National League Waiver Wire Picks -Junkyardjake.com

Chris Burke Arizona DiamondBacks 1B,2B,OF

The hype has been following Chris Burke around since about 2005, and needless to say, Burke was not worthy of any of it. After the emergence of Hunter Pence last season, Houston finally gave up on the 28 year old and traded him to Arizona. Now after an encouraging spring where he hit .371, with 4 HRs, 16 RBIs and 4 stolen bases the Diamondbacks are scrambling to figure out where to put Burke. As it looks right now, Burke will get significant at-bats bouncing between 2B, 1B and the outfield, and he could be ready to do something with the opportunity this time around.


Andre Ethier LosAngeles Dodgers OF

The Dodgers will apparently have a pleasant problem early this season in that they have four starting caliber outfielders, and only three places to put them. Matt Kemp and Andruw Jones should end up playing mostly everyday, but in a big surprise this spring, Andre Ethier (.365 average this spring) has beaten out Juan Pierre (.169 average) for the third outfield spot. Although the only real category he may help you in is batting average, and it’s hard to believe that Juan Pierre will spend too much time on the bench, Ethier is certainly worth a shot on your fantasy squad while this situation develops,


Eugenio Velez San Francisco Giants 2B,SS

He doesn’t have much history at the major-league level, but the one thing that is clear about Velez from his scattered minor league career and his 2007 spring audition is that he can steal bases like NASA can steal tax money (league-leading 16 swipes during spring training). After hitting around .300 at the A and AA minor league levels, it remains to be seen how well he can handle major-league pitching, but he did have a decent spring, batting .294 and did we mention he steals base like Homer Simpson steals donuts? Also working in his favor, Velez will be backing up Omar Vizquel and Ray Durham at the middle infield spots for the Giants, and those guys have a combined age of around 175.


Chris Snyder Arizona DiamondBacks C

If thinking about filling the catcher position on your fantasy roster makes you sleepy, that probably means you elected to skip one of the top 5 or so options like Martinez, Russell or Mauer and are resigned to let it ride with a .230, 9 HR guy who plays 3 times a week. Well, fortunately enough, there are guys that emerge every year that can at least somewhat mitigate the abject mediocrity associated with the catcher position. One of those guys this year could be Chris Snyder, who showed improvement after the All-Star break last year with .292 average vs. an awful .212 pre-break average. The progress carried over into spring training too, where he hit 5HRs with a .395 average.


Jason Bergmann Washington Nationals SP

Bergmann isn’t going to knock anyone over with his 90 MPH fastball, but he uses it effectively to set up his impressive slider and curveball. After the Nationals cut John Patterson, it is up to Bergmann and the recycled Odalis Perez to carry the pitching staff, and Bergmann is probably the safer option of the two. The Nationals do have youngsters Shawn Hill and John Lannan who could make an impact later this year, but for now, Bergmann could be a smart pickup in hopes that his strong spring (2.08 ERA, 1.27 WHIP) can carry over into the regular season.


Carlos Villaneuva Milwaukee Brewers SP

The accident-prone Milwaukee Brewers pitching staff has already been hit hard by injuries, losing Chris Capuano to a possible season-ending elbow injury, and Yovani Gallardo to a knee injury. Gallardo should make it back sometime in April, but in the meantime Carlos Villaneuva and Manny Parra will assume the #4 and #5 starting assignments. Villaneuva is not a power-pitcher, with a fastball topping out in the low nineties, but he is smart, changes speeds well, and was terrific as a starter when the Brewers moved him into the rotation last September. In his 5 September starts Villaneuva produced a 2.10 ERA with a 1.30 WHIP, and he has looked decent this spring with a 2.63 ERA and a 1.37 WHIP.


Zach Duke Pittsburgh Pirates SP

You probably remember Zach Duke from his outstanding 2005 rookie season when he looked like a real pitcher with 8 wins in 14 starts, a 1.81 ERA and WHIP of 1.20. In 2006 and 2007, he proceeded to pitch like Daisy Duke, with an ERA over 5, an unspeakable WHIP. He was downright horrendous last year in particular, with the league batting a Ty Cobb-esque .359 against him in 2007. In Zach Duke’s defense, he was battling elbow problems last year, and he also blames former Pirates pitching coach Jim Colborn for mucking up his mechanics in the beginning of 2006. While it may not be time to release Duke from the fantasy doghouse just yet, his elbow problems seem to be behind him for now and he did have a decent spring, with a 3.32 ERA, and a 1.10 WHIP (zero walks). Not to mention, former pitching coach Jim Colborn is now safely working at Sears.