Playing the Waiver Wire: A Ray of hope

Edwin Jackson experienced a hard fall from grace.

A once highly-touted pitching phenom -- ranked the No. 1 Dodgers' prospect by Baseball America in 2004 -- Jackson eventually vanished from the limelight and wallowed into the abyss of baseball mediocrity. Now, he's back to redeem what's left of his past reputation.

Jackson entered this world on Sept. 9, 1983. Born in Neu-Ulm, Germany as his father -- a cook in the U.S. Army -- was stationed overseas, Jackson would make quite a statement two decades later. On his 20th birthday, Jackson -- in his Major League debut -- outdueled future Hall of Famer Randy Johnson for his first win. He allowed four hits, one run and struck out four in six innings. Jackson would finish out the 2003 season with three starts, a 2-1 record and 2.45 ERA. Touted in the mold of a Pedro Martinez, it appeared as though the Dodgers found their next burgeoning ace.

Could this be the year Edwin Jackson delivers on all of that potential? (AP)

Jackson spent a great deal of his childhood and adolescent years in Columbus, Ga. He would later attend Shaw High School and star on the baseball team. His athleticism allowed him to roam the outfield as well as dazzle onlookers as the team's third starting pitcher. He had scouts drooling over his potential at the plate, but the Dodgers had other ideas. They envisioned him as a starting pitcher and eventually welcomed him to the family as their sixth-round pick in the 2001 amateur draft.

Los Angeles allowed Jackson to toil as a designated hitter in rookie ball when he wasn't honing his pitching skills, but by 2002 all his focus was on becoming a future ace. Jackson had little trouble at Class A (5-2, 1.97 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 85 Ks) in 2002 and breezed through Double-A in 2003 (7-7, 3.71 ERA, 1.18 WHIP, 157 Ks) before making his unforgettable MLB debut. The scouting report on Jackson was that he had a solid mid-90s fastball with a slider that could make big league hitters run themselves into the ground. The only negative -- he lacked control.

It ended up being his unraveling.

Jackson failed to crack the Dodgers' rotation in the spring 2004, so it was off to Triple-A, where the results weren't very pleasant. He was 6-4, but boasted a 5.84 ERA and 1.56 WHIP. He also walked 55 batters in 91 innings. The Dodgers brought Jackson up three times that season, but they wished they didn't. In five starts and eight total appearances, he posted a 7.30 ERA and 1.70 WHIP.

The story didn't change much for Jackson in 2005 and 2006. He couldn't prove himself in spring training and the Dodgers couldn't afford to bring him to the majors. He was even demoted all the way to Double-A in '05 before tasting life in the majors again. By 2006, the Dodgers were fed up with Jackson's failed expectations and scouts began to wonder if he was destined for a role in middle relief. Oh yeah, he also unceremoniously lost his title of top prospect and fell off pretty much everyone's radar. Every one except the Tampa Bay Rays.

On Jan. 14, 2006, the Rays took a chance on Jackson by acquiring him in the deal that sent Danys Baez to L.A. Tampa Bay hoped they were getting that kid who had scouts cuckoo for Coco Puffs, and not the kid who made everyone lose their lunch. Unfortunately, the latter was evident in 2007.

Jackson opened his Rays career with an 0-3 record and 6.10 ERA in four April starts. He followed that with a 0-3 record and 8.06 ERA in five May starts. He was still hittable and issuing more free passes than a bouncer letting all the pretty girls pass by the eager clubgoers outside.

He finished 2007 with a 5-15 record and 5.76 ERA. His lone bright spot was a complete game shutout of the Rangers Aug. 11. You can imagine why so many Rays fans rolled their eyes when word spread last month that Jackson would round out the team's rotation while Scott Kazmir (elbow) opened on the DL. Well, after his first two starts, Jackson was the toast of the town and Fantasy leagues (he was the most added player as of Wednesday).

The once top prospect was flashing his mid-90s fastball and cutting slider, as if he transposed himself into the Big Unit's body. Jackson opened with an April 5 win against the Yankees and then an April 10 win against the Mariners. He sported a 0.64 ERA, but the 27th Germany-born major leaguer modestly admitted that he hasn't changed from when he was a struggling bush leaguer looking for his permanent ticket to the show.

"Same preparation, same routine," Jackson told the Tampa Tribune. "It's just now there's different results."

No kidding.

Call to the Bench -- We feel this player might be worthy of adding to Fantasy rosters for the long haul

Jose Lopez, 2B, Seattle
Owned: 70 percent of leagues
Analysis: Hitting near the bottom of the lineup in 2007 nearly destroyed Lopez's career. So M's skipper John McLaren put the second baseman back in the two-hole this season and the rest is history. Lopez is hitting .288 with two homers, 13 RBI, nine runs and two stolen bases through Wednesday. Lopez spent much of last season hitting eighth or ninth and produced a batting average around .250. This coming after he produced a career-high .282 average and 79 RBI in 2006. Lopez spent much of that season hitting second or third (117 games) and had a breakout campaign. Now that he is back in his comfort zone, Fantasy owners in larger leagues looking for help at second base or middle infield can rely on Lopez.

You're Out! -- We feel this player might have already peaked and their value could be on the decline, so Fantasy owners might want to cut bait ASAP

Aaron Rowand, OF, San Francisco
Owned: 84 percent of leagues
Analysis: I'm not wasting any time in ruffling the feathers and going out on a limb early in the season. You don't necessarily have to drop Rowand, but dealing him would be a wise move on your part. Rowand had the best year of his career in 2007 with Philadelphia for two reasons -- he had lineup protection and was playing for his next contract. Now that he is in San Francisco, he has his fat deal and doesn't have the likes of Jimmy Rollins, Chase Utley, Ryan Howard or Pat Burrell hitting around him. Rowand is now the top man on everyone's scouting report when they play San Francisco, and he can no longer hide. The same thing happened in 2004 when he hit 24 homers and .310 with the White Sox. Everyone began to take notice of Rowand, so he slumped to 13 homers and .270 in 2005.

GDIPs -- We feel this player might not warrant as much Fantasy consideration as they are receiving and should be avoided in most instances

Dana Eveland, SP, Oakland
Owned: 69 percent of leagues
Analysis: Eveland is much in the same mold of Edwin Jackson. A draft-and-follow project in the minors, Eveland didn't seem to have many problems pitching on the bus circuit. He always posted a sub-3.00 ERA and a WHIP to die for. So how come he could never materialize in the majors, similar to Jackson? Eveland has four solid pitches, including a low-90s fastball. However, the Brewers gave up on their 2002 16th round draft pick when they traded him to Arizona in 2007. The Diamondbacks didn't have much more success and packaged him to Oakland in the Dan Haren deal this offseason. Well, Eveland has had the last laugh thus far. He has a 1-1 record, 2.00 ERA, 1.17 WHIP and 15 strikeouts in 18 innings. The White Sox were Paul Konerko's third team before he became an All-Star, but it's still too early to hitch your Fantasy championship to Eveland.

Scouting -- We feel this player is on the verge of being a Fantasy reliable option, but still needs to be monitored over the next few weeks

Eric Hinske, UTL/DH, Tampa Bay
Owned: 4 percent of leagues
Analysis: Let me be the first to mention that Hinske looks like his former Rookie of the Year self. You know the kid who hit .279 with 24 homers, 84 RBI, 99 runs and 13 stolen bases in 2002 with Toronto on his way to nabbing the AL's top honor for young whipper snapper? Hinske then struggled the next four seasons before completely falling off the map with Boston in 2007. Well, he is trying to make up for lost time with Tampa Bay. Hinske is hitting .333 with three homers and six RBI through Wednesday. The only reason we say proceed with caution is that Hinske is still not an everyday player. He is receiving more at-bats with Cliff Floyd (knee) on the DL, but will likely once again share time at DH and in right field with Floyd and Jonny Gomes as soon as everyone is healthy. Hinske is more of a stopgap solution more than anything right now.

Stopgap corner -- We feel this player might be worth using for the upcoming scoring period

Matt Chico, SP, Washington
Owned: 5 percent of leagues
Analysis: Having made his fourth start of the season Wednesday against the Mets, Chico (0-3) is next expected to take the hill Monday against the Braves. He is lining up to be a two-start pitcher Fantasy Week 4 (April 21-27) with his second start coming against the Cubs. Chico has had recent success against both teams. Although he took a loss April 11 against Atlanta, Chico went eight innings allowing five hits, one walk and one run. In 2007 against the NL East foe, Chico was 2-2 with a 2.70 ERA in five starts. In his lone start against the Cubbies last season, Chico blanked them for seven innings while allowing four hits and picking up the win. Chico is primarily a NL-only Fantasy option because he plays for the sub-.500 Nationals, but larger mixed league owners might want to use Chico if they are in need of a two-start option. He could post a decent ERA and WHIP.

Farm Boys -- This segment is for those long-term keeper owners looking for the next Fantasy superstar

Jeff Larish, 1B, Detroit
Owned: 0 percent of leagues
Analysis: It's not like the Tigers need any more power hitters, but they have a top slugger waiting in the wings in Larish. The former Arizona State product continues to haunt minor league pitchers. He already has five homers through 12 games for Triple-A Toledo. This coming after he hit 28 homers and netted 101 RBI last season for Double-A Erie. Like all young sluggers, he strikes out a lot at the plate, but it doesn't overshadow the bombs he sends out of the park. He is part of the loaded 2005 draft class, and his power was being compared in that draft to the likes of Alex Gordon, Jeff Clement and Ryan Braun. We mention his name because he could be called to the show at a moment's notice. The Tigers proved last year with Cameron Maybin and Andrew Miller that they weren't afraid of bringing premier talent to the majors. Tigers 1B Carlos Guillen is already injured and DH Gary Sheffield also could go down at any time, which would open the door for Larish's bat.

Doctor's Report -- This segment highlights a player on the verge of coming off the DL and ready to make an immediate Fantasy impact.

Yovani Gallardo, SP, Milwaukee
Owned: 56 percent of leagues
Analysis: Fantasy owners better start putting in their waiver claims for Gallardo ASAP. He is ready to come off the 15-day DL. The young fireballer had to open on the injured list because of arthroscopic knee surgery in March, but he is ready to make his debut as early as Saturday. Don't be scared about his rehab numbers. He was 0-1 with a 5.17 ERA with Triple-A Nashville, but he also struck out 18 in 15 2/3 innings. He still has his dynamite fastball and is worth owning in all Fantasy formats when healthy.

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