Roto Chronicles: American League - July 14

It’s All-Star week, so lets take a look at this years’ American League Roto All-Stars….

It’s a rite of summer, every year we fans get to vote for who we want to see in the All-Star game. Some of us punch the little holes out on a ballot card for each player on our favorite team, while other fans vote for which player they believe to be the best at his position. And then some of us think to ourselves, “ballot card?”, you vote on MLB.com don’t you?

Regardless of how you voted for the All-Star game, if there were a game based in the fantasy world, this would be my ballot.

AL Roto All-Star Team

Joe Mauer, C—MIN While tempted to go Dioner Navarro for the value that he has given owners this season as a typically un-drafted catcher, the huge difference in the runs scored category was enough for me to offset this. On the season Joe Mauer has scored 58 runs to Navarro’s 25. This is a huge difference, and when you add those runs to a batting average of over .320, you have a very valuable catcher. I’d even look for some more power to come from Mauer in the second half of the season. His HR/FB rate is at a career low 6.3 percent at the moment.

Kevin Youkilis, 1B—BOS Youkilis just beat out another Twin, Justin Morneau for the starting first baseman nod both here, and on the actual All-Star team. My final decision came down to the extra value that Youkilis has given owners over Morneau this season. Drafted rounds later, Youkilis has posted very similar numbers to Morneau, hitting .314 with 15 home runs, 63 RBI, and 56 runs scored. But from here on out, I am watching Miguel Cabrera at this position. I believe he is about to have a monster second half.

Ian Kinsler, 2B—TEX As stated last week in the regular column, Kinsler has by far and away had the best season of any AL player to this point of the year. He is the ultimate stat-sheet stuffer, and wasn’t even regarded as the top player in the league at his position coming into the season. Kinsler has filled out all five categories, leading the league with his .337 batting average and 84 runs scored to go along with a very good 14 home runs, 58 RBI, and 23 stolen bases. I’d continue to expect more of the same for the remainder of the year.

Alex Rodriguez, 3B—NYY This was the toughest position to pick. I was torn between a new kid, and a future Hall of Famer. In the end I chose Rodriguez just for the simple fact that he is still the most dominant player in the game. If you look at his stats, .312, 19 home runs, 53 RBI, 13 stolen bases, and 53 runs scored, would you have thought that he missed three weeks to the season? I love Longoria and what he has done for himself and the Rays, but I can’t leave off the best player in the game from an All-Star team. Even if he was first rated at the beginning of the season and is not at the moment based on Yahoo, there is a reason that he was and probably will be again by seasons end. He is that damn good.

Michael Young, SS—TEX Where have all the shortstops gone? This was another tough choice, but because of how bad this position has been in the American League. Do I put Jhonny Peralta on this team because he leads AL shortstops in home runs, but has a sub par .260 average? Or do I go more with the all-around game of Michael Young, even though he is not overwhelming in any category? I went Young because he just does what he does. He is a hit machine that continues to put out .300 seasons and give solid peripherals. On top of his .302 batting average, Young has 63 runs scored, 7 home runs, 52 RBI, and 6 stolen bases.

Josh Hamilton, OF—TEX Hamilton is the first player in the league to have at least 90 RBI entering the All-Star break since 2003 when Carlos Delgado and Preston Wilson both accomplished this feat. His 95 RBI places him fifth all-time entering the break. Add in a .310 batting average and 21 home runs to a guy drafted late as a sleeper pick, and you have yourself the one of the best values from this seasons’ drafts. We’ll see if he can continue this the rest of the way, as he has yet to play a full season. But if he stays on the field and healthy, I don’t see any reason not to believe that it will continue.

Grady Sizemore, OF—CLE Sizemore is one of two players, along with the Marlins’ Hanley Ramirez, to have at least 20 steals and 20 home runs on the season. This puts him 11th in terms of Yahoo fantasy rankings and a definite fantasy star. Sizemore was drafted higher in leagues making it tough to meet or exceed expectations, but he is already close to doing just that. Sizemore is very close to matching his preseason projections in both home runs and stolen bases at just the All-Star break. As soon as he gets that .273 batting average to climb higher, he will be the best outfielder in terms of fantasy in the American League. Assuming he is already not there.

Carlos Quentin, OF—CHW If you didn’t get enough value from Josh Hamilton, how about an un-drafted outfielder who is currently second in the league with 22 home runs. Carlos Quentin has catapulted his career after just making the White Sox roster out of spring training. Playing in “The Cell” has definitely helped Quentin, but the fact that he has a higher batting average and half of his home runs on the road shows that he is not just the beneficiary of home-field advantage. He is healthy and showcasing what he can do, but I am still cautious to his poor 13.7 percent line drive rate. Could be a slump waiting to happen, but again he could raise that rate up in the second half and raise his average right along with it.

Milton Bradley, DH—TEX If you happened to take that flyer on Milton Bradley in the draft or on waivers early in the season, congratulations. Bradley is enjoying his finest season as a big leaguer, and is the only American League player to have an OPS of at least 1.000. For the year he is hitting .316, has hit 19 home runs, and driven in 57 RBI. The key to his season has been his ability to stay on the field. There have been some bumps and bruises along the way holding him out of a few games, but being able to hit every night has been a big boost.

Cliff Lee, SP—CLE When talking fantasy value and production, Cliff Lee has stood out in both categories this season. Lee likely went un-drafted in every preseason draft in the country, but has silenced critics by posting not only career year, but also the best pitching line in the league. Lee won his 12th game of the season Friday night, and should have at least two to three more if the Indians gave the proper run support. He also has a superb 2.31 ERA, second in the league to Justin Duchscherer, and 106 strikeouts to just 20 walks. Even on a bad Cleveland team, he has to be the early front-runner for the Cy Young award.

Justin Duchscherer, SP—OAK Just like Lee, the “Duke” went un-drafted in leagues across the country. He was in the midst of a conversion from being a successful setup man into his new role in the starting rotation. Duchscherer is 10-5 in 16 starts, with a league leading 1.82 ERA in 108.2 innings of work. Where he is lacking to Lee is in the strikeout department. Duchscherer is just striking out just 5.47 per nine innings for a total of 66. But there is no denying his value given to owners to this point of the season. We’ll see how his arm reacts down the stretch. Being an owner, I am hoping his best continues.

Roy Halladay, SP—TOR Halladay continues to be the workhorse of the American League and has returned his production to elite levels. He has thrown a league-high 146.1 innings with an ERA of just 2.71. Not only is he throwing consistently each time out, Halladay’s strikeouts have returned to positive levels of 7.44 K/9 to go along with impeccable control, 1.29 BB/9 and terrific ground ball tendencies. Drafted typically in the sixth or seventh round, Halladay is giving first and second round production. I’d expect more of the same in the second half. He’s been here before.

Joe Saunders, SP—LAA In a developing trend of American League starters, another All-Star selection went un-drafted in leagues. Saunders was more the speculative type of pick early in the season with teammates John Lackey and Kelvim Escobar on the shelf to start the season. Saunders stepped into a leadership role in the Angels rotation and has not let go. Saunders is tied for the league lead in wins with 12, and has a 3.07 ERA and 1.13 WHIP. He certainly does not profile into the mold of an ace starter with his 4.71 K/9, but he has held opponents to a very low 13.8 percent line drive rate, which has aided in his .236 BAA.

John Danks, SP—CHW This last spot was very tough, and a few guys nearly made it even after missing a month of play, but one player has been a tremendous boost not only for his team, but fantasy teams everywhere. Un-drafted with the fourth-best ERA in the league of 2.67, I chose John Danks. He has just seven wins, but has completely outperformed teammate Gavin Floyd in every other way. Danks has a solid 3.03 K/BB ratio to go along with his newfound ground ball tendencies, 46.7 percent. This has led to a much more manageable home runs against total of eight as compared to 28 during his rookie campaign of 2007. While he may not be one of the top five at the end of 2008 or in the future, right now Danks has cracked my top five All-Star team.

Mariano Rivera, CL—NYY What is there to say other than that Mariano Rivera continues to be the best relief pitcher in the game today. Just when you think that his age might be slowing him down, he goes out and post ridiculous numbers that again make you say, “Wow”. While he is not even close to Francisco Rodriguez in saves, to me, a guy who has an ERA plus WHIP of 1.70 is just down right filthy. That much success will no doubt help keep your ratios down while also posting a ridiculous 50 to 4 K/BB ratio. While the name of the game for relievers is saves, sometimes there is more to desire.

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If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to contact me at m_taylor13@yahoo.com.