Fantasy All-Stars

July 10, 2009 3:35pm CDT

Normally, Friday is set aside for my Two to Tango column, highlighting the upcoming week's two-start pitchers, but with every team having three or four days off next week given the All-Star break, no starters will get two turns; on the contrary, when setting your lineup for next week, make sure your all your starters aren't completely skipped altogether! With the Two to Tango taking a break, and with the real All-Star game receiving it's typical snubs from the fan vote, I figured this made for the perfect time to list my 2009 fantasy All-Stars. Keep in mind, in fantasy it's all about getting bang for your buck, and thus each selection may not necessarily simply just be the top-ranked player based on Fanball's player rater, but in some cases could be the man who's thus far provided the highest dividends based on his draft-day value. Without further ado, your 2009 fantasy All-Star rosters...

American League

C: Brandon Inge, Tigers: Enjoy the eligibility while it lasts, because Inge hasn't played a game behind the plate all year long. It's tough to deny Joe Mauer this spot, especially because he slipped on draft day with a back injury that kept him out the first month, but Inge likely went undrafted in your league and leads all fantasy backstops with 19 dingers. He also gets points for being tied for the league-lead in web gems on ESPN's Baseball Tonight with eight, being able to dunk a basketball, kick a 50-yard field goal and drive a golf ball 400 yards. Alright, actually he doesn't get points for that, only for the 19 home runs, but that still makes him really, really cool.

1B: Justin Morneau, Twins: The hard-hitting Canadian never seems to get any respect, and could have been nabbed for in the third, and possibly even fourth or fifth round heading into the season, this despite hitting .300 with 129 RBI last year. The 23 home runs from 2007 were clearly a fluke, as Morneau is right on pace with the numbers from his 2006 MVP-winning season and has posted nearly identical stats to Prince Fielder as the second-best first baseman after The Machine. I'm sorry, I just could not have slept at night if I would have tabbed Russell Branyan for this spot.

2B: Aaron Hill, Blue Jays: No competition here. Not that the real-life starter, Dustin Pedroia, has been too disappointing, but Hill likely went undrafted in your league and has already set a career-high in home runs with 20. He hasn't shown any signs of slowing down, either. Ben Zobrist is a super-strong candidate here, but Hill has been better in every category other than steals.

SS: Jason Bartlett, Rays: The battle here was as tough as any, but in the end, you have to hold up Bartlett's hand. A fringe-owned player his entire career, Bartlett has come out of nowhere to become one of the game's top five-tool stat fillers, this despite the fact that he missed three weeks from late-May to mid-June with a sprained ankle. Marco Scutaro and a resurgent Derek Jeter have both made fine cases, but the choice has to be Bartlett.

3B: Russell Branyan, Mariners: Alright, I digress. Chone Figgins and his 24 stolen bases make for a decent case, but Branyan has clearly provided much better value given that he surely went undrafted in all but the deepest of leagues and has mashed 21 homers with a still, for now, respectable .284 batting average. While the power is legit, don't expect him to be on the All-Fantasy team at year's end.

LF: Carl Crawford, Rays: A .313 batting average, eight home runs and 58 runs are all pretty darn solid... oh yeah, and Crawford also has 44 steals. The man stole six bases in one game for goodness sake; that's just one less than Alfonso Soriano has all season! Crawford looks like a lock to become just the third man to reach 70 steals since the turn of the century (Scott Podsednik in 2003, Jose Reyes in 2007), and it's that unmatched speed that gives him the edge over the breakout star Adam Lind.

CF: Torii Hunter, Angels: Among AL outfielders, Hunter ranks in the top three in RBI and runs and the top 10 in batting average, home runs and steals. His value as a five-category stud is as impressive as anyone in the league, giving him the nod over a young center fielder in his mold, Adam Jones.

RF: Shin-Soo Choo, Indians: While his numbers aren't quite as high as Hunter's, Choo's all-around production across the board has too been invaluable. Those that followed Choo at the end of last year knew that he had potential to hit for a nice average with decent pop, but the speed has been most surprising. Jermaine Dye gets a shout out as well for continuing to mash, but Choo was certainly drafted lower, if at all, and thus gets the nomination.

SP: Edwin Jackson, Tigers: Not surprisingly, there's a whole bunch of candidates here. The pick, however, goes to Jackson because of how truly out-of-nowhere the first half of his season has proliferated. Believe it or not, it is Jackson, at 1.07, with the lowest WHIP of any eligible starter in the AL. Zack Greinke and Felix Hernandez are the two runners up, both finally reaching the other-worldly potential that they've seemingly possessed since they were drafted, while Justin Verlander's bounce-back campaign gains notice as well. Ricky Romero is a guy to keep an eye on by season's end.

RP: J.P. Howell: Brian Fuentes leads the league in saves, while Mariano Rivera, Joe Nathan and Jonathan Papelbon have been their usual dominant selves. Still, if you're talking value, the race is down to Howell and Andrew Bailey, both middle relievers to open the year. Each has seemingly cemented a role as their team's closer with a stellar ERAs, WHIPs and strikeout numbers. The edge goes to Howell, simply because he plays in a more competitive division. George Sherrill deserves consideration as well.

National League

C: Yadier Molina, Cardinals: Ugh. Russell Martin, Geovany Soto and Brian McCann have both been huge busts, as has Chris Iannetta. Bengie Molina has also been a bit disappointing, so we'll give the nod younger bro Yadi over John Baker, the only two other playable backstops in the NL. Yadier's been right on par with last year, when he first became fantasy relevant, and he has also somehow swiped five bases despite his designation as one of the slowest players in the league.

1B: Albert Pujols, Cardinals: Pujols wasn't the consensus No. 1 pick this year, usually going between Nos. 2 through 4, and that alone makes him a fantasy All-Star. The man is simply ridiculous, hitting for his usual lofty average, looking to mash 50 home runs for the first time in his career and also on pace for a career-high RBI total, not to mention his coming out of nowhere to log double-digit stolen bases before the All-Star break. He also has nearly twice as many walks (69) as strikeouts (35). He's not a machine, he's Albert, but is there really any difference?

2B: Chase Utley, Phillies: Utley entered the season with relatively major injury concerns, coming off hip surgery in late-November. Still, the man that was an MVP candidate for much of last season has actually been better this year. Despite the early-season heroics of Ian Kinsler, Utley continues to be the MLB's cream of the crop at second base. Orlando Hudson and Clint Barmes have both provided nice value at the position, but Hudson's slowed down of late and Barmes started of too weak to merit the selection.

SS: Miguel Tejada, Astros: This spot can clearly go to Hanley Ramirez, who's been every bit what his owners could have expected when they took him at the top of the draft, and very likely with the No. 1 pick. Still, his slow start opened the door for Miggy, who had seen his batting average, home run and RBI totals decline over each of the three season's prior, not to mention his rash of off-the-field issues he went through this offseason, but has still managed to bounce back in a major way this season. He leads all major league shortstops with 112 hits.

3B: Mark Reynolds, Diamondbacks: Consensus choice right here. The batting average is, and always will be, mediocre, but 24 home runs and 15 stolen bases, not to mention 62 RBI and 54 runs, have made him arguably the best four-category offensive performer this season, albeit in an unconventional manner.

LF: Raul Ibanez, Phillies: A strained groin has kept Ibanez out since mid-June, but he still gets the nod. That's how good he was before getting hurt, as everyone should be just fine taking the 22 home runs along with a .312 batting average and fine RBI and run totals. Ryan Braun has remained excellent, though Ibanez has provided similarly phenomenal numbers from a far lower draft pick.

CF: Jayson Werth, Phillies: Werth typically mans up right field for the Phillies, but he did play 31 games in center last year and has been used there from time to time this season, and we'll give him the nod due to a lack of many other candidates, given his real potential to go 35-20. Teammate Shane Victorino would be the other most deserving man, although he's done pretty much what we all expected. Michael Bourn was also a consideration, as he's finally been able to get on base and utilize his elite speed, although he's still a huge damper on the home run and RBI numbers.

RF: Justin Upton, Diamondbacks: With Werth out of the way, this becomes a two-man race between Upton and Hawpe. While I don't expect either to be quite as productive going forward, you can't deny how great both of these mid-to-late rounders have fared thus far. Upton gets the edge based on speed.

SP: Dan Haren, Diamondbacks: While I did profile Haren in my latest Selling High column and expect a big dropoff going forward, that doesn't mean that I won't give him his props for what he's accomplished thus far. Rated after the top hurlers and in the second-tier of starters heading into the season, Haren's 2.16 ERA is the best in the NL, and his 0.83 WHIP is really just silly. Tim Lincecum's rough start held him back from this spot, while Chris Carpenter, Josh Johnson, Javier Vazquez, Matt Cain, Yovani Gallardo, and even Randy Wells and Joel Pineiro could have put together decent cases for the selection as well.

RP: Ryan Franklin, Cardinals: Huston Street deserves consideration, although he was shaky to open the season. Jonathan Broxton, Francisco Cordero and Heath Bell have all been stellar as well, although you at least could have predicted their success this year. That's not the case with Franklin, who did not take long to beat out several more highly-rated youngsters for St. Louis' closing role. He's 20-for-21 on save chances and is rolling with an identical ERA and WHIP at 0.83.