Fantasy Baseball 2014: Updating the Top 150 Big Board at Midseason

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

• Howie Kendrick: His hot start was just that—a start—and Kendrick has gone back to being a useful but not impactful fantasy second baseman/middle infielder.
• C.J. Wilson: He's still having a solid year all around (3.70 ERA, 1.19 WHIP, 8.4 K/9) but June wasn't great (5.46 ERA).
• Adam Lind: He's worth starting at utility or first base (on a fill-in basis) because his .338 average plays up in the Blue Jays lineup, but Lind remains a platoon player with limited upside.
• Xander Bogaerts: Just when it looked like the rookie was about to go bang, he went bust: .140/.182/.258 with a 27-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio in June.
• Joe Mauer: Even going 14-for-36 (.389) during a modest nine-game hitting streak couldn't save Mauer from falling off amid the worst season of his career.
• Shelby Miller: A superficially solid season—a 3.75 ERA but a 4.76 FIP—took a turn for the worse when he had to leave his last start with a back injury.
• Brett Lawrie: He's out until at least late July after breaking a finger via a hit-by-pitch, which you can watch below.

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

• Corey Dickerson: While playing regularly in June after Carlos Gonzalez went down, Dickerson has hit .333 with 16 runs, four homers, 17 RBI and three steals in 23 games.
• Devin Mesoraco: His second crazy-hot stretch of 2014—a homer in five straight games from June 19 to June 24—puts Mesoraco on the Board for the first time.
• Sean Doolittle: On Saturday, he actually blew his first opportunity—and gave up his first run—since taking over at closer in mid-May for the team with MLB's best record, but Doolittle's digits in that time are still ridiculous: 20.0 innings pitched, five hits, one earned run, a 32-1 K-BB ratio and 10 saves.
• Matt Adams: Doubts remain about a guy with a 51-7 K-BB ratio, but his performance since coming off the disabled list—.328 batting average, 10 runs, six home runs, 16 RBI in 16 games—has to be acknowledged.
• Josh Beckett: So the 34-year-old is pitching over his head (3.78 FIP); the actual numbers (2.11 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 8.5 K/9) are Board-worthy.
• Jonathan Papelbon: Remember when everyone said Paps was done after he blew his first save chance of 2014 by allowing three runs while getting but one out back on April 2? Well, he's thrown 30.0 frames since then—and allowed just two runs.
• Adam LaRoche: He won't reach the 30 homers and 100 RBI he managed back in 2012, but LaRoche's 11 and 43 so far are plenty good, and so is his .308 average.

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:

• Dallas Keuchel, Mark Teixeira, Christian Yelich, Salvador Perez, Steve Cishek, Joakim Soria, Lance Lynn, Alex Gordon, Khris Davis and Marcell Ozuna

Keep in mind: When a few players at the same position are bunched together—like outfielders Angel Pagan, Starling Marte, Brett Gardner and Jason Heyward—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:

• David Price: You've seen this, right?
• Todd Frazier: Heading into 2014, Frazier seemed like just another corner infield option, but after three months of surprising across-the-board production (.284 BA, 51 R, 17 HR, 46 RBI, 11 SB), we may be looking at the top fantasy third baseman.
• Yoenis Cespedes: Sure, a few more steals would be nice—Yo has only one—but his 47 runs, 14 homers and 55 RBI provide big boosts in those categories, and his average is up to .272.
• Jay Bruce: Over the past 10 days, Bruce has found it by hitting .457 with two homers, nine runs and nine RBI during a nine-game hitting steak, the last four of which have been multi-hit efforts.
• Bryce Harper: You've seen this, too, right? Out since late April with a torn ligament in his thumb, Harper has been ripping it up on his rehab assignment and could be back as soon as this week.
• Billy Hamilton: All of a sudden, Hamilton's 36 steals are only six behind Dee Gordon, and he's hit .333—with three homers and 17 RBI—in June.
• Gregory Polanco: OK, so he's gone 0-for-9 the past two games. Polanco still has at least one hit in all but four of his first 18 big league games, to go with 14 runs, two homers, 10 RBI and four swipes.
• Garrett Richards: The 26-year-old's breakout continues, as Richards' ERA (2.76), WHIP (1.12) and K/9 (8.8) are in the top 15 among all starters.
• Justin Verlander: Two quality starts in a row isn't quite enough to buy all the way back in, but the 16 strikeouts over those 13.0 innings certainly is a promising sign Verlander is on his way to regaining top-30-starter status, thanks to his mechanical adjustments.
• Nolan Arenado: Having begun his rehab assignment, Arenado should make it back to Colorado—and fantasy lineups—right around Independence Day.

Meanwhile, the big fallers dropped because of the following:

• Andrew Cashner: On his second DL stint of 2014 and getting harder and harder to rely on, Cashner might be the Rich Harden for this generation of fantasy owners.
• Michael Wacha: A stress reaction in one's shoulder just sounds painful, so expect the Cardinals to handle their prized second-year pitcher very, very carefully.
• Yadier Molina: A .279 average from Molina, who hit .313 from 2011 to 2013, has everyone wondering what exactly happened to the real-life MVP candidate who used to be in the running for fantasy's best backstop.
• Matt Holliday: Yikes—our third Cardinal in a row. Holliday's production so far (.267 BA, 40 R, 5 HR, 39 RBI) looks like something you might find floating around your waiver wire these days.
• Carlos Gonzalez: His recovery from finger surgery is going to be a slow go, and with the Rockies falling out of the playoff picture with a 7-19 June, there's no motivation to get CarGo back before he's absolutely ready. That may be August.
• Alexei Ramirez: Before his one-homer, two-RBI effort on Friday, Ramirez hadn't managed a single one of either since—get this—May 26. (Seriously, dude went a full month without a home run or a run batted in.)
• James Shields: Very quietly, Shields has been mediocre—at best—in 11 outings since the start of May: 4.77 ERA, 1.48 WHIP, 5.8 K/9.
• Dustin Pedroia: No. 65 overall actually might be too high for Pedroia, whose 44 runs scored is saving an otherwise dismal season (.268 BA, 4 HR, 27 RBI, 2 SB).
• David Wright: His 2014 wasn't all that hot to begin with, and now Wright is dealing with a sore rotator cuff that kept him out over the weekend. He will be re-evaluated on Monday.

Wrapping Up

In case you haven't noticed, this week marks the midway point in the 2014 season, as teams will have surpassed the 81-game threshold.

On one hand: Wow—that was fast, huh? But on the other: 81 more games is still a long way to go—and a lot of time to lose or make up ground in your league.

By now, there's a good chance at least a few of your fellow owners have checked out, probably those who are at or near the bottom of the standings. But please: Don't join them.

After all, if you're in good shape, you need to maintain your edge. But even if you're not, the whims of your competition just means you'll be facing less of a climb back into the race.

Whether you've been waiting for a stud like Harper to get back, planning a blockbuster trade to shake things up or expecting some underperformers to finally start, you know, performing, it's time for that second (half) wind.

Statistics are accurate through June 28, 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