Scott White

Sticking your neck out for a player is dangerous. If that player doesn't go anywhere, standing rigid like a signpost as the season flies by, you might end up losing your head.

But I did it anyway for a few players this spring -- it's kind of my job, you see -- and for none more so than Jason Bergmann. I mentioned him in a few columns, in this blog, in chat boxes as I clicked "draft." Whenever I saw an opportunity to get his name out there, I took it.

Boy, did that one blow up in my face.

The Nationals pulled the plug on Bergmann after he posted an 11.68 ERA in two starts and one relief appearance, sending him to Triple-A Columbus. When it happened, I felt a little bit sheepish and secretly hoped nobody had ever read anything I'd written.

So why do I bring it up again here, rebroadcasting my public humiliation as soon as people started to forget about it? Because Bergmann is back, baby -- back and better than before.

Boomshakalaka.

If his nine strikeouts in seven shutout innings against the Mets on Thursday didn't do anything for you, let me remind you why I had such confidence in Bergmann in the first place. It wasn't so much his 6.7 strikeouts per nine innings or 1.23 WHIP in his first full season starting last year. It was more his eight (of 21) starts in which he allowed four hits or fewer in six innings or more. The term "quality start" doesn't do that brand of pitching justice. Those eight starts, even with the handful of blowouts in between, suggested that when Bergmann had his sinkerball working, he was close to unhittable.

Bergmann might never become an ace. He might never win many games for the bottom-of-the-division Nationals. He might never eliminate those suicide starts, making him the biggest tease since Dave Bush. But his track record says that when he makes the most of his stuff, he clearly has something special working. And just in case he does find some measure of consistency, I've gone back to scooping him up in every league I can. If you find yourself kicking the tires on low-reward, fringe-waiver types like Gil Meche and Mark Buehrle, why not take a flier on this guy instead? What do you have to lose?

I'll tell you what I have to lose: every ounce of my credibility. Gosh, I hope nobody reads this.

That's all for now.

I've taken a deep breath, counted my many blessings and regained my composure after last night's unadulterated rant. With the Fantasy Baseball leagues back up and running (until 2 a.m., apparently), I'll now proceed with my assessment of the 10 most-added players in Fantasy.

Ryan Ludwick -- Four home runs in five games will go a long way to getting people's attention. So will a .721 slugging percentage. Ludwick obviously won't sustain that pace or his .346 batting average, but I don't question his ability to hit 30 home runs over a full season. His 14 in 303 at-bats last year project to 25 in 550 at-bats, and with Chris Duncan struggling and Skip Schumaker merely an above-average player, Ludwick could get the lion's share of at-bats in the St. Louis outfield. Considering his ownership is still only 62 percent, I wouldn't call his inclusion on this list a widespread overreaction to his great performance last week.

Jimmy Rollins -- Rollins' inclusion here is obvious. He just recovered from a sprained ankle and came off the 15-day DL, and as a first-round draft pick going into the season, he deserves to start in all leagues. We sometimes get e-mails here asking us how superstars get dropped in so many leagues just because they go on the DL, and I have to tell you I wonder the same thing. I could almost understand it in leagues that don't have benches, but even then, they'd have to be shallow Head-to-Head leagues, and most leagues without benches are Rotisserie. If someone in your league dropped Rollins, hopefully you scooped him up before the dust had a chance to settle.

Rich Harden -- Harden fits the same mold as Rollins. He just came off the DL. He doesn't have quite the superstar standing of Rollins, but he deserves to start in all leagues when healthy. If you cut him the first time, though, expect to cut him again soon.

Ryan Franklin -- I'm guessing if you pounced on Franklin, you probably owned Jason Isringhausen, and I won't dispute the move if you had no alternatives for saves. While not overpowering, Franklin has proven a successful middle reliever over the last season-plus, allowing less than a 1.20 WHIP. I don't expect him to keep the role for long, though, and he might lose saves to Russ Springer even while he has it. If you can snag any full-time closer instead of Franklin -- like Brian Wilson, Kevin Gregg or Brian Fuentes -- do so.

Vicente Padilla -- Padilla's 5-2 record and 20-win pace probably has a lot to do with his inclusion on this list, and I wouldn't necessarily criticize people for riding the hot hand. But I hope in Padilla's case, they know it'll go cold soon. He can't sustain his 3.23 ERA with a 1.42 WHIP. He just can't, and when the ERA rises, the wins will fall, cradle and all. Padilla did have some Fantasy appeal as a 15-10 pitcher with a 4.50 ERA in 2006, but don't expect him to do any better this season.

Justin Duchscherer -- Duchschererererer has a 2.45 ERA through four starts. He has yet to allow more than two earned runs, and although he hasn't quite built up his endurance yet, he went seven innings in his last start. In some Head-to-Head leagues, he qualifies as a relief pitcher, and starting pitchers tend to outscore closers. Take advantage, people.

Chris Iannetta -- The Rockies unceremoniously pulled the plug on Iannetta's starting debut last year, but he's forced his way back into the lineup this year. He has a 1.015 OPS though Monday, and as ridiculous as that sounds, it actually falls right in line with his minor-league numbers. The Rockies will ride the hot hand between Iannetta and Yorvit Torrealba for now, but Iannetta is the one you want as a No. 2 catcher in Fantasy. By the end of the season, he could emerge as a No. 1.

Blake Dewitt -- I can tell I'm going to have a love-hate relationship with DeWitt. I praised him in my blog Sunday, then blasted him in my Sliders column Monday. At first glance, I love him. I see his 1-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio and slowly emerging power and think, "hey, this guy could do my team a lot of good." But then I look at his minor-league numbers and quickly backtrack. His ratio is more due to a lack of strikeouts than a surplus of walks, and his power is ... let's use the term inconclusive. If I play in a mixed league, I need to see more before making a move.

Joey Votto -- If you play in a Head-to-Head league that rewards walks and penalizes strikeouts, Votto won't do your Fantasy team any more good than Jeff Francoeur (and if you own Francoeur in one of those leagues, you know exactly what I'm talking about). I think he has good offensive upside and the potential to hit 25-30 home runs this year, but he'll probably end up with three times as many strikeouts as walks, making his batting average a total crapshoot. Don't get me wrong: For this year alone, I rank Votto about as highly as I do Ludwick, but I praise Ludwick while criticizing Votto because I don't think the general public gives Ludwick enough credit.

Milton Bradley -- Bradley is shaping up as one of the most underrated players in Fantasy this season, and I can certainly understand why, given his injury history -- he just left Monday night's game with a sore shoulder -- and his oftentimes poor attitude. But in between all of his stints on the DL, he's long teased us with his emerging four-category offensive talent. He took a huge step forward last year, posting a .948 OPS, and his .975 mark this year shows he hasn't let up one bit. He might succumb to an injury or two along the way, but I could definitely see him becoming a must-start in Fantasy this season and like him more than anyone else on this list (other than Rollins and Harden, of course). Pick him up in all leagues.

That's all for now.

I had planned to blog today about the most added players in Fantasy and whether or not they deserved that distinction only to discover that all the Fantasy leagues had shut down for the night to undergo scheduled maintenance.

Yes, it affects even us in the "in."

So instead, I'll take a moment now to express what's really on my mind.

Dang it, Bedard. What the heck happened out there? Texas? The Rangers? Really?

What, was it Milton Bradley? Did he look at you funny? Did German Duran put an 80s song in your head? Or was it the heat? The ballpark? Did you take that "don't mess with Texas" talk to heart?

Don't mess with Texas? Don't mess with me!

Or maybe everything's bigger in Texas, right? Yeah, except your expectations. Way to go and negate my points for A.J. Burnett, because heaven forbid I enjoy a halfway decent start from him for once.

Bedard ... piece of lard.

You know what? I don't care. I don't even care. I don't need this Fantasy garbage. I have my ... health and my ... ... ... dang it, Bedard!

Why couldn't you just pitch up to standard? Why? Why? Is it so unreasonable to ask someone to perform up to expectations around here? I didn't even need a win. I didn't ask for two home runs or anything unreasonable. All I wanted was for you not to pitch like John Bale.

So if I went up to you before the game and said, "Hey ... hey, Dardy ... you think you can, uh, pitch a little better than John Bale today?" you would have either said "no" or been wrong. I'm guessing the latter.

Next time, I'll start Randy Wolf.

See? It affects even us in the "in."