Fantasy Scene
Mike McMahon
With the All Star game at Yankee Stadium this past Tuesday, it's that time of the summer to look back on the first half and select a league-wide fantasy all-star team.
Judging by the picks below, you'll probably wonder why the National League wasn't able to squeak out a win in the Bronx. Of the 10 positions picked, seven belonged to the senior circuit, headlined by the Atlanta Braves, who ended up with two players on my all-star roster.
Catcher — Brian McCann, Atlanta Braves
It's hard to argue that there's been a better bat at the position in the first half and, in the fantasy game, the bat is all that counts. McCann's 18 homers lead the position at the break, and his 53 RBIs are second in the league for catchers. He's batting a respectable .302, and his .940 OPS is second to only Pittsburgh's Ryan Doumit.
First Base — Lance Berkman, Houston Astros
This is a land slide. In fact, I would go as far as saying Berkman has been the first-half MVP. Philadelphia's Ryan Howard boasts better power numbers, but he's hitting a lackluster .234. Berkman, who has belted 22 homers and has 73 RBIs, combines that with a .347 average. Oh, and he has swiped 15 stolen bases. He's been the total package.
Second Base — Chase Utley, Philadelphia Phillies
Outside of his very audible expletive during his introduction at the Home Run Derby last Monday, which he had publicly apologized for, Utley has been nearly flawless. His 25 homers and 69 RBIs are only slightly ahead of Florida's Dan Uggla, but Utley has the better batting average.
Third Base — Chipper Jones, Atlanta Braves
His .376 average is nearly at the top of the league, and his 18 homers and 51 RBIs place him in the top tier of each category in the league.
Shortstop — Hanley Ramirez, Florida Marlins
This was the tightest race of any position, coming down to Ramirez and the New York Mets' Jose Reyes, but Ramirez gets the nod because he has much better power numbers (23 homers to Reyes' 10).
Outfielders — Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers; Grady Sizemore, Cleveland Indians; Matt Holliday, Colorado Rockies
Two of these names came out of nowhere. No one knew what to expect from Hamilton at the start of the year after a roller-coaster career to that point, and Sizemore had always been a reliable player, but has never had the numbers he has had in 2008. In fact, Sizemore's power numbers (23 homers and 53 RBIs) through mid-July are about what he has averaged over the last three seasons. Hamilton burst on the scene and hasn't slowed down. The only name that you may have expected was Holliday, who is hitting a position-leading .337 among regular starters.
Starting Pitcher — Edinson Volquez, Cincinnati Reds
It's an odd pick, I know, but he's second in the big leagues with 12 wins, is among the league leaders in both strikeouts (126) and ERA (2.29). You could certainly make arguments for All-Star starters Cliff Lee (Cleveland) and Ben Sheets (Milwaukee) but, for my money, Volquez has been the best in the bigs during the first half.
Relief Pitcher — Mariano Rivera, New York Yankees
Jonathan Papelbon and Rivera have similar save and strikeout numbers, but the big difference is Rivera's minuscule 1.06 ERA as compared to Papelbon's 2.43. Rivera's 0.64 WHIP is the best among closers. If you were complaining about Rivera being the "closer" for the AL team on Tuesday (which first of all was ridiculous, because we never got to a save situation), you were dead wrong. Rivera is the best in the game right now, and yes, he's has been better than Papelbon thus far in 2008.
Mike McMahon is an Eagle-Tribune sportswriter. E-mail your fantasy questions to MMcMahon@eagletribune.com.
Mailbag question of the week
Should I try to trade, and maybe even drop David Ortiz from my roster? It's been reported that he's coming off of the disabled list soon and his trade value could be high. — Matt, Methuen
Do not, for any reason, drop Ortiz. If you want to explore trade options, then that's a different story. Ortiz' value certainly will be high, especially for teams coveting some power. And, depending on who you have in place to fill his gap (I presume you already have someone, because Ortiz has been on the DL for a month), then exploring a trade to fill a spot you may need on your roster is a wise choice.
The balky knee that bothered Ortiz last season is not healed, that much is obvious, and it absolutely hampered him in the first half. I doubt a month off will fix the problem if an entire offseason, including surgery, didn't. He'll return rested and ready for a playoff push, but it's still questionable what he'll put up in terms of numbers. His start of the year was atrocious, remember?
Depending on who you have starting at the moment, I would suggest you try trading Ortiz; the return should be high, and most likely worth it.
