Fantasy Baseball 2014: Updating the Top 150 Big Board, Week 6

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

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

With that in mind, it's time for the weekly 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.

Elise Amendola/Associated Press

Ins and Outs

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

• Yovani Gallardo: He's been fine since his hot start but nowhere near as hot as he was during that stretch.
• Kyle Seager: At this point, Seager needs a couple more big weekends like the one he had at April's end to stay on the Big Board.
• Xander Bogaerts: His .364 OBP is great in real life. His .252 average, one homer and five RBI aren't so great in fantasy. Bogaerts feels like the kind of youngster who will "click" at some point, but it hasn't happened yet.
• Mark Trumbo: Hey, sometimes when you're injured for another month-plus, it's easy to lose ground.
• Brandon Phillips: His fantasy value has officially cratered. No longer can Phillips be relied on for much more than double digits in the HR category.
• Martin Perez: So much for that 26-inning scoreless streak, eh?
• Alex Wood: Despite a dynamite start to his first full season, Wood has been shifted to the bullpen to accommodate the return of Gavin Floyd—at least, apparently, for now, as Cory McCartney of Fox Sports South reports. If the Braves' plan to limit the lefty's innings is real, then he could jump back on the board.

Mark Duncan/Associated Press

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

• Sergio Romo: Currently second in baseball with 12 saves, Romo's given up all of three runs and 10 baserunners in his 16.1 innings.
• Ian Kennedy: He hops on in the wake of a seven-inning, one-run, 12-strikeout gem this past week, which brought his season totals to a 3.12 ERA, 1.08 WHIP and 10.3 K/9. He's been revitalized as a Padre.
• Tim Hudson: The Energizer Bunny of pitchers, Hudson has been waaaaay better than you think with a 1.99 ERA and a ridiculous 0.74 WHIP. This won't last, but he's in a great spot in San Francisco, so enjoy his production while it does.
• Jhonny Peralta: The .240 average has been rising steadily (.375, 12-for-32 this month) and the eight homers are no joke, especially from shortstop.
• Michael Brantley: He's always been a better-in-real-life player, but perhaps Brantley is changing that by coming into his own? With seven homers and 30 RBI (fourth-most in MLB) already, he's well on his way to surpassing his career highs of 10 and 73, set last year.
• Nate Eovaldi: Saturday night's start was the first in which he didn't go at least six innings, and his 48-to-10 strikeout-to-walk ratio (in 50.1 frames) says this 24-year-old breakout arm is very much for real.
• Brian Dozier: He might be a sell-high candidate, but there's no more ignoring Dozier's pop-speed combo that has him looking like a lock for a 25-25 season, if not more.

John Minchillo/Associated Press

On the Bubble

Because you're probably wondering about some players just outside the top 150, not including those who fell off this week, that list includes:

• John Lackey, Justin Masterson, Rajai Davis, Angel Pagan, Daniel Murphy, Christian Yelich, Mat Latos, Scott Kazmir, Salvador Perez, Marco Estrada, Dillon Gee, Garrett Richards, A.J. Burnett, C.J. Wilson, Brett Lawrie, Jed Lowrie, Torii Hunter and Mark Teixeira.

Keep in mind: When a few players at the same position are bunched together—like starting pitchers Wily Peralta, Nate Eovaldi and Zack Wheeler—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 performance 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 placement.

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:

• Francisco Rodriguez: He's still leading the majors in saves, still hasn't given up a run, still striking out more than a batter an inning. Who saw this late-career resurrection coming?
• Ervin Santana: Hes 5-for-six in quality starts, has a 1.99 ERA and 43 whiffs in 40.2 innings.
• Dee Gordon: With an MLB-best 24 steals—including three more Saturday—Gordon is just about lapping the field.
• Ryan Zimmerman: Injured player nearing return part one.
• Josh Hamilton: Injured player nearing return part two.
• Nolan Arenado: If a 28-game hitting streak won't bump you up in the ranks, then simply hitting amid the ridiculous Rockies lineup will.
• Jeff Samardzija: Since when does a 1.45 ERA—second-best in baseball!—equal not only zero wins but also three losses? That limits Samardzija's value, but everything aside from W's is dandy.
• Victor Martinez: Arguably the steadiest hitter around, V-Mart also should be gaining first base eligibility soon in most leagues (eight games there so far), which will make him easier to utilize and more valuable, too.
• Johnny Cueto: OK, Johnny, we're done fighting you and your MLB-best ERA (1.43) and MLB-best WHIP (0.73).
• Ryan Braun: His owners will be happy to hear the injury-prone star, recovering from a strained right oblique, is expected to come back this week, per Adam McCalvy of MLB.com. Going forward, his owners will be happy if Braun can stay healthy for more than a few weeks at a time.
• Clayton Kershaw: This is how you do a return from a month-plus on the disabled list: seven scoreless innings with nine strikeouts and zero walks. Welcome back to being the top pitcher on the Big Board, Clayton.

 Meanwhile, the big fallers dropped because of the following:

• Everth Cabrera: On-base percentage isn't a traditional fantasy category, but if Cabrera doesn't improve his .286 mark, he's going to struggle to be of any use in the stolen-base department, which is his primary value.
• Chris Archer: His 4.91 ERA and 1.36 WHIP make Archer bench-worthy right now, but his 2.93 FIP suggests he's actually been throwing much better than the results. Let's give him another chance to prove it.
• Michael Cuddyer: Owners have to be getting frustrated that Cuddyer's hamstring is keeping him from joining the hit parade going on in Colorado.
• Bryce Harper: For now, he stays, but it feels like Harper could be dropped off the Big Board, considering he's not making it back until July. We won't blame you if you drop him in shallow formats.
• Doug Fister: Giving up seven runs on nine hits in only 4.1 frames in your first start after missing six weeks? That's a good way to drop.
• Brandon Belt: Another good way to drop? Getting hit by a pitch and breaking your left thumb, as Belt did over the weekend. He's expected to miss six weeks, per Andrew Baggarly of CSN Bay Area.
• Hyun-Jin Ryu: The southpaw, dealing with shoulder inflammation, only just started a throwing program, as Steve Dilbeck of the Los Angeles Times reports. Figure on the Dodgers to be conservative here.
• Carlos Santana: Disappointing fantasy catcher, part one.
• Brian McCann: Disappointing fantasy catcher, part two.
• Jay Bruce: News of his knee surgery came down just after last week's Big Board went live, so Bruce gets knocked down this time around for being out into June.
• Prince Fielder: Slowly but surely, Fielder is starting to come around (.846 OPS in May), but a little too slowly and a little too unsurely for him to remain a top-30 fantasy option.

The Wrap-Up

This is a tricky time of the season. On one hand, it's still early enough that one big week can change the tenor of a player's season, as Edwin Encarnacion proved by smashing four homers and driving in eight runs. But by the middle of May, which is where we are already, owners need actual production to be happening or they risk falling too far behind in the standings.

By now, you should have an idea of your fantasy squad's strengths and weaknesses—both position-wise and category-wise—so start assessing and sending out some trade offers to address any legitimate areas of need. In particular, take advantage of opportunities to deal from excess.

If you're stuck with a proven stud who's still struggling, though, you should probably stay stuck with him for now. Giving such a player away as punishment for his transgressions to date is going to mean you get all of the pain and none of the payoff.

Be patient. But be active, too.

Statistics come from Baseball-Reference and FanGraphs, except where otherwise noted.

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