Rise to Fame: NL Edition

NL WEST
Colorado Rockies - Carlos Gonzalez has been probably one of the best players in the NL so far. His .350 BA, 17 RBI and 14 runs rank in the top of the league. He has 4 SB, 4 2b and a triple. His OPS is .899 and is a must have on fantasy rosters and now I look like a fool for cutting him - then again I did get Ricky Romero.
Grade: A+ If these numbers continue CarGo should find himself in LA for the midsummer classic.

Los Angeles Dodgers - Reed Johnson hasn't gotten the playing time I thought he would, but there's still a lot of baseball to be played and injuries to be had. He's hitting .282 in his 19 games with a couple of doubles and triples. He's driven in 3 and scored 5 times.
Grade: C- It's hard to rate a backup because you never know when he'll play, but if someone in the outfield goes down be sure to check the first couple box scores after Johnson gets playing time.

San Fran Giants - Jonathon Sanchez did throw a no-hitter last year, but still had an ERA in the 5s. Not many people know the name, but he should be on rosters now. His 2-1 record and 1.85 ERA have given the Giants one of the best 1-4 starters in the game today. He's struck out 33 in 24 innings of work and held hitters to a .167 BA with a 1.11 WHIP.
Grade: A- The wins may not be that high this season with a mediocre offense, but the strikeouts, ERA and WHIP make him a viable number 4 or 5 on your roster. Pick him up if he's still available.

San Diego Padres - Chase Headley has been an all-star like Sanchez and Gonzalez. One of the themes I gave the NL West this season was young talent and it has not disappointed. Headley is hitting cleanup for the first place Padres with a .322 AVG, 8 RBI and 16 runs scored. He's hit 6 doubles, a homer and stolen 7 bases.
Grade: A If Headley is still available don't even finish reading this post get back into your league and make room for him, the RBI production may not be there but the average, doubles and stolen bases will be - he benefits from hitting behind Adrian Gonzalez.

Arizona Diamondbacks - Ian Kennedy hasn't exactly shined in the NL like I thought he would, but neither has Edwin Jackson. Those two are going to be big factors if the D-Backs want to compete this season. He has a 1-1 record with a 4.45 ERA. He's held opponents to a .212 BA and struck out 27, but has allowed 7 homers this season in 30 1/3 innings.
Grade: C If he settles in a controls the long ball keep an eye on Kennedy until then leave him on the market.

NL EAST

NY Mets - Daniel Murphy has been injured this season and was thrown in the mix of a bad Mets season a bit too season. Now others are benefiting with playing time now that Murphy is hurt, when he gets back make sure you keep an eye on his box score.

Florida Marlins - Cody Ross has had steady playing time for several years now, but hasn't really put up huge numbers. I thought with an improved Florida line-up he could reek the benefits and maybe put up a 100 run season. He's hitting .262 with 11 RBI and 10 runs. He's also got 5 doubles and a homer.
Grade: C Ross is okay with the right line-up management and in deeper leagues, but in any ten man league he's going to have to start putting up some big numbers if he's going to make the cut.

Washington Nationals - Stephen Strasburg hasn't made his debut yet, but it shouldn't be too long. He's been more than impressive in the minors. He's 3-0 with a 0.52 ERA. He's struck out 23 in 17 1/3 innings and only allowed 1 ER.
Grade: N/A but I expect big things from Strasburg.

Atlanta Braves - Jason Heyward is almost self explanatory, however, he's struggled as of late and the other player I said to watch, Martin Prado, has been fantastic. Heyward is hitting .240, but his timing is impeccable. He has a game tying homerun and two walk off hits this season. He's driven in 19 so far with 6 homers and 10 runs. He's got 3 doubles, but has struck out 26 times already.
Grade: B The average is down right now, but the production is there.

Philadelphia Phillies - JA Happ was great last year and has been okay this year, but finds himself on the DL now. He hasn't allowed a run yet this season in 10 1/3 innings, but has a 1.65 WHIP. He's 1-0, but is suffering from some forearm problems.
Grade: B- His ERA and 1 win in 2 starts are good, but the WHIP and DL stint drag him down.

NL CENTRAL

St. Louis Cardinals - Brendan Ryan has struggled, but he should be there with the way the Cardinals have hit this season. He's only hitting .179 with 4 RBI and 5 runs. He only has 3 extra base hits, but has walked 9 times.
Grade D St. Louis has been scoring a ton this year and Ryan should get in the mix come summer time.

Chicago Cubs - Tyler Colvin has been getting okay playing time this year and is producing when he does play. A .289 AVG in 45 at bats, 10 runs and a .965 OPS should have Colvin taking over at some point this season. He has 7 RBI, but has struck out once every 4 at bats.

Milwaukee Brewers - Alcides Escobar was called up in late August last year and was given the reigns after the JJ Hardy trade this offseason. He's struggled with consistency hitting .250 in the 8 hole, but with his speed that should be .285 by mid-June. He's got 7 extra base-hits and has only struck out 10 times in 80 at-bats.
Grade B- He'll be there and I think with his speed he should be a viable backup shortstop right now.

Pittsburgh Pirates - Garrett Jones bursted onto the scene to begin this season in the same fashion as he did last season - home runs. He's only hit 2 since opening day and is hitting .202, but he'll find his groove. He has 14 RBI and has walked 19 times. He also is good for 15-20 stolen bases this season.
Grade: C It may seem high, but that's just because I think he should be on someone's roster even if he is a bench player until he finds his groove he's too good to be a free agent.

Cincinnati Reds - Chris Dickerson just went on the DL and was off to a slow start so maybe the minors will help him get his swing back. He was hitting .227 with only 2 extra-base hits, 0 RBI and 1 walk. He has scored 9 times and stolen 3 bases, but has also struck out 19 times. Walks are one of the best ways to break a slump because it allows you to see the ball all the way to the catcher's mitt - that's something Dickerson is going to have to work on.
Grade D+ There really isn't any fantasy value with Dickerson yet, but he's a guy to keep an eye out for if he has a good rehab.

Houston Astros - Pedro Feliz was labeled by MLB Network as one of the best players on a bad team - so I will take kudos for that statement a long time ago. His .250 average is deceiving, but he has 6 doubles, a homer and has driven in 10. With the return of Berkman and once Lee finds his power swing back Feliz's fantasy value should double.
Grade C+ If he's available he may be worth keeping on your bench until he gets hot, otherwise he is a pretty good doubles producer and gets the ball in play for RBI ground outs and sac-flies.

Other names to keep an eye on:
WSH Ian Desmond, STL David Freese, SD Clayton Richard, COL Eric Young Jr, ATL Omar Infante