25 Best Fantasy Baseball Players

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Published: July 12, 2006

With baseball season in full swing, the best fantasy baseball players in the game are showing us all once again why they are the cream of the crop. These are the 25 best fantasy baseball players right now.

Albert Pujols, 1B, St.

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One of the best fantasy baseball players ever, before a strained oblique sidelined him, Pujols had 25 HR, 65 RBI, 52 R in early June. Expected back after the All-Star Break, Pujols is still on pace for 40+ HR, 130 RBI, 100 R.

Alfonso Soriano, OF, Washington Nationals

Despite swirling trade rumors and his reluctance to move to the outfield, Soriano has become one of the best fantasy baseball players in the leage and is hitting at a .300 clip while bashing 23 HR, 47 RBI, 50 R, and 15 SB

Alex Rodriguez, 3B, New York Yankees

With 13 HR, 47 RBI, A-Rod has had a quiet first-half by his standards but with his talent, his numbers will be staggering by September.
Johan Santana, SP, Minnesota Twins

After struggling for a month, Santana has baffled hitters since, 6-4, 2.99 ERA, 104 K's in 96 IP. Opposing hitters can't touch him, hitting only .228 against him this year. He is one of the best fantasy baseball players in terms of pitchers.
David Ortiz, 1B/DH, Boston Red Sox

Big Papi has had a tough time getting basehits but the power and run-production are as solid as ever. Hitting just .260 but 18 HR and 56 RBI and 40 R.

Carlos Beltran, OF, New York Mets

Beltran is doing it all for the Mets. Hitting .296 with 18 HR, 51 RBI, 48 R, and 12 SB. Although subject to injuries, when healthy, Beltran is among the game's best fantasy baseball players.
Miguel Tejada, SS, Baltimore Orioles

The tireless Tejada is the premier offensive SS in baseball. Raking in a torrid clip of .330 to go along with 16 HR and 50 RBI
Jason Bay, OF, Pittsburgh Pirates

The buried treasure of the Pirates, Bay excels in all phases of the game. In 2006, Bay is hitting at a .308 clip, 19 HR, 52 RBI, 45 R, and 5 SB. He is also probably one of the best fantasy baseball players to ever hail from Canada.
Vladimir Guerrero, OF, Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

The free-swinging Guererro has been the lone bright spot in the hapless Angels lineup. Hitting .310 with 15 HR, 52 RBI, Vlad has been kept quiet on the basepaths scoring only 34 runs and stealing only 5 bases.
Travis Hafner, DH, Cleveland Indians

With the combination of Hafner's immense power and keen eye, he's every pitcher's nightmare. While drawing 57 walks and a .458 OBP, Hafner is hitting .312 with 18 HR, 55 RBI, and 55 R.

Manny Ramirez, OF, Boston Red Sox

Life is good when David Ortiz is protecting you in the lineup and Manny proves it. Ramirez continues to terrorize pitchers, hitting .294 with 16 HR and 41 RBI and to think he only hit 4 home runs in April.
Grady Sizemore, OF, Cleveland Indians

In just his 2^nd full season in the bigs, the steadily improving Sizemore is a fantastic 5-tool player Hitting .302 with 12 HR, 34 RBI, 54 R, and 9 SB and playing a remarkable center-field and will be one of the best fantasy baseball players for years to come.
Brandon Webb, SP, Arizona Diamondbacks

Armed with the nastiest sinker in baseball, Webb has flustered the opposition all season long and has cemented his status as one of the best fantasy baseball players in 2006. So far, Webb has gone 8-1 with a miniscule 2.06 ERA while walking only 13 batters in 104 IP.

Jason Schmidt, SP, San Francisco Giants

After 2 consecutive injury riddled seasons, Schmidt is back to dominating hitters with a dizzying array of pitches. The Giants ace has gone 6-2, 2.46 ERA with 84 K's in 95 IP with opponents hitting only .205 against him.
Miguel Cabrera, 3B, Florida Marlins

The centerpiece of a rebuilding Marlins team, Cabrera has performed well while leading a young squad. Cabrera is hitting .335, with 9 HR, 35 RBI, 46 R, and 7 SB and is one of the best fantasy baseball players in the game today.
Ichiro Suzuki, OF, Seattle Mariners

Typical Ichiro, slapping his way to a .364 AVG and scoring 51 runs and stealing 20 bases. The Major League record holder for most hits in a season already has 103 hits.
Pedro Martinez, SP, New York Mets

Although not the magician on the mound that he once was, Pedro is still one of baseball's premier pitchers. With 6 wins and 2.94 ERA to go along with 94 K's, .186 BAA and a 0.90 WHIP in 85 IP, the future hall-of-famer has not had much of a drop-off and still remains one of the best fantasy baseball players pitching today.
David Wright, 3B, New York Mets

The Mets young phenom has lived up to the hype. The 5-tool sophomore has not slumped one bit, hitting .335 with 12 HR, 45 RBI, 41 R, and 10 steals and is developing into one of the best fantasy baseball players around.
Jim Thome, 1B/DH, Chicago White Sox

Thome continues his career resurrection on Chicago's South Side by being among the league leaders in HR (21), RBI (55), and R (52).
Carlos Zambrano, SP, Chicago Cubs

Despite a dismal team playing behind him, Big Z has been the lone shining star for the Cubs. Zambrano is 5-3, 2.93 ERA, 97 K's and opponents are hitting .186 against him. Not only is Zambrano one of the best fantasy baseball players on the mound, he can also swing a good stick.
Curt Schilling, SP, Boson Red Sox

Schilling has yet to show his age while dominating American League hitters. With 9 wins and 3.59 ERA, Schilling has struck out 82 in 95 IP and more impressively, he has issued only 10 walks.
Chris Carpenter, SP, St. Louis Cardinals

Carpenter has been nothing but consistent all season. With a 5-3 record, Carpenter has a 2.57 ERA while striking out 71 hitters in 77 IP.
Ryan Howard, 1B, Philadelphia Phillies

Perhaps the most promising young slugger in the league, Howard has 22 HR and driven in 54 runs while hitting a solid .293 and is establishing himself as one of the best fantasy baseball players at 1B.
Roy Halladay, SP, Toronto Blue Jays

With pinpoint control and a variety of pitches, Halladay is one of the toughest pitchers to conquer. So far in 2006, Halladay is 8-1 with a 2.75 ERA and is the ace of the surging Blue Jays.
Jonathan Papelbon, CL, Boston Red Sox

This rookie has no fear. Pushed into the closer role to start the season, Papelbon has been nothing short of unhittable. With only 1 ER and 20 saves in 32 IP, Papelbon's ERA is a cool 0.28 and is the rookie and best closer among all of the best fantasy baseball players.