We spent this space last week preaching patience in early April with the elite prospects in the minors. Then the two most-owned minor leaguers on CBSSports.com arrive days later, Francisco Liriano and Evan Longoria -- the latter to outstanding results.

Even the A's Greg Smith and the Giants' John Bowker look like instant hits.

Then, a look at the remaining 88 most-owned minor league prospects leads to even more Fantasy Baseball anxiousness. There are some really smoking guns in Triple-A.

There are too many to name in a concise paragraph, but Max Scherzer and Brandon Wood are two good ones to focus in on.

Mad Max

Scherzer is flying way too low on the Fantasy radar right now, being owned in just 3 percent of our leagues at the time of this writing. It is hard to imagine an elite mid-90s throwing prospect on arguably the best team in baseball (Arizona) is going relatively unnoticed.

Until now.

Scherzer fanned 11 batters in seven innings last time out and now has a 0.00 ERA through 12 innings (two starts). He has struck out 18, walked just two and allowed opposing batters to hit just .122.

Fastball, slider, changeup -- he isn't just getting it done with mid-90s heat now either. The D-Backs sent him down before the season to work on his secondary pitches and the early results are eye-popping.

"He's been very dominant with multiple pitches," farm director A.J. Hinch told MLB.com. "He's done everything we asked him to do when we sent him down.

"I think that's the separating factor, how the secondary pitches come along. When he gets all three of his pitches going you see the results he can get."

Scherzer, the 11th overall pick in 2006, signed just before the deadline and wound up dominating immediately and proving worthy of a look in Double-A last year. His mid-90s stuff reportedly slowed after his promotion and his numbers stopped looking absurd. They were still very intriguing, though, with less than a hit per inning and more than a strikeout per. He was a combined 6-4 with a 3.28 ERA and .210 batting-average against last season.

"He'll have some adversity at some point, some things that won't go his way and how he's able to bounce back from that will be important," Hinch told the D-Back's official website.

The first-place D-Backs are off to an equally smoking start and could be an outstanding source of pitching sleepers this season. Behind aces Brandon Webb, Dan Haren and recently returned Randy Johnson, the D-Backs are slotting emerging Micah Owings and Edgar G. Gonzalez. Doug Davis (thyroid cancer surgery is out until at least June).

If Gonzalez falters for too long -- he lasted just three innings in his last start -- Scherzer could be on the move up. With his talent and outstanding supporting cast, he would be a guy to have in any Fantasy league.

Stash him immediately in all deeper NL-only and long-term keeper formats.

Laying the Wood

Wood's power potential at the shortstop position has made him a favorite in this space for a number of years, but suspect defense, a potential switch to third and a bad strikeout rate have held him back.

Despite those warts, it is hard to ignore the fact Wood is the minor league's homer leader with six through 12 games. Only the Rays' Carlos Pena has as many homers in pro baseball.

Whether it is third or shortstop, Wood's power potential will play in Fantasy sooner or later. The Angels hope sooner, despite the fact he was just 5-for-33 in the big leagues last year.

"Once you get a little bit of a taste, you want more," Wood told the Salt Lake Tribune.

The Angels dealt Orlando Cabrera this winter with the idea slap hitters Maicer Izturis and Erick Aybar could hold down the shortstop position until Wood was ready. After Wood had a disappointing winter in Mexico, he packed on 15-to-20 pounds of muscle -- mostly in his upper body -- according to the paper.

"I felt like I could hit with the weight what it was before," he told the Tribune. "I feel good."

Wood is hitting just .255 with a ghastly 20 strikeouts in 51 at-bats, but you cannot ignore the fact he can launch homers from the shortstop position for a contending team that could use some pop in Anaheim.

Wood will be a streaky big leaguer initially, sure, but his 30-to-40 homer power potential at his position makes him a potential Fantasy superstar. Stash him in all AL-only and long-term keeper formats where you can afford to wait on a potential impact talent.

Prospect watch

In what we hope will be a weekly portion of our Prospects Report, we break down all the minor leaguers who are owned in at least 1 percent of our Fantasy leagues. This will be your essential every week guide to unearthing prospects before they hit the big time.

CBSSports.com's most-owned minor leaguers
Farmhand TM POS Own% Level Recent stats note
Jarrod Saltalamacchia TEX C 36 Triple-A Hitting .324 with two homers and nine RBI
Josh Fields CHW 3B 32 Triple-A Hitting .324 in past 10 games with 10 RBI
Cameron Maybin FLA OF 30 Double-A Hitting .297 with two homers and three SB
Jay Bruce CIN CF 28 Triple-A Hitting .341 in past 10 with seven RBI
Bartolo Colon BOS SP 26 Triple-A Still on Triple-A DL (shoulder)
Clayton Kershaw LA SP 26 Double-A 0-3 but has 2.57 ERA and .245 BAA
Homer Bailey CIN SP 24 Triple-A Scorching at 2-1, 1.42 and .209 BAA
Chase Headley SD 3B 16 Triple-A Playing LF every day but off to .244 start
Colby Rasmus STL OF 14 Triple-A Drawing walks, but struggling at .192
Chuck James ATL SP 11 Triple-A Might return if Tom Glavine goes on DL?
Brandon Wood ANA 3B 8 Triple-A Minor league HR leader (6) ... as a SS!
David Price TB SP 8 TBD Still yet to pitch officially as a pro
Jason Bergmann WAS SP 7 Triple-A He bombed; cut him in all leagues now
Ian Stewart COL 3B 6 Triple-A Next Chase Utley off to .313-.404-.604 start!
Shelley Duncan NYY DH 6 Triple-A Way too good for Triple-A: .393-.500-.893
Nick Adenhart ANA SP 5 Triple-A 2-0, 1.59 but just 1-1 in K-to-BB ratio (9-9)
Adam Miller CLE SP 5 Triple-A Oft-injured elite arm might come off DL soon
Gio Gonzalez OAK SP 5 Triple-A Not going deep into games, but stretching out
Steve Pearce PIT RF 5 Triple-A Homerless but has seven RBI in past 10
Carlos Gonzalez OAK OF 4 Triple-A .289 with two HR in past 10; could arrive soon
Jeff Clement SEA C 4 Triple-A Blocked, but scorching: .524-3-8 in past six
Wladimir Balentien SEA OF 4 Triple-A Red hot; won't take long: .314-3-13-8 in past 10
Brandon Morrow SEA RP 4 Double-A 0.00 ERA and ready for back-to-back days
Max Scherzer ARI SP 3 Triple-A Arguably the hottest start of all; 11 Ks last start
Matt Wieters BAL C 3 High A Next Jason Varitek starts .500-3-8-8-1
Josh Barfield CLE 2B 3 Triple-A Just as underwhelming in minors
Armando Galarraga DET SP 3 Triple-A Called up; any Tigers SP is worth a look this year
Luke Hochevar KC SP 3 Triple-A 5-to-1 GO/AO and could replace John Bale soon
Andrew McCutchen PIT OF 3 Triple-A Just .244 but has a .370 OBP thanks to walks
Matt Antonelli SD 2B 3 Triple-A Slow start but homered in back-to-back games
John Patterson TEX SP 3 Triple-A Won't be ready for Rangers until at least June
Adam Lind TOR LF 3 Triple-A On monster roll and should be in Toronto already
Josh Anderson ATL OF 2 Triple-A .341-1-5-5-3 in past 10 but just two walks
Brandon Jones ATL OF 2 Triple-A Just a .250 start but scored 10 runs in 13 games
Matt Murton CHC LF 2 Triple-A Skipped Alfonso Soriano replacement has 0 RBI
Aaron Laffey CLE SP 2 Triple-A Two great starts, one bad one; Cliff Lee is hot
Rick Porcello DET SP 2 High A Elite talent for top contender hot, watch closely
Rick VandenHurk FLA SP 2 Double-A Already had his shot, but he can master minors
Chris Volstad FLA SP 2 Double-A 2-0, 2.65 but just 1-1 in K-to-BB ration (6-6)
Matt LaPorta MIL OF 2 Double-A Hitting .214 and that corner OF is tough to crack
Claudio Vargas NYM SP 2 TBD Recent Mets signee could be candidate in May
Philip Humber MIN SP 2 Triple-A Unimpressive in Triple-A so far: 0-2, 4.97
Fernando Martinez NYM OF 2 Double-A First teenager on this list; hitting just .214
Carlos Carrasco PHI SP 2 Double-A 1-0, 2.45 and could be a big-time call-up in June
Jake McGee TB SP 2 Double-A Wild (seven BB in 13 innings) but has .156 BAA
Wade Davis TB SP 2 Double-A Strong in past two starts; could be next Rays SP
Reid Brignac TB SS 2 Triple-A Just .205 right now but has two HR in past 10
Kazuo Fukumori TEX RP 2 Triple-A Sent down and can be cut in all leagues now
Travis Snider TOR OF 2 High A .310-3-5-11 in past 10 but struck out 17 times
Kendry Morales ANA 1B 1 Triple-A Low OPS (.617) but .313-1-10-5 in past 10
Jarrod Parker ARI SP 1 Low A Teenager great talent but won't arrive this year
Jordan Schafer ATL OF 1 Double-A 50-game suspension ruins his '08 Fantasy hopes
Jo-Jo Reyes ATL SP 1 Triple-A Fanned eight in four innings but behind James?
Brent Lillibridge ATL SS 1 Triple-A Off to .100-1-8-8-4; everything solid except AVG
Scott Moore BAL 3B 1 Triple-A .182 since demotion; cut him in all leagues
Hayden Penn BAL SP 1 Triple-A Slow start but was awesome last time out
Garrett Olson BAL SP 1 Triple-A 1-0, 1.76 with 17 Ks in three starts
Radhames Liz BAL SP 1 Triple-A Great talent but results aren't there right now
Lars Anderson BOS 1B 1 High A Three homers in past seven games
Brandon Moss BOS OF 1 Triple-A 16 Ks in 44 at-bats is an alarming total
Justin Masterson BOS SP 1 Double-A Smoking with 1.29 ERA and 13 Ks in 14 innings
Josh Vitters CHC 3B 1 Low A Like Price above, his season has yet to start
Eric Patterson CHC OF 1 Triple-A 12 Ks in 36 at-bats shows he belongs in Triple-A
Ben Francisco CLE OF 1 Triple-A Would be nothing more than reserve if called up
Jeremy Sowers CLE SP 1 Triple-A Might be behind Lee, Laffey and perhaps Miller
Joe Koshansky COL 1B 1 Triple-A .289-.439-.644 but still no place to play in Colorado
Dallas McPherson FLA 3B 1 Triple-A Five HRs in first 10 games; we haven't given up
Ryan Shealy KC 1B 1 Triple-A Four HRs, but just .174 ... on Chris Shelton path
Michael Moustakas KC 3B 1 Low A Hitting .194 and has no chance of helping in '08
Kyle Davies KC SP 1 Triple-A 1-0, 2.25 and should take long to arrive
Jon Meloan LA RP 1 Triple-A Move to starting is going very well: 1-0, 2.70
Alexi Casilla MIN 2B 1 Triple-A .162-.333-.189; we are ready to give up on him
Austin Jackson NYY OF 1 Double-A .308 with four SB but still too raw right now
Jose Tabata NYY OF 1 Double-A Speaking of raw; Jackson may have passed him
Kei Igawa NYY SP 1 Triple-A 1.72 ERA, 17 Ks in three starts ... just four BB
Joe Savery PHI SP 1 High A Will be interesting if he beats Porcello to majors
Neil Walker PIT 3B 1 Triple-A Looks like he needs a full season in Triple-A
Carlos Triunfel SEA SS 1 High A .091 start for 18-year-old in Class A
Nate Schierholtz SF OF 1 Triple-A Suprising Bowker beats him to a call-up
Chris Perez STL RP 1 Triple-A Hefty relief prospect has already been beaten
Chris Davis TEX 3B 1 Double-A .333-.400-.611; should finish year as Texas' 1B
Taylor Teagarden TEX C 1 Double-A Just .200 start and behind Salty and Gerald Laird
Kevin Mench TEX RF 1 Triple-A .179 ... has-been should be cut in all leagues
Eric Hurley TEX SP 1 Triple-A Off to terrible start with 7.07 ERA, .364 BAA
Elvis Andrus TEX SS 1 Double-A 19-year-old shortstop hitting .308 in Double-A
Jesus Flores WAS C 1 Triple-A '07 Rule-5 pick could use full year in high minors
Christopher Marrero WAS OF 1 High A Future Fantasy star will get plenty of time
Ross Detwiler WAS SP 1 High A Nats really need SPs, but Detwiler needs time

Rookie watch

Top AL rookies to date

  1. 3B Evan Longoria, TB -- Our preseason No. 1 lasted just two weeks in the minors.
  2. SP Greg Smith, OAK -- Piece in Dan Haren trade is providing early dividends.
  3. OF Jacoby Ellsbury, BOS -- Won't truly take off until he stops sharing at-bats.
  4. SP Clay Buchholz, BOS -- Had poor spring but he has been better of late.
  5. RP Joba Chamberlain, NYY -- Off to dominant start, but he's still merely a setup man.

Top NL rookies to date

  1. SP Johnny Cueto, CIN -- Proved human Sunday, but you have to expect some struggles.
  2. OF Kosuke Fukudome, CHC -- OBP machine will have to pick up for Alfonso Soriano.
  3. C Geovany Soto, CHC -- Leads all rookies in total bases and RBI ... as a catcher!
  4. SP Hiroki Kuroda, LAD -- He has been a little bit better than advertised so far.
  5. SP Jair Jurrjens, ATL -- Braves' injury-hit rotation needs him to step forward right now.

Newbie needs

Nick N.: Should I pick up Mark Reynolds or Evan Longoria?

Emack: Well, if Reynolds hasn't done enough to get picked up already, odds are he would be more readily available on your waiver wire than Longoria will be in a few days. Reynolds is going to cool off at some point and get dropped in many leagues. Longoria is the flavor of the week and the one we would advise taking the chance on right now. Over the long haul, you will be happy with either one, although Reynolds has a better supporting cast.

You can e-mail Emack your Fantasy Baseball prospect questions to DMFantasyBaseball@cbs.com. Be sure to put Attn: Prospects in the subject field. Please include your full name, hometown and state. Be aware, due to the large volume of submissions received, we cannot guarantee personal responses to all questions.