around the free agent lists, I was surprised to see some names available at this point in the fantasy season.

Brett Gardner | OF | Yankees: Gardner is currently owned in just 39% of Yahoo leagues, which is surprising. Yankees players can sometimes be overrated in fantasy, but the sophomore is getting a bit of the cold shoulder. Playing regularly in the outfield for New York, the only thing he really hasn’t done is hit for power. Gardner is currently hitting .296/.387/.352 with nine steals in 10 tries. His stolen base total ranks him second in the Major Leagues behind just Andrew McCutchen of Pittsburgh (95% owned), and tied with Michael Bourn of Houston (84%), and Juan Pierre of Chicago AL (39%). Gardner is a great source of steals and runs, so he should be on your fantasy teams if you’re hurting in those areas.

Andruw Jones | OF | White Sox: Jones is currently owned in just 35% of leagues despite the fact that he’s tied for third in the Majors in homers with six. Yes, he’s posted some pretty bad numbers in the past, but Jones has lost a noticeable amount of weight and his bat is much quicker. He’s hit his six homers in fewer plate appearances than any of the other 14 home runs leaders in the Majors. He’s even added three steals, and is hitting a respectable .275. Jones is a low-risk option for home runs, especially given his history of power numbers.

Paul Konerko | 1B | White Sox: We normally focus on players with lower ownership numbers than 63%, but I find it odd that the MLB leader in homers doesn’t have a higher percentage. Konerko is the only player in the Majors with eight homers, he’s hitting .288 (no small feat in Chicago) and he’s driven in 14 runs for a struggling offense. He hasn’t been an elite slugger for a couple years now, but he’s still just 34 years old, so there is probably some gas left in the tank. Konerko last hit 30+ homers in 2007 but he still managed 28 last season. If he’s around in your league and you don’t have a ton of offense already at 1B and/or DH, snap him up and enjoy his solid performance.

Here are three players with low ownership rates who could pay immediate dividends in fantasy leagues:

Brett Cecil, Toronto Blue Jays (owned in 1% of Yahoo! leagues)

In a bit of a surprise, the Blue Jays started Cecil in the minors after he posted a decent rookie season in 2009. But he got the call to the majors after going 2-0 with a 2.45 ERA in two games in the Pacific Coast League. Cecil replaced Brian Tallet in the rotation and had a strong first start. He gave up two runs in six innings in Tampa Bay before allowing a two-run HR to Gabe Kapler in the seventh. Cecil has the chance to post good strikeout numbers and a league-average ERA if he can do a better job of keeping the ball in the park. In 100 IP in the majors, Cecil has a 6.93 K/9 and a 15.1 HR/FB rate.

David Freese, St. Louis Cardinals (owned in 5% of Yahoo! leagues)

In four seasons in the minors, Freese hit for both AVG and power. So far this season with the Cardinals, Freese has a .300 AVG but no home runs. He has an unsustainable .417 BABIP but he also has been having some issue with strikeouts, carrying a 30.0 K%. If he can start hitting a few home runs and cut down some on the strikeouts, he could survive the inevitable BABIP drop. Updated ZiPS projects him to finish with a .273 AVG and 11 HR, which is nice production off the waiver wire for third base.

Carlos Villanueva, Milwaukee Brewers (owned in 9% of Yahoo! leagues)

Always a good strikeout pitcher, Villanueva has 14 strikeouts in 10 IP so far this season. The rest of his early numbers are nearly as impressive, as he finally seems to have found a home as a reliever after bouncing back and forth between the rotation and the bullpen the past four years in Milwaukee. Villanueva has pitched in the eighth inning in three of his last four appearances. Perhaps this is the year that 42-year old Trevor Hoffman finally gives out, as his early season numbers are not confidence-inspiring. Villanueva would have to be under consideration along with Todd Coffey and LaTroy Hawkins as potential replacements. Hawkins has never really succeeded in multiple shots as a closer and Coffey has pitched in the eighth or ninth inning just three times in 10 outings this year, and all three of those were in mop-up roles. Add Villanueva for his fine pitching in middle relief and consider him a darkhorse candidate for saves.

I have had several discussion in the comment here at Fangraphs that the players we discuss are not available in the reader’s leagues. I decided to look at the percentages owned at ESPN and Yahoo and see how they compare. Also I will look at what size of league in total players on rosters corresponds to what percentage owned.

I have seen some huge discrepancies in the owned percent between Yahoo and ESPN. I took the percentages of the top 250 owned pitchers and hitters. I didn’t match them up, I was more looking at just the percentages. What I found was that there were basically 3 zones of players. Those owned by all teams (>90%), those owned by some teams (more than 10% and less than 90%), and those owned by few teams (<10%). Of the 500 total players 194 were in the top 90% for ESPN and the top 114 for Yahoo. In next bracket of players, ESPN has 107 in that group and Yahoo has 245. ESPN leagues seem to take more top players and then drop off quickly, while more of the middle players are used in Yahoo. This leads to be believe that Yahoo has larger leagues as a rule and the percentage owned will be higher.

The following data is the percent owned for the different sized leagues. The number is for the total number of players (roster size * number of teams).

Total Players Yahoo ESPN
200 – 66% 87.8%
250 – 45% 58.4%
300 – 26% 11.5%
350 – 11% 3.7%
400 – 6% 1.7%
450 – 3% 0.5%
500 – 1% 0.2%

With these numbers and taking into account previous comments, I will write only on percent owned cutoffs for leagues of 300 total players or higher.

Time for another edition of Waiver Wire here at RotoGraphs. I’ll leave the obvious (Justin Smoak “on the water“) out and try to delve a little deeper.

Clay Buchholz | SP | Red Sox (43% owned)
It’s a little too early to put too much stock into the young Red Sox hurler’s high K-rate (9.72), which is the best of his young career. By the same token, the sample size is too small to depend on his nice ERA or above-average groundball rate. So let’s instead look at his pitching mix. His velocity is up across the board, and he’s using his slider a little more and his fastball a little less. Linear weights say that’s a good sign, given the values of his fastball (-19.1 runs career) and slider (+6.4 runs career) respectively. What is a little strange even in a young season is his curveball use, which is down to a career low (8%). Considering he almost threw it a quarter of the time in 2008, and it’s listed as his best pitch by many, that’s a little worrisome. No matter, the curve is still getting a good whiff rate (17.4% so far), as are his other two off-speed pitches (22+% for the slider and change). He’s locating the fastball well (64.7% strike percentage), it’s just not getting any whiffs (7.6%). Perhaps he should use it even less.

Tom Gorzelany | SP | Cubs (4% owned)
It looks like Gorzelany is in the rotation to stay – at least until the mercurial Lou Piniella changes his mind yet again and moves Carlos Zambrano back to the rotation. Gorz (seriously, this guy needs a nickname) seems to be doing it by relying on the slide-piece a little more than usual. Last year, he threw the pitch about 16% of the time, and this year that percentage is up over 30%. Again, the linear weights agree with the decision, as his slider has historically been his only positive pitch (+5.7 runs career). He also got 16% whiffs on it last year, up to 19% this year. It’s hard to tell what his true fastball/cutter relationship is (the systems are a little wonky on that going back over the years), but his mix has changed, and all systems are go. Other than home runs (zero allowed), the luck stats have been in his favor, and his mid-3s xFIP seems to be the best guidepost. It looks like the Cubs found something here.

Ryan Raburn | OF | Tigers (2% owned)
With the news that Carlos Guillen is yet again heading to the most comfortable of places for him – the DL – there are some ABs up for grabs in Detroit. Raburn was already taking at-bats at second base (he’s started there three times), and while callup Brennan Boesch has some promise, the bet here is that the veteran team leans on Raburn in the meantime. While it’s a little worrisome that his walk rate is down and his strikeout rate is up, Raburn is also suffering from a poor BABIP (.267), and it’s early going. The only significant stat right now, swing rate, is only up 2%, and he’s reaching less. Look for all around good play (especially against lefties) eventually and more ABs in the short term.

I am in a 20 team league, 25 roster spots with 4 DL slots. To say the least, it is pretty deep. When looking for players on the waiver wire, availibilities max out around 2%. When I started in the league, I was one of 4 expansion teams, with the other 16 teams having 9 keeps. Basically the top 144 players were taken before I even began, along with the top prospects like Heyward and Strasburg. Going into the draft, I didn’t know how much to value prospects.

I went in with the keepers(this is pretty sad, I know):

Ryan Doumit
Jose Valverde
Shane Victorino
Chone Figgins
Javier Vazquez
Matt Capps
Chad Qualls
Tim Hudson
Jason Kubel

Here was my plan and the results:

1. I was going to get batters first.

Asdrubal Cabrera
Garrett Jones
Juan Rivera
Scott Sizemore
Travis Snider

2. Go for starting pitchers with issues last year.

Fausto Carmona
Edinson Volquez (took with last pick and moved to the DL)
Ervin Santana

3. Draft a couple of top prospects in the minors, but near the majors. I never trust pitching prospects, so I only took hitters. I wanted to get them somewhat early before there was a run. In the draft, I actually started the prospect run.

Jesus Montero
Mike Stanton

4. Find whatever else I could including any SP/RP qualified relievers because the league has only 3 RP slots and counts holds.

As a whole I am fairly happy with the results of the draft. The season hasn’t gone the best so far though, but it is early.

I am just torn setting up my daily roster that 2 player will probably not be available until later this year at the earliest. It is the whole, “I can do more to win now, but how much will it hurt me in the future.” For now I will just let the 2 sit, but was wondering how other dealt with this issue of how much a keeper’s teams roster is taken up with prospects in order to try to help the team later?

Here are four players with low ownership rates that could give your team a little boost…

Jaime Garcia | SP | Cardinals (25% owned)

St. Louis has allowed the second fewest runs in the league thanks in large part to their fifth starter, who through two starts has held opponents to just five hits and five walks in 13 innings. Of course, Garcia won’t be able to maintain his .158 BABIP all season, and his 6.92 K/9 isn’t eye-popping, but he has some favorable matchups coming up. You still have time to grab him for tomorrow’s start at the Giants, and after that he takes on the Braves (.310 team wOBA) at home. There’s always the potential for some Dave Duncan magic as well.

Doug Fister | SP | Mariners (10%)

Fister has stepped right in for the injured Cliff Lee and has pitched about as well as Seattle could have hoped. Like Garcia, he’s enjoying the benefits of an absurdly low BABIP (.212), though his might be slightly more sustainable because he’s playing in front of he mother of all defenses. At some point it’ll all come crashing down for Fister, who’s posted a 1.42 ERA and a 0.84 WHIP through his first three starts, but there’s isn’t a damn thing wrong with enjoying the hot start while it lasts. His next start comes at the White Sox this weekend.

Jeff Keppinger | 2B, 3B, SS | Astros (5%)

I know, I know. The Astros’ offense is terrible, but Keppinger is the only guy in the lineup pulling his weight. He’s been playing every day at mostly second base, but fantasy owners will enjoy the multi-position eligibility he acquired last season. Don’t expect him to help your counting stats at all, because apparently no one else in Houston feels like getting on base or driving a run in, but his .317 AVG (.333 BABIP) will help almost every fantasy team.

Mike Lowell | 3B | Red Sox (21%)

As the David Ortiz Era comes to a painful end, Lowell has found his name in the starting lineup in three of the last seven games. He even pinch hit for Big Papi on Tuesday night. Lowell has hit well in his limited action (.375, 1 HR, SSS obviously), and he could be in line for even more starts since the Sox are scheduled to face four lefthanded starters in their next seven games. It might be a little too late to pick him up for tonight’s matchup against C.J. Wilson, though. Fourteen of Boston’s next 20 games are at home, and Lowell has a .386 career wOBA at Fenway.

Ownership rates are based on Yahoo! leagues.

Here are three players with low ownership rates who could pay immediate dividends in fantasy leagues:

Burke Badenhop, Florida Marlins (owned in 4% of Yahoo! leagues)

Part of the haul received from the Tigers in the Miguel Cabrera trade, Badenhop had a surprisingly effective rookie season in 2009, with both his FIP and xFIP below his 3.75 ERA. Additionally, Badenhop posted a 7.13 K/9 along with a 2.09 GB/FB ratio in 72 IP for the Marlins. In five games so far this year for Florida, Badenhop is bettering all of those marks. He has allowed just 1 ER in 9.2 IP, has 8 SO and a 2.17 GB/FB ratio. He is a late-inning reliever for the Marlins and has already picked up a save this season. Bladenhop should be next in line for Saves should anything happen with Leo Nunez and has the makings of a valuable setup man for owners who like to stock up on non-closers.

Mike Leake, Cincinnati Reds (owned in 8% of Yahoo! leagues)

The eighth player selected in the 2009 Draft, Leake advanced to the majors without pitching a single game in the minors. He did pitch in the Arizona Fall League, where he posted a 1.37 ERA with 15 Ks, 3 BB and 20 hits allowed in 20 IP. So far in the majors, Leake has pitched Quality Starts in both of his outings and has an impressive 2.63 ERA. Walks have been a problem (12 in 13.2 IP), but that is not his M.O. In his junior year at Arizona State, Leake issued just 24 BB in 142 IP. Both his FIP and xFIP are significantly higher than his ERA, as Leake has a low BABIP (.265), a high strand rate (82.6%) and has yet to allow a HR. But he has a spot in the rotation and has room to improve with his walk rate. Leake is not overpowering, so do not expect much help in Ks. But he should be able to take the ball every five days and give his team a chance to win. Leake is a mid-rotation (#3/4) starter available on the waiver wire and should be added in most leagues.

Jim Thome, Minnesota Twins (owned in 5% of Yahoo! leagues)

The past two years Thome has been a low AVG slugger and things are shaping up the same way in 2010. He sports a .318 ISO, which speaks as much about his SLG (.545) as it does his AVG (.227). Currently, Thome is in a platoon situation, having just 2 PA versus LHP. That is a situation likely to continue the rest of the season, but one not necessarily much of a handicap for a player who will turn 40 later this year. RoS ZiPS projects him to hit 18 more HR this season, a total not many people on the waiver wire can match.

We’re back with another edition of RotoGraphs’ Deep Keepers.

Paul Goldschmidt | 1B | Arizona
You have to love Goldschmidt’s debut numbers: .334/.408/.638 in 287 at-bats. However, he was playing in rookie ball. As a college-drafted prospect, he was probably playing against equal or lesser talent than he faced in Division I college ball. Bumped up to high-A ball in ’10, Goldschmidt has a 1.032 OPS in 11 games. Keep in mind, though, that the California League is a very good hitter’s league, so it’s going to skew his numbers. The 28 Ks in 47 at-bats is also a huge red flag; a strikeout rate of that level is not going to fly in the upper levels, so he has adjustments to make. With that said, you cannot ignore the success that he’s had so far. Monitor his progress.

Nick Weglarz | OF/1B | Cleveland
Weglarz fell off the prospect map a little bit last year after hitting .227/.377/.431 in double-A. On the plus side, his strikeout rate has shown signs of improvement over the past two seasons (it’s basically gone from very high to high), and his walk rate was an outstanding 17.6%. In fact, there is some thought that his patience is actually hurting him, as he’s letting too many hittable pitches go by. One of the big culprits behind his ’09 struggles was his BABIP, which was a crazy-low .245. Keeping in mind that Weglarz is still just 22, he has a lot of potential as an on-base machine with 20-25 homer potential. He’s currently hitting .321/.472/.679 back in double-A.

Jemile Weeks | 2B | Oakland
Weeks split the ’09 season between high-A and double-A but he began the year on the DL and may have never been truly 100%. An explosive, offensive-minded second baseman, Weeks is off to a hot start this season with a line of .342/.419/.579 in 10 games. He has the chance to hit for average and pretty good power (for a second baseman) at the MLB level. For him to truly reach his peek value, the former University of Miami star needs to start stealing bases again. A strong ’10 season by Weeks could convince the A’s to decline Mark Ellis‘ option to return for 2011.

Jordan Walden | RHP | Los Angeles (AL)
A move to the bullpen can do wonders for stalled pitching prospects. A top prospect as a starter, Walden struggled with staying healthy and with developing a reliable third pitch. Lacking pitching depth in the upper levels of the system, the organization chose to convert Walden to the ‘pen so he could focus on his heavy fastball and good slider. The early results have been good as he’s struck out seven batters in three double-A innings and has yet to allow a run. Relievers that can strike out batters and induce a significant number of ground balls can have a lot of success, and Walden looks like a future closer.

Nick Barnese | RHP | Tampa Bay
The pitching depth in Tampa Bay’s system is bordering on ridiculous and Barnese is yet another promising hurler who does not get quite as much ink as some of the other arms. He appeared in just 15 games in ’09 thanks to injuries but he posted a 3.43 FIP and allowed just 56 hits in 74.2 low-A innings. Moved up to high-A in 2010, the right-hander has given up just five hits in 13.1 innings and he’s struck out 10 batters with just two walks. Just 21, Barnese has a ceiling of a No. 2 or 3 starter. He could reach the Majors as soon as mid-2011, if he keeps pitching well.

Here are four players with low ownership rates that could provide some short-term help, and maybe even long-term potential…

Jim Johnson | RP | Orioles (14% owned)

Saves are always a hot commodity on the waiver wire, so when the Baltimore faithful booed Mike Gonzalez onto the disabled list with a shoulder strain, it opened the ninth inning door for the hard-throwing Johnson. He nailed down eight saves in 11 opportunities following the trade of George Sherrill last year, but those three blown saves all came in one run games. They weren’t exactly epic meltdowns. Johnson doesn’t provide the strikeouts of a typical late-game reliever (5.58 K/9 career), but waiver wire saves are waiver wire saves.

Nick Johnson | 1B | Yankees (19%)

The Yankees’ lineup is a beautiful thing. They’ve scored the second most runs in the league in the early going (just three behind the Tigers, who’ve played one more game), and that’s with Mark Teixeira’s .211 wOBA in the middle of the lineup. Johnson has reached base in every game they’ve played, and has scored the second more runs on the team despite not being fleet of foot. If you’re in an AL-only or a deep mixed league, Johnson’s a nice complementary piece for your bench, especially once Teixeira starts hitting and the lineup really starts to click. If your league counts OBP, then it goes without saying that he’s a high priority pickup.

Will Venable | OF | Padres (8%)

Unless your name is Adrian Gonzalez, fantasy baseballers aren’t kind to hitters who spend half their time in Petco Park. Venable has come out of the gate strong, knocking a pair of homers (one in Arizona, one in Petco) and driving in seven runs for one of the game’s least inspiring offenses. His average is a bit of an eyesore at .267 (.273 BABIP) and he didn’t draw his first walk until last night, so don’t expect much of a boost with the rate stats. If you can ride his hot start for a week while dealing with an injured player (I’m looking at you, Jayson Werth), it’s worth the pick up.

Colby Lewis | SP | Rangers (7%)

I feel bad stealing Carson’s thunder, but I figured it was time for the roto folks to appreciate Mr. Lewis. In case you haven’t heard, Lewis struck out ten Indians last night, and his ERA after two starts sits at a nifty 2.19. His trademark control must be suffering from some jet lag (8 BB already, just 19 all of last year in Japan), but that should get better. His next start is scheduled to come against the Red Sox in Boston, which is probably a good time to bench him, but after that he’s looking at starts vs. Detroit, vs. Chicago, in Seattle, in Oakland, and then again at home against the A’s. If that’s not a cushy schedule, I don’t know what is.

Ownership rates are based on Yahoo! leagues.

If you’re looking for long-term or even short-term help for your fantasy team, then you’ve come to the right place. This week’s waiver wire will feature some players that could very well be available in your league right now. And they can help you.

Chase Headley | OF | San Diego (47% owned)

The skepticism is understandable. You’re looking at a sophomore who posted a WAR of 1.4 in ’09 and he plays in a massive pitcher’s park. Keep in mind, though, that he was one of the club’s top prospects in the minors (for good reason) and he also plays half his games on the road. Depending on your league, he could also be eligible at both third base and the outfield. Headley won’t post a wOBA of .464 for the entire season but he’s a good player that could offer you batting average, 15 homers and 10+ steals.

Scott Podsednik | OF | Kansas City (43%)

I’m going to file Podsednik under the “short-term value.” The outfielder is currently on a hot streak so managers in unlimited transaction leagues could benefit from picking up this speedy player. Not only is he benefiting from an unsustainable .519 BABIP, but Pod is showing a solid approach at the plate (1.25 BB/K) and he has six steals in as many tries. He has, though, only scored four runs, which says something about the players around him. Still, steals can have a lot of value.

Alex Gonzalez | SS | Toronto (35%)

Gonzalez is another short-term fix, thanks to his hot start and the fact that a number of middle infielders have gone on the DL lately. The former Marlin is benefiting from hitting at the top of the order with a couple of scorching hitters behind him (Adam Lind, Vernon Wells). The power outburst (four homers in eight games) may slow eventually, however he did hit 23 dingers in ’04 and he’s currently utilizing a nice, level swing and not trying to do too much. The average will most certainly plummet from .300+, as he’s a career .248 hitter.

Brian Matusz | LHP | Baltimore (47%)

Let’s switch it up and look at a long-term investment for your team. Rookie starters are usually more heartbreak than they’re worth, but Matusz is an advanced college product who looked solid in eight ’09 starts with Baltimore. He’s struggled a bit with his control in ’10 (4.38 BB/9) but he’s getting a lot of whiffs and he’s providing innings. His ERA is a little high at 4.38, but his FIP is just 2.02. If you’re going to worry about anything, let it be about his fly-ball tendencies and ground-ball rate of just 15%.

Fernando Rodney | RHP | Los Angeles AL (34%)

If you’re looking for a second closer for your fantasy team, Rodney could be your man. Incumbent closer Brian Fuentes was just placed on the DL and manager Mike Scioscia“>Mike Scioscia has pointed to Rodney as the temporary replacement. Keep in mind that he saved 37 games in 38 tries last season so he’s got the experience. Rodney does have a habit of posting some ugly ERAs, but at least he’ll balance that out with some nice K numbers.

Ownership percentages based on Yahoo Fantasy Baseball