Waiver Wire: April 15th

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.