Fantasy Baseball 2014: Updating Top 150 Big Board Post-All-Star Break

With the 2014 baseball season entering the second half, the fantasy version of the sport still needs all kinds of attention. Like, every-week attention—lest we fickle fantasy team owners get frustrated and cranky, and that just isn't good for anyone.

With that in mind, it's time for an update of the Big Board, which focuses on evaluating players' values over the rest of the season. Below is a ranking of the top 150 players from now until the end of September. With opinions and circumstances changing since the last iteration, including player performances, transactions and injuries, a refreshing is in order.

Think of it as your security blanket in an otherwise insecure world.

Before getting to that, though, some housekeeping is needed, as this lengthy list of the top talents comes with a few key qualifications. First, everything is based on 10- or 12-team mixed leagues with standard 5x5 rotisserie scoring for hitters (BA, R, HR, RBI, SB) and pitchers (W, ERA, WHIP, K, SV).

Second, lineup construction accounts for 22 active-roster positions, consisting of one each for catcher, first base, second base, third base, shortstop, corner infield, middle infield and utility, along with five outfielders and nine pitchers.

And third, to be eligible at a particular position, players must have played at least 20 games there in 2013 or 10 games in 2014.

With that out of the way, get ready to count down, starting with No. 150 and working all the way to No. 1.

RANK		TEAM		LAST
150	Matt Cain	Giants	SP
149	Alex Cobb	Rays	SP	118
148	Tim Hudson	Giants	SP	128
147	Allen Craig	Cardinals	1B/OF	111
146	John Lackey	Red Sox	SP	124
145	Matt Kemp	Dodgers	OF	121
144	Adam LaRoche	Nationals	1B
143	Desmond Jennings	Rays	OF
142	Joey Votto	Reds	1B	56
141	Corey Dickerson	Rockies	OF	129
140	Jonathan Papelbon	Phillies	RP
139	Huston Street	Angels	RP
138	Eric Hosmer	Royals	1B
137	Alex Gordon	Royals	OF	NR
136	Zack Wheeler	Mets	SP	NR
135	Brian McCann	Yankees	C
134	Khris Davis	Brewers	OF	NR
133	Aramis Ramirez	Brewers	3B	NR
132	Salvador Perez	Royals	C	NR
131	Gerrit Cole	Pirates	SP	120
130	Yordano Ventura	Royals	SP
129	Mark Teixeira	Yankees	1B	NR
128	Ian Kennedy	Padres	SP	144
127	Josh Beckett	Dodgers	SP	143
126	Daniel Murphy	Mets	2B
125	Christian Yelich	Marlins	OF	NR
124	Carlos Santana	Indians	C/1B/3B	134
123	Devin Mesoraco	Reds	C
122	David Robertson	Yankees	RP
121	Rafael Soriano	Nationals	RP
120	Francisco Rodriguez	Brewers	RP
119	Matt Carpenter	Cardinals	2B/3B	109
118	Mike Minor	Braves	SP	104
117	Starling Marte	Pirates	OF
116	Brett Gardner	Yankees	OF
115	Jason Heyward	Braves	OF
114	Elvis Andrus	Rangers	SS	93
113	Mike Morse	Giants	1B/OF
112	Brandon Belt	Giants	1B
111	Justin Verlander	Tigers	SP	87
110	Mike Napoli	Red Sox	1B
109	Matt Holliday	Cardinals	OF
108	Evan Gattis	Braves	C/OF
107	Matt Adams	Cardinals	1B	138
106	Ryan Zimmerman	Nationals	3B/OF
105	Pedro Alvarez	Pirates	3B
104	Alexei Ramirez	White Sox	SS	91
103	Homer Bailey	Reds	SP
102	Jose Reyes	Blue Jays	SS	92
101	Shin-Soo Choo	Rangers	OF	64
100	Nolan Arenado	Rockies	3B
99	Anibal Sanchez	Tigers	SP
98	Charlie Blackmon	Rockies	OF
97	Alex Rios	Rangers	OF	47
96	Sean Doolittle	Athletics	RP	133
95	Chase Utley	Phillies	2B	76
94	Cliff Lee	Phillies	SP	136
93	Tyson Ross	Padres	SP	123
92	Chris Archer	Rays	SP	103
91	Josh Hamilton	Angels	OF	74
90	Pablo Sandoval	Giants	3B	122
89	James Shields	Royals	SP	78
88	Manny Machado	Orioles	3B	130
87	Jonathan Lucroy	Brewers	C
86	Mat Latos	Reds	SP	113
85	Glen Perkins	Twins	RP
84	Starlin Castro	Cubs	SS
83	Kenley Jansen	Dodgers	RP
82	Gregory Polanco	Pirates	OF
81	Justin Morneau	Rockies	1B
80	Trevor Rosenthal	Cardinals	RP	99
79	Koji Uehara	Red Sox	RP
78	Hyun-Jin Ryu	Dodgers	SP	96
77	Doug Fister	Nationals	SP	95
76	Melky Cabrera	Blue Jays	OF
75	Dustin Pedroia	Red Sox	2B	65
74	Gio Gonzalez	Nationals	SP
73	Buster Posey	Giants	C/1B
72	Jay Bruce	Reds	OF	57
71	Jayson Werth	Nationals	OF	94
70	Greg Holland	Royals	RP
69	Aroldis Chapman	Reds	RP
68	Craig Kimbrel	Braves	RP
67	Ian Desmond	Nationals	SS
66	Sonny Gray	Athletics	SP
65	Scott Kazmir	Athletics	SP	98
64	Dee Gordon	Dodgers	2B/SS
63	Evan Longoria	Rays	3B	48
62	Brandon Moss	Athletics	1B/OF
61	George Springer	Astros	OF
60	Jeff Samardzija	Athletics	SP	79
59	Jordan Zimmermann	Nationals	SP
58	David Wright	Mets	3B
57	Chris Davis	Orioles	1B	37
56	Yoenis Cespedes	Athletics	OF
55	Jason Kipnis	Indians	2B
54	Hisashi Iwakuma	Mariners	SP
53	Bryce Harper	Nationals	OF
52	David Ortiz	Red Sox	UTIL
51	Justin Upton	Braves	OF	32
50	Corey Kluber	Indians	SP	61
49	Hunter Pence	Giants	OF
48	Kyle Seager	Mariners	3B	85
47	Brian Dozier	Twins	2B
46	Carlos Gonzalez	Rockies	OF	100
45	Jon Lester	Red Sox	SP
44	Garrett Richards	Angels	SP	84
43	Anthony Rendon	Nationals	2B/3B	69
42	Michael Brantley	Indians	OF	52
41	Ian Kinsler	Tigers	2B
40	Adrian Gonzalez	Dodgers	1B
39	Albert Pujols	Angels	1B
38	Jacoby Ellsbury	Yankees	OF
37	Julio Teheran	Braves	SP
36	Cole Hamels	Phillies	SP
35	Madison Bumgarner	Giants	SP
34	Todd Frazier	Reds	3B	45
33	Edwin Encarnacion	Blue Jays	1B	9
32	Ryan Braun	Brewers	OF
31	Hanley Ramirez	Dodgers	SS
30	Josh Donaldson	Athletics	3B
29	Jose Altuve	Astros	2B
28	Billy Hamilton	Reds	OF	67
27	Zack Greinke	Dodgers	SP
26	Max Scherzer	Tigers	SP
25	Freddie Freeman	Braves	1B
24	Stephen Strasburg	Nationals	SP
23	Nelson Cruz	Orioles	OF
22	Adrian Beltre	Rangers	3B
21	Anthony Rizzo	Cubs	1B	31
20	Johnny Cueto	Reds	SP
19	Victor Martinez	Tigers	1B
18	Chris Sale	White Sox	SP	30
17	Yasiel Puig	Dodgers	OF
16	Jose Bautista	Blue Jays	OF
15	Yu Darvish	Rangers	SP
14	David Price	Rays	SP
13	Adam Wainwright	Cardinals	SP
12	Adam Jones	Orioles	OF
11	Robinson Cano	Mariners	2B
10	Jose Abreu	White Sox	1B
9	Giancarlo Stanton	Marlins	OF
8	Carlos Gomez	Brewers	OF
7	Troy Tulowitzki	Rockies	SS
6	Felix Hernandez	Mariners	SP
5	Clayton Kershaw	Dodgers	SP
4	Paul Goldschmidt	Diamondbacks	1B
3	Andrew McCutchen	Pirates	OF
2	Miguel Cabrera	Tigers	1B/3B
1	Mike Trout	Angels	OF

Ins and Outs

This time around, seven players fell off the Big Board:

• Andrew Cashner: The injury-prone right-hander has remained just that after a hot start that had owners everywhere hoping he could avoid such a fate.
• Michael Wacha: At this stage, even getting Wacha, who's dealing with a rare stress reaction in his right elbow, back on the mound for more than a handful of starts might be as good as it gets.
• Jonathan Singleton: The rookie has more talent than someone hitting .182 with a 36.4 percent strikeout rate, but he's clearly going through a major adjustment period in his first taste.
• Jean Segura: Forget fantasy here, and just send Segura plenty of positive thoughts and prayers in reality.
• Angel Pagan: He just can't get past a back injury that has kept him out since June 14 and is expected to keep him out into August, per Alex Pavlovic of the San Jose Mercury News.
• Yadier Molina: He wasn't having the fantasy season we've come to expect, and now surgery to repair a torn ligament in his thumb will leave Molina on the sideline until late August. At least.
• Masahiro Tanaka: Even though his partially torn elbow ligament has been prescribed another month-plus of rest, chances are he'll have to go under the knife; and even if he doesn't, we won't know until late August, and Tanaka still might not be 100 percent. So from No. 16 overall to off the Board.

The seven newbies replacing them, highlighted on the Big Board, are:

• Alex Gordon: He's not particularly adept in any one area, but Gordon's been, as usual, a steady performer who can contribute to all five hitting categories.
• Zack Wheeler: Even with one absolute dud (6 ER in 2.0 IP on June 25), Wheeler has a 3.07 ERA, 1.16 WHIP and 59 strikeouts in 58.2 innings over his past 10 starts.
• Khris Davis: The batting average might not help much (.250), but it's hard to ignore 16 homers and 50 RBI anymore.
• Aramis Ramirez: When Ramirez is healthy, he's always been productive. And, well, he's healthy.
• Salvador Perez: He may fall short of reaching his 79 RBIs from 2013, but Perez is on pace to set new bests in runs (39), doubles (17), homers (11) and, hey, he even stole his first base this year.
• Mark Teixeira: The wrist is a constant concern, but Teixeira's 17 home runs and 48 RBI prove he can still hit 'em out.
• Christian Yelich: In his first full season, Yelich has very quietly put up some strong fantasy numbers: .276 BA, 52 R, 8 HR, 31 RBI, 11 SB—even while missing two weeks to injury in June.

Wilfredo Lee/Associated Press

On the Bubble

Because you're probably wondering about some players just outside the top 150, disregarding those who fell off this week, that list includes:

• Kole Calhoun, Mark Trumbo, Howie Kendrick, Marcell Ozuna, Lance Lynn, Jason Hammel, Jose Quintana, Jered Weaver, Erick Aybar, Alex Wood, Rajai Davis, Kevin Gausman, Jake Odorizzi, Jake Arrieta, Jake McGee, Cody Allen, Mark Melancon, Steve Cishek, Joakim Soria

Keep in mind: When a few players at the same position are bunched together—like pitchers Matt Cain, Alex Cobb and Tim Hudson—it means they're more or less in the same boat, with no clear favorite at the moment.

That can and will change as more information, news, injuries and performances come to light. But for now, when players are grouped, consider their value to your team based more on specific category need than overall ranking.

Risers and Fallers

The right-most column marked "LAST" on the Big Board indicates a player who rose or fell in the rankings by at least 10 spots in either direction from the previous edition. Similar to the new additions, players who saw their value improve by that margin are highlighted.

Here are the reasons for some of the biggest risers this week:

• Matt Adams: After yet another home run Saturday, Adams has nine homers and 26 RBI in 31 games since getting off the disabled list in mid-June.
• Cliff Lee: He is finally ready to return; he'll start Monday against the San Francisco Giants, according to Jim Salisbury of CSN Philly. If he's close to being the usual Cliff Lee, this could be a big boost for owners who've been without him since May 18.
• Pablo Sandoval: Remember when Sandoval was killing your batting average with a sub-.200 mark into mid-May? Well, he's up to .280 on the year, to go with 12 homers, 43 RBI and 44 runs. 
• Manny Machado: It seems even the All-Star break couldn't cool off Machado, who smashed a homer in the first game of the second half for his sixth in his past 14 games.
• Jeff Samardzija: Hey, any starting pitcher who goes from the Chicago Cubs to the Oakland Athletics is going to win some games, which still matters in fantasy.
• Carlos Gonzalez: Cautious optimism here, as CarGo has recovered from surgery to remove a tumor in his thumb, but let's see how it impacts his performance going forward.
• Garrett Richards: After matching King Felix pitch for pitch on Friday (highlights below), it's time we all start considering Richards (11 W, 2.47 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 9.2 K/9) a borderline No. 1 starting pitcher for fantasy purposes.
• Billy Hamilton: In 42 games since the start of June, Hamilton has hit four homers and driven in—get this—28 runs while hitting .312. He's no longer just a base stealer.
• Anthony Rizzo: With 22 homers already, Rizzo is just one shy of his career high set last year, and his total is in the top five in the sport.

Meanwhile, the big fallers dropped because of the following:

• Allen Craig: Now that Matt Adams is playing regularly while hitting for more power and rookie Oscar Taveras is once again in the picture, Craig's playing time has dipped after his production already had. 
• Matt Kemp: If Kemp still wants to be a starting center fielder, maybe he should show he can do better than a .265 average, eight homers and five steals.
• Joey Votto: Sure, Votto might be back at some nebulous point in the future this year, but he wasn't doing anything even when he was playing, and that quad injury doesn't seem to be getting any better.
• Corey Dickerson: With Carlos Gonzalez back, Dickerson has seen his PT dry up, which is a shame, because he deserves a better fate, even on a Rockies team with about 17 outfielders.
• Gerrit Cole: A sore right back/shoulder area has been plaguing Cole for the past month or so, and while he's eligible to come off the disabled list July 20, Jenn Menendez of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports there are no indications he's ready to do so.
• Mike Minor: After missing the first month of 2014, Minor has fallen back into some early-career problems, namely being too hittable (10.8 H/9) and homer-prone (1.5 HR/9).
• Elvis Andrus: He does have 50 runs and 20 stolen bases, but that's the entirety of Andrus' fantasy value, and with the surrounding lineup falling apart, who knows if the runs will continue.
• Shin-Soo Choo: In case you weren't sure the Texas Rangers—owners of the worst record in MLB these days—were completely done, Choo and his .186/.256/.292 line since June 15 joins Andrus on this list of Board droppers.
• Alex Rios: Oh, and Rios and his—count 'em—four homers, too.

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

Wrapping Up

Are you refreshed after a few days off during the All-Star break? I hope so, because the next month is when the dog days set in, both in real and fantasy baseball.

Also coming up in both versions of the sport? The trade deadline, which hits on July 31 in MLB and thereabouts in most fantasy leagues.

In other words, make sure you do your due diligence when it comes to evaluating your roster's position holes and category needs, and then make a move or two that will address those.

At this point, trades are your best chance to improve your club going forward, primarily because the best waiver-wire adds and top-tier prospects are owned everywhere. To make a major impact, you'll need to look at other rosters as a way to better your own.

And as much as it might be painful, you should start ignoring the names of your players and focusing instead on their numbers. If that means trading—or even cutting—someone you're a fan of or had high hopes for, then so be it.

Statistics are accurate through July 19 and come from MLB.com, Baseball-Reference.com and FanGraphs.com, except where otherwise noted.

To talk baseball or fantasy baseball, check in with me on Twitter: @JayCat11