The big news in baseball before the recent All-Star break was the trade for Cliff Lee by the Texas Rangers. That the AL West leaders now have a bona fide ace makes them a legitimate threat to advance in October, but Lee is not the most successful Texas hurler of late.

Tommy Hunter made his season debut with the Rangers on June 5 after beginning the year with Triple-A Oklahoma City. Hunter has made eight starts, and he still has a goose egg in the loss column. He is 6-0 with a 2.39 ERA and 1.163 WHIP, yet he remains available in over one-third of all fantasy leagues.

Since he entered the Texas rotation, Only CC Sabathia (8) and Joel Piniero (7) have more victories than Hunter. In his eight starts, he has seven quality starts. Just once has he even given up as many as three earned runs in a single outing.

Hunter has been frugal with his bases on balls, surrendering 12 walks in 49 innings pitched. His control has been beneficial considering that he yields roughly one hit per inning. He is not much of a strikeout pitcher, but that has hardly affected his run of effective outings. With the potent Texas lineup backing him, Hunter is a worthy fantasy acquisition for the rest of the season.

Whereas Hunter made his season debut on June 5, a different pitcher returned from the disabled list that very day. Jonathon Niese of the New York Mets rejoined their starting rotation after a brief period of injury. He has been nothing short of stellar now that he is healthy.

Niese has made eight starts after coming off the DL, and he is 5-2 with a 2.44 ERA in that span. Also blessed with above-average control, the 23-year-old southpaw strikes out more than four batters for every walk he issues. His WHIP of 1.030 in the last six weeks furthers his value.

Despite the fact that the Mets continue to push for the playoffs, Niese has not yet become a household name. He is a free agent in roughly 30 percent of all fantasy leagues.

The major detriment to owning Niese is that he has made a grand total of 24 major league appearances. His inexperience could prove problematic as the Mets' games carry more meaning. In the meanwhile, Niese is worth having on any fantasy roster.

Jason Hammel of the Rockies has also quietly put together two months of excellent outings. After suffering the ignominy of being on the wrong end of a 9-2 decision to the Royals on May 21, Hammel sat with a 1-3 record and 7.52 ERA.

Whatever adjustments Hammel made after that dreadful outing against Kansas City clearly worked. In his last 10 starts, Hammel is 6-1 with a 2.35 ERA. He has struck out 56 batters in his last 65 innings and has a 1.246 WHIP in that stretch.

Because Hammel started off so poorly, his year-to-date ERA is an uninspiring 4.07. His marginal overall stat line can be the only thing scaring off owners. Hammel is a free agent in almost half of all leagues even though he has been one of the hottest hurlers in the majors for two months.

A fourth quality pitcher that has gone somewhat unnoticed is former Phillie Brett Myers. Now with the Houston Astros, Myers has been consistently impressive throughout the season. Long one of the most overrated pitchers in the league, Myers is actually pitching like the ace he was purported to be in Philadelphia.

Myers is 7-6 with a 3.35 ERA and 1.279 WHIP in 2010. His ERA would be a career best by nearly half of a run, and his WHIP is his second-best mark in his nine-year career. He has a chance to challenge his lifetime high of 14 wins set in 2003 if the Astro offense provides him run support.

Remarkably, Myers has avoided disastrous starts; he has made it through six innings in each and every one of his 19 outings, and just once has he allowed more than four runs in a game. Myers' consistency has been lost on a lot of fantasy owners, as his 67 percent ownership indicates. Owners needing a reliable hurler for the back end of their rotations can look in Myers' direction.