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With the AL and NL All-Stars showing their skills on Tuesday night, we're going to take a look at who made RotoBaller's mid-season all-star team for fantasy baseball. There are a lot of big names on the list but also a few surprises who have had big statistical seasons.
It's really hard to pick just 9 guys - and while these 9 are pretty tough to take issue with, we're certain you can add 2 more worthy candidates at each position. We are not excluding those players, or slighting them, as much as we are highlighting the fantastic performances of this group. Without further ado...
The Combined NL & AL All-Star Lineup
Starting Pitcher (SP) - Felix Hernandez
Despite amazing seasons by pitchers like Clayton Kershaw, Johnny Cueto, and David Price to name a few, it is Hernandez who stands out as the top MLB and fantasy baseball pitcher thus far.
He is not only second in strikeouts with 145, but also sports an ERA of 2.11 and an out of this world WHIP of 0.89! Hernandez seems to be getting better with age.
He also gets the nod for consistency as he leads MLB in innings pitched with 136.1. He is on pace for a hall-of-fame caliber season.
Closer (RP) - Craig Kimbrel
Not very often does a player who is the consensus top pick at his position actually end up there; however Kimbrel is the clear choice as top MLB and fantasy baseball relief pitcher. Kimbrel is tied for the league lead with 27 saves while posting a solid 2.04 ERA and 0.93 ERA. Where he really stands out is with his strikeout totals as he has 60 strikeouts in just 35.1 innings.
Catcher (C) - Jonathan Lucroy
On a Milwaukee team featuring Segura, Braun and Gomez, it has been Lucroy that has been the heartbeat of their (and many fantasy teams) offense. For catchers with over 100 at-bats he is first in batting average and runs with .333 and 42 respectively, while also being second in RBIs with 44.
First Base (1B) - Paul Goldschmidt
Easily the deepest position in all of MLB and fantasy baseball, there were a myriad of options that you could take and not go wrong. With that said, Goldschmidt brings the complete all-around game fantasy owners love.
His 15 homeruns and 56 RBI are right in line with the top producers like Miguel Cabrera and Freddie Freeman, but he gets the nod as top choice due to his 1B leading 63 runs scored and 8 stolen bases.
Second Base (2B) - Jose Altuve
At the start of the year who would have thought that an Astros player would have made this list, but Altuve has to be in the mix for fantasy MVP this season. The Houston spark plug has just 2 homeruns this year but has used his speed to score 43 runs and steal an amazing 37 bases. That total was helped when he became the first player in 97 years to steal multiple bases in 4 straight games. He is an elite stolen base source matched only by Dee Gordon, but Altuve's elite batting-title-worthy .335 BA makes him the easy choice as the top 2B in MLB and the fantasy game right now.
Shortstop (SS) - Troy Tulowitzki
Sure Tulowitzki has cooled down from his .400+ batting average start, but to this point in the season he leads all shortstops in homers and runs (which he leads by a remarkable 17 over Dee Gordon).
Even with being the top power threat at the position, he is still hitting .350 and despite having only 1 stolen base, there is no argument for anyone else to be the top pick at shortstop.
Third Base (3B) - Todd Frazier
Frazier leads one of the weakest positions in fantasy baseball and nearly every one of the players there has flaws. Casey McGehee and Josh Donaldson are viable options, however McGehee’s complete lack of power and Donaldson’s average were too much to overlook. Frazier provides an all-around game with a .288 average, 19 home runs, 53 RBI, 57 runs and most importantly 14 stolen bases. It is hard to overlook all of that production. Frazier is perhaps the biggest breakout player this year and you'll find him on many winning fantasy squads this year.
Outfield (OF) - Nelson Cruz
Coming off a PED suspension in 2013, no one expected Cruz to explode like he has this year in Baltimore. The new Orioles slugger leads all outfielders in home runs (27) and RBI (70) to go along with a solid .286 average and 51 runs. He is prone to stretches of little production, but he also has the ability to carry a team on his shoulders like he did with his 13 homer month in May.
Outfield (OF) - Mike Trout
![By Keith Allison from Owings Mills, USA (Mike Trout) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons](http://www.rotoballer.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Mike-Trout-Los-Angeles-Angels-MLB-News1-150x150.jpeg)
Like Kimbrel, Trout was the top player coming into the year and he has lived up to his massive expectations.
After an early "slump" he now has his average back to .308 to go along with 20 HR (3rd among OF’s), 63 RBI (2nd among OF’s) and 57 runs scored (4th among OF’s).
If you were lucky enough to draft him with the #1 or #2 overall picks, just continue to enjoy the ride. At only 23 years old, Trout will be a pleasure for MLB fans and fantasy owners to watch for years to come.
Outfield (OF) - Andrew McCutchen
One of the "quieter" MLB and fantasy baseball superstars, McCutchen makes the list for his superior all-around fantasy game. Like Trout he contributes positively in all five of the main fantasy hitting categories. McCutchen is not in the top five in any one statistical category, but because he doesn’t hurt your team anywhere he gives your team a chance to compete across the board and is a true #1 OF stud.
Designated Hitter (DH) - Jose Abreu
Yea, we know, Abreu isn't a DH. And he does technically rank below Goldschmidt in the 1B rankings (he's 12th overall, while Goldy is 11th). But Abreu deserves mentioning in any 1st half all-stars article, so we're fitting him in as the DH of our squad. The big Cuban slugger has taken the league by storm with his raw power, racking up an MLB best 29 HR (pacing for 49) and a whopping 73 RBIs (2 off of Miguel Cabrera's league leading 75).
Perhaps most impressively, Abreu, who was striking out a ton and barely walking in May, has altered his approach and raised his average all the way to .291. Abreu is doing this all in his first year in the majors, setting multiple rookie records in the process. Like Frazier, and many of these guys, he's another player you'll find on many winning fantasy squads this year.
