Rotoworld.com just released their July rankings of the top 250 fantasy baseball players. The rankings are based on how the site believes each player will perform in 5×5 leagues over the rest of the season.

Here’s their top 15:

1 Albert Pujols Cardinals
2 Hanley Ramirez Marlins
3 Tim Lincecum Giants
4 Carl Crawford Rays
5 Alex Rodriguez Yankees
6 David Wright Mets
7 Ian Kinsler Rangers
8 Ryan Braun Brewers
9 Chase Utley Phillies
10 Johan Santana Mets
11 Mark Teixeira Yankees
12 Roy Halladay Blue Jays
13 Joe Mauer Twins
14 Evan Longoria Rays
15 Miguel Cabrera Tigers

All in all, these rankings are extremely helpful for owners trying to project how players are going to do throughout the rest of the year. If you’re looking to trade before your league’s deadline, these rankings can be a useful tool.

That said, I’m a little surprised to see players like Dustin Pedroia (41), Josh Hamilton (49) and Pablo Sandoval (105) ranked so low. Pedroia should get his average back up over .300, he’s on pace to steal another 15-plus bases, and one would have to believe that his power numbers will be better in the second half as well. (He only has three dingers so far on the season, but hit 17 in his MVP season last year.)

Hamilton’s injury is a concern, but he hits in a great lineup and as long as he stays healthy, he should have at least another 12-15 home runs left in him with the RBI totals to match. And while Sandoval (who qualifies at 1B, 3B and C) plays in a weak offense, he’s already proven that he can flat out rake. He’s currently batting .332 with 13 home runs and 48 RBIs, which better David Wright’s .326/5/42 numbers. Plus, with the Giants in contention and looking to trade for a quality bat, Sandoval’s RBI and run totals could rise in the second half as well.

Last week we picked apart the American League all-star voting. Well, this week we will look at the National League, and after last night the starters have all been selected (aside from pitchers). You ready?

First base
Leader: Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals
Mike’s pick: Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals. Well, this one is a no-brainer. Is it possible that Albert gets better with age? Yes, and his numbers border on staggering. 81 games in, he’s batting .336 with 31 homers and 82 RBI and a slugging percentage of .748. That projects to 62 homers and 164 runs batted in. What’s more, dude has a .993 fielding percentage. There is little doubt Pujols is the best player in the game, and he gets to flaunt it in front of his hometown crowd a week from Tuesday.

Second base
Leader: Chase Utley, Philadelphia Phillies
Mike’s pick: Chase Utley, Philadelphia Phillies. This one is also a no-brainer that the voters got correct, though as a Mets fan it pains me to say that. Utley has 17 homers, 54 RBI, he’s batting .303 with 16 doubles and a .980 OPS—all unbelievable numbers for a second baseman. This guy is a gamer.

Shortstop
Leader: Hanley Ramirez, Florida Marlins
Mike’s pick: Hanley Ramirez, Florida Marlins. This is getting to be a trend, but the numbers in the National League don’t seem to lie, do they? Hanley is batting .344 with 13 homers and 58 RBI, 26 doubles, 12 stolen bases and a .972 OPS. By comparison, he is hitting 119 points higher than JJ Hardy and 132 points higher than the slumping Jimmy Rollins. Case closed.

Third base
Leader: David Wright, New York Mets
Mike’s pick: Mark Reynolds, Arizona Diamondbacks. Wright was leading the league in batting for quite a while, and he’s currently hitting .333 but with just 5 homers and 42 RBI. By comparison, Reynolds has clubbed 22 home runs with 57 RBI while batting a respectable .271. At a power position, I’m giving the nod to the guy barely anyone gets to see play.

Catcher:
Leader: Yadier Molina, St. Louis Cardinals
Mike’s pick: Brian McCann, Atlanta Braves. This is close, because Yadier’s brother Bengie has 10 homers and 46 RBI for the Giants, but McCann is batting .311 with 8 home runs and 33 driven in, with 15 doubles and a respectable .988 fielding percentage.

Outfield
Leaders: Raul Ibanez, Philadelphia Phillies
Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers
Carlos Beltran, New York Mets
Mike’s picks: Raul Ibanez, Philadelphia Phillies
Ryan Braun, Milwaukee Brewers
Brad Hawpe, Colorado RockiesIbanez is having a career season, batting .312 with 22 homers and 59 RBI, and Braun just continues to rake, with 16 home runs, 58 driven in and a .326 average. But Beltran, while he plays in the biggest media market and makes mega-bucks, is not going to get my all-star nod over Brad Hawpe. Beltran is hitting .336, but has just 8 homers and 40 RBI. Hawpe is hitting .328 with 13 homers and 56 runs batted in, 25 doubles and a stunning .993 OPS. If Manny Ramirez was playing most of the season, he’d probably be on this list, but I can’t consider a guy who’s only played 28 games, regardless of why he missed all that time.

Starting pitcher
As you all know, pitchers are chosen by the managers and will be announced this Sunday.
Mike’s pick: Tim Lincecum, San Francisco Giants. Last year’s NL Cy Young winner got off to a slow start, but has been mowing hitters down lately, to the tune of 8-2 with a 2.37 ERA and league-leading 132 strikeouts with just 28 walks in 114 innings. Arizona’s Dan Haren is a close runner-up, with a 7-5 record for a crappy D-Backs’ team, and a league low 2.19 ERA with 113 K’s and 0.81 WHIP.

Relief pitcher
Mike’s pick: Heath Bell, San Diego Padres. When this former Met helped christen Citi Field by mowing down his ex-teammates in April, I thought it was just a phase. But dude leads the NL in saves with 22, and is 3-1 with a 1.34 ERA and 36 strikeouts in 33 innings of work. And here’s the best stat of all—Bell has saved or won 74% of his team’s wins. If he keeps that up, Bell will contend for the NL Cy Young and even garner some MVP votes.

It’s always funny how the voting for the Major League Baseball All-Star game shakes out, and it’s generally more of a popularity contest than anything. That, or the more familiar names like Derek Jeter, David Wright and Manny Ramirez always generate lots of attention. Well, since we’re about 75 games in, and the mid-summer classic is two and a half weeks away, I decided to look at the current vote leaders and make my own picks of who I think should be in there. First the American League — and next week, the National. Here we go….

First base
Leader: Mark Teixeira, New York Yankees
Mike’s pick: Justin Morneau, Minnesota Twins. It’s kind of hard to argue with Teixeira’s numbers, short porch in right or not. He’s got 20 homers, 57 RBI, 20 doubles, and a .280 average (and in the field, zero errors). You can make a case for Carlos Pena (22 homers), but he’s batting .236. Morneau is batting .315, and has 16 homers (let’s say he’d have 20 if he played in Yankee Stadium), and more RBI than Teixeira (58). And he’s only made one error.

Second base
Leader: Ian Kinsler, Texas Rangers
Mike’s pick: Aaron Hill, Toronto Blue Jays. I love a good comeback story, and this is it. Hill doesn’t have as many homers as Kinsler (17 to Kinsler’s 18), but he is hitting for a higher average (.306 to .268) with more RBI (52 to 49). Sure, Kinsler has 16 steals to 2 for Hill, but I’m sticking with my comeback story.

Shortstop
Leader: Derek Jeter, New York Yankees
Mike’s pick: Jason Bartlett, Tampa Bay Rays. Jeter’s having a good season, but Bartlett is leading the American League in batting with a sick .363 average. Even after spending some time on the DL, Bartlett still has 7 homers, 35 RBI, 13 doubles, 3 triples and 15 steals…..pretty awesome numbers for a shortstop.

Third base
Leader: Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays
Mike’s pick: Evan Longoria, Tampa Bay Rays. With a nod to Chone Figgins and his .325 average with 23 stolen bases, Longoria has delivered at a power position with 16 home runs, 62 RBI, 24 doubles and a .312 batting average.

Catcher:
Leader: Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins
Mike’s pick: Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins. Hey, these voters aren’t doing a bad job after all! This is an easy one, though. Mauer is batting almost .400 (.396) with 14 homers and 43 RBI, and a staggering .695 slugging percentage that leads the American League.

Outfield
Leaders: Jason Bay, Boston Red Sox
Ichiro Suzuki, Seattle Mariners
Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers
Mike’s picks: Jason Bay, Boston Red Sox—It’s hard to argue with 19 homers, 69 driven in (leads the AL) and a respectable .278 average, especially when Big Papi has struggled. Manny who?
Torii Hunter, Los Angeles Angels—He’s currently fourth in the voting, but he should be higher. 17 dingers, 56 RBI, and he’s batting .309 with 12 stolen bases.
Carl Crawford, Tampa Bay Rays—The Rays are running on everyone, and this guy leads them and the world with 38 stolen bases. He’s also batting .314 with 6 homers and 35 RBI.

Starting pitcher
As you all know, pitchers are chosen by the managers and announced shortly before the all-star break.
Mike’s pick: Zach Greinke, Kansas City Royals. The guy got off to a blistering start, when the Royals stunned everyone by spending more than a few days in first place. He’s cooled off, but Greinke is still 9-3 on a team that’s 31-41, he has a stellar 1.90 ERA, and he’s second in the AL with 111 strikeouts to just 18 walks in 109 innings.

Relief pitcher
Mike’s pick: Jonathan Papelbon, Boston Red Sox. Okay, so he’s not leading the league in saves (he has 17 and the Angels’ Brian Fuentes has 20). But Papelbon sports a 1.97 ERA and 33 K’s in 32 innings. And he just has that sick “you can’t hit me” demeanor.

Source: Baseball Reference

In the Dodgers’ 8-2 victory Friday night over the Mariners in Seattle, L.A. right fielder Andre Ethier had his first ever three-homer game, also driving in six runs in the process. It was Ethier’s fifth multihomer game of the season.

For fantasy owners, Ethier’s night was a gift from the FBB gods. Owners relished in Ethier’s start to the ’09 season when he raced out to a .327 batting average and .574 slugging percentage in early May, but then watched as he sunk into fantasy hell after Manny Ramirez was suspended 50 games.

A month and a half ago, owners couldn’t give Ethier away as a throw in to a trade. He would still hit the occasional home run, but his batting average was hovering around .260 and he wasn’t driving in any runs. (He couldn’t get on base to score any either.)

While his average could still use some work (he’s hitting just .268), he’s raised his home run total to 14 and his RBI number to 49. With Ramirez set to come back soon, Ethier could be due for a fantastic second half.

If you need more power production in your fantasy lineup, the time to make a play for Ethier is probably now. Granted, his three-homer night might make his owner overvalue his production, but Ethier’s second half potential could justify giving up a little more than you would have liked. Remember that Ethier was scorching before Manny was suspended, so he could still have 15 home runs and 50 RBIs left in him. That said, considering he’s hitting only .268, you shouldn’t have to give up an arm and a leg for a player that his owner would have gladly given up for Mike Cameron and a pat on the back just a couple months ago.

On the flip side of all this, owners of Ethier could cash in big if they play their cards right and wait to deal him once Manny comes back. If Ethier starts raking, he could be a valuable chip in a multi-player deal that nets you three or four significant pieces depending on what else you throw in the mix.

Keep an eye on Ethier’s stat line the next couple weeks before the All-Star break.

According to a report by Baseball America, the Padres have promoted top hitting prospect Kyle Blanks to the big leagues and should join the club soon. The 22-year old was hitting .283 in Triple-A Portland in the Pacific Coast league with 12 dingers, nine doubles and 38 RBIs.

While he’s not considered a Grade-A prospect, Blanks can hit and the Padres wouldn’t be calling to ride the pine. San Diego is desperate for offense, even more so now that top pitchers Jake Peavy and Chris Young are on the disabled list and the club expected to be trailing in most ballgames.

There’s also a good chance that this call could just be temporary. San Diego is set to host Oakland for a three game series and the A’s are expected to throw three left-handers (Josh Outman, Brett Anderson and Dallas Braden), so maybe the Pads look at this weekend has a great chance to see what Blanks has while giving Adrian Gonzalez a day or two off at first base. Not that Gonzo can’t hit left-handed pitching, but if San Diego wanted to give him a breather, now would be the time.

Another possibility is that the Padres could be set to make a move soon. It’s quite possible that San Diego is getting ready to deal one of its outfielders (Chase Headley?) and will employ Blanks in left field. Or, if the Padres feel confident enough that Blanks can play third base, maybe the club has a deal in place to trade Kevin Kouzmanoff.

If I’m thinking too out of the box in terms of trades, maybe Blanks will help in the outfield until Scott Hairston comes off the DL and then subsequently be sent back down to Triple-A.

If you don’t hear from any White Sox fans today, it’s because they’re currently worshiping the baseball gods after the Chi-Sox recalled top prospect Gordon Beckham from Triple-A Charlotte and designated Wilson Betemit for assignment (which could be just as big of a move for fans as the call up of Beckham was).

Beckham was the eighth overall selection of the ’08 MLB Draft and has been on the fast track to the big leagues ever since. He was promoted to Triple A on May 27 and now he’ll make his major league debut tonight in Chicago against the A’s.

Baseball America has Beckham rated as the 20th best prospect in baseball at age 22. He can play second, third and short, but he’ll see most of his time at third while batting anywhere 7 through 9 in the order. He’s your typical line drive hitter, although he has good power given his size (6’0”, 185 pounds) and has displayed good instincts on the base paths.

Every time a top prospect gets called up before spending a fair amount of time in the minors, people are always going to question whether or not he got enough seasoning. But Beckham did play collegiality at Georgia and was crushing the ball in Triple A. Baseball is also reverting back into a young player’s game and prospects like Beckham are the future. Here’s hoping he plays well.

Fantasy Spin: If you’re in a keeper league, Beckham is worth taking a flier on. He’s considered an impact prospect and the Sox didn’t call him up because of an injury – they called him up in hopes that he can produce right away. If you have a spot on your roster, add him.

According to a report by the South Florida Sun-Sentinel, Marlins shortstop Hanley Ramirez is playing hurt right now, but but doesn’t plan on missing any time.

“I don’t want to sit on the bench,” said Ramirez, who went 3 for 5 and scored his 400th career run. “I want to be out there trying to help my team win. I talked to [manager Fredi Gonzalez] and told him let’s see how it is every day. I want to play and I’ll be out there tomorrow, too.”

Give Ramirez credit for realizing he’s better at 70 or 80 percent than anyone the Marlins could replace him with at 100 percent. Whether to play hurt is always a tough call for an athlete. Ramirez may not be stealing any bases for a while, but he sees the standings and knows the Marlins can’t afford to drop much further below the .500 mark and stay in the National League East mix.

This might not be a significant story to some, but don’t forget about a month ago that some within the Marlins organization were upset with Ramirez’s hustle (or lack thereof). Him playing through pain shows his dedication to his team and speaks volumes for his mental toughness.

Fantasy spin: If Ramirez is playing hurt, it certainly hasn’t showed in his stats line. He went 3 for 5 on Monday, driving in a run and scoring twice. He has now had back-to-back three-hit games and has eight hits in his last three contests.

We’re approaching Memorial Day and are already about a quarter of the way through the baseball regular season. Some players historically take a while to get going, and some start off blazing hot and then cool off. Here we take a look at five pleasant surprises, and five busts through the first 40 or so games of the 2009 season.

Top 5 Suprises

1. Zack Greinke, SP, Kansas City Royals—One of the reasons the Royals are off to a great start is that Greinke has found his rhythm, to the tune of 7-1 with a 0.82 ERA, as well as 73 strikeouts and 12 walks in just 66 innings. Greinke has given up a microscopic six earned runs so far. Six! It’s not like the kid wasn’t talented, but his career record before 2009 was 34-45 and his ERA 3.96.

2. Jason Bartlett, SS, Tampa Bay Rays—Before this season, Bartlett was a career .285 hitter with 16 career home runs. So far this season, he’s off to a wicked start–.376 batting average, 6 homers, 23 RBI, 9 doubles, 12 stolen bases and an OPS of 1.004.

3. Raul Ibanez, OF, Philadelphia Phillies—This is looking like the free agent signing of the off-season. Or maybe coming over to the world champs from soggy Seattle was a good move. Ibanez was a respectable .288 hitter and was averaging 22 homers and 95 RBI, but so far in 2009 he’s hit 15 home runs and driven in 40 runs, while hitting .349 with 10 doubles, 4 stolen bases and a .724 slugging percentage. You think the Mets should have made a run at the guy instead of wasting all that money on P Ollie Perez?

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It appears that the dizziness that Reds first baseman Joey Votto has been dealing with is related to an ear infection.

The team said Thursday that Joey Votto has been diagnosed with an inner ear infection, secondary to the flu he had last week.

The team said all other test results were normal and he is expected to return to the field in the next few days.

Votto has missed 8 starts with the flu or dizziness and twice more left games early.

The Reds (as well as fantasy baseball owners everywhere) need this guy back in their lineup. Votto is quickly emerging as one of baseball’s best young hitters and hopefully he makes a quick recovery.

SPORTSbyBROOKS has a great piece up about Nick Yohanek and his adventures with the Florida Marlins’ Chris Coghlan. Apparently, there’s a great start-up business here: Selling home run balls back to the guys who hit them out. After Coghlan hit his first in the majors, he was approached by Yohanek (who had caught the ball) after the game. Upon giving the fan a signed game bat and photo-op, Coghlan was surprised to learn that that just wouldn’t be enough to get Yohanek to fork over his ball (the identity of the preceding pronoun is anybody’s guess). Let’s hear from Yohanek and Brooks now:

Yohanek, not surprisingly, has a different view of things. We’re a little more suspicious of his version of the facts, mainly because he’s got far more reason to lie and even in his quotes, he comes off as an unholy prick:

“I explained that ballhawking is my hobby and that what I was asking in return was fair,” Yohanek said Thursday, in an e-mail to the Associated Press. “I told him I make $50,000 a year working in law enforcement and that I didn’t feel like I was asking for too much. He responded, ‘Good for you.’ Real classy. Way to respect law enforcement. Way to respect a fan.”

Yes, exactly. Clearly his tone was indicative of a disrespect for law enforcement and fans, and in no way affected by annoyance when a grown man makes demands for what should be a treasured keepsake. Real classy, Yohanek.

I can’t help but agree with my esteemed colleague on this one. While it is true that modern athletes make an exorbitant amount of money, it’s simply a matter of capitalism: if someone’s willing to pay that amount, then make them pay it, right? Supply and demand and such…Wait a sec, I may have just agreed with Yohanek here.

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