Roto Chronicles: National League–June 14th

Let’s examine the true all-stars for the first half of the season.

This week’s edition of Ruts and Royalty takes a slight detour. Instead of seeing who’s hot and who’s not, I will break down my top 5 players from each fantasy position.

Here are the best of the best in the catcher’s ranks:

1) Ryan Doumit: Doumit has been hands down the best catcher in fantasy leagues this season. He is dominating at the plate with 11 homeruns and a very good .329 batting average. He does need some RBI help (29), but barring he stays healthy, he’ll maintain a good average. Why he was left off the all-star list, I don’t know, but I call foul on that one.
2) Brian McCann: This one was a close race between him and Geovany Soto, but I have to give the nod to McCann. His defensive skills are slightly better than that of Soto’s, but that’s because of his experience playing at the big league level. Soto doesn’t have bad numbers, but he could use a little more arm strength to throw runners out.
3) Geovany Soto: He’ll be starting in the all-star game, but I don’t think he deserves it. His numbers aren’t nearly as good as McCann’s or Doumit’s. Soto is more of a highlight player. He thrives on the games that he hit multiple homeruns and multiple RBIs, but when it’s all said and done, that’s all he can rely on. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t think he’s bad, but I don’t think he should be starting in the all-star game. 56 RBIs isn’t bad for a catcher, and barring he doesn’t feel the pressure after the all-star break, he should do fine for the rest of the season. He has proven he can hit some tough pitching so he is a definite start for the second half of the season.
4) Yadier Molina: Molina is playing very well, to say the least. To go with his .312 average, he only has 14 strikeouts so you know he’s not doing a bad job with his concentration. He’ll keep it up. It’s just a matter of how much over .300 he’ll finish the season on.
5) Russ Martin: Martin has produced on a very quiet level this season. He’s on the verge of batting .300, but he has 45 RBIs. To go on top of that he has 10 stolen bases. Martin statistically has a hard time keeping consistent after the all-star break (.240 average), but look for a change in the trend this season. Since the Dodgers are on the verge of taking the NL West, the Dodgers are counting more and more on the youngsters to hit.

Honorable mention catchers:

1) Chris Iannetta: He is splitting time with Yorvit Torrealba, but he most certainly is making due with the opportunities handed to him. Iannetta is batting .274, has 9 homeruns and 34 RBIs. He’s looking good and he could be handed the full-time nod if Torrealba continues to struggle at the plate. Iannetta is still a little bit of an unknown, but he should make a splash soon.
2) Jason Kendall: Kendall almost broke my top-5, but his recent slump has me worried. To top that off he only has one homerun. It’s obvious he’s not in it for power.
3) Jesus Flores: I mentioned him before and some people mocked me for having him as an up and coming player, but look at what he’s done: .270 batting average, 5 homeruns and 37 RBIs. That’s not bad for someone who has been bounced back from the minors to the bigs for 2 months.

First Base:

1) Lance Berkman: It was hard, but I have to give the nod to Berkman. He’s been an absolute powerhouse this season and is making all fantasy owners very happy. .347 is a pretty good average to with 22 homeruns and 73 RBIs. He’s due for another big pay day after this season. It’s too bad he plays for a bad team.
2) Albert Pujols: I only put him here because he doesn’t have as many RBIs as Berkman has (50) or homeruns (18). His .350 is pretty darn good. Pujols has never been a player that has struggled so watch for him to continue to be good throughout the season. One thing going for owners is he doesn’t get hurt that often either.
3) Derek Lee: He didn’t get the start in the all-star game, but that’s okay. He has significantly lower numbers than that of Berkman, but Lee still puts on a clinic when he’s at the plate to the tune of 305, 15 homeruns and 56 RBIs. If he has as many homeruns as Berkman has, he might have surpassed his RBI totals.
4) Mark Teixiera: Despite his slow start to the season, Mark has come on to destroy the pitching. He hit .312 in his last 5 games headed into the all-star break. Look for him to continue that momentum into the second half of the season.
5) Adrian Gonzalez: Gonzales has a slightly better average than Teixiera (.274 to Teixiera’s .273), but Gonzales strikes out a ton. For the season Gonzales has already amassed 76 strikeouts. Granted that’s not as much as Ryan Howard (100+). He slugs the ball pretty well though, belting out 22 homeruns. The name doesn’t strike fear into many people, but you might consider trading for him if you’re down a first baseman.

Honorable mention 1st basemen:

1) Joey Votto: Votto quietly came into the league and hasn’t slowed down since. He is hitting .279, but he came close to breaking my top-5. If it wasn’t for his decent defense he would be up there. Also, he doesn’t hit well with Runners in Scoring Position (.230). He is still a must start, though.
2) Prince Fielder: Fielder left off where his father did: slugging away. He’s doing a pretty good job of it too. The only thing he needs to work on is his inconsistency at the plate. One week he’ll dominate the plate then the next he’ll be for 0 for long streaks. Watch for that.
3) Ryan Howard: The only reason I put him on here is because of his gaudy RBI total of 84 and 28 homeruns. His average isn’t that good, but you have to admire him. He keeps battling and battling.
4) James Loney: This rookie is in a slump heading into the all-star break, but he’s still sitting easy at .291. Watch his status after the all-star break. He may be a one-half wonder.

Second base:

1) Chase Utley: He destroyed the ball in the early part of the season and he shows no signs of slowing it down. Fundamentally, he is one of the best in the game and it is showing at the plate. 25 homeruns aren’t that bad for a second baseman. He may be in a homerun slump, but he plays a lot better in the second half of the season.
2) Dan Uggla: Uggla is a phenomenon and he does have a lot of upside. He burst on the scene this season hitting .283 with 23 homeruns. A very scary stat, however, is his strikeout totals. He needs to get the strikeout totals down (96), but he obviously makes up for that. There’s no telling how he’ll do in the second half, and he certainly hasn’t given any indication that he’s going to slow down so start him whenever you get a chance.
3) Orlando Hudson: I only put him this low because his power numbers aren’t as good as Uggla’s or Utley’s. He only has 7 homeruns on the year, but he doesn’t strikeout much (52) and he has an OBP of .357. Hudson won’t dazzle you and he doesn’t come up in the highlight reels but you can’t ignore his consistency. Play him often. You won’t find him in long 0 for long slumps.

4) Brandon Phillips: Phillips is good. He can hit for power too, but he’s more of a contact hitter. He’s already smashed 15 homeruns and to boot he has 19 stolen bases. He’s only been caught stealing four times. He enters the break on a streak. His biggest slump of the season was 0 for 10. That’s pretty good. It’s a no brainer to start him.

5) Mark Derosa: It’s hard to put DeRosa here at 2nd base because he plays everywhere, but he plays his best defense at 2nd. To go with his good defensive play he is batting .283, has 11 homeruns and 50 RBIs. The 50 RBIs are a little low, but he makes up for it with his consistent at-bats.

Honorable mention 2nd basemen:

1) Kelly Johnson: Johnson isn’t a big player, but he’s okay with that. He doesn’t have one particular number that jumps out at you, but with Johnson, he is a maybe with starting him. Like shortstop there isn’t a lot of players that will jump out at you, so you may not have another player at 2nd. If you don’t it’s okay. I suggest batting him against lesser pitching.

Short Stop:

1) Hanley Ramirez: He should be in contention for league MVP. There’s no single player that has helped their team to be in contention for their division title. Batting .311, Ramirez does have some strikeout issues, but he can hit for power and steal bases with 23 on the season. He should be a constant in the lineup. He can hit all pitching.
2) Miguel Tejada: Tejada plays very well at short stop, but he does have some issues batting against tougher pitching. That’s okay, though, because once he get hot it does take him a while to cool down, so as long as he draws a walk or a hit in any of his games, it’s a good sign.
3) Cristian Guzman: Guzman is getting no respect from the media. His .313 average is impressive, but what’s even more impressive is he has 35 strikeouts on the year out of 405 at-bats. He is a tough out and he should be in your lineup consistently.
4) Clint Barmes: Many didn’t think he was going to have a good season, but I think it’s safe to say he’s proving many people wrong. He was put on the DL on more than one occasion this season, and that is part of the reason that he only has 5 homeruns and 23 RBIs. He should maintain the starting role whenever Tulowitzki returns.
5) Jose Reyes: Reyes knows what he’s doing when it comes to batting. He also knows how to steal bases; 32 to be exact. Keep him around. He’s proven, obviously, that he can bat, hitting .302 and belting 10 homeruns, Reyes is playing well at this point in the season. What’s better is that he’s on a 7 game hitting streak. Ride him while he’s hot.

Honorable mention Short Stop:

1) Jeff Keppinger: For now he’s pulling part-time status, and he’s holding up. His .294 average is good amongst short stops. But let’s see how he does when or if he takes the field on a daily basis.
2) JJ Hardy: This Brewer started off slowly, but started coming around, especially in the month of June, hitting .370 for that month. He was also moved up in the lineup which has obviously helped him out. He now stands at a .283 average with 13 homeruns.

3rd Basemen:

1) Chipper Jones: There’s no question he’s been the best 3rd baseman in the game today. He’s just a shade under .400 and he’s been a tough out every time at the plate. That’s not bad for someone that’s 36 years old. Barring he stays healthy for the second half he should contend for the highest average in all of baseball.
2) Aramis Ramirez: Ramirez hasn’t disappointed all season and if anything he has exceeded expectations. He is on pace to get more hits this season, more runs, and a bigger OBP than at any point in his career. He may not be batting in the .300 range yet, but he’s close. Keep him around if you know what’s good for you.
3) David Wright: Wright is a bit on an enigma. He can’t stay consistent enough to play him everyday, but he doesn’t play badly enough to where you don’t know if you want to bench him or not. However, he has been turning it around lately, but I would hesitate to give him a start everyday. Until he can find his groove again, it’s best to leave him as a daily player to keep your eye on.
4) Mark Reynolds: What’s a .249 player doing on my number 4? He’s not as bad as his .249 average is. He is the type of player that once hot, he explodes in a game, but if he’s cooled down he stays cold for a while. He’s obviously doing something right. He has 19 homeruns on the season and that’s more than half the players playing right now. Does he warrant a start everyday? No. Play him against lesser pitching.
5) Jorge Cantu: Cantu was a quiet player and earlier in the season he was in danger of losing his job. It looks like he’s safe now, hitting 18 homeruns and driving in 55 runs. He’s about as good as any third baseman right now. Start him if you get a chance.

Honorable mention 3rd basemen:

1) Kevin Kouzmanoff: This rookie isn’t playing that badly. He has a .274 average, and 12 homeruns. One thing about Kouzmanoff is he’s only had one slump all season and was in the month of May when he hit .194. He is still fresh meat so I suggest playing him until he starts to wane. He does have some pop and could be beneficial if you play him on certain days.

Outfield:

1) Kosuke Fukodome: He has to be first. This Japanese phenom has done nothing but impress from day 1. He can slap the ball through the holes, and he’s not afraid to hustle for the ball. Further, he’s calm and collective at the plate drawing 55 walks and an OBP of .383.
2) Matt Holliday: I didn’t place him number one only because he’s been on the DL. Strange reason to put someone down a spot, but it was close. He is in contention for the batting title, but with Chipper Jones doing well, I don’t see him doing it. However, a .337 average is good. He can also steal a base if you need it, swiping 13.
3) Nate McLouth: He came out of nowhere and is hitting .281 with 19 homeruns and 65 RBIs. That’s pretty good for a sputtering Pittsburgh team. He should be able to maintain course and he does have a good chance of hitting into the .300s before the season is over. Either way, he is in for a good pay day at season’s end.
4) Xavier Nady: Why he was left off the all-star roster is beyond me. I guess hitting .321, hitting 12 homeruns and driving in 56 isn’t good enough to play. Play him if you got him. Enough said.
5) Ryan Braun: He’s good, but he has shown that he can get into slumps. There’s nothing wrong with that. Like I’ve said before every good player gets into those. This former rookie of the year is good enough to be batting .286 and homering 23 times. He doesn’t look very muscular but he can put some pop on the ball.

Honorable mention Outfield:

1) Ryan Ludwick: Ludwick really should be starting instead of Fukodome based on comebacks. Their numbers are similar, but Ludwick has 21 homeruns to Fukodome’s 7.

Pitching:

1) Ben Sheets: I think he’s pitching better than Johan Santana. Sheets sports a 10-3 record with 108 strikeouts and a 1.11 WHIP. To go with that he has 3 CGs. I think that speaks for itself.
2) Johan Santana: Santana isn’t as dominant as he was last season, but he still has wicked pitches. With 114 strikeouts he should have a better record than 8-7. He doesn’t have any complete games this season, and as many pitches as he throws in each of his starts, I don’t expect him to have any.
3) Tim Linecum: Linecum does have some control issues, walking 47 batters, but he’s struck out 135, and sporting a very good 1.25 WHIP and 2.57 ERA. With the exception of 2 starts, he has pitched past the 5th inning giving the bullpen rest and obviously not giving up a whole lot of runs. He could be a 20 game winner this season. He’s only 9 away.
4) Edinson Volquez: I only put Volquez down this low because of late (his last 6 games), he’s given up over 5 hits which is not Volquez’s style. If he doesn’t get rookie of the year the standards should change.
5) Brandon Webb: Webb leads the league in wins, but he has shown that he’s vulnerable. He’s the only pitcher in my top 5 that has an ERA over 3. He may win the CY Young award again and he is definitely on pace to notch over 20 wins.

Honorable mention pitchers:

1) Aaron Cook: I only put Cook here because he only has 67 strikeouts on the season.
2) Carols Zambrano: He definitely isn’t the pitcher he was last season, but he still has nasty stuff. His strikeouts are down and he has been prone to injury.