Fantasy Baseball 2014: Updating the Top 150 Big Board, Week 7

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.

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

Ins and Outs

This time around, 10 players fell off the Big Board:

• Everth Cabrera: Even with his first homer and seventh and eighth steals of the season this past week, he's been more or less useless.
• Chris Archer: He threw five scoreless innings but did so while walking a tightrope—and walked five more batters, giving him 15 in his last 20.1 frames.
• Matt Adams: At this point, his fantasy value is propped up entirely by his .304 average, which in turn, is propped up by his .373 BABIP.
• Zack Wheeler: He's the Archer of the NL—a talented but wholly unreliable right-hander who needs to show some consistency before he can jump back on the Board.
• Billy Butler: OK, time for the Board to get off the Butler bandwagon. A .227 average to go with one homer and 15 RBI just won't cut it.
• Alex Gordon: On the bright side, Gordon's been a bit better than Butler (.250 BA, 16 RBI). On the downside, he joins his Kansas City Royals mate on the outs.
• Carlos Beltran: Already slumping down to a .234 average, Beltran hit the disabled list last week with a bone spur in his elbow, and there's a possibility he faces surgery.
• Austin Jackson: He's been fine. But fine isn't always good enough.
• Matt Wieters: His ailing elbow finally pushed him to the disabled list, undercutting his hot start and leaving questions about whether he'll be the rare position player to require Tommy John surgery.
• Jose Fernandez: Let's all haz a sad.

Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

The 10 newbies replacing them, highlighted on the Big Board, are:

• Tyson Ross: He makes his Big Board debut for being very good overall (5 W, 2.81 ERA, 1.28 WHIP, 8.3 K/9) and particularly money at home (3 W, 1.59 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 9.5 K/9).
• Scott Kazmir: The Oakland A's starter got ejected early Saturday, but still has been great (5 W, 2.39 ERA, 1.03 WHIP, 7.3 K/9).
• C.J. Wilson: One of the steadier starters around, Wilson also is occasionally brilliant, like he was Saturday with his complete game shutout in which he garnered as many strikeouts as baserunners (seven).
• Rick Porcello: Even with the strikeouts dipping back to previous levels (5.6 K/9), his 7 W, 2.91 ERA, 1.00 WHIP will do.
• Mark Teixeira: He's on one of his hot streaks: Six homers and 14 RBI in 15 games this month.
• Daniel Murphy: With a .320 average, 28 runs and nine steals, he's slowly proving that last year's breakout was for real.
• Brett Gardner: Hitting leadoff agrees with Gardner, who racked up three steals and even knocked a pair of dingers while scoring seven times this week.
• Howie Kendrick: Hitting fourth in the potent Los Angeles Angels order lately, Kendrick already has topped his steals total from 2013 with nine. He does this tease each year, though, it seems.
• Brett Lawrie: One more game at second base and Lawrie will have 10, making him a 2B/3B-eligible 25-homer candidate hitting amid one of baseball's best lineups.
• Garrett Richards: Each of the fireballing righty's past five starts have been quality, and his overall numbers (4 W, 2.42 ERA, 1.06 WHIP, 9.6 K/9) indicate this is a breakout in progress.

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:

• Kyle Seager, Rajai Davis, Angel Pagan, Christian Yelich, Mat Latos, John Lackey, Marco Estrada, Justin Masterson, Salvador Perez, Neil Walker, Torii Hunter, Joakim Soria, Huston Street and Jonathan Papelbon.

Keep in mind: When a few players at the same position are bunched together—like starting pitchers Tim Hudson, Tyson Ross, Scott Kazmir, Alex Cobb, Wily Peralta and C.J. Wilson—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 placement.

Tony Gutierrez/Associated Press

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:

• Cole Hamels: Despite starting the year on the DL with shoulder problems and throwing 133 pitches in his previous gem of an outing, Hamels pitched incredibly well Saturday night for his 100th career win.
• Brian Dozier: Ladies and gentlemen, your first player to reach double digits in homers and steals. Yes, really.
• Victor Martinez: A case could be made that V-Mart, who's leading the AL with a .336 average, has been the most consistent hitter in the sport this year.
• Jon Lester: On Friday, he pitched almost as well as Max Scherzer, whom Lester has matched in whiffs (73 each) and is nearly as good in WHIP (1.10 vs. 1.03).  
• Nelson Cruz: Currently tied for second in the majors with 12 homers, the injury-prone Cruz has been doing his typical production-per-game routine.
• Josh Donaldson: Any hitter who has 10 homers and 34 apiece in runs and RBI—and is healthy—merits a move up.
• Johnny Cueto: His success through nine starts is undeniable (1.25 ERA, 0.71 WHIP, 9.5 K/9). It's also inexplicable (.160 BABIP, 99.5 LOB percentage). Those latter two numbers are tops in baseball. By a lot.
• Yasiel Puig: He might not have gotten off to the same otherworldly start he did in 2013, but Puig's second season has been about as impressive as his first, thanks to his 16-game hitting streak during which he's batting .409 with six homers and 21 RBI. 

Meanwhile, the big fallers dropped because of the following:

• Carlos Santana: By now, it's OK to move on. If you haven't already.
• Andrew Cashner: Get ready for a run of injured arms, led off by a guy who has a long injury history and whose elbow is barking. Uh oh.
• Gio Gonzalez: The lefty's last two outings had been bad, and now we may know why: He's on the DL with shoulder inflammation.
• Homer Bailey: He looked to be settling down...until his blowup on Saturday at Philadelphia (6 ER, 3.2 IP) pushed his ERA back above 5.00.
• Eric Hosmer: One homer and 18 RBI from a first baseman isn't nearly enough. And he's not even running (0 SB) or scoring runs (17 R), either.
• Joey Votto: His May slump (.209 BA, 4 R, 2 RBI) turned into a potential disaster with news that his quad strain could mean a DL stint. Starting to feel like a lost season for this former fantasy stud.
• Prince Fielder: Just when he was starting to hit a little, a herniated disc in his neck could become a big problem if it doesn't go away quickly. 

Mark Duncan/Associated Press

The Wrap-Up

Has one or more of your stars gotten hurt this season? Wait, rephrase that: Have you been playing fantasy baseball this season? Because if the latter is true, then so is the former.

With injuries and/or DL stints claiming all of (deep breath) Chris Davis, Adrian Beltre, Clayton Kershaw, Joey Votto, Ryan Braun, Bryce Harper, Jason Kipnis, Jose Fernandez, Chris Sale, Jay Bruce, Gio Gonzalez, Ryan Zimmerman and now Jose Abreu—forget anyone???—at some point along the way, you should be happy if your team is still standing at this stage of the season. 

Owners everywhere are crying "uncle!"

When you possess more players on the real-life DL than you can fit on your fantasy one, it's time to make some hard decisions—and cuts, if necessary. That's especially true if your club is floundering in the bottom half of the standings right about now.

Roster upkeep and maintenance is key to making the long climb back to relevance, even more so because in this pitching-dominated era, every single hit, run, homer, RBI and steal matters. You can't afford to let too many go to waste.

If you're reeling and dealing with a M-A-S-H unit, weigh the injured players' ETAs against their fantasy value once healthy and keep only those who will be no-brainer starters by, say, mid-June.

It's a painful process. In more ways than one.

Statistics are accurate through Saturday, May 18, and come from Baseball-Reference and FanGraphs, except where otherwise noted.

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