Major League Baseball’s All-Star Break is great for many reasons.

Getting to see the collection of baseball legends along with the current stars on the field at Yankee stadium was a truly special moment.

In addition to the festivities, I have always enjoyed the game itself. Watching stud pitchers give maximum effort for an inning, both leagues assembling a numbers-packed studly lineup, and the overall atmosphere of the game is a great treat midway through the baseball season.

Another great reason for the game: we all get a break from fantasy baseball. A mental break is nice from the leagues we have been keeping up with since late April.

Since we have one-more day of the All-Star Break, I want to give some props to players who brought the wood, and others who fell off the baseball map:

First Half Fantasy Offensive MVP

Lance Berkman (Houston Astros OF)

Lance gets the edge over the surprising Ian Kinsler for the first half fantasy MVP. Playing in 93 games for Houston, Berkman has a first half line the reads:

.347 AVG / 79 R / 22 HR / 73 RBI / 1.096 OPS.

Perhaps most gratifying for Berkman owners is that he has already passed his career high with 15 stolen bases as well. Even though Berkman has struggled thus far in July (.211 AVG, 0 HR), expect him to rebound after the break, but he’s not going to be as productive as he was before the break (which is only understandable).

First Half Fantasy Cy Young

Roy Halladay (Toronto Blue Jays SP)

Roy Halladay gets the edge over Cliff Lee, Justin Duchscherer, Tim Lincecum, and Edinson Volquez as the first half fantasy stud pitcher.

Halladay has more complete games (7) than any other combined pitching staff in baseball!!

In 146.1 innings, he has a WHIP of 1.00, won 11 games, posted an ERA under 3 and has a K:BB ratio of 5.76:1. Futhermore, Roy’s K/9 ratio has jumped up to 7.44, which is always a good sign for fantasy owners.

The proven ace is posting numbers similar to his 2003 campaign, where he won 22 games and posted a WHIP of 1.07 in 266 IP. He is simply a pleasure to watch.

First Half Fantasy Fireman Award

Mariano Rivera (New York Yankees CL)

After a sub-par 2007 season for Rivera, the Yankees legendary closer has spent the 2008 season on a mission. He has 4 wins, 23 saves, 0 blown saves, an ERA of 1.06 and a WHIP of 0.64.

That is the definition of un-hittable. Rivera is quietly putting together one of the greatest relief seasons ever, and there is almost more talk about Francisco Rodriguez and his 38 saves, which is a great accomplishment but also somewhat relative to luck.

First Half Fantasy Stud (you may not know much about)

Ian Kinsler (Texas Rangers 2B)

Overshadowed by the stellar first halves of teammates Josh “The REAL DEAL” Hamilton and Milton Bradley, Kinsler has not gotten much exposure for his tremendous first half partly due to playing for the up-and-down Texas Rangers’ ballclub.

Kinsler has already scored 84 runs, hit 14 bombs with 58 RBI’s, stole 23 bags (while being caught just once), and boasts a .337 average.

That is the definition of a 5-category stud, and many people drafted Kinsler as a middle round pick. Those who did are getting top 5 value.

I think he is the real deal but can’t expect these torrid numbers to continue. Expect a stellar season somewhere around .300+ AVG, 135 runs, 26 homers, 98 RBIS’s, and 36 SB season from Kinsler.

First Half Fantasy Disappointment

Victor Martinez (Cleveland Indians C)

There are several players to choose from (We have an entire team for goodness sakes.) as the 2008 fantasy disappointment up to this point - many household names are either hurt and on the DL or have had nagging injuries leading to sub-par statistics. This could be said with David Ortiz (.252 AVG), Jimmy Rollins (only 39 R, 6 HR, 31 RBI), Hunter Pence (.263 AVG, 733 OPS), and Chone Figgins (31 R, 0 HR, 16 SB).

However, the biggest flop of the first half has been Victor Martinez of the struggling Indians. Coming off a season where he hit .300 with 25 homers and 114 RBIs, Martinez did not homer in 198 at bats this year, which is hard for me to believe.

His line before going on the DL with elbow surgery:

17 R / .278 AVG / 0 HR / 21 RBI / and a measly OPS of .665

Even though the injury likely has had a large effect, those who drafted Martinez high basically wasted a pick, and the Indians have no sense of urgency in rushing Martinez back since they are last in the AL Central.

Once again, as we take time to catch our breath and enjoy the 2008 All-Star game at the house that Ruth built, I wanted to take some time and share with you some of the first half studs and duds of the fantasy baseball season. We still have much of the fantasy season left, so now that you’ve had a short All-Star Break get back to examining players, making trades, and improving your team so you to can make a run at your league championship.

DRang

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