Fantasy Baseball 2014: Updating the Top 150 Big Board, Week 9

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

Ins and Outs

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

• Martin Prado: While his numbers aren't bad (.263 BA, 26 R, 2 HR, 25 RBI), there's only so much value to be placed on his second base/third base/outfield versatility.
• Rick Porcello: Just when it looked like he'd turned the corner (for about the 47th time), Porcello went and had two terrible starts in a row.
• Wily Peralta: Unless we're talking about his performance relative to preseason expectations, he's been good but far from great.
• Nate Eovaldi: His early-season dominance has waned just enough to make him have to earn his way back onto the Board.
• Mark Teixeira: He's sitting out at least a few games to try to rest a cranky wrist that keeps acting up on him.

Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

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

• Oscar Taveras: You might've heard that this consensus top-five prospect made his MLB debut Saturday—and hit a homer in his second at-bat (highlight fun below).
• Pablo Sandoval: He hasn't quite been Edwin Encarnacion- or George Springer-hot, but the Panda has hit really, really well the past two weeks: .381 batting average, 14 runs, six home runs and 17 RBI.
• Ian Kennedy: He climbed back on after falling off last week, and one gets the feeling that might happen quite a few times this year.
• Chris Archer: Allowing only two runs on 12 hits with 23 strikeouts over your last 17.2 frames is a good way to get back on Board.
• Kyle Seager: Nothing Seager does in fantasy really stands out, but his overall production (.253 BA, 21 R, 8 HR, 33 RBI, 2 SB) is solid enough to remain on the fringes of—and occasionally on—the top 150.

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:

• Mat Latos, John Lackey, Rajai Davis, Christian Yelich, Josh Beckett, Xander Bogaerts, Adam Lind, Adam LaRoche, Jonathan Papelbon, Joakim Soria, Angel Pagan, Neil Walker, Aaron Hill, Jimmy Rollins, Todd Frazier, Lance Lynn, Torii Hunter and Alex Gordon.

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

• Scott Kazmir: Doubts will always remain about Kazmir's health, but the guy ranks in the top 15 in the majors in ERA (2.36) and top 10 in WHIP (0.96).
• Jose Reyes: Stealing 11 bases in May is enough to give Reyes a bump. Hitting atop the Jays lineup could send him even higher if he can take his own game up a notch.
• Corey Kluber: Ladies and gents, here's your MLB strikeout leader entering the month of June. Seriously!
• Brandon Moss: Only eight players have more than his 13 homers, and only four players have more than his 46 RBI.
• Alexei Ramirez: Hitting .329, Ramirez already has surpassed his six homers from all of 2013 and is about on pace to match last year's career-high 30 steals.
• George Springer: His seven-homers-in-seven-games stretch at the tail end of May? Wow. And although Springer has but one stolen base so far, don't forget that he nabbed 30-plus in his two full minor league seasons.
• Jason Kipnis: The second-/third-round pick is back and needs to make up for some lost time spent on the disabled list.
• Jose Altuve: He's leading the majors with 77 hits and second with 20 steals.
• Julio Teheran: The very top tier of fantasy starting pitchers is a tough one to crack, but Teheran and his 1.83 ERA (third best), 0.93 WHIP (fifth best) and 7.1 K/9 (but 8.9 in May!) are making a damn good case to gain entry.
• Nelson Cruz: The new Oriole is doing his best Chris Davis impersonation, leading the majors in both homers (20) and RBI (52) entering June. Jeez.

Meanwhile, the big fallers dropped because of the following:

• Carlos Santana: His concussion knocked him out—and nearly knocked him off the Board.
• Ervin Santana: Apparently, it was a rough week to have the surname Santana.
• Yordano Ventura: Somehow, he's only expected to miss one start after leaving his last one early with elbow soreness—or so the Royals claim.
• Mike Napoli: After being hampered by a finger injury for about a month, Napoli finally hit the disabled list. Let's see how that impacts his power once he's back.
• Joe Mauer: Another week, another drop for the onetime fantasy stud who just hasn't done much at all in 2014 (.267 BA, 27 R, 2 HR, 15 RBI).
• Matt Kemp: With a hot week or two, Kemp could rocket up the ranks, but it's starting to feel like it's just not going to happen for the former fantasy stud this year.
• Eric Hosmer: When he was hitting .320, Hosmer's one homer was annoying but tolerable. Now that he's south of .280, that same one homer—and mere 24 runs, 23 RBI and no steals—just can't be overlooked.
• Jay Bruce: We said last week when we bumped him up the Board upon his return that Bruce would have to produce, and he hasn't.
• Evan Longoria: The Rays have the AL's worst record through May, and Longoria's fantasy value is going down with the ship.

The Wrapup

In case you haven't noticed, it's June already.

Here's hoping you either drafted or managed to acquire one of this seasons' biggest surprise/breakout performers—like Nelson Cruz, Johnny Cueto, Jose Altuve or George Springer.

If not, though, try to target some of the many, many injured stars (i.e., Josh Hamilton, Ryan Zimmerman, Brandon Belt, Nolan Arenado, Bryce Harper) with the hope that they'll come at a discounted rate and can return to their usual productive ways soon.

Otherwise, keep tabs on the top prospects who are about to be called up between now and the middle of June. Now that Oscar Taveras and Marcus Stroman are up, you'll want to make a play for fellow top youngsters like Gregory Polanco, Andrew Heaney, Jonathan Singleton, Taijuan Walker and Eddie Butler. They may not work out, but it's always fun to try to catch lightning in a bottle.

At this stage of the season, that could be your best bet for improving your club without having to make a big trade.

Statistics are accurate through Saturday, May 31, and come from Baseball-Reference and FanGraphs, except where otherwise noted.

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