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Fantasy Baseball All-Stars

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By James LoPresti / The Tampa Tribune

The Tampa Tribune

Published: July 11, 2008

With the All-Star Game approaching next week, here are the AL and NL players who have carried fantasy teams on their backs this season.

AMERICAN LEAGUE

Catcher - Joe Mauer (Twins). Reserves: A.J. Pierzynski (White Sox); Dioner Navarro (Rays). Mauer has been the most complete player among AL catchers. Although he has not shown a power stroke, he has made up for it by scoring 56 runs, hitting .328 and striking out only 24 times, all bests among AL catchers.

First Base - Justin Morneau (Twins). Reserves: Kevin Youkilis (Red Sox); Aubrey Huff (Orioles). No AL first baseman has been more consistent than Morneau.

Second Base - Ian Kinsler (Rangers). Reserve: Brian Roberts (Orioles). Kinsler has been on a tear lately, hitting nearly .440 during his 22-game hitting streak. He is ranked No. 2 on Yahoo and figures to be a first-round pick in next year's draft.

Third Base - Alex Rodriguez (Yankees). Reserves: Evan Longoria (Rays); Mike Lowell (Red Sox). A-Rod has been a top-10 player despite missing substantial time with a quadriceps injury. Expect him to continue his hot pace in the second half.

Shortstop - Michael Young (Rangers). Reserve: Carlos Guillen (Tigers). Young is well on his way to another 200-hit season.

Outfield - Josh Hamilton (Rangers); Carlos Quentin (White Sox); Carl Crawford (Rays). Reserves: J.D. Drew (Red Sox); Nick Markakis (Orioles); Grady Sizemore (Indians). The only reason Sizemore does not deserve a starting spot is because of his uncharacteristic .275 average, which should improve once Victor Martinez and Travis Hafner return from the DL.

Starting Pitcher - Cliff Lee (Indians); Roy Halladay (Blue Jays); Justin Duchscherer (Athletics); John Lackey (Angels); Scott Kazmir (Rays). Reserves: Gavin Floyd (White Sox); Shaun Marcum (Blue Jays); John Danks (White Sox). Danks has been impressive, posting the fourth-lowest ERA in the AL.

Relief Pitcher - Francisco Rodriguez (Angels); Mariano Rivera (Yankees); Jonathan Papelbon (Red Sox); Joe Nathan (Twins). Reserves: J.P. Howell (Rays); Joakim Soria (Royals); George Sherrill (Orioles). Sherrill has been a nice surprise for Baltimore, and he is tied for second in the AL in saves with 27.

NATIONAL LEAGUE

Catcher - Brian McCann (Braves). Reserves: Russell Martin (Dodgers); Geovany Soto (Cubs); Bengie Molina (Giants). McCann gets the nod because of his exceptional power numbers and a low strikeout total.

First Base - Lance Berkman (Astros). Reserves: Adrian Gonzalez (Padres); Albert Pujols (Cardinals). Berkman, an MVP candidate, gets the slim advantage because of his 14 stolen bases and 76 runs scored.

Second Base - Chase Utley (Phillies). Reserve: Dan Uggla (Marlins). There is no doubt about this one, considering Utley's numbers.

Third Base - Chipper Jones (Braves). Reserves: David Wright (Mets); Aramis Ramirez (Cubs); Jorge Cantu (Marlins). The former Ray Cantu has resurrected his career with Florida and is on pace for 32 home runs and 105 RBIs.

Shortstop - Hanley Ramirez (Marlins). Reserves: Jose Reyes (Mets); Cristian Guzman (Nationals). Guzman, the National League's hits leader, has been the lone bright spot for Washington's offense.

Outfield - Matt Holliday (Rockies); Carlos Lee (Astros); Nate McLouth (Pirates). Reserves: Ryan Braun (Brewers); Ryan Ludwick (Cardinals); Corey Hart (Brewers). Hart's full-season projections: .298 average, 28 home runs, 96 RBIs and 31 steals.

Starting Pitcher - Edinson Volquez (Reds); Tim Lincecum (Giants); Brandon Webb (Diamondbacks); Cole Hamels (Phillies); Ben Sheets (Brewers). Reserves: Dan Haren (Diamondbacks); Kyle Lohse (Cardinals); Chad Billingsley (Dodgers). Billingsley has turned his season around and is 6-3 with a 2.84 ERA since May 15.

Relief Pitcher - Brad Lidge (Phillies); Kerry Wood (Cubs); Jon Rauch (Nationals); Francisco Cordero (Reds). Reserves: Taylor Buchholz (Rockies); Takashi Saito (Dodgers); Carlos Marmol (Cubs). Marmol is the major-league leader in holds with 22 and has 70 strikeouts in 51 innings.

Waiver-Wire Pickups

Jerry Hairston Jr., 2B/3B/SS/OF (Reds) - Hairston has been on a tear, hitting .384 with six RBIs and three stolen bases in his last ten games. He has 15 steals despite missing three weeks on the DL. He is a strong bet to swipe 20 more bases in the second half.

Cody Ross, OF (Marlins) - Throw out an awful April and we could be seeing Ross in the All-Star Game this week. It might surprise you that since the beginning of May, Ross has hit .301 with 15 home runs and 45 RBIs. He is working on a 13-game hitting streak, hitting three homers and knocking in 18 during that span.

Masa Kobayashi, RP (Indians) - Kobayashi will receive the bulk of the save opportunities and has the best shot to be the long-term closer now that Joe Borowski has been designated for assignment. Kobayashi has the most closing experience of all the Indians' relievers; he saved more than 200 games in the Japanese League, and he should be picked up in all formats.

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