The White Sox's Gordon Beckham hasn't slide into stardom, but you must add him if he is available in a keeper league.

Gordon Beckham has the chance to be special. The White Sox’s top draft pick in 2008 is finally starting to deliver after a slow start. He has eight RBIs in Chicago’s past seven games and he has gone 8-for-20. Sure, this isn’t the largest sample size (he went 2-for-28 in his first eight games) , but I would rather guess wrong in a keeper league than let someone else get a third baseman with so much potential power. The thing to really like about Beckham is that he isn’t striking out. He has just eight strike outs in 51 at-bats. He has only one home run, a 385-foot shot hit Saturday, but his potential makes the rookie an interesting fantasy addition now in keeper leagues.

Another prospect to watch is San Diego’s Kyle Blanks - he is 6-foot-6 and weighs 285 pounds. Not sure how well he will do in the outfield - but the Padres didn’t call him up to sit him. Lewis-Palmer product Chase Headley and Kevin Kouzmanoff might not get as many at-bats, but you have to wonder how the Padres are going to get at-bats for all three guys once interleague play is over.

Scott Podsednik is always a threat to steal a base.

Scott Podsednik is playing every day with the White Sox and he is producing. The leadoff hitter is batting .315 and has stolen nine bases. He isn’t a great power hitter, and he hasn’t scored many runs - but he could be a good speed player if you need a fill in for a guy like Jose Reyes. Podsednik has 46 hits in his past 34 games.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Pedro Martinez recently said he expects to sign with a team soon and reports are he will join the Cubs or the Rays. He could pick up wins with either teams and if the World Baseball Classic was an indication - he could get you some strikeouts.

Oakland’s Dallas Braden isn’t getting any run support, but he has a 2.93 ERA in his last 40.0 innings pitched. He might not get you many wins, but he can help your ERA and WHIP and he does qualify as a reliever in fantasy so if you have a ton of starters he can still make your lineup.

Colby Rasmus is 12-for-26 in June entering play on Wednesday. His batting average has jumped from .229 to .265 this month and St. Louis is rewarding him for his production. He was switched to fourth in the  lineup, so his numbers should see a boost hitting behind Albert Pujols. Rasmus’ numbers aren’t dazzling now, but the rookie is worth grabbing if you are in a keeper league, and might even be a second-half stud in NL-only leagues.

Nate McLouth should see a boost in statistics.

Wednesday’s trade of Nate McLouth to the Braves and three prospects to the Pirates should be a boon for McLouth owners. He hit 276 with 26 homers and 94 RBIs last season and his statistics should improve hitting before or behind Chipper Jones. The Braves had to do something for their offense and this seems like a steal. In my NL-only league, I am worried that the Pirates are dumping players already and Zach Duke could be shipped elsewhere.

PLAYER TO WATCH

Andrew McCutchen will fill the hole in center field for the Pirates. Many rank him as the team’s top prospect.

PLAYER TO WATCH NO. 2

With the Braves releasing Tom Glavine claiming that his velocity is down, you have to wonder if he is finished. I think a team will take a chance on him and my pitching in fantasy has been so poor this season - so will I.

Was drafted 27th in 2007 Major League Baseball Draft.

Very few starting  pitchers in Major League Baseball have been better than Detroit’s Rick Porcello since May 5.  He is 5-0 with a 1.50 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP in 30 innings. He doesn’t have a high number of strikeouts (20), but with numbers like that - you can absorb the hit to Ks. The 20-year-old will likely hit the wall eventually, but get him now while he is dominating.

As for batters, Minnesota’s Michael Cuddyer has eight of his nine homers and 26 of his 33 RBIs since May 1. If you need outfield help, take a look at this Twin.

HEAD SCRATCHER

After the Rockies made a change at manager, Garrett Atkins was quickly moved into the cleanup spot in the order. Atkins hasn’t hit a homer since April 25 and he only has eight RBIs over that span. I would not pick up Atkins and sooner or later he has to be dropped in the lineup if the change doesn’t give him a spark.

If you had Milwaukee’s Rickie Weeks as your second baseman you might want to look at Cleveland’s Asdrubal Cabrera as a replacement. Cabrera has only one homer on the season but he has only been held without a hit four times in May and he has seven multi-hit games over that span. He was batting .269 on April 14 and now he is at .311. While he is hot, Cabrera is a more than capable fantasy starter.

On the mound, Detroit’s Edwin Jackson is in a groove. He has 20 strikeouts in his last 20 innings pitched. He faces Texas this week, a team he has held to a .210 batting average in his career.

Jimmy Rollins just can't get it together this season.

A friend of mine asked me the other day if there was anyone in fantasy baseball who was a bigger disappointment so far than Matt Holliday (this isn’t counting injured players or that guy in L.A. who was suspended). He brought up that Nate McLouth of the Pirates is basically putting up the same numbers (.256, 4 HRs, 19 RBIs, 11 runs) as Holliday (.226, 4 HRs, 20 RBIs, 13 runs). This was a great comparision, McLouth was taken much later in drafts than Holliday - but I think I have a bigger head scratcher.

In a post I made on April 15, I suggested that Jimmy Rollins wouldn’t slump forever. I preached the importance of patience and how not to let a slow start make you panic. It has been two months - now it is time to panic. Guess which numbers are Rollins’ and which are David Eckstein’s:

1) .195, 1 HR, 9 RBIs, 14 runs and 1 steal OR 2) .261, 0 HR, 9 RBIs, 12 runs and 1 steal

The first set are Rollins’, but they are virtually the same. Let that sink in - Jimmy Rollins and David Eckstein are putting up the same fantasy numbers. One with the Philles, one with the Padres. I am generally the fantasy owner who says to try to get a guy in a slump and wait for him to snap out of it - but Rollins might be the guy I try to get rid of. There is just something wrong with him this season.

Who do you think are some dissapointing players?

Player to watch

Laynce Nix, Reds, He is taking over as an every-day starter and he is in a great ballpark. He is worth a flier and he is batting over .300.

Juan Pierre could be a steal.

If you had Manny Ramirez on your fantasy team, you know as well as anyone you are not going to be able to replace him. What you are going to have to do is switch your focus for 50 games. Here is what I would suggest:

If you want to go with speed, take Los Angeles fill-in Juan Pierre. Pierre’s career stats suggest he  is going to bat around .285, steal a bunch of bases and score a ton of runs.

If you are not in a keeper league, I would try to trade Ramirez for two above average, but not great players. The production of two players might offset what Manny was giving you - and face it, there is no guarantee that Manny won’t ever be suspended again and there is no guarantee that he will put up the same type of numbers once he returns. If I had Manny, I would try to trade him.

PLAYER TO WATCH

Michael Bourn of the Astros is batting .287 with eight steals and 17 runs scored. Don’t let last year’s .229 average make you think he is one-dimensional. He hit .277 two years ago.

Joel Zumaya could be a hot addition in fantasy in a few weeks.

If you are in need of saves or holds - keep an eye on Detroit’s Joel Zumaya. He hit 99 mph on the radar gun in his first game of the season. He won’t take over the closer’s role right away so be patient - but you don’t want others in your league to get him before you do if you need saves.

Things looking up for Upton

If you did not panic on Arizona outfielder Justin Upton early in the season you have been loving him over the past 10 games. He is on a 10-game hitting streak, he has four homers during this current streak and 11 of his 12 RBIs. More importantly, he is batting fifth for Arizona and not eighth anymore. If you dropped Upton you are probably kicking yourself - just know he will be streaky all season - he is still only 21.

Josh Hamilton won't be taking cuts for your fantasy team anytime soon.

With Texas’ Josh Hamilton likely heading to the DL with injured ribs, you might look at Andruw Jones as a replacement if you have Hamilton. In limited time, Jones has hit .370 with two homers, five RBIs and 10 runs scored. Jones will not solve all your problems, and might not even be on your fantasy team in three weeks, but he is certainly worth the risk if your team is dealing with injuries.

Player to keep an eye on

Joe Beimel of the Nationals is actually on the DL, but all indications are that he will get a shot to become Washington’s closer when he is healthy.

Don’t be afraid of Pirates

Starting pitchers Zach Duke (2.43 ERA) and Ross Ohlendorf (3.24) are probably available in your league. The Pirates have improved their pitching and shouldn’t carry the same fear as adding a Pirate in past seasons. Neither is a big strike out pitcher, but they are racking up decent innings with solid results.