What is up party people? Now that All-Star rosters have been announced and we are rapidly approaching the break it is time to take a look at the Fantasy Baseball Points League All-Star hitters. Obviously these guys are near the top of the leaderboards but I can’t help but give some special recognition to guys who are having a better season than anticipated. There are many more guys than those mentioned below who have made a case to be All-Stars but not everyone can make the team.
Catcher:
William Contreras – He wasn’t the first catcher off the board in draft season but he’s been one of the best hitters at the position. The most impressive part of his season isn’t the near .300 batting average or the double digit home runs, it’s that he has been in the lineup almost everyday. Gotta love the universal DH.
Adley Rutschman – If you paid up for him on draft day, you can sleep soundly with the knowledge that your top 50 pick got you a top two catcher. Of course, you could have grabbed the number one catcher 30 plus picks later but I digress. As for Adley, he has been putting up a very fine season at the plate with a solid average and power. All in all, you have to like what he’s doing.
First Base:
Alec Bohm – I was a fan coming into the season but this is way beyond what I expected or even dreamed of. He has made his living with doubles this season and as of right now his 30 lead the league. Other than that, he doesn’t really stand out in any particular area but he has been strong across the board and that earns him the nod.
Josh Naylor – Average ain’t pretty but his power is up and he’s still driving in runs like he did last year. Actually, he is on pace to blow past last year’s RBI mark by a comfortable margin. Not sure that he’ll bat above .300 but I also don’t think he’ll still be sub .250 by the end of the season. So as good as he has been there’s room for him to be better, especially if the power holds and he gets up around 35.
Second Base:
Ketel Marte – Leading all second basemen in home runs while being third in batting average lands him here. The power surge has been great but I don’t know that we can expect him continue on this pace based on the past few years. He did put up 32 in 2019 so there’s a chance but that season is looking more and more like an outlier. Regardless of where he finishes the season, approaching the halfway point he has earned his place.
Brice Turang – Speed is his game and although he is nowhere close to the league lead he is in second place. He gets the nod here because he has done enough other things at the plate to be one of the top middle infield options. His biggest improvement from last year has been in his batting average. I’m not sure if it will last, he wasn’t known for his batting average in the minors, but he’s earned his place here.
Third Base:
Jose Ramirez – Is it fair to say that it feels like he might still be underrated? I know he was undervalued during draft season with an ADP outside the first round. The past few seasons he has been a lock to go 20/20 and this year he has 30/30 well within his sights approaching the break. He’s long been one of my favorite points league targets and he just keeps chugging along.
Elly De La Cruz – My worry with him has always been his K rate but in spite of striking out in 31% of his at bats he has put up a top notch first half. Seriously, he leads the league in strikeouts but he’s still top 5 at the hot corner in both CBS and ESPN. He’s already surpassed most of last years counting stats and it won’t be long until everything results in a new career high. The danger of the bottom falling out like we saw down the stretch last season is still there unless he can cut down on his swing and miss but there’s no way I would even think about moving him unless there’s a king’s ransom coming back. I am encouraged to see him walking a bit more than last year so even if he still swings and misses to much he is at least being slightly more judicious about when he swings.
Shortstop:
Bobby Witt Jr – Almost feels anticlimactic since he was drafted but he has been too good to leave off. Third in the league in both batting average and doubles with enough pop to make things interesting will do that.
Gunnar Henderson – If you’re in a CBS standard league Gunnar is the top shortstop while Witt has the edge in ESPN. He may lag a bit behind in the batting average and doubles department but he has made up the difference with his 27 home runs, good for third best in baseball.
Outfield:
Aaron Judge – Both his power and batting average have been awesome and approaching the season’s halfway point he is making a very strong case for MVP both in real life and in fantasy. The quest for 62 will be something to watch.
Jurickson Profar – I’ll be the first to admit that I did not expect to see Profar as a points league All-Star but he has more than earned his spot, so credit where credit is due. Not bad for a guy who likely started the year buried on the waiver wire.
Steven Kwan – Absolutely loved him this year and it seems like he loves me back because he has been nothing short of excellent. We knew he doesn’t like to strike out (8% this season) and we knew he would turn in a strong batting average but his .364 has him about 30 points ahead of second place. Somehow he has done all that while boosting his power. With 9 on the season he has not only set a new career high, he is just 2 dongs away from equaling his past two seasons combined. The speed hasn’t been there but that could be a lingering consequence of his hamstring injury and should start to come out in the second half.
Brandon Nimmo – Gotta love what he’s brought to the table which is a little bit of everything. It all adds up to a great points league season. You love to see it.
Jarren Duran – Last season was his breakout and this season he has been even better. He has good speed and it’s great to see him utilize it to rack up doubles.
Utility:
Shohei Ohtani – You all knew he would be the pick here. He may not be able to take the mound this season but purely as a hitter he’s still pretty darn good. On the season he is rapidly approaching 30 bombs backed by a .315 average and has even mixed in over 20 steals. Simply put, he has been one of the best hitters in baseball.
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