As we near the 2013 All-Star Game, fans frantically punch ballots, hoping their hometown heroes are selected for the Midsummer Classic. All-Star Game rules state that each team must be represented with at least one player, a policy not unanimously loved by baseball writers or fans. As we've seen happen in years past, a mediocre player who is the lone representative from their team may snub a roster spot from a deserving member of another.
This season, when sizing up the talent in the American League, it is not difficult to find one shining star on every team's roster. The list below, of both position players and pitchers, represents the top-performing fantasy players on each team in the league. Will these fantasy studs find places on Jim Leyland's roster when the All-Star Game rolls around at Citi Field? That remains to be seen. What doesn't is the fact that in any one of the names below, you have a top-level fantasy player, regardless of the name across their chest.
Baltimore Orioles
Chris Davis, First Base/Outfield
Davis has enjoyed a season for the ages in Baltimore. As if his .338/.415/.693 line wasn’t enough, the man Orioles fans have come to know as “Crush” is leading the league with 20 home runs. He is on pace to surpass all of his career highs, and is making fantasy owners who drafted him in the mid- to late rounds look smarter and smarter every day.
Boston Red Sox
Clay Buchholz, Starting Pitcher
Buchholz’s 2012 mirrored that of the Red Sox as a whole: ugly, and inexplicable given the level of talent present. The 28-year-old righty opened this season with something to prove, and has set off on a Cy Young pace. He has nine wins on the season and a 1.71 ERA, leading the league in both categories. After surrendering 25 long balls last season, Buchholz has allowed only two to leave the yard in 2013.
Chicago White Sox
Alex Rios, Outfield
Rios has provided consistent offensive production throughout his nine-year career, and this season is no different. A ballplayer who has always quietly gone about his business, the sweet-swinging outfielder has 11 home runs and 14 doubles through the early part of the season. Rios has the rare tool combination of power and speed, and he has swiped nine bases thus far.
Cleveland Indians
Justin Masterson, Starting Pitcher
Despite a seven-game losing streak, the Indians are holding their own in the American League Central, keeping pace in second place behind the dominant Detroit Tigers. Masterson has won eight games for the Tribe and posted a respectable 3.68 ERA, but it is his ability to eat innings and pitch deep into games that is most valuable, both to the Indians and your fantasy staff. The tall 28-year-old has pitched 95.1 innings, and has already thrown two complete games this season, a statistic that is quickly becoming extinct in the modern era.
Detroit Tigers
Miguel Cabrera, Third Base
Cabrera, it seems, is destined for Cooperstown, and stands to pick up even more hardware for his trophy case in the process. Fresh off winning the Triple Crown and American League MVP, Cabrera is once again leading the league in the majority of offensive categories with a .363 batting average, .447 on-base percentage and 67 runs batted in, to name a few. The 30-year-old who has seemingly been atop the leaderboards forever has cemented his place as the greatest hitter in the game today.
Houston Astros
Jose Altuve, Second Base
Altuve is a bright spot on an Astros team that has resided in the basement of the standings for years. Fans and analysts have long tried to write off the young second baseman because of his small size, but Altuve continues to prove that he is not only a big league hitter, but a true fantasy stud. With a .296/.332/.392 line on the year, he has the ability to get on base desired of a leadoff hitter, and his nine stolen bases thus far are testament to his speed and willingness to create runs, even in an underperforming lineup.
Kansas City Royals
Alex Gordon, Outfield
Gordon is a late bloomer who, at age 29 has finally capitalized on the tools that made him the second-overall pick in the 2005 draft. After a breakout 2011 season, he has continued to put up strong, if not spectacular, overall offensive numbers for the Royals. Through early June, Gordon has batted .309 with an on-base percentage of .352. Always a doubles threat - he led the American League with 51 two-baggers last season - he has 14 thus far, and his track record indicates that pace will pick up.
Los Angeles Angels
Mike Trout, Outfield
Some would say Trout’s rookie campaign created unrealistic expectations for fantasy owners heading into 2013, but the young outfielder has followed up with a strong sophomore season. He has scored 45 runs, hit 10 home runs and 20 doubles, and stolen 14 bases all while batting at the top of an Angels lineup that has underachieved since Opening Day. His batting average, now at .305, has been improving steadily over the course of the season.
Minnesota Twins
Joe Mauer, Catcher/First Base
On the flip side of Trout, baseball minds seem to be waiting on the edge of their seats for Mauer’s decline to begin. The 30-year-old catcher and first baseman has given no indication of slowing through the early part of 2013. Consistent with his career numbers, Mauer’s line is at .332/.414/.498 on the season, and he has provided pop to a stagnant Twins team with six home runs and 20 doubles. As long as he’s healthy, he is a perennial batting title contender, and as long as he’s catching, he’s the most valuable fantasy player at his position.
New York Yankees
Mariano Rivera, Relief Pitcher
Ageless Rivera continues to defy logic. In fact, PitchF/X data proves that while he’s lost a few miles per hour of velocity on his cutter, his signature pitch gets more vertical and horizontal movement now than it did when he was younger. Coming off a gruesome knee injury, 43-year-old Rivera has saved 23 games for the Yankees, leading the American League in the category. He strikes out nearly a batter per inning, and has walked only four in his 24.1 innings pitched this season.
Oakland Athletics
Josh Donaldson, Third Base
The Oakland Athletics have enjoyed surprising production from the left side of their infield, and Donaldson’s 2013 has been a revelation. In 64 games this season, he has surpassed nearly all of his season highs with nine home runs, 42 runs batted in and a .324 batting average. The less-sexy, but possibly most telling statistic is his improved plate discipline, as evidenced by his 28 walks taken and only 45 strikeouts. Don’t wait up for Donaldson to slow down - his 2013 season has been marked by consistency, not streakiness.
Seattle Mariners
Felix Hernandez, Starting Pitcher
Hernandez, true to form, has been both efficient and dominant this season. Coming off a winter in which he became the highest-paid pitcher in baseball history, King Felix has struck out 102 batters in his league-leading 97.2 innings pitched. Fans will recall the 27-year-old righty winning the Cy Young Award in 2010 with a record of 13-12. If the revamped Mariners offense can provide their ace with more run support, he stands a good chance to finally become a 20-game winner this season.
Tampa Bay Rays
Matt Moore, Starting Pitcher
Entering last season, many analysts predicted Moore to take home both Rookie of the Year and Cy Young Award honors. His 2012 proved more of a learning experience than a sneak attack on American League batters, as his teammate David Price won the Cy Young Award while Moore struggled most of the season with command. This season, with Price injured and inconsistent, Moore has assumed the ace role with an 8-2 record and 64 strikeouts in 69.0 innings pitched. At 23 years old, the lefty still has a lot to learn about limiting bases on balls and pitching deep into games, but with his power arm, he is a definite stud who will certainly improve with experience.
Texas Rangers
Adrian Beltre, Third Base
If it seems to you that Beltre has been around forever, you’re not entirely mistaken. Since breaking in with the Dodgers at age 19 in 1998, Beltre has enjoyed a number of incredible offensive seasons, mixed with a few disappointing ones. When he joined the Rangers, the third baseman flourished, consistently hitting for power and average his past three seasons in Texas. Batting .307 with 14 home runs and 38 runs batted in, Beltre has shown that he is still in his prime.
Toronto Blue Jays
Edwin Encarnacion, Outfield
After acquiring a lineup in the offseason that made them almost certain contenders in the American League East, the Blue Jays have had little to cheer about this season. Encarnacion's 2012 season, in which he hit 42 home runs, drove in 110, and scored 93 runs was a surprise to both the Jays and to fantasy owners insightful enough to jump on the 30-year-old outfielder's bandwagon early. As expected, Encarnacion has regressed this season, but still shows immense power with 17 home runs and nine doubles while striking out at a modest clip for a power hitter. On a team that is ninth in the league in runs scored, Encarnacion has driven in 51, and has the ability to steal a dozen bases.