Looking for cheap speed?

Speed, as they say, kills.

Especially in fantasy, if, say, you have very little.

But fear not. This time of year, especially, there's usually cheap speed to be harvested in your league, but you might have to dig a little.

Here are some options that may still be available in your league, broken down by class.


GRAND THEFT AUTO

Michael Bourn, OF, Astros
Bourn came over in the offseason in the Brad Lidge trade from Philly, where he stole 18 bases in 119 at-bats. The guy can flat-out fly and manager Cecil Cooper has given Bourn the green light. He's already swiped 6 bases. If he's still obscure in your league, he won't be for long. He hits for little power and so-so average, so the Bourn identity is strictly SB and runs. But he's already on pace to break Rickey Henderson's 130-SB record.
Advice: Hit the button. Bourn's good for 64 SB this year.

Carlos Gomez, OF, Twins
Bummed because you missed out on Jose Reyes this year? Well, try to get your hands on the player Reyes says is faster than he is. Is that possible? Watch him drag bunt, when the defense knows it's coming, and still get on base and you'll quickly be a convert. The only question is, how many times will he get on base and will the Twins keep him at leadoff if he struggles? So far, so good. And after Gomez came over as the Twins' biggest chip in the Santana trade, he'll get plenty of time to prove himself. Gomez runs like his pants are on fire.
Advice: Hit the button. Gomez is almost a lock for 55 SB.


THE WINONA RYDER FAN CLUB

Eugenio Velez, 2B/3B/LF, GIants
He's only recorded 1 SB so far, but they'll be coming fast and furious. Velez has just 6 hits this year, but 2 were triples and another a double. He's sort of in a platoon situations with old men Ray Durham and Dave Roberts but he's started 5 straight games and has more pop in his bat than Bourn or Gomez. Velez led all MLB players in spring training with 16 SB and if you think that was a fluke, watch him below.
Advice: In all but shallow mixed leagues, hit the button. Velez will rack up 47 SB.



Jason Bartlett, SS, Rays
Bartlett is off to a slow start (4 for 21) but he's got speed and as the everyday SS, dealt to the Rays in the Delmon Young trade, he's in a system that loves to run. He's not in the same class as the aforementioned speed trio, but he's very fast and has a decent OBP.
Advice: Must-add in AL-only leagues; monitor him in mixed leagues. He should finish with around 31 SB.


PICK-POCKETED ON THE LIGHT RAIL

Joey Gathright, OF, Royals
Is he fast? Well, yeah. Will he play? Now, that's a great question. Rumored as one of baseball's fastest runners for years, many fantasy owners have dipped into the Gathright well, only to be frustrated by his extreme lack of power (1 career HR in 890 ABs) and playing time. Currently, he's filling in for David DeJesus in Kansas City, but DeJesus will be back soon, leaving Gathright with PT scraps he's accustomed to. Off to a .167 start, it's not likely he keeps his CF job but could get 3-4 starts a week if you're really in desperate need of speed. And, hey, how can you go wrong on a guy who's jumped over a car before (see below)?
Advice: AL-only yeah, but only in Grand Canyon-deep mixed leagues. Gathright should get you at least 22 SB.



Brian Bocock, SS, Giants
In what is quickly becoming Fantasy Wasteland, San Francisco promoted its Class A shortstop to the bigs this year after a 2007 season in which he hit .220 in San Jose. But that's not important right now. The key to Bocock is he can run (37 SB in 345 ABs last year), and he's the everyday guy right now until Omar Vizquel comes back full from knee surgery.
Advice: NL-only owners, go ahead and take Bocock out for a spin. Keep your distance for now, mixed-league owners. But keep checking in. Bocock, if he ends up with enough PT , could swipe 25 this year.


IN CASE YOU MISSED IT...

• Derek Jeter left Monday night's game with a strained quad. Jeter will miss at least a few games and the Yanks are not ruling out a trip to the DL, which would be Jeter's fifth in his career. Wilson Betemit will see more PT, so for those of you in ridiculously thin AL-only leagues, here's lightning in a bottle.
• Angels closer Francisco Rodriguez re-injured his tender ankle, trying to close out the Indians late last night on the left coast. K-Rod, himself, said he'll need to hit the DL. Fresh off the DL, Scott Shields appears to be the guy to pick up for a few cheap saves.
• Miguel Tejada and Torii Hunter both hit walk-off HR for the Astros and Angels late Monday. As we all know, a walkoff counts the same as a 2nd-inning HR, but for two new guys trying to fit in on new ballclubs, this has to be a confidence boost, which should mean a strong April for both.
• Joe Borowski, who gave up the Hunter blast, has a 19.29 ERA. Yowsers. Love the former Cub, but owners need to be stashing Rafael Betancourt and/or Japanese import Masa Kobayashi, sooner than later.
• Joe Saunders threw another 8-inning gem, giving up 4 hits and 2 BB. I'm not a believer yet after the September meltdown, but AL-only and deep mixed leagues should ride the wave while the Saunders surf is up.