Roto Recap is our bi-weekly look at the hottest Rotisserie players in the game. We'll highlight the top five players in each category in standard 5x5 Roto formats. This week's edition is based exclusively on performances for the period of May 23 - June 5.

The other night, I was finishing up a plate of Chinese food and decided to crack open the fortune cookie. As I looked away from my on-line poker game, I read the adage a gambler will lose everything he owns... and then some. While there holds a lot of truth behind that wisdom, this particular Chinese restaurant is unaware of the season that Texas hurler Kenny Rogers is having.

The Gambler has been one of the most reliable in the game the past two seasons and has amassed 184 victories in his 17-year career. The 40-year-old southpaw has won each of his past eight starts while compiling a jaw-dropping 0.76 ERA in that stretch.

On pace for career bests of 23 wins and 245 innings, why doesn't Rogers get the credit he deserves? He won 18 games for the vastly improved Rangers last year. He has piled up 10 wins in a season 10 different times and has a 60 percent winning percentage in the show. He even has a perfect game on his impressive resume.

Bottom line, the guy is crafty on the mound. He has great control of all five of his pitches, he hits spots, keeps batters off balance and prepares for each and every start. But he's never mentioned with Roger Clemens, Johan Santana, Roy Halladay or Mark Buehrle as one of the league's top starters.

If we look further into the numbers, we'll see that Rogers has never had a successful stretch like this since he came into the league in 1989. He has averaged a dozen wins the past five years but has a 4.65 ERA in that stretch. Inconsistent has been a much better adjective to use for Rogers than reliable -- that is, before 2005's explosion.

After winning 17 games with a 3.38 ERA for Texas in 1995 -- his first of three stints with the Rangers -- he was limited 18 wins and a 5.11 ERA the next two years combined.

Then, he notched 16 victories with Oakland in 1998 but was limited to just five wins each of the next two years. He has been night and day throughout his career.

In recent years, we've seen several pitchers remain among the elite after they hit the 40-year mark. Nolan Ryan, Randy Johnson and Clemens have proved pitchers can still be dominant against kids half their age. Not many people could have predicted that Rogers' 17th season would be his best. But with a stat line of 8-2, 1.62 ERA and 1.14 WHIP, this is one gambler who is almost a sure bet.

Here are the Rotisserie leaders in each category from May 23-June 5:

Batting Avg. Leaders
Player Avg
1. Derrek Lee .473 (26-for-55)
2. Placido Polanco .455 (15-for-33)
3. Raul Ibanez .452 (19-for-42)
4. Michael Young .451 (23-for-51)
5. Antonio Perez .422 (19-for-45)
min. 3.1 plate appearances/gm
  • Tony Clark is beginning to steal at-bats from Chad Tracy in Arizona. The 6-feet-7 first baseman is hitting .615 (16-for-26) over the past two weeks with four homers and 10 RBI. The D-Backs will play host to American League teams this week, so it's likely Tracy will get fewer at-bats this week.
  • It took a hairline fracture in Jason LaRue's left wrist for him to start hitting the ball this year. After starting 14-for-85 (.169), the Reds catcher is 17-for-45 (.378) with three home runs and 14 RBI in a 12-game hitting streak.
  • Neifi Perez has the most hits (27) over the past two weeks. The veteran middle infielder is batting .422 (27-for-64) with three home runs and 11 RBI.
Home Run Leaders
Player HR
T-1. Derrek Lee 5
T-1. Carlos Lee 5
T-1. J.D. Drew 5
T-1. Moises Alou 5
T-1. Preston Wilson 5
T-1. Carlos Delgado 5
T-1. Vernon Wells 5
T-1. Richard Hidalgo 5
  • After smacking just one home run in his first 30 games, Angels rookie third baseman Dallas McPherson has found the seats four times in his past 10. He hit 45 home runs in Double-A, Triple-A and a brief stint in the bigs last year.
  • Limited to two home runs in his first 41 games, Victor Martinez has gone yard four times in his past seven games -- that's tops among catchers over the past 14 days.
  • Veteran outfielders Preston Wilson, Moises Alou and Richard Hidalgo each showed some signs of life recently after producing minimal Fantasy production over the first month and a half. Hidalgo quietly has 11 home runs, Alou is finding the seats every 14.0 at-bats and Wilson has smacked five home runs in his past 11 games.
RBI Leaders
Player RBI
1. David Ortiz 16
T-2. Carlos Lee 15
T-2. Mark Teixeira 15
T-4. Derrek Lee 14
T-4. Phil Nevin 14
T-4. Melvin Mora 14
  • Rob Mackowiak quietly has driven in 13 runs in the past two weeks. His hot bat has taken away playing time from Ty Wigginton, who is batting .353 (6-for-17) with three home runs since May 23.
  • Speed demon Carl Crawford is becoming a more complete hitter this year in Tampa Bay. After swiping 114 bases the past two seasons, Crawford is on pace to shatter his previous season high in RBI. He drove in 119 runs the past two seasons and is on pace for 90 RBI in 2005.
  • Utilityman Geoff Blum is one of the hotter free-agent pickups recently. He's in the midst of a nine-game hitting streak (the first seven games were all multi-hit efforts). Eligible at 2B, 3B, SS, MI and CI, Blum is batting .370 (20-for-54) with 10 RBI in the past 14 days.
Runs Leaders
Player Runs
T-1. Derrek Lee 16
T-1. J.D Drew 16
3. Michael Young 13
T-4. Neifi Perez 12
T-4. Geoff Blum 12
T-4. Adam Kennedy 12
T-4. Chone Figgins 12
T-4. Albert Pujols 12
T-4. Neifi Perez 12
T-4. Miguel Tejada 12
T-4. Antonio Perez 12
T-4. Brian Giles 12
  • Nick Johnson has been one of the most pleasant surprises in Fantasy. The smooth-swinging lefty is hitting .419 (18-for-43) with nine walks, nine RBI and 11 runs over the past two weeks. He's on pace to finish with 93 runs.
  • Edgar Renteria is batting at a .400 (20-for-50) clip in his past dozen games. His 7-for-8, two-home run, six-RBI explosion against the Yankees two weekends ago appears to have awakened the steady veteran.
  • If you are searching for some help in your outfield, consider Reed Johnson of the Blue Jays. He's batting .283 (13-for-46) with three home runs, eight RBI and nine runs in the past couple weeks.
  • Over the past 14 days, D-Lee has compiled a five-hit game, five three-hit games and a pair of two-hit games. He's also scored at least one run nine of his past 14 games. On pace for 237 hits, 135 runs, 156 RBI, 51 home runs and 27 stolen bases. Along with Brian Roberts and Dontrelle Willis, he has exceeded everyone's expectations in the Fantasy world.
Stolen Base Leaders
Player SB
1. Rafael Furcal 9
2. Jose B. Reyes 7
3. Nook Logan 6
4. Miguel Cairo 5
T-5. Chone Figgins 4
T-5. David Wright 4
T-5. Mike Cameron 4
T-5. Juan Pierre 4
T-5. Scott Podsednik 4
T-5. Jeff Cirillo 4
  • Jeff Cirillo has stolen four bases over the past 14 days -- that matched his production over the previous 278 games spanning four seasons.
  • Brewers Bill E. Hall and Carlos Lee were the only two players to have at least three home runs and three stolen bases over the past 14 days. Hall is worth consideration in mixed leagues -- he's hitting .333 (16-for-48) with 11 RBI.
  • Rafael Furcal is on pace for 57 stolen bases. His previous career high was 40, set in his rookie year. He's hitting just .221 but should be kept in your active lineups because of his upside.
ERA Leaders
Player ERA
1. Roy Halliday 0.56
2. Pedro Martinez 0.56
3. Doug Davis 0.60
4. Andy Pettitte 0.69
5. D.J. Carrasco 0.75
min. 12 innings
  • Braves rookie Kyle Davies has posted a 0.98 in his past three starts. With John Thomson and Mike Hampton on the DL, Davis is a solid addition to mixed and NL-only formats. He'll face the Athletics in his first taste of interleague play Thursday.
  • Dan Wheeler has been one of the most dominant setup men this year. Over the past two weeks, Wheeler has struck out 12 and not walked a batter. He has compiled a 0.96 ERA and 0.43 WHIP in that stretch.
  • Glendon Rusch is 3-0 in his past three starts, posting a 0.75 ERA and a 0.75 WHIP. He struck out 17 and walked five in that frame. With Kerry Wood and Mark Prior shelved, Rusch is a very liable fill-in starter.
WHIP Leaders
Player WHIP
1. Dan Haren 0.565
T-2. Roy Halliday 0.625
T-2. Pedro Martinez 0.625
T-4. Andy Pettitte 0.692
T-4. Jake Peavy 0.692
min. 12 innings
  • Chris Young, a 6-foot-10 right-hander, has showed remarkable control on the mound in Texas. He's 3-0 with a 1.86 ERA and has compiled a 30/8 strikeout/walk ratio in his past six starts.
  • The Gambler, Kenny Rogers, continues to mow down his competition. After going 0-2 in his first four starts, he has gone 8-0 with a 0.76 ERA in his past eight games. He's allowed more than one run in just one of those games.
  • Carlos Silva has had pinpoint control. He walked just one batter in his past three starts -- spanning 22 innings. On the season, he's averaging one walk per every 24 innings.
Wins Leaders
Player Wins
T-1. Glendon Rusch 3
T-1. Kenny Rogers 3
T-1. Luis Ayala 3
T-1. Randy Wolf 3
T-5. 29 pitchers tied 2
  • Luis Ayala has earned relief victories in three of his past five appearances. He's one of the top middle men in the game -- registering a 16/1 strikeout/walk ratio and a 2.65 ERA. He's worth considering in mixed roto leagues.
  • In his first full season in the major leagues, Minnesota reliever Jesse Crain is quietly 5-0 with a microscopic 0.76 ERA. He has walked just six batters in his 23 2/3 innings and has compiled a 0.803 WHIP from the Twins bullpen.
  • Bartolo Colon has an impressive 25/1 strikeout/walk ratio in his past three starts. With a 7-3 record, he's on pace for his second 20 win season. He has won at least 14 games each of the past seven years.
Saves Leaders
Player Saves
1. Jason Isringhausen 6
T-2. Brad Lidge 5
T-2. Eddie Guardado 5
T-2. Chad Cordero 5
T-2. Eric Gagne 5
  • Mike MacDougal, who recently was re-appointed the Royals closer, went 3-for-3 in save opportunities last week. When Jeremy Affeldt returns from the DL, MacDougal is expected to keep the job.
  • Since Danny Kolb lost his job as the Braves stopper, Chris Reitsma has done a lights-out job. He has converted all three save opportunities while posting a 0.00 ERA and a 0.429 WHIP in his past seven innings.
Strikeout Leaders
Player K's
1. Bartolo Colon 23
2. Johan Santana 22
T-3. Oliver Perez 21
T-3. Carlos Zambrano 21
5. Chris Carpenter 20
  • Chris Capuano and Chris Carpenter not only have similar names but shared very similar stat lines the past two weeks. Each went 2-1 with a 1.64 ERA. Carpenter struck out 20 in 22 innings and Capuano fanned 19 with the same workload.
  • Johan Santana leads the major leagues with 105 strikeouts through a dozen starts. He has fanned at least seven in all but two, and finished with double-digit K's a handful of times. He'll face the D-Backs in his next start.

Other notable free-agent options

  • First-year third baseman Aaron Hill is adjusting well to the major leagues. The 23-year old is batting .311 (14-for-45) in the past two weeks, and 351 on the year. He hit .279 with 11 home runs and 80 RBI for Double-A New Hampshire next year.
  • Placido Polanco has been one of the hotter hitters in the game in recent weeks -- hitting .517 (15-for-29) in a recent seven-game hitting streak with two home runs and nine RBI. With eligibility at 2B, 3B, MI, CI, and OF, he's worth picking up in any Fantasy format.
  • If you are looking for help in NL-only leagues, consider picking up Desi Relaford. With Clint Barmes out for three months, Relaford will likely be used as an everyday player -- at least until Aaron Miles is activated from the DL. Relaford is batting .368 (14-for-38) in the past 14 days. Luis A. Gonzalez will also increased playing time.
  • Phenom southpaw Scott Kazmir is admirably adjusting to the major leagues. The former Met is 2-0 with a 2.53 ERA in his past four starts. He has racked up an impressive 3.86 ERA through a dozen starts.