Fantasy Baseball 2011: 5 Early Busts Poised to Rally in 2011

The Fantasy Baseball 2011 season is almost two months old and, at this point, most owners have taken a fairly good stock of their draft. They've been cutting stragglers from their roster, trading away flagging early busts and adjusting, all to find that perfect mix of players to score them a title.

But, while every team has busts, particularly in the early season, not every bust stays as a bust. Many players go through prolonged slumps at the start of the season and pull back out of them as the year progresses. 

How can you know who to keep around and who to cut loose? Who will rebound from a brutal start to the season to deliver a solid overall year? 

While it's impossible to know for sure, here are five guys you'd be wise to hang onto a little bit longer. 

5. Justin Morneau

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MINNEAPOLIS, MN - MAY 23: Justin Morneau #33 of the Minnesota Twins bats while catcher Chris Gimenez #5 of the Seattle Mariners defends home plate during their game on May 23, 2011 at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The Rockies won 6-5. (Photo by

Anyone who watched Morneau for the first time in April or May wouldn't have seen the perennial All-Star caliber slugger of years past; instead, they saw a guy who was struggling to stay above the Mendoza Line and lacked much power at all. 

Morneau was clearly rusty from his extended layoff, but if you're smart, you'll stay the course. His bat is finally showing signs of life as he's driving the ball as well as he ever has over the last two weeks. The power's still not fully back, but Morneau is slowly starting to round himself into form after an abysmal start. 

He's still got a little way to go, but with patience, Morneau will become the productive player you planned on having when you drafted him. 

4. Zack Greinke

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ATLANTA, GA - MAY 04: Zack Greinke #13 of the Milwaukee Brewers pitches in the first inning against the Atlanta Braves at Turner Field on May 4, 2011 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Greinke's been a bit of a bust so far this season in several different departments. After missing time early in the season with rib issues, Greinke returned to the rotation in mid-April and promptly got lit up like a Christmas tree. His ERA has ballooned well over 5.40, and for a while there, the former Royals ace couldn't make it through a game without giving up a bomb or two. 

But, there is definitely hope for the fireballing righty. Greinke has been posting solid strikeout numbers all season long, whiffing 39 hitters in 28 innings. He's also been grabbing wins, scoring victories in his last three outings. 

The ERA will come down as Greinke's not walking many hitters and he's typically better at keeping the ball in the park than this. He's going to be a good source of strikeouts and wins, and if he gets on a tear, his ERA figures to slide pretty quickly, too.

Don't think about dropping or trading him at this point; he'll reward you in the long run. 

3. Dan Uggla, 2B, Atlanta Braves

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PHOENIX, AZ - MAY 18: Dan Uggla #26 of the Atlanta Braves bats against the Arizona Diamondbacks during the Major League Baseball game at Chase Field on May 18, 2011 in Phoenix, Arizona. The Diamondbacks defeated the Braves 5-4 in eleven innings. (Photo

Yeesh. That's the best way to describe the first two months of the season for the Braves' new second baseman. A .178 average and an equally anemic on base percentage have seen Uggla's stock bottom out, and he's poised to be one of the biggest fantasy disappointments this side of Chone Figgins last season. 

But, there is hope. Uggla's power is still very much intact as he's belted seven home runs this season and his .194 batting average on balls in play is the second-lowest in baseball. His career average for that statistic is .306, which suggests perhaps Uggla's been historically unlucky this season. 

He's not going to wow you with his average, even if he hadn't slumped through the first two months of the season, but he's going to bounce back. Keep a close eye on him, but don't cut him just yet. 

2. Travis Wood, LHP, Cincinnati Reds

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HOUSTON - MAY 09: Pitcher Travis Wood #30 of the Cincinnati Reds throws against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park on May 9, 2011 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)

Last season, Wood and fellow rookie Mike Leake ran roughshod over the National League, thriving despite minimal time in the minors. However, 2011 has not followed that script at all. 

Wood was knocked around pretty badly in the early portion of the season, struggling with his control and with giving up runs, and his ERA ballooned well into the 6.00 range. 

However, if you weren't one of the myriad owners who cut bait and ran from Wood after those early troubles, you'd have yourself a pitcher poised to overcome those early foibles. 

Wood has posted five quality starts in his last six outings and has found his control once again. He's still giving up home runs, but given the way he's pitched over the last month, he's not allowing much else. Keep him around and you won't be disappointed. 

1. Gordon Beckham, 2B, Chicago White Sox

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CHICAGO, IL - MAY 01: Gordon Beckham #15 of the Chicago White Sox takes a swing against the Baltimore Orioles at U.S. Cellular Field on May 1, 2011 in Chicago, Illinois. The Orioles defeated the White Sox 6-4. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)

Haven't we been here before? If Beckham's early stat line from this season (.232, four home runs, 15 RBI) looks eerily similar to his stat line at this point last season (.196, one home run, 10 RBI), it's because it pretty much is. The promising infielder pulled the exact same stunt last season, and was widely regarded as a bust. 

So why trust him this year? Simple: he's already coming out of it. 

Beckham is hitting .270 over the last four weeks, including a .282 average in May. He's starting to find his stroke at the plate and while the home runs haven't started coming yet, we know he can hit them. 

Is this just a hot streak, or has Beckham finally put it all together? There's only one way to find out: ride the wave and see just how long he can keep his recent solid hitting ways up. If it lasts, keep him around for the rest of the year. If it doesn't, cut him loose. But jettisoning him right as he finds his groove would be a serious mistake. 

The fact is, we've already seen that Beckham can finish strong, which is why he's tops on this list. If he's already finding his stride at the plate, he might just start living up to his considerable potential.