Crunchtime

The New Stars

Pat Burrell: Burrell's ability and talent were never questioned as the former Miami Hurricane entered the big leagues. However, after only showing glimpses of his tremendous power in the past, Burrell has finally silenced the critics by putting up numbers that rival Jason Giambi. Now entrenched as the Phillies clean up hitter, there's no reason why Burrell shouldn't finish the year with 40-50 HR's and a respectable batting average. If you can make a trade for this phenom, do it now! It's only a matter of time before he solidifies himself as one of the game's premier attractions.

Alfonso Soriano: Roberto Alomar owners must all be slapping themselves upside the head after passing up fantasy baseball's finest second baseman. While he may have the plate discipline of a tee-baller, Soriano still manages to get on base regularly to swipe his 40 bags - when he's not bashing his 40 HR's. A third to fourth rounder in many leagues, owners came in with high hopes for Soriano, and the young Bronx Bomber has yet to disappoint. In the upcoming years of his career, look for Soriano to elevate his postion to new heights (much like A-Rod did for short) and become a perennial first rounder.

Junior Spivey: Not to knock on Robbie Alomar again, but the numbers that this gritty young rising star put up off the waiver wire are the numbers that Alomar was supposed to put all along. Alomar is a great player and will certainly find his stroke before season's end, however until he does, you can look at Spivey in the same light. Spivey can do it all: hit for average, steal bases, and drive the ball all over the field. Pretty good for someone who almost didn't make the club back in spring training. Spivey's future is uncertain with the returns of has-beens, Matt Williams and Jay Bell leaning over the horizon. Luckily, the D-Backs have been known to get scrappy players like Spivey in the lineup, and getting Spivey back from the DL should be the primary concern of all the owners who were fortunate enough to land him.

Torii Hunter and Jacque Jones: Are they both having career years or writing the prologues to two fine careers? Whatever the case may be, Jones and Hunter have both been sensational this year. They have proven to be dependable all around hitters with speed on the base paths to back it up. While they may not continue on their torrid pace, they still would make a fine addition to any outfield putting up numbers that are easy on the eyes.

Derek Lowe: Come on, don't tell me that you didn't think Lowe's days as a solid fantasy player were numbered. Once Boston's closer, Lowe lost his control and fell off into oblivion. When it was announced that he would be joining the Red Sox rotation, nobody could have cared less. However, Lowe showed that not only did he have his stuff back, but he had it back with vengeance. Aside from his glimmering 11-2 record, Lowe also is the American League ERA. His sinker plummets off the face of the earth allowing Lowe to baffle opposition week in and week out. Lowe has never struggled to get out of the late innings banking on his experience as a closer to pave a path out of pressure situations.

Eric Gagne: Gagne's situation is the opposite of Lowe's, as he went from a prized starting pitching prospect to one of the game's most dependable firemen. As a starter, Gagne never panned out. With Matt Herges being dealt to the Expos in the spring, the gate was opened for Gagne to rank up saves. It will be interesting to see if Gagne experiences problems similar to Lowe in the future, but that's then and this is now. And as of now, when Gagne enters the game, it's lights out!

Other players who merit a mention for the superior achievements during the first half of the season are:

Tom Glavine, Adam Dunn, Preston Wilson, Alex Sanchez, Paul Konerko, Vicente Padilla. and Eddie Guardado

Next time, we'll talk about the players who have caused fantasy famine.