So we just watched the National League finally earn home field advantage in the World Series by topping the American League by a score of 3-1.
Much like this season, the game was dominated by the array of great pitchers that took to the mound last night. But no matter the position, you can always find one or two players who stick out as great values for the season and we at Baseball Professor are here to tell you who has helped you the most so far in 2010.
So without further adieu, our 2010 All-Value teams:
Bryan Curley’s Midseason All-Value Team
Miguel Olivo, C, Colorado Rockies – Joe Mauer, Victor Martinez, and Brian McCann were the preseason consensus top three, but Olivo has more HR, RBI, and SB than all of them with a batting average that’s 32-points higher than Mauer’s.
Miguel Cabrera, 1B, Detroit Tigers – Cabrera has the highest batting average (.346) and most RBI (77) in baseball, and if it wasn’t for Jose Bautista’s 24 bombs in the first half, he would share the MLB lead in HR (22).
Martin Prado, 2B, Atlanta Braves – Prado ranks second among all second basemen and might have gone undrafted in your league. Best of all, his peripherals suggest his first-half performance is rather sustainable.
David Wright, 3B, New York Mets – I’ll resist the urge to pick Bautista because for all the good his power stroke has done for fantasy teams, the .237 average is a black hole. Instead, Wright has rebounded wonderfully from a disastrous 2009 and become the solid-to-elite five-category performer we knew he was.
Rafael Furcal, SS, Los Angeles Dodgers – In a down year for shortstops – even by the position’s already low standards – Furcal has exceeded expectations. Just be careful because he has only once hit .300 in his previous 10 seasons (2006) and his average currently stands at .333.
Carl Crawford, OF, Tampa Bay Rays – I’ve always been critical of Crawford as an elite outfielder because he didn’t drive in enough runs to justify such an early pick, but his 133/.321/20/95/59 pace is almost unheard of and is currently good for second best in the entire game (behind Cabrera).
Vladimir Guerrero, OF, Texas Rangers – Guerrero already has five more homers and 25 more RBI than last season…in 17 fewer games. His current top-10 ranking solidifies his spot on this team.
Alex Rios, OF, Chicago White Sox – Rios and Paul Konerko have been the lone bright spots in Chicago’s lineup this season, and Rios seems poised to eclipse 20 HR for just the second time in his career and swipe 30-plus bases again.
Adam Wainwright, SP, St. Louis Cardinals – With all due respect to Josh Johnson and Ubaldo Jimenez, Wainwright has been the best first half starter (from a fantasy perspective).
Ubaldo Jimenez, SP, Colorado Rockies – I know you can’t just subtract starts, but let’s play a game: If you leave out Jimenez’s three-game slump, his other 15 starts result in a 1.15 ERA, more surprising than his current 15-1 record, and that’s saying something.
Colby Lewis, SP, Texas Rangers – Yes, Mat Latos has had a better season, but he was also one of the highest drafted young starters in the game. Lewis had a bit of a preseason cult following, but he’s managed to deliver to the tune of a 3.33 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, and 8.54 K/9.
Bill Wagner, CL, Atlanta Braves – Wagner was a trendy “sleeper” pick at closer, and he’s delivered. While his 20 saves are five behind the league leader (Joakim Soria) and are only good for T-10th in the league, his 56 strikeouts are second only to Carlos Marmol’s ridiculous 78 and he’s actually amassed five wins. The wins are fleeting, but they’ve been valuable in the first half.
George Fitopoulos’ All-Value Team
Miguel Olivo, C, Colorado Rockies – Is there really anyone else? Olivo has gone from a preseason platoon player to the top ranked catcher in just half a season. He currently ranks in the top five of every major offensive category.
Joey Votto, 1B, Cincinnati Reds – It’s hard for a third rounder to be a great midseason value, but after a season of battling depression issues, there were a lot of questions surrounding Votto this preseason. He’s responded nicely with 22 home runs and a .314/.422/.589 triple-slash line.
Rickie Weeks, 2B, Milwaukee Brewers – I almost picked Martin Prado here, but Rickie Weeks has provided too much power (15 HR, 53 RBI) to go unnoticed. He’s also hitting a manageable .269 and the six stolen bases are just gravy.
Adrian Beltre, 3B, Boston Red Sox – Anyone who ignored Beltre’s move away from the suffocating Safeco Field made a huge mistake because all he has done this season in Boston is hit .330 with 13 home runs and 55 RBI. Beltre is notoriously a second half player so you can count on him keeping up his numbers the rest of the way.
Rafael Furcal, SS, Los Angeles Dodgers – The shortstop position has been horribly bad this season, but one guy who has stood out is Furcal. He’s sporting a very nice .333/.383/.514 triple slash line and other than Hanley Ramirez I can’t think of any shortstop that has had a better season thusfar.
Josh Hamilton, OF, Texas Rangers – After an injury plagued 2009, Hamilton was somewhat underrated coming into this season. Midway through the season, Hamilton has shown just how good he can be when he’s on his game and the only thing that can hold him back is another injury.
Carlos Gonzalez, OF, Colorado Rockies – Gonzalez had a chance to showcase his talents in the second half last year and has continued that success into this season. If you combine his second half in 2009 with his first half this season you have a .316 hitter with 29 homers, 84 RBI and 28 stolen bases in 519 at bats.
Alex Rios, OF, Chicago White Sox – You can’t leave out Rios who in the first half alone has stolen the second-most bases (23) in any season in his career. Add in the fact that he has 15 home runs and a .305 batting average and you have yourself a solid MVP candidate, you know, if that Miguel Cabrera guy wasn’t doing so well.
Josh Johnson, SP, Florida Marlins – Josh Johnson was drafted more as a top-end No. 2 starter in most leagues, but you could argue that he has been the best pitcher in the majors. That’s a big compliment considering the number of quality arms this season, but he does have the lowest ERA (1.70) and second-lowest WHIP (0.96) among the group.
Mat Latos, SP, San Diego Padres – Latos was probably drafted at the end of drafts as a No. 4 or No. 5 starter, but so far he has returned ace numbers. An innings limit may hurt his value in the second half, but there’s no arguing the impact he’s had on your team so far.
Cliff Lee, SP, Texas Rangers – If you held onto hope that Cliff Lee would make it through his oblique issues in the beginning of the season you have been handsomely rewarded with a 2.64 ERA and 0.95 WHIP. Those numbers won’t be as dominant in Texas, but he should still be a top-seven pitcher.
Carlos Marmol, CL, Chicago Cubs – In the preseason, I questioned Marmol’s ability to close because of his walk troubles. I was right about his control (6.05 BB/9), but walks tend not to matter when you strike out 16.85 batters per nine and allow a .164 BAA. He has allowed an opponent’s batting average of .164 and his BABIP is .358!!
Chris Campanelli’s All-Value Team
Miguel Olivo, C, Colorado Rockies – Maybe we shouldn’t have ignored a catcher moving to Coors Field coming off of a 23 home run season…
Paul Konerko, 1B, Chicago White Sox – The criminally underrated Konerko always gets drafted in the mid to late rounds. With 20 home runs and 63 RBI at the break he has produced like an early round stud.
Martin Prado, 2B, Atlanta Braves – Generally not drafted as a starting second baseman, Prado has become one of the best at his position. He is a monster in average and runs scored and should hit close to 20 home runs.
Adrian Beltre, 3B, Boston Red Sox – Like Konerko, the underrated Beltre has provided a huge return on investment. His .330 average is the best among American League third basemen and his swing is perfect for Fenway.
Rafael Furcal, SS, Los Angeles Dodgers – After a terrible 2009 campaign, Furcal has asserted himself in 2010. Those of you who took a chance on him have been rewarded.
Josh Hamilton, OF, Texas Rangers – Injury concerns and a poor 2009 scared many people away from Hamilton but he has established himself as a top 5 outfielder.
Alex Rios, OF, Chicago White Sox – After being given away by Toronto and batting .199 in 41 games for Chicago last year, Rios has been the best power speed combination player in the league. How was he not a real life All-Star again?
Brett Gardner, OF, New York Yankees – Speed guys like Bourn, Morgan, Davis, and Pierre were all drafted first but Gardner has been the best of the bunch by far. In addition to his elite speed, he is batting .309 and has shown modest pop.
Mat Latos, SP, San Diego – Much less hyped than fellow rookies Wade Davis and Brian Matusz, Latos has pitched like a fantasy ace. Although his innings will be limited in the second half, don’t expect him to be shut down if the Padres are still in the playoff hunt.
David Price, SP, Tampa Bay Rays – After an up and down 2009, Price’s value wasn’t that high heading into this season. But after a dominant first half which earned him the starting nod in the All-Star game against the National League, Price has established himself as one of the best lefties in the game.
Andy Pettitte, SP, New York Yankees – At age 38, Pettitte may be having his best season to date. A late round draft pick or a free agent pick up, Pettite has given his owners 11 wins with a superb ERA (2.70) and WHIP (1.15).
Carlos Marmol, CL, Chicago Cubs – Control problems plagued Marmol last year but that hasn’t been the case this year. He has also struck out a ridiculous 78 batters in 41.2 innings and is holding opposing hitters to a .164 batting average.
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