The season’s half over, which means the fantasy season’s half-over (Eureka!). But that also means now is as good a time as any to do a little rewarding for the players who’ve been good to their teams.

I could go on forever about the those I projected correctly or incorrectly in March, but it would take too long.

Rather, let’s just talk about the 1^st-half MVP’s for the year and at each position along with the paces they set for themselves. Few will actually reach or exceed the pace, but their full-season projections do a good job giving you an idea of their absolute value over one half.

My choices were mainly based on two criteria: Five-category production (obviously) and value over relative draft position. The second one is particularly important and here’s an example as to why: Corey Hart and Carlos Beltran have had relatively equal seasons, (Hart’s is a bit better) but where were they drafted relative to each other?

This is critical in fantasy because it usually results in the difference between a winning season and a championship. The serpentine style of drafting is meant to give more or less equal, early-round talent to all teams. Guessing correctly in the late rounds is what confers the true advantage.

Season MVP: Josh Hamilton

You were probably able to wait on him until the double-digit rounds (I know I did), yet he’s ranked comfortably in the season’s top-10 overall. If you drafted him, he probably saved your season from David Ortiz or Prince Fielder. What might have been a lost year of fantasy baseball probably turned into a potential recipe for success thanks to his exploits. He’s the only true contender for a triple crown this season, is on pace to
break the 150-RBI mark and all you had to do was sit patiently as he fell into your lap. That’s an MVP.

Catcher MVP – Geovany Soto and Ryan Doumit

Doumit has undoubtedly provided a higher value over his draft position (as in “undrafted”) but grades lower overall due to a stint on the DL and his lingering platoon situation. But honestly, to have landed either one of these guys has to be making their owners smiling at the half.

Soto is quickly exceeding his pre-draft projections (28HR/98RBI pace) as a late round pick and Doumit’s BA has consistently hovered around the .330-.340 range along with 11 HR.

Honorable Mention: Dioner Navarro, Benji “Name That Moli-Oh wait, It’s just Benji.” Molina

1^st Base MVP – Lance Berkman

There’s no doubt here and you can also peg him for the outfield (replacing one of my other choices) if you prefer. Granted, he was probably drafted within the first three rounds of your league, but the fact is that he’s hit and stolen himself into an entirely different stratosphere than his counterparts. First base this season has been riddled with injury and underachievement, making his accomplishments thus far (Pace: 135 R, 40 HR, 127 RBI, .350 BA and a staggering 22 steals) glow all the brighter.

Honorable Mention: Adrian Gonzalez

2^nd Base MVP – Dan Uggla and Ian Kinsler

It’s unlikely either one of them was picked in the first 5 rounds, but that will certainly change next season. Uggla and crowned-prince Chase Utley have essentially had the same year (Pace: 112, 45, 114, .289, 8), only Utley cost a 1^st round selection while Uggla was frequently tabbed around the 8th. Not bad for a rule-5-er.

Kinsler’s half-season is ranked even higher (# 2 in the Yahoo! Game) than that of the Uggla/Utley pair, leading the AL in BA (.335 after Wednesday) and the majors in runs (81). His pace: 146, 25, 97, .331, and 42 steals screams future 1^st rounder and more and more it seems he was born for the lead-off spot. Needless to say, I happily have him on every team.

Honorable Mention: Dustin Pedroia

3^rd Base MVP – Chipper Jones

Yet another position with massive production problems, (.255 hitter Mark Reynolds for a long time led all regular 3^rd basemen in runs and homers, to give you an idea) Jones has just about put himself above and beyond. We can go into all kinds of detail about Ryan Braun’s great year so far but for a 1^st/early 2^nd-round selection, he hasn’t yet proven to be that much more valuable than Jones - not even an injured Jones - whose pace now stands at 101, 34, 94, .375 and 4. Braun does get honorable mention though, as he’s the only other qualifying hot corner-man to wow anyone … but look out. By season’s end, Evan Longoria will have probably passed them both in terms of value.

Honorable Mention: Ryan Braun, Jorge Cantu

Shortstop MVP – Hanley Ramirez

It doesn’t matter that he was probably drafted 4^th or 5^th overall, if not earlier. His full-season pace of 138, 39, 79, .303 and 39 steals (already a 20-20 man too) is so far ahead of the SS competition that it seems downright tasteless to even have an honorable
mention for the position. I will, but only in the name of consistency, because even runner-up Jose Reyes (even he was drafted in the top-10) is a full level or two behind.

Honorable Mention: Jose Reyes

Outfield MVP – Josh Hamilton, Carlos Quentin,
and Jason Bay

First chair is a no-brainer (and my biased, easy choice for MVP overall). I was able to nab Hamilton in the 13^th round of my keeper league and yet, he has  out-performed every outfielder in baseball, en-route to a  pace of 104, 36, 159, .307 and 7 for the year. If you were lucky enough to draft him, you essentially got a mulligan for whatever 1^st or 2^nd round bust you may have suffered. Major, major value.

Second chair is also fairly obvious. Quentin has done things this season that precious few others have even approached (Pace of 108, 38, 119, .274 and 9, i.e. Carlos Lee) and I put it to you that he wasn’t drafted at all in any league this year. Patient, disciplined and very powerful, he’s establishing himself as a fantasy stud for years. Case-and-point, several of
his 21 homers this season have been to the opposite field.

Someone welcome Jason Bay back to the party. There’s no telling just how easily a player’s draft status can waver from year to year but Bay seems to have become its perfect example, salvaging his reputation a balanced diet of power, patience, and occasional speed. His pace now stands at 113, 31, 84, .291, and 11. One could probably stand to have a few ribbies tacked to that total, but that’s just nit-picking someone who nearly dropped out of the top-100.

Honorable mention: Nate McClouth, Corey Hart, and JD Drew

Utility player of the year: Milton Bradley

He may qualify for the outfield in some leagues. He may not. Regardless, his injury from last season, though tanking his draft status (down in the 200’s), hasn’t stopped him from being the best full-time DH in baseball this season with a scorching pace of 103, 33, 15, .320 and 8. No other full-time DH comes close, nor do many position players who would similarly fit in the utility spot.

Starting Pitchers MVP – Edison Volquez, Tim Lincecum, and Cliff Lee

Many thought Cincinnati took the bad end of the Hamilton trade back in March, but more and more each day the deal looks pretty even-up. Volquez has been nothing short of a revelation for Cincy and fantasy owners alike, now on a pace for a line of 19W, 204K, a 2.36 ERA and a 1.25 WHIP. His numbers are likely to fall some as he experiences the rigors of a full season, but that doesn’t take away from the value he’s contributed so far, despite not even being drafted in most leagues.

You could guarantee Lincecum was drafted somewhere, with an average draft position of 124^th overall. That number doesn’t reflect these numbers: 18, 220, 2.38, and 1.24 – his Cy Young-caliber pace for the year.

Speaking of Cy Young-caliber seasons, Lee has been all over that award-trail. His stuff was never overwhelming and with every start, owners continue to wait for him to finally implode, but he made it half way through and deserves the praise. His current pace for the year: 20, 176, 2.43, 1.04. Pretty gaudy for someone who went largely unpicked in the spring.

Relief Pitchers MVP: Joakim Soria

Others like George Sherrill and Troy Percival were probably draft “throw-ins,” even compared to Soria. But the Royals’ closer has sufficiently out-pitched both to become one of the league’s premier closers (another rule-5-er!). His 1.38 ERA and 0.77 WHIP are equally disgusting, as is his 40 save-pace despite closing for a cellar-dweller. For a better idea of his sheer dominance, his strikeouts-to-base runners ratio is 44:30.

Honorable Mention: Sherrill and Percival

Maybe later we’ll do the league’s biggest disappointments, but for now, how about all of you fantasy players shout out your MVP so far.

This Top 50 list depicts the ideal draft position for the best 50 Fantasy Baseball players in 2008, reflecting not only past production and positional depth, but also potential improvements and collapses from injury or simple ineffectiveness.

Where these players should or should not be ranked is immaterial to the process. If you feel a player deserves to be a couple spots higher, then pre-rank him that way and draft accordingly. This is merely a reference tool for you to utilize while getting a feel for how players at one position relate to each other within the overall rankings.

I think it does well to rank each player strictly according to their projections with the different variables awarding or deducting points where appropriate. A good example is Ichiro, who may not be any more valuable in 2008 than Magglio Ordonez, ranked 12 spots lower. Because Ichiro’s been a top-20 fantasy contributor his entire career, he’s worth the extra round, while Ordonez’s numbers are based on a career year that represented his only elite season since 2002.

Another great example is B.J. Upton, who, in most leagues, will qualify as both a second basemen and an outfielder - two premium positions. You can’t put a price on that kind of versatility, but you can’t necessarily guarantee he’ll reach his projection, either. His skill set and MiLB history fails to support anything more than 18-24 home runs, but his borderline top-30 value is justified based on his 2007 performance, developmental clock and upside.

Most will contend there’s no real difference between first basemen Prince Fielder and Ryan Howard, ranked six spots apart. This is mostly true. Howard and Fielder are pretty likely to be identical in R, HR, and RBI, but ranking them properly has a bit to do with potential gains along with their actual production.

They’re both young, but whereas Fielder is slowly and surely increasing his aptitude for being a quality hitter for average, Howard is experiencing the typical fluctuation of a free swinger. The stark truth is that Howard strikes out too much to hit .300 consistently and is very likely a .280 hitter at best.

While that’s above par in the majors, it’s below average for most fantasy teams. Fielder, despite being somewhat younger and inexperienced, has actually decreased his K-rates while improving his overall patience, tools needed to hit for average in baseball. It’s my prediction he’ll raise himself an entire level above Howard, maybe as soon as this season.

Finally, if there’s a ranking you can’t logically justify, even in extreme cases, please, feel free to voice your opinion. This is just as much about feedback and discussion as it is about preparation.

Thank you in advance for reading. In lieu of a conventional preview, I thought I’d share my history as a fantasy player and I hope you enjoy it.

I’ve been one to try different strategies each season and several worked while others did not. There’s no one set approach that can encompass all of fantasy baseball and there are simply too many variables to turn it into a total science.

I, for one, believe it’s what makes the game so much more fascinating than the other sports’. There’s always something new to try or something fun to learn from your experience, and best of all you get to know MLB in its entirety, far beyond your favorite team.

Schemes and plans change with every changing league. The no-closer strategy I developed five years ago worked wonders for three seasons with most owners using high-round picks on the elite stoppers and allowing me to take advantage of the top starters left over.

Nowadays, players are smarter. Closers aren’t being hyped nearly as much and you may not see one drafted until after four or five rounds. Rightly so, there isn’t a single closer in the Top 50.

Whatever your strategy, just make sure you have the personnel to use it. Integrating your own plan into the draft is usually the best start, and if you realize after a few rounds that your plan may not work, make an adjustment. That’s what being a fantasy manager is all about, and in the end you gain a new perspective for what real general managers do. I know I have.

Worst comes to worst, you’ll have fun watching the team you’ve built lead you to success amongst your baseball brethren, or the anticipation of trying again the following season if you don’t. All in all, the best advice I can give to you is to play for keeps, draft for fun, and never lose sight of being a fan.

Top 10 by Position

Starting Pitchers

Relief Pitchers

First Basemen

Second Basemen

Third Basemen

Shortstops

Catchers

Outfielders

2008 Season Predictions:

MLB’s best value over ADP
Rickie Weeks, Kelly Johnson, Mark Reynolds, Felipe Lopez, Shane Victorino, Adrian Beltre, Stephen Drew, Rich Hill, Chad Billingsley, Matt Cain, Scott Kazmir

AL Fantasy Rookie of the Year
Evan Longoria, 3B – Tampa Bay. I just don’t see any other worthy candidate, but you never know.

NL Fantasy Rookie of the year
Cameron Maybin, CF - Florida. Didn’t we have someone just like him get traded to Florida a couple years ago?

AL Fantasy MVP
Grady Sizemore, CF - Cleveland

NL Fantasy MVP
Matt Holliday, LF - Colorado

AL Fantasy Cy Young
Scott Kazmir, SP – Tampa Bay

NL Fantasy Cy Young
Johan Santana, SP – New York

Biggest Surprise Team
Tampa Bay. They’ll start their ascent to the top with a winning record this season, before another youth movement makes their rotation among the best in baseball. Can you imagine Kazmir, David Price, Jamie Shields, Matt Garza and Wade Davis with Jacob McGee closing for the next 6-7 years? Those are all future frontline starters by the way.

Good luck to everyone this season and I’ll be with you every step of the way.

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