Sports
Fantasy Baseball: Guardians headline list of first-half fantasy All-Stars
The actual 2024 MLB All-Star Game rosters have already been announced, and fans have had plenty of time to dissect each selection. For those of us who feel passionately about fantasy baseball, here are the players who would populate the All-Star lineups if first-half fantasy baseball production was the sole criteria.
American League Fantasy All-Stars
Adley Rutschman — C, Baltimore Orioles
Rutschman has used his premium spot in Baltimore’s high-scoring offense to rank among the top four catchers in homers, RBI and runs scored.
Josh Naylor — 1B, Cleveland Guardians
One of this year’s surprise stars, Naylor has keyed Cleveland’s productive lineup by ranking ninth in baseball in homers and fourth in RBI.
José Altuve — 2B, Houston Astros
Hitting .306 with 14 homers and 15 steals, Altuve continues to be one of the most stable producers in fantasy baseball.
Gunnar Henderson — 3B, Baltimore Orioles
The leadoff man in baseball’s most powerful lineup has exceeded even the most optimistic projections for a breakout season, leading MLB in runs and ranking third in homers.
Bobby Witt Jr. — SS, Kansas City Royals
Witt has made major strides as a hitter for a second straight year. From a fantasy perspective, he ranks second in runs scored and is one of four players with at least 15 homers and 20 steals.
Aaron Judge — OF, New York Yankees
Judge has been baseball’s best hitter in 2024 (1.112 OPS) and leads the majors in homers and RBI.
Juan Soto — OF, New York Yankees
Judge and Soto have proven to be the perfect combination to disrupt opposing pitchers, as the duo places first and second in the majors, respectively, in OBP.
Yordan Álvarez — OF, Houston Astros
One of baseball’s best pure hitters, Alvarez drove in four runs during May but has been so effective during the rest of the season that he ranks as a top-20 overall hitter.
José Ramírez — DH, Cleveland Guardians
Ramirez is the leader of Cleveland’s resurgent offense and could post the best marks of his illustrious career in homers, runs and RBI.
Tarik Skubal — SP, Detroit Tigers
Skubal has been the top fantasy baseball pitcher this year, ranking among the top five in baseball in wins, strikeouts, ERA and WHIP. He has been ultra-efficient, throwing at least six innings in 16 of 19 starts despite reaching the 100-pitch threshold just once all season.
Emmanuel Clase — RP, Cleveland Guardians
Clase recovered from a down year (by his lofty standards) in 2023 to post career-best ratios this season (0.81 ERA, 0.68 WHIP). Thanks to a resurgent Guardians squad, he should save 40 games for a third straight year.
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National League All-Stars
William Contreras — C, Milwaukee Brewers
Contreras has earned this nod despite mediocre power numbers (10 HR) by leading all catchers in runs, hits and steals.
Bryce Harper — 1B, Philadelphia Phillies
Harper has been so consistent as the leader of a productive Phillies lineup that even a brief IL stint couldn’t keep him from ranking as a top-15 overall hitter.
Ketel Marte — 2B, Arizona Diamondbacks
Considered a stable-but-boring veteran during draft season, Marte leads all second basemen in runs and homers, while ranking second in RBI.
Elly De La Cruz — 3B, Cincinnati Reds
De La Cruz’s fleet feet have been a huge story this season, as he has collected 16 more swipes than any other player and could surpass the eye-popping 73 steals posted by Ronald Acuña Jr. a year ago.
Francisco Lindor — SS, New York Mets
Aside from struggling to hit for average in April, Lindor has been a metronome of steady, balanced fantasy production. He joins Shohei Ohtani, Elly De La Cruz and José Ramírez as the only players with at least 17 in both the home run and stolen bases categories.
Marcell Ozuna — OF, Atlanta Braves
Few would have predicted that Ozuna would lead Atlanta’s star-studded lineup, but the veteran tops the team in homers, RBI, runs scored and batting average.
Jurickson Profar — OF, San Diego Padres
Waiver wire fodder at the outset of the season, Profar is the most surprising name on this list and provides a good reminder to never fully give up on former top prospects.
Brenton Doyle — OF, Colorado Rockies
Doyle has made notable strides in his walk and strikeout rates, which has allowed his exciting power-speed mix to blossom. As is the case with most Colorado hitters, he has been outstanding at home and merely average on the road.
Shohei Ohtani — DH, Los Angeles Dodgers
While recovering from elbow surgery, Ohtani has still hit well enough to be the No. 1 overall fantasy player so far this season. Wild! He’s baseball’s only 20-20 player and ranks no lower than sixth in all five of the standard fantasy categories.
Chris Sale — SP, Atlanta Braves
Although Paul Skenes will start the real All-Star Game, he hasn’t had time to catch Sale in fantasy value, as the Braves veteran leads the majors in wins while ranking among the top-7 in ERA, WHIP and strikeouts.
Ryan Helsley — RP, St. Louis Cardinals
Although Helsley has pitched well (2.36 ERA, 1.17 WHIP), he mostly receives this spot by virtue of having received the most save chances of any pitcher. Only Clase is within striking distance of Helsley’s league-leading total (32).