Welcome to the first edition of Inside the Numbers. This column will run every Wednesday of the week during the MLB season and will try to shine some light on some possible free agent candidates within your league. We’ll break down the hottest players in the game that are potentially still out there on your waiver wires. Depending on the type (NL-only, AL-only, mixed) and size of your league, some of these guys will already be on a roster. If you need to plug some holes in your lineup, here are some viable options through free agency.

Stats over the past two weeks (4/10-4/23)

1. Brandon Phillips, 2B CIN .357 (15-for-42), 3 HR, 17 RBI, 6 R

2. Ty Wigginton, 3B TB .294 (15-for-51), 7 HR, 16 RBI, 8 R

3. Edwin Encarnacion, 3B CIN .293 (12-for-41), 3 HR, 16 RBI, 12 R

4. Josh Barfield, 2B SD .367 (18-for-49), 2 HR, 5 RBI, 12 R, 6 SB

5. Craig A. Wilson, 1B PIT .296 (13-for-44), 5 HR, 11 RBI, 10 R, SB

Losing Aubrey Huff to the 15-day disabled list opened up a door for Wigginton in Tampa Bay. He’s taken over at the hot corner and has smacked seven home runs in the past two weeks – only Morgan Ensberg (seven) and Albert Pujols (eight) have more. Josh Barfield, who has four three-hit games in the past six contests, has stolen six bases in the past couple weeks and looks like a strong breakout candidate early on.

6. Ryan Church, OF WAS .310 (9-for-29), 4 HR, 9 RBI, 6 R, SB

7. Joe Crede, 3B CHW .390 (16-for-41), 3 HR, 11 RBI, 9 R

8. Jeff DaVanon, OF ARI .429 (15-for-35), HR, 9 RBI, 7 R, 2 SB

9. Adam Kennedy, 2B ANA .413 (19-for-46), HR, 11 RBI, 8 R, SB

10. Hanley Ramirez, SS FLA .292 (14-for-48), 2 HR, 4 RBI, 12 R, SB

Nationals go to Church on a Sunday: After going 0-for-5 in his season debut with three strikeouts, Ryan Church has been on a tear for the Nationals the past week. He broke out with two home runs, including a ninth inning grand slam, against Florida on Sunday. He’s hit in six straight since. Crede has also been spectacular, who has a run or RBI in all but three games this season, is hitting .339 on the year. He’s never hit above .261 in any of his full seasons in the league but is looking like a different hitter this season. .285/25/80 are realistic numbers for him.

Other hot free agent options

11. Tadahito Iguchi, 2B CHW .362 (17-for-47), HR, 5 RBI, 11 R, SB

12. Todd Walker, 2B CHC .400 (14-for-35), 2 HR, 9 RBI, 6 R

13. Xavier Nady, OF NYM .265 (13-for-49), 4 HR, 8 RBI, 7 R

14. Casey Blake, OF CLE .357 (15-for-42), HR, 8 RBI, 7 R

15. Ron Belliard, 2B CLE .333 (17-for-51), 2 HR, 10 RBI, 9 R

16. Jack Wilson, SS PIT .362 (17-for-47), 3 HR, 7 RBI, 8 R, SB

17. Tony Batista, 3B MIN .333 (15-for-45), HR, 7 RBI

18. David Eckstein, SS STL .375 (18-for-48), HR, 4 RBI, 10 R

19. Adrian Gonzalez, 1B SD .283 (15-for-53), 9 RBI, 7 R

20. Kevin Youkilis, 1B BOS .302 (16-for-53), HR, 8 RBI, 9 R

Starting Pitchers

1. Erik Bedard, SP BAL 3-0, 2.14 ERA, 1.048 WHIP, 21 IP, 16 K

2. John Koronka, SP TEX 3-0, 2.84 ERA, 1.158 WHIP, 19 IP, 17 K

3. Taylor Buchholz, SP HOU 1-1, 2.04 ERA, 0.679 WHIP, 17.2 IP, 11 K

4. David Bush, SP MIL 1-1, 4.29 ERA, 1.143 WHIP, 21 IP, 16 K

5. Aaron Harang, SP CIN 2-0, 2.25 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 20 IP, 13 K

6. Bronson Arroyo, SP CIN 2-0, 2.70 ERA, 1.150 WHIP, 20 IP, 15 K

7. Wandy Rodriguez, SP HOU 2-0, 1.80 ERA, 0.900 WHIP, 20 IP, 13 K

8. Woody Williams, SP SD 1-0, 3.32 ERA, 1.105 WHIP, 19 IP, 14 K

9. Brian Bannister, SP NYM 2-0, 1.59 ERA, 1.412 WHIP, 17 IP, 9 K

10. Tony Armas Jr., SP WAS 1-0, 2.45 ERA, 1.364 WHIP, 18.1 IP, 12 K

The Astros have a pair of young aces on this list; Buchholz came within one out of a one-hit shutout in his last start and is sporting a eye opening 0.650 WHIP. Rodriguez has three straight quality starts and is scheduled for two trips to the hill in week 5. If he’s out there, take a chance on the southpaw. Bush is coming off a four-hit shutout in his past start and is sporting a 23-6 K-BB ratio through four starts in the NL.

Inside the Numbers will vary week-to-week on its subject matter, but every article will showcase a few players that make their major league debuts throughout the week. The following players got the call in the past week:

Welcome to the Bigs

John Rheinecker, SP TEX – Called up on Saturday 4/22 from Triple-A Oklahoma

Rheinecker, 26, was dealt to Texas from the Oakland Athletics along with INF Freddie Bynum for RHP Juan Dominguez on March 31, 2006. The left-hander went 0-1, 5.87 ERA (10 ER, 15 1/3 IP) with one walk and 10 strikeouts over 3 appearances/starts for the Oklahoma RedHawks. In his debut on Saturday, he started against the Devil Rays, threw four shutout innings and notched the no decision. Rheinecker was just called up to make a spot start with R.A. Dickey no longer in the rotation. He’ll likely be heading back to the minor leagues in the near future.

Brian Slocum, P CLE – Called up on Friday 4/21 from Triple-A Buffalo

Slocum went 0-0 with a save and a 1.93 ERA in five appearances for the Bisons. A second-round pick in the 2002 First-Year Player Draft, Slocum was converted to the relief role at the end of 2005 before heading off to the Arizona Fall League, where he went 2-1 with a 3.15 ERA in 11 appearances. The right-hander will work in middle relief for Cleveland and has minimal fantasy value.

Drew Meyer, SS TEX – Called up on Wednesday 4/19 from Triple-A Oklahoma

With Ian Kinsler and Mark DeRosa on the 15-day disabled list, Meyer and D’Angelo Jimenez have been platooning at second base. Meyer started on Friday and Saturday, and went 2-for-8 with a run.

Next week’s column will feature Howie Kendrick, who was called up on Monday 4/24 from Triple-A Salt Lake. Although it might just be for a cup of coffee this time, Kendrick is one of the elite prospects in the game and looks primed to become a stud in this game for a long to come.