In many respects, the July 4th weekend marks the midway point of Major League Baseball. Most teams have played right around 81 games. Unbelievably, the All-Star Game is less than two weeks away. Without doubt, this is a great time to take a look back at what has happened in fantasy baseball. With that in mind, the identities of the first half MVP and the best rookie, among others, are clear. Some of the players that deserve selection are fairly obvious, while others not so much. Let’s not waste another moment and dive right into this fantasy baseball midseason review. Head-to-head points are used in the article. Comments on and debate about these selections is strongly encouraged, as well as what picks could be made from the many different fantasy leagues that are out there.

Fantasy Most Valuable Player Not Named Ohtani

Jose Ramirez, 3B, Cleveland Guardians

Without question, the fantasy Most Valuable Player in points leagues that allow him to take one roster spot is Shohei Ohtani. He easily leads all players in fantasy points in ESPN leagues. Of course, that surprises no one. However, Ohtani is far too easy a selection, and frankly, doesn’t require any research to prove. With that in mind, the first half award goes to Jose Ramirez. I can hear the howls of protest now: Aaron Judge is the answer. Other than Ohtani, Judge is the selection in real baseball as well as most, if not all, fantasy formats.

However, in points leagues, the number of strikeouts that Judge has lowers his value just slightly below Ramirez. In 333 plate appearances, Ramirez has just 32 strikeouts, which comes out to a paltry 9.6 SO%. By contrast, Judge has 87 strikeouts in 349 plate appearances, equating to a 24.9 SO%. In points leagues, strikeouts subtract a point for each one. That fact elevates Ramirez over Judge in the MVP race.

Judge leads in just about every category, including home runs, RBIs and runs scored. Even so, Ramirez is no slouch, having 16 homers, 63 RBIs, 47 runs, 83 hits, 27 doubles and 12 stolen bases. Ramirez has more fantasy points, 294-279. The points are first among position players. Granted, the margin is as slim as it gets. Even with that being the case, the margin is enough to make Ramirez the first half fantasy MVP.

Midseason Fantasy Top Rookie

Julio Rodriguez, OF, Seattle Mariners

Undoubtedly, when it comes to the best rookie player in fantasy baseball during the first half, no one should be surprised the selection is Julio Rodriguez. Any look at the batting stats clearly shows that Rodriguez is the top fantasy rookie. He leads in just about every category: hits, runs, doubles, homers, RBIs, steals and OPS. Not surprisingly, Rodriguez also leads all rookies in fantasy points with 192. The Braves’ star pitcher Spencer Strider is second with 181. The closest position player is Bobby Witt of the Royals with 169.

What really sets Rodriguez apart is the fact he has been in the Mariners’ starting lineup from the very beginning of the season. As this is being written, he has appeared in 82 of Seattle’s first 83 games. Very few players, let alone rookies, can make a similar claim. When all information is considered, it is plain that Rodriguez is the clear selection as best rookie on this fantasy baseball midseason review.

Midseason Top Fantasy Pitcher

Sandy Alcantara, Miami Marlins

Among these first half categories, one of the easiest choices was Sandy Alcantara. He has been an outstanding pitcher the entire first half but has exploded like a super nova over the past two months. Since May 11, Alcantara has made 11 starts for the Marlins. In each and every one, he has gone at least seven innings, including two complete game performances. There is no other pitcher in all of baseball that comes anywhere near that kind of production. Not surprisingly, Alcantara leads all pitchers in fantasy points.

For the season, he is 9-3 with a microscopic 1.82 ERA and 0.91 WHIP. Further, Alcantara has pitched 123.1 innings and struck out 107 batters. In MLB, he is first in games started, complete games, innings, third in ERA, fourth in wins and batting average against and fifth in WHIP. Best of all, Alcantara came off the board considerably behind his pitching counterparts. There is certainly no debate on this selection of Alcantara as the best pitcher of the fantasy first half.

Best Midseason Fantasy Value

Paul Goldschmidt, 1B, St. Louis Cardinals

When it comes to fantasy value for the 2022 season, no one outshines Paul Goldschmidt. In drafts before the season in any fantasy format, Goldschmidt could be had in the sixth or seventh round. In return, Goldschmidt has provided the following in the first half: .342-19-65 with a .427 OBP and .619 slugging. Additionally, he has 105 hits, including 28 doubles with 61 runs scored.

In the National League, he is first in runs, hits, batting, OBP, slugging and OPS. Further, Goldschmidt is second in doubles and sixth in walks. Unlike in the American League, Goldschmidt is the clear leader at the midway point for MVP in the National. He is third in ESPN fantasy points. There is no other player returning the fantasy value against his draft position than Goldschmidt. Very clearly, he is the winner in this category on this fantasy baseball midseason review.

Most Disappointing Midseason Fantasy Player

Juan Soto, OF, Washington Nationals

Boy, there are quite a few players that warrant consideration here. Of course, players that are injured were not considered, as they are part of the game and not the fault of the player. Without question, Jesse Winker deserves a look with the utter disaster his first half has been, which includes a six-game suspension. Many other players were in the running as well. However, the award must go to Juan Soto. In every draft imaginable, Soto was either the first or second player off the board.

Any manager that made such an enormous investment into Soto has to be gravely dismayed by his performance so far in 2022. After all, this is the player that hit .313 last year and led the N.L. in OBP while hitting 29 homers and driving in 95 runs. Most impressive is the fact he is only 23. However, Washington has been on a nosedive of epic proportions and Soto hasn’t helped slow the descent. In 82 games, the only stat that Soto leads the league in is walks. Without a quality lineup around him, that is no surprise.

Even with that being the case, his teammate Josh Bell has thrived, hitting .310. Soto, on the other hand, has virtually disappeared from the landscape, hitting .234-15-34. His 48 runs are 15th in baseball and his 66 hits are almost completely off the charts at 51. Not exactly what his managers were looking for with a top two selection, is it? All of the above makes Soto the easiest of selections for most disappointing.

The Last Word

Thank you for joining me for this fantasy baseball midseason review! As always, I welcome any and all suggestions, comments and input from my readers. Have players to add to the list? Let’s discuss! Follow me on twitter @kevin62wilsea. Please feel free to share this article. Be sure to turn to Belly Up Sports and Belly Up Fantasy Sports & Picks for the MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL happenings and all the latest sports news! 

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