Dr. Stat's Fantasy Baseball 2008 Midseason Report Card And Power Rankings

With the first half of the 2008 fantasy baseball season behind us, I've listed and graded the top ten players at each position. The power rankings are self-explanatory. The midseason grades were determined based on each player's statistical production directly related to their average draft position. Any time I refer to draft position, it is the position in which they were picked in the average draft. Rankings are based on standard fantasy leagues and formats.

KEY

AVG- Batting Average
HR- Home Runs
RBI- Runs Batted In
R- Runs Scored
H- Hits
2B- Doubles
3B- Triples
SB- Stolen Bases
OBP- On Base Percentage
SLG- Slugging Percentage
OPS- On Base % + Slugging %
W- Wins
K- Strikeouts
BB- Walks
SV- Saves
BS- Blown Saves
CG- Complete Games
QS- Quality Starts
ERA- Earned Run Average
WHIP- Walks and Hits Per Innings Pitched
K/9- Strikeouts per 9 innings
K/BB- Strikeouts to Walks Ratio
BAA- Batting Average Against

* Any time I list stats, the line always follows this format: AVG / HR / RBI / R / SB

  CATCHER

1. Brian McCann- Among catchers, McCann is first in HR and OPS, second in RBI and third in AVG. If you picked him four rounds after someone else in your league picked Victor Martinez, you're looking like the Dodgers after they picked Mike Piazza in the 62nd round.
Midseason Grade: A

2. Russell Martin- He's on pace to repeat last year's numbers with a .294/10/45/49/10 first half, but does that make him worthy of a third or fourth round pick? I think not.
Midseason Grade: B

3. Joe Mauer- Mauer leads all catchers in AVG, R and OBP and leads all off of baseball in sideburn growing. Too bad there are no fantasy style points, otherwise Jason Giambi's mustache would rule the fantasy world.
Midseason Grade: A- (fifth round is too high to draft a catcher).

4. Ryan Doumit- .329, 11 HR, 29 RBI, .943 OPS in 56 games makes him a steal in the 17th round. Midseason Grade: A (would be an A+ with flying colors if not for his DL stint)

5. Geovany Soto- His .288 AVG, 16 HR, and 56 RBI easily make him the first half NL ROY and a 14th round gem.
Midseason Grade: A+

6. Bengie Molina- Bengie is having the best season of any Giants hitter and of all 42 Molina brothers. His first half numbers (.287/6/56) look even better when you consider he was picked near the end of most drafts, where managers were just picking catchers because they had to have one.                                    Midseason Grade: A

7. Dioner Navarro- His .310 AVG and 35 RBI in 69 games are excellent numbers for an undrafted catcher.
Midseason Grade: A-

8. A.J. Pierzynski- .287/7/35 isn't outstanding, but it gets the job done in the 15th round. He could use another brawl to fire him up and get him hitting again.
Midseason Grade: B-

9. Ivan Rodriguez- On average, Pudge was drafted in the 12th round. Through 73 games, he's hitting .288 with 4 HR, 29 RBI and 6 SB. Something doesn't quite add up there.
Midseason Grade: D-

10.Yadier Molina- You could do much worse than .312/4/31 from a 16th round pick. Midseason Grade: B

The Rest of the Best: Chris Iannetta (B-), Kurt Suzuki (B-)

Biggest Disappointments:

Victor Martinez- 0 HRS in 54 games= F times infinity

Jorge Posada- Don't get me started= F

Kenji Johjima- 10th round pick, hitting .212 with 3 HRs= F

Jarrod Saltalamacchia- 42 games plus .219/3 HR/20 RBI divided by pick 12 or 13 equals a big fat F circled in red.

  FIRST BASE

1. Lance Berkman- On average, Berkman was drafted in the third round. At the break, he's in the top four in AVG, RBI, R, SLG and OBP.
Midseason Grade: A+

2. Ryan Howard- His 28 HR lead the majors. Unfortunately, so do his 129 strikeouts. I like my power a little more well-balanced, especially if it's with my second round pick.
Midseason Grade: A- (84 RBI save him from a B)

3. Albert Pujols- In 82 games, Fat Albert has hit .350 with 18 HR, 50 RBI and a 1.074 OPS. If only he had some protection. He's tied for fourth in walks, indicating that for some reason opposing pitchers would rather face guys named Ankiel and Glaus. He'd be higher than Howard, but only has 286 at-bats.
Midseason Grade: A

4. Justin Morneau- In the average draft, Morneau was taken at number 36. .323/14/68 are solid numbers at that stage of the draft.
Midseason Grade: A

5. Derek Lee- Taken in the middle of the fourth round, Lee has stayed healthy and consistent, hitting .306 with 15 HR, 56 RBI, 5 SB and a .880 OPS.
Midseason Grade: A-

6. Adrian Gonzalez- .276/22/71 make him a great pick at number 92. Only his AVG and lower OPS keeps him from being ranked above Lee.
Midseason Grade: A

7. Prince Fielder- 18 HR and 54 RBI would be easier to justify a second round pick if he wasn't hitting .270 with an .845 OPS. We expect more on the wake of a 50/119 season.
Midseason Grade: B-

8. Mark Teixeira- Taken towards the end of the second round, Tex hasn't produced like we hoped, hitting .271 with 17 HR and 69 RBI.
Midseason Grade: C

9. Miguel Cabrera- He's struggled to adjust to the AL much more than expected, hitting .284 with 16 HR and 57 RBI. Hardly worthy of his first round selection. Typically a 3B, he has played 76 games at 1B.
Midseason Grade: C

10. Jason Giambi- 19 HR and 54 RBI from a 19th round pick? Count me in. The man's mustache has inspired a national phenomenon. At the break, he's played exactly the same number of games as he did all of last season and already has more HR, RBI, H, R, 2B, BB and SB.
Midseason Grade: A+

The Rest of the Best: Conor Jackson (A), Carlos Delgado (B-), Mike Jacobs (B), James Loney (B)

Biggest Disappointments:

Travis Hafner: Fourth round pick, .217 with 4 HR in 46 games= F

Paul Konerko: .217, 9 HR, 34 RBI= D-

  SECOND BASE

1. Ian Kinsler- On average, Kinsler was the 7th second baseman off the draft board. Now he leads the majors in R, H and 2B and is fourth in AVG while riding a 25-game hitting streak into the All-Star break and showing no signs of slowing down.
Midseason Grade: A+ times infinity

2. Chase Utley- Taking the Dennis Green approach, he's been what we thought he'd be! Utley is hitting .291 with 25 HR and 69 RBI. It might help that he hits in a ballpark the size of your local gas station, but you can't argue with those numbers. The AVG is down a bit, but he's on pace for career highs in both HR and RBI.
Midseason Grade: A

3. Dan Uggla- The eighth second baseman to be picked, Uggla is second in HR and RBI. His .286 average is a nice surprise as well. After Tuesday night though, he probably has no desire to be an All-Star again.
Midseason Grade: A+

4. Dustin Pedrioa- Many owners are embarrassed to admit it, but they took Rickie Weeks (.217/8/58/13) a round or two before Pedrioa (.314/9/47/67/9).
Midseason Grade: A+

5. Brandon Phillips- Solid numbers at the break, but not worth having picked in the second round before Berkman or Carlos Lee.
Midseason Grade: B

6. Brian Roberts- Roberts has had a quiet, but productive, first half, putting up a line of .296/7/33/62/27 in the Orioles lineup. Not worth your third or fourth round pick though.
Midseason Grade: B-

7. B.J. Upton- Drafted in the middle of the second round, Upton hasn't been nearly worth it. Midseason Grade: C (27 steals save him from worse)

8. Mark DeRosa- After going widely undrafted, put up a .283/11/50 first half.
Midseason Grade: B+

9. Jose Lopez- Solid season (.298/5/48) for a 16th round pick going unnoticed, but he's 3rd in H, 4th in 2B and 6th in AVG among all second basemen.
Midseason Grade: B+

10.Placido Polanco- .305/3/32/44/2 makes him one of numerous Tigers with sub-par first halves. Midseason Grade: C

The Rest of the Best: Kelly Johnson (C), Orlando Hudson (C)

Biggest Disappointment:

Robinson Cano- We keep saying that he's too good to keep hitting this poorly. He keeps proving us wrong= F

  THIRD BASE

1. Chipper Jones: Sixth round pick leads the majors in both AVG and OBP and hasn't broken down like we feared. He won't hit .400, but we still love him.
Midseason Grade: A+

2. Alex Rodriguez: One of the first two players picked on draft day, A-Rod put up a first half line of .312/19/53/53/13 in 75 games, as well as making off-the-field headlines again. Among third basemen, he's tied for first in HR and is second in AVG and SB.
Midseason Grade: A

3. David Wright: One of roto's finest again this season (.282/17/70/60/11) and worth a first round pick.
Midseason Grade: A

4. Kevin Youkilis: The man who's goattee is routinely mistaken for moving jungle foliage was drafted after Figgins, Guillen, Zimmerman, Beltre, Lowell and Gordon. His .314/15/63 first half makes him one of biggest steals this season. I wouldn't turn my back on his facial hair though. Midseason Grade: A+

5. Aramis Ramirez: A-Ram and has performed exactly like the late third round pick he was, putting up a .285/17/66 first half. A 30/100 season is a lock barring injury, making him a safe, solid pick after the first few rounds.
Midseason Grade: A

6. Garrett Atkins: If you waited until the fifth or sixth round to take Atkins, pat yourself on the back. He also has hit pretty much as well as we expected, with a .304 AVG, 14 HR and 54 RBI at the break. It comes as no surprise that his only rough patch of the season came when teammate Matt Holliday was on the DL.
Midseason Grade: A-

7. Aubrey Huff: Huff went towards the end of most drafts but has played like a middle-round pick. He's having his best season since 2004 and has proved he can still produce on a consistent basis. Midseason Grade: A

8. Jorge Cantu: Cantu didn't get picked in fantasy drafts, then exploded with a .283/18/54/59 first half. Gold stars for you if you picked him up early on.
Midseason Grade: A

9. Mark Reynolds- His 19 HR and 58 RBI are nice, but his .249 average hurts him. Still, you'll take that kind of pop from a guy who was drafted around number 200.
Midseason Grade: B+

10.Evan Longoria- Despite all the hype, Longoria wasn't drafted until the 17th round or later. We figured a best-case scenario was a season somewhere between the seasons that Ryan Braun and Alex Gordon had last year. .275/16/53 falls right there. He's the favorite for AL ROY right now, but he'll never escape having his name bring a certain famous, attractive woman to mind. Midseason Grade: A-

The Rest of the Best: Mike Lowell (B-), Troy Glaus (B)

Biggest Disappointments:
 
Chone Figgins- 4th or 5th round pick, .275, 16 SB in 58 games= F

Carlos Guillen- Picked between 50-60, his numbers are down in almost every offensive category= D+

  SHORTSTOP

1. Hanley Ramirez- Fantasy owners drafted HanRam with one of the first three picks and he has been awesome. .311/23/45/80/23 is the type of production that has us drooling.
Midseason Grade: A+

2. Jose Reyes- Taken just a few picks after HanRam, Reyes struggled through April and then turned it on. At .302/10/43/68/32, he's easy to "settle for" if you missed out on Ramirez.
Midseason Grade: A-

3. Michael Young- His power has waned and his offensive numbers continue to decline a little more each season, but he will still hit over .300 and drive in 90 runs. He's been worthy of his average 7th round pick, but you're feeling foolish if you picked him earlier.
Midseason Grade: B+

4. Jhonny Peralta- A 15th round pick, Peralta is on pace for a career year. His 16 HR and 48 RBI are both good for second among shortstops at the All-Star break.
Midseason Grade: B+ (.261 average)

5. Jimmy Rollins- His 24 SB are the only stat that keeps him from being one of the first halfs biggest flops. .274/6/31/39 hardly warrant a late first round pick.
Midseason Grade: D

6. Miguel Tejada- Among shortstops, Tejada is 5th in HR and 4th in R and RBI. The .275 AVG and 7 SB don't excite you, but his production has been pretty close to par for a mid-70s pick.
Midseason Grade: B

7. Carlos Guillen- American League SS depth is weak, at least weak enough that Guillen's .284/8/47 first half got him an All-Star selection. Certianly not worth the fifth round pick he was though.
Midseason Grade: C

8. Derek Jeter- On average, Jeter was picked in the middle of third round. Among all shortstops, the only stat that he's in the top five in is RBI, and that's just barely. Thus, he's been nowhere near worth a mid-third round pick.
Midseason Grade: C-

9. J.J. Hardy- A poor April, an average May, then a torrid June and first half of July put him at .283/13/30 at the break.
Midseason Grade: C+

10.Christian Guzman- Undrafted to second in hitting among all shortstops is impressive. Too bad he hits in one of baseball's worst lineups.
Midseason Grade: B+

The Rest of the Best: Orlando Cabrera (C+), Ryan Theriot (B)

Biggest Disappointments:

Troy Tulowitzki- .166/3/16 in 39 games for a 4th round pick= F

Edgar Renteria- 9th rounder with .254/5/33= D-

Rafael Furcal- Been among the elite this season, when he plays that is. 32 games= D-

  OUTFIELD

1. Josh Hamilton- There are no words to describe the season he's having. .310/21/95 from the 15th round equals steal of the century.
Midseason Grade: A+++++

2. Grady Sizemore- Grady's Ladies are loving him more than ever. Then again, what else is there to love about the Indians this season? 60 R, 99 H, 19 2B, 4 3B, 23 HR, 54 RBI, 22 SB, .273 average, .913 OPS= Roto Beast.
Midseason Grade: A+

3. Carlos Lee- Pssst! Lee is in the top 10 in both HR and RBI again this season, and he's driven in more runs than teammate Lance Berkman. It's true, go look it up. That, combined with his .302 AVG, makes Lee well worth his being taken near the end  of the third round.
Midseason Grade: A+

4. Ryan Braun- No sophomore slump for this kid, as he's followed up his monstrous ROY 2007 season with a .286/23/66 first half in 2008. Worth an average end of second or beginning of third round pick? You betcha.
Midseason Grade: A+

5. Carlos Quentin- Quentin is another breakout player who went from undrafted to the top ten in both HR and RBI. What more can one say?
Midseason Grade: A+

6. Nate McLouth- Managers took McLouth towards the end of drafts, if at all. He ranks among the top ten in both HR and RBI at the break, making his breakout season another steal.
Midseason Grade: A+

7. Milton Bradley- He shares a name with the guy who invented a number of board games, and fantasy owners rolled the dice on him with a late round pick. He's come through in winning fashion, pounding out a .316/19/57 first half. Go ahead, pass go and collect $200.
Midseason Grade: A+

8. JD Drew- Drew is finally putting together the season we've been waiting for. Who knew it would take an injury to David Ortiz to get Drew's bat going? .302/17/55 and a .412 OBP make him a steal as a late round pick.
Midseason Grade: A+

9. Jermaine Dye- In most leagues, Dye went no earlier than the 10th round. He started slow, then caught fire and hasn't cooled off.
Midseason Grade: A-

10.Ryan Ludwick- Who'd have thought that a player other than Albert Pujols would lead the Cardinals in HR, RBI and R at the All-Star Break?
Midseason Grade: A+

The Rest of the Best: Matt Holliday (A, would be in the top ten if he hadn't missed time), Carlos Beltran (A-), Manny Ramirez (A), Nick Markakis (A)

Biggest Disappointments:

Alex Rios- Left his power at home this season= D+ (23 SB save him from an F)

Curtis Granderson= C-

Alfonso Soriano- His injury doesn't excuse him. May was nice, otherwise he's underachieved for a late 2nd round pick= D

  STARTING PITCHER

1. Cliff Lee- If you watched the All-Star Game, you learned that Lee does pullups and crunches while hunting. He's been hunting AL hitters all season, as this 14th rounder is 12-2 with a 2.31 ERA, a 1.03 WHIP and a 5.30 K/BB.
Midseason Grade: A+

2. Roy Halladay- The Doc has been phenomenal this season, throwing 7 CG. He's 11-6 with a 2.71 ERA, 1.00 WHIP and 121 K and was the 18th SP taken.
Midseason Grade: A+

3. Edinson Volquez- Volquez is second in ERA and W and fourth in K, proving why the Reds were willing to trade Josh Hamilton for him and making fantasy owners who picked him up look like geniuses. He's easily the favorite for NL ROY.
Midseason Grade: A+

4. Justin Duchscherer- His 1.82 ERA leads all starters, and he's given up 2 runs or less in 15 of his 16 starts. All this, and he went undrafted. If his K/BB was higher (it's under 3), you could argue he's in the top 3 here.
Midseason Grade: A+

5. Tim Lincecum- Lincecum is in the top five in W, K, ERA and QS%. Not bad for a guy taken towards the end of the eighth round.
Midseason Grade: A+

6. Dan Haren- His 84% QS and a 5.09 K/BB definitely warrant a 5th or 6th round pick.
Midseason Grade: A

7. Ben Sheets- A healthy Ben Sheets is a dominant Ben Sheets. A 9th round pick, he's 10-3 with a 2.85 ERA and 108 K at the break.  Three pitchers taken before Sheets (Carmona, Young, Harang) have one more win combined.
Midseason Grade: A

8. Cole Hamels- On average, Hamels was the 7th SP off the board. He's 9-6 with a 3.15 ERA, 1.02 WHIP, and 126 K to only 34 BB. You gotta love that!
Midseason Grade: A

9. Brandon Webb- Webb has gone 4-4 after starting 9-0, but has a 7.69 K/9, 3.23 ERA and 1.16 WHIP. Ace-worthy for sure, but in the middle of the third round?
Midseason Grade: B+

10. Ervin Santana- We never dreamed that Ervin, not Johan, would have the better Santana numbers at mid-season. Ervin is 11-3 with a 3.34 ERA, 1.12 WHIP, 122 K and most impressively, only 34 BB.
Midseason grade:  A+

The Rest of the Best: Johan Santana (B, numbers fall far short of a late first round pick), John Lackey (A-), Scott Kazmir (A-), Jake Peavy (A-), C.C. Sabathia (B)

Biggest Disappointments:

Aaron Harang- Harang has been one of the season's biggest frustrations. He's 3-11 with a 4.76 ERA, which is dreadful for a 7th round pick. Run away my friend, run away. Midseason Grade: F

Eric Bedard- 15 starts, 3.67 ERA, 72 K. He's fought injuries all season and does nothing to warrant
a third round pick. Midseason Grade: D-

Josh Beckett- His numbers (9-5, 3.94 ERA, 107 K) aren't awful, but they are when you consider he was the third pitcher taken in the average draft. Midseason Grade: D+

  RELIEF PITCHER

1. Francisco Rodriguez- K-Rod has 38 saves at the break and has blown just 3 oppurtunities. The middle of the fifth round is usually too early to draft a closer, but Frankie has justified being worth it. Midseason Grade: A+

2. Mariano Rivera- Rivera leads the majors in K/BB (12.50) and has a miniscule 1.06 ERA and 0.64 WHIP. This is vintage Mo, especially considering he was the 8th closer off the board in average drafts.
Midseason Grade: A+

3. Joe Nathan- Nathan has been among the most reliable closers again this season, going 27-for-29 in save oppurtunities so far. His 46/10 K/BB limits baserunners and he's allowed just 27 hits in 39.2 innings.
Midseason Grade: A

4. Joakim Soria- Even better than his 25 saves, 1.47 ERA and 46/9 K/BB is the fact he was picked around the 14th round.
Midseason Grade: A

5. Jonathan Papelbon- As the first closer off the board and a 4th round pick, he's gone 3-3 with 28 saves and a 2.43 ERA.
Midseason Grade: A

6. Brad Lidge- Lidge is 19-for-19 is save oppurtunities, rewarding both the Phillies and fantasy owners who put their faith in him with their late 11th round pick.
Midseason Grade: A

7. Kerry Wood- One of the season's best stories, Wood, a 16th round pick, has 24 saves and a 4.23 K/BB.
Midseason Grade: A+

8. George Sherrill- Fantasy managers picked Sherrill as a long shot chance in the late 17th round and ended up striking gold. He has 28 saves, but has blown 3 of his last 5 oppurtunities. Midseason Grade: A- (4.08 ERA)

9. Brian Wilson- 25 saves from a 16th round pick is nice, but the positives end there (4.58 ERA, 2/1 K/BB).
Midseason Grade: B

10.Billy Wagner- 22 saves, 6 blown saves, .193 BAA. Not worth a 7th round pick, but there weren't many better options at closer at that point.
Midseason Grade: B+

The Rest of the Best: Francisco Cordero (B), Jose Valverde (B), Bobby Jenks (B-), Takashi Saito (B-)

Biggest Disappointments:

JJ Putz- After 40 saves last season, has 7 saves and a 5.21 ERA and has pitched in only 20 games thanks to several DL stints. Midseason Grade: F

Trevor Hoffman- Hell's Bells should be ringing to announce his retirement, as he has 17 saves and a 5.08 ERA. Even more painful, he was picked in the middle of the 9th round. Midseason Grade: D-

TOP TEN OVERALL

1. Lance Berkman: .347/22/73/79/15 and a 1.096 OPS= First half NL MVP.

2. Ian Kinsler: .337/14/58/84/23= Unbelievable.

3. Hanley Ramirez: .311/23/45/80/23= Keeper league stud.

4. Josh Hamilton: .310/21/95/60/7= First half AL MVP.

5. Chase Utley: .291/25/69/68/10= Hard to be more solid.

6. Jose Reyes: .302/10/43/68/32= Everything we hoped for.

7. Grady Sizemore: .273/23/54/60/22= Roto beast.

8. Chipper Jones: .376/18/51/56 and a 1.086 OPS= Everyone's favorite Larry.

9. Alex Rodriguez: .312/19/53/53/13= Right on track.

10. Cliff Lee: 12-2/2.31 ERA/1.03 WHIP/106 K= We never saw it coming.

Thanks for reading! All feedback and comments are appreciated. Throughout the rest of the season, I'll continue to bring you both the Fantasy Thermometer and Waiver Prescription each week, as well as hold my Fantasy Chat session, held each Wednesday at 7 PM EST. Good luck in the second half, and be sure to use the RootZoo.com FantasyZone for all your fantasy sports news and advice.