Lewis, Gomez, Guthrie, O'Flaherty worth considering

	Giants outfielder Fred Lewis hit for the cycle four days after he was brought back from the minor leagues, going 5-for-6 with four RBIs. AP
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Hopefully you went out and picked up last week's top two recommendations, Reggie Willits and Jack Cust, both of whom took their rightful their places as fantasy studs over the last seven days. This week there are a couple of speedsters to watch for, as well as a pitcher who despite being on the hill for the start of the biggest ninth-inning collapse in the last quarter-century, has the pedigree and guidance to become one of the top two pitchers on his staff.

Fred Lewis, OF, Giants -- After being recalled from Triple-A Fresno Lewis, already with a career big-league average of .455 coming into this season, actually raised it to .480 by lighting up the Rockies with a 5-for-6 game, including hitting for the the cycle on Mother's Day. Despite the knee-jerk reaction to disregard him as a flash-in-the-pan, Lewis is someone to be taken seriously in fantasy leagues. He's the most athletic member of the Giants organization and will get a long long look in center field with the oft-injured Dave Roberts on the DL (again) for at least the rest of the month. Also helping Lewis' cause was the designation for assignment of longtime top prospect Todd Linden, who sent packing earlier this week. Lewis, a lefty swinger took a Taylor Buchholz pitch over the left-field fence, flashing good power to the opposite field. Lewis has good speed (55 minor league steals since the start of 2005) and has produced solid on-base percentages throughout his career. At 26, he's not the youngest of prospects, but that works to his advantage on a San Francisco squad awfully long in the tooth. He's got an opportunity to stay in the lineup for 350-400 at-bats which could yield 10 home runs and 15 steals.

Eric O'Flaherty, P, Mariners -- In a very short time in the big leagues, O'Flaherty has become one of the strongest members of one of the most talented bullpens in baseball. Just 22, the native of nearby Walla Walla is currently serving as one of the Mariners long relievers with fantastic results. In six appearances, he's allowed just one earned run, and nine hits in 11 2/3 strong innings. In an age when relievers rarely pitch multiple innings, O'Flaherty has gone two or more in four of his six appearances, picking up a vicotry in the only one of those he allowed a run in. What put him on the fantasy radar was his 4 1/3 inning, 60 pitch shut-down job on the Yankees on Saturday, giving up just a Derek Jeter single, which also likely kept him in the big leagues for longer than originally planned. There are currently no plans to have O'Flaherty switch to starting, but he could become a good source of vulture wins on a team with a shaky rotation. He's well worth the last spot on an AL-only staff.

Carlos Gomez, OF, Mets -- The Mets organization is dangerous and deep, with Gomez being another example of why. With Moises Alou shelved along with top Triple-A options Lastings Milledge and Ben Johnson, the Mets recalled Gomez who was leading the Pacific Coast League with 17 steals. Although he has center field skills, Gomez will settle in left for the time being, sharing Alou's at bats with the left-handed swinging Endy Chavez. He started off his big league career with a two for four day, two runs scored and a steal, something that will happen often in the Mets dynamic lineup. With 123 steals over the last two-plus seasons, he'll provide as many problems to opposing teams on the basepaths as his new teammate Jose Reyes although with nowhere near the power. Speed is always attractive in fantasy, and Gomez has plenty of it and isn't scared to use it. Sign him up in all leagues.

Jeremy Guthrie, P, Orioles -- Overshadowed on Sunday by the Red Sox's miraculous comeback (or Orioles horrific meltdown, depending on which angle you view it from), was a fantastic outing by Guthrie, injected into Baltimore's rotation by a rash of injuries. A first round pick, 2002 Pac-10 Pitcher of the Year, and Golden Spikes Finalist while at Stanford, Guthrie was once considered the best pitching prospect in the Indians system. Still, he never got much of a chance to contribute in Cleveland, amassing just 16 appearences and one start in parts three seasons, most of which were spent hurling for Buffalo in the International League. His break came when the Orioles claimed him off waivers this past January and then again when Adam Loewen and Jaret Wright headed for the DL, opening up a spot in Leo Mazzone's rotation. In three starts, including his 8 1/3 shutout innings in Fenway, Guthrie now has an ERA of 0.93 and WHIP of 0.83, pretty good for any pitcher. His minor league numbers weren't too impressive in 2004 and 2005, but last season he bounced back and pitched over 35 scoreless innings to begin his Triple-A season, showing that in the right situation, he can be a terrific pitcher. The Indians basically butchered how they handled Guthrie, rushing him to the big leagues, then using up all of his minor league options before giving him a real chance. Now he's found a stable environment, he's back on track to being a good, if not great pitcher. He's worth the pickup, even in the slugging AL East.

Garrett Jones, 1B, Twins -- Instead of recalling a pitcher to replace Sidney Ponson on the roster, Ron Gardenhire asked for some additional offensive help in the form of Jones, a 6-foot-4 1B/OF/DH type who was batting .300 with three home runs and 17 RBIs at Triple-A. Despite playing professionally since 1999, this is Jones' first taste of the big leagues and is likely to be a short one, especially with Justin Morneau able to play through his broken nose suffered on Saturday. Jones fits the mold of Morneau although his sub-.250 career minor league average and 250 strikeouts since the start of the 2005 season makes it very unlikely that he'll have staying power. Unless you're stockpiling minor leaguers, it's best to ignore Jones until he shows a sign that he's ready for the big leagues.