The rosters for next Tuesday's Major League Baseball All-Star Game in St. Louis will be announced today. Now, therefore, is an opportune time to review the fantasy all-stars of the first half of the year. These players may not necessarily have the best statistics at their respective positions, but they have shone brightest compared with preseason expectations.
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Catcher: Joe Mauer, Twins. In what has been a down year for offensive production from the catching position, Joe Mauer keeps showing that he is one of the best hitters in all of baseball. The 26-year-old two-time batting champ was hitting a blistering .390 with a personal-record 14 home runs through Friday. Mauer missed the first month of the season, so his extraordinary batting average is somewhat more explainable over only 56 games instead of the 80 contests many of his peers have played. Even though he is likely to slow down, he has been more than worthy of being among the first handful of catchers chosen in fantasy drafts.
First Base: Russell Branyan, Mariners. Undrafted in many leagues and still available in about 12 percent of them, Branyan is proving that his home-run power has followed his conversion from pinch hitter to everyday player. He has 20 homers, 43 RBIs and a .294 average in more at-bats (255) than he has had in any season since 2002.
Second Base: Aaron Hill, Blue Jays. Hill has been nothing short of remarkable this year. He had a breakout season of sorts in 2007, going deep 17 times while hitting .291. He missed the majority of 2008 due to injury before roaring back to form this spring. He ended Friday with a .299 average and a career-high 19 home runs. He is apt to cool a bit in the second half, yet he warrants a spot on this imaginary team after being chosen in the latter half of most fantasy drafts.
Shortstop: Jason Bartlett, Rays. Bartlett came into the season as a no-hit, good-glove shortstop. He had 11 total home runs and a .276 career average in 449 games played entering 2009; this year has been a completely different story.
Bartlett has already set a career high with seven round-trippers, and he was hitting .357 entering Saturday. His 17 stolen bases are just six off his best mark, and he is on base to score over 100 runs. His two weeks on the disabled list notwithstanding, Bartlett has been a boon to fantasy owners that selected him near the end of the fantasy draft or picked him up as a free agent.
Third Base: Mark Reynolds, Diamondbacks. Last year, Reynolds showed signs of power in his second season in the majors, walloping 28 homers. He also set the major-league record for strikeouts when he whiffed 204 times. This year, he has 22 home runs and 13 stolen bases through Friday's games, putting him on pace for a 40-homer campaign with about two dozen thefts. Reynolds earns fantasy all-star status because owners drafted him between rounds 18 and 22 in the majority of fantasy drafts.
Outfield: Raul Ibanez, Phillies; Justin Upton, Diamondbacks; Ben Zobrist, Rays. Despite having been sidelined since mid-June, Ibanez remains in the top 10 in the NL in most offensive categories after being drafted in the middle rounds of fantasy drafts.
Upton had 14 homers and 10 steals in 75 games heading into Saturday. His .306 average is additional blessing for the fantasy owners that were willing to give the 21-year-old a shot near the end of the draft. Zobrist, a utility man with 36 games in the outfield, is finally getting a chance to play every day in his fourth season. He has set career bests in every offensive category, including 16 homers, eight steals and a .292 average.
Starting Pitcher: Matt Cain, Giants. Although Zack Greinke has been a good story, most fantasy owners knew of him and drafted him within the first 12 rounds of fantasy drafts. Matt Cain, on the other hand, was selected near the end of drafts. Cain had a respectable 3.71 ERA in 2007 and 2008, but he racked up 30 losses in that span. This year, he is 9-2 with a 2.48 ERA.
Relief Pitcher: Ryan Franklin, Cardinals. Franklin got his first chance at closing last year with a modicum of success; however, the Redbirds' closing job was wide open entering the season. Fantasy owners looked the other way, and Franklin has 20 saves, a 0.84 ERA and a 0.844 WHIP.
Dan Massey's Fantasy Sports appears each Sunday. E-mail him at dmassey@lnpnews.com.
