Joe Mauer with Tons of Power Leads the 2009 First Half All Surprise Team 

C, Joe Mauer - hard to believe the 08 batting champ is a surprise but with offseason kidney surgery, a busted butt joint and no spring training there were major concerns about what to expect from Mauer this year. In a month and a half he is hitting over 400 and already has tied his career high in home runs with 13 - Mauer is playing his way into the top 10 for 2010 fantasy baseball drafts (maybe top 5).  

1B, Todd Helton - left for dead in most fantasy formats Helton is hitting 310 and on pace for 200+ R+RBI making him an extremely useful if not spectacular option at first base.  

2B, Aaron Hill - I was sure he was a fluke. After something of a breakout in 07 Hill was a sexy pick in 08 but inconsistency and a concussion turned him back into the same crappy player he was before 07. Well, he's back with a vengeance and on pace for a 310 BA, 200+ R+RBI and 35 bombs - he's shaping up to be an elite middle infield option for next season.  

3B, Mark Reynolds - a low BA and tons of Ks left room for a lot of skepticism after last season. But Reynolds is on pace for a beastly 40+ HRs and 220+ R+RBIs.  

SS, Jason Bartlett - always better in reality baseball than fantasy baseball Bartlett was having an elite breakout season before landing on the DL. Before he got hurt he was on pace for more than 20 HRs, 40 SBs with a 327 batting average.   

OF, Raul Ibanez - most people expected a solid season out of the 37 year old Ibanez with the move to Philly but this is ridiculous. He's hitting better than 320 and is on pace for 60 HRs and 300+ R+RBIs.  

OF, Justin Upton - after a shaky start Upton is finally putting it all together with a 310 BA and 30/20 pace. He could shape up to be a top 25 pick next year with major upside.  

OF, Adam Jones - Jones looks like the real deal on pace for 30+ HRs, 10+ SBs and a 325 BA. The counting stats are blowing up too as Jones is on pace for better than 220 R+RBIs.  

SP, Zack Greinke - I was big on Greinke coming into this fantasy baseball season but only landed him on 1 of my 3 teams. After 2 shaky starts he still has an ERA below 2.00 and a WHIP below 1.00. He's on pace for 20 wins and 250 Ks and may be the best pitcher in baseball.  

RP, Heath Bell - I really liked Bell to be a solid closer in fantasy baseball but was unable to land him. So far he's posted a 1.37 ERA, .99 WHIP and is on pace for 47 saves.  

Super Utility, Marco Scutaro - this is kind of like the honorable mention category that I just invented. The 33 year old has been the poster child for mediocrity and has never been relevant in fantasy baseball circles until now. Leading off for Toronto Scutaro is hitting over 300 and on pace for 120 runs, 12 HRs and 15 SBs. Although not lights out in any one category other than runs he helps everywhere and gets a huge bump in value by qualifying at 2B, SS, and 3B in most fantasy baseball formats.

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written by Patrick DiCaprio, June 18, 2009

are you averse to commas? I have that same issue and Mike Podhorzer usually picks it up for me, but you are even more averse than I am. Batting Averages need a "." before them, and there is virtually no analysis in this, only commentary.

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