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With only six weeks left on the season, trade deadlines are here and playoff runs are being launched. The Countdown is here just in time to help you pull off that final big deal to put you over the edge. This Countdown was easily the most difficult to put together because the five submitted lists varied greatly on almost all of the players. It only goes to show that despite players generally settling in to their season norms, you can always count on fantasy baseball to create chaos. The rankers this time included Dannahan, JFG, WaCougMBS, SaltyDog and NikkiSixx. These guys put a lot of work into these lists, and as always, they have done a great job making this Countdown worthwhile project. Well done all around, fellas.
| Rank | Last Month | Player | Position | Team |
| 50 | n/a | Craig Kimbrel | RP | ATL |
| Atlanta hasn’t gotten Kimbrel many save opportunities recently, but his K/9 is superb, enough to carry him through dry times. | ||||
| 49 | n/a | Austin Jackson | OF | DET |
| A-Jax has solid 5×5 production, and hitting in front Prince and M-Cab does wonders for his run total. | ||||
| 48 | n/a | Ryan Zimmerman | 3B | WASH |
| A hot strech got Zimmerman back into the conversation, and now he looks like the guy everyone paid for. Thanks, cortisone. | ||||
| 47 | n/a | Mark Teixeira | 1B | NYY |
| Tex hits home runs. I like guys that hit home runs. | ||||
| 46 | 30 | Paul Konerko | 1B | CHW |
| Konerko is clinging to a spot in the Countdown, with mediocre hitting and a concussion slowing him down. | ||||
| 45 | 29 | Starlin Castro | SS | CHC |
| Castro’s low average is surprising, but his other numbers look great for a SS. | ||||
| 44 | 31 | Stephen Strasburg | SP | WAS |
| The shutdown rumor is keeping Strasburg from being in the top ten. He’s the only guy giving Verlander a run for his money as top pitcher. | ||||
| 43 | 46 | R.A. Dickey | SP | NYM |
| Dickey has been giving up runs lately, but his strong K/9 is keeping his value up. | ||||
| 42 | 36 | Zach Greinke | SP | LAA |
| Greinke has been terrible with the Angels, but he’s keeping his Ks up. Pitching against Oakland/Seattle in September looks good. | ||||
| 41 | n/a | Jacoby Ellsbury | OF | BOS |
| Ellsbury hasn’t been the same since coming back, and with only one HR so far, he might be a tad overvalued for the last six weeks. | ||||
| 40 | 32 | Mark Trumbo | 1B/3B/OF | LAA |
| Five HRs in his last 30 days is nice, but the .218 AVG isn’t. Trumbo is what he is, a power hitter with decent speed and acceptable AVG. | ||||
| 39 | 33 | Giancarlo Stanton | OF | MIA |
| Stanton is a great power hitter, but he isn’t offering much else. He needs to hit a lot of HR down the stretch to be worthwhile. | ||||
| 38 | 43 | Dustin Pedroia | 2B | BOS |
| Pedroia has been hitting well lately, and he could actually be a great value for the final six weeks. Bobby V can’t faze this rock. | ||||
| 37 | 19 | Hanley Ramirez | SS/3B | LAD |
| Hanley has enjoyed his switch to LA, and the good times could just be starting with LA making a playoff run. | ||||
| 36 | 4 | Joey Votto | 1B | CIN |
| We all know Votto will be great when he comes back, it’s just a question of when at this point. The sooner the better for all his owners. | ||||
| 35 | 41 | Jose Reyes | SS | MIA |
| Reyes has been fantastic since Hanley left town, with great power and speed numbers. 5 HRs and 8 SBs in the last 30 days looks strong. | ||||
| 34 | n/a | Aroldis Chapman | RP | CIN |
| Chapman is going to shatter some RP strikeout records, and pick up a lot of saves along the way. This guy is incredible. | ||||
| 33 | n/a | Jason Heyward | OF | ATL |
| If Heyward could pick up his AVG a bit he would be a great 5×5 guy. As it stands, he is backing up that great rookie season. | ||||
| 32 | 28 | Michael Bourn | OF | ATL |
| Bourn is a great fantasy asset, and if he hits 10-15 HRs each year, he will be a legitimate fantasy star. | ||||
| 31 | n/a | Buster Posey | C | SF |
| Posey ranks in the top two of nearly every offensive category since the break, and at the catcher position those numbers are gold. | ||||
| 30 | 48 | Alex Rios | OF | CHW |
| Rios keeps on producing, and all the doubters really have nothing to point to in order to bring him down, the guy is a great 5×5 stud. | ||||
| 29 | 45 | Chris Sale | SP | CHW |
| Sale has been treated carefully this year, and it seems to be working. He is still pitching like a star and he should pitch the season out. | ||||
| 28 | 25 | Matt Cain | SP | SF |
| Mr. Perfecto, Jr. is solid, and the division games coming up in the stretch run make for an attractive last bit of starts. | ||||
| 27 | 26 | Adrian Beltre | 3B | TEX |
| Beltre has been lousy recently, but Texas is a playoff team and Beltre will be part of the group pushing them to a division title. | ||||
| 26 | 15 | Justin Upton | OF | ARI |
| Upton has probably been the most disappointing player this season, with a total lack of ability to hit HRs. Only his run total keeps this ship afloat. | ||||
| 25 | 21 | Cole Hamels | SP | PHI |
| Hamels was cold for a bit, but back-to-back CGSHOs have him right back on track. Despite the Phillies being lousy, he is still valuable. | ||||
| 24 | 44 | Madison Bumgarner | SP | SF |
| Bumgarner has had great K/9 in the second half, and pitching deep into games helps that win total. He’s a solid play for the stretch run. | ||||
| 23 | 42 | Adrian Gonzalez | 1B/OF | BOS |
| A-Gon has finally gotten his mojo going, possibly thanks to having a healthy Ellsbury/Pedroia in front of him. | ||||
| 22 | 23 | Carlos Beltran | OF | STL |
| Beltran has sustained his success all season, and stayed relatively healthy. With the Cards playoff push and Matt Holliday mashing, expect good things. | ||||
| 21 | 37 | David Price | SP | TB |
| Price throws a hard fastball and racks up the Ks. He’s good enough to succeed in the AL East, and probably the best lefty in the game. | ||||
| 20 | 20 | Adam Jones | OF | BAL |
| Jonesy has incredibly low RBI numbers for his HR total, but that’s only a nitpick for this solid performer. | ||||
| 19 | 13 | Curtis Granderson | OF | NYY |
| Granderson’s AVG is terrible, but thankfully he hits a HR on most of his hits and he still steals a bag or two. | ||||
| 18 | 47 | Edwin Encarnacion | 1B/3B | TOR |
| E5 just keeps on truckin’, with impressive 5×5 numbers. Two HR and 4 SB in the last 14 days hint at a great final six weeks. | ||||
| 17 | 27 | Jered Weaver | SP | LAA |
| Weaver has settled into a nice spot in the top ten pitchers, and he seems primed to stay there for years. He’s as reliable as they come. | ||||
| 16 | 35 | Felix Hernandez | SP | SEA |
| Mr. Perfecto endured a bad stretch in May, but recently he has literally been unhittable. | ||||
| 15 | 16 | Ian Kinsler | 2B | TEX |
| Kinsler’s power has been disappointing this season, so despite the slight uptick in AVG, it hasn’t been a great season. | ||||
| 14 | 22 | Matt Holliday | OF | STL |
| Holliday has been on a tear of late, and the Cards need him to continue. He could be a great play for the playoff push. | ||||
| 13 | 12 | David Wright | 3B | NYM |
| Wright has quieted down a bit with the Mets a non-factor, but his 5×5 numbers look very strong. | ||||
| 12 | 17 | Clayton Kershaw | SP | LAD |
| Kershaw isn’t racking up wins like some of his colleagues, but he gets it done in every other category. | ||||
| 11 | 18 | Prince Fielder | 1B | DET |
| Prince’s numbers are finally looking good, and with the lineup he’s in, the RBIs should just keep coming. | ||||
| 10 | 14 | Matt Kemp | OF | LAD |
| Kemp has been great since coming back, and could easily be the top performer in the final six weeks. | ||||
| 9 | 7 | Josh Hamilton | OF | TEX |
| Hamilton hit a dismal cold stretch, but with 5 HR in his last seven games, Hamilton could be ready for another monster stretch. | ||||
| 8 | 11 | Justin Verlander | SP | DET |
| Verlander is the best pitcher in the game, and he could be even better down the stretch. 2.55 ERA in ‘11 and 2.54 ERA in ‘10 shows he can do it. | ||||
| 7 | 8 | Robinson Cano | 2B | NYY |
| Cano is enjoying a fine season, and the good times in New York should just keep on coming. | ||||
| 6 | 3 | Carlos Gonzalez | OF | COL |
| Homerless in his last 17 games, Cargo might be struggling to keep his head up playing for dismal Colorado. | ||||
| 5 | 5 | Albert Pujols | 1B | LAA |
| Pujols is solid now, and the last six weeks should bring a nice chunk of 5×5 numbers. | ||||
| 4 | 6 | Andrew McCutchen | OF | PIT |
| Cutch has cooled off a little in August, but with Pitt in a playoff race, expect the best of Cutch down the stretch. | ||||
| 3 | 9 | Mike Trout | OF | LAA |
| 22 HRs and 38 SBs in 95 games. Six more weeks of Trout sounds like fun to me. | ||||
| 2 | 1 | Ryan Braun | OF | MIL |
| Braun has had a quiet year thanks to Milwaukee being lousy, but his 5X5 numbers look great. | ||||
| 1 | 2 | Miguel Cabrera | 1B/3B | DET |
| The most reliable guy in the game right now, and that won’t be changing anytime soon. | ||||
Dropped out: Melky Cabrera, Brett Lawrie, Jay Bruce, Jason Kipnis, Gio Gonzalez, David Ortiz, Hunter Pence, Jose Bautista.
Just Missed: Josh Willingham, Johnny Cueto, Kenley Jansen, Jason Kubel, CC Sabathia, Evan Longoria, Joe Mauer, Roy Halladay, Jordan Zimmerman, Aramis Ramirez.
This is the final run for the Top 50 Countdown this season, although a keeper edition could be in the works. This has been great fun putting these lists together, and I hope everyone is going to be back on for next season. I hope everyone enjoyed the Countdown, and that many of you found it helpful throughout the season.
James is a 23-year-old accountant who spends most weekdays from 4-10 watching/tracking baseball and trolling the Cafe. He is also a golfer who is struggling to cope with the 110 degree heat in Las Vegas. If you ever come out here and want to hit the links or play some poker just let him know, and he is always game for a little side action. You can find James posting on the cafe as RJFORLIFE.
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Not saying Trout is going to stay in the small funk he is in but I’d feel more comfortable with a handful of the guys right behind him for the rest of the year.
Adam Jones has just been, ok, since June(260AB)…. .280/.325/.450 with 8HR/3SB/2CS
Don’t want any part of JUp for the rest of this year…not sure who’s trading FOR him if talking about the rest of this year only.
Posey should be higher…dude has been raking.
Allen Craig should probably get a little more love…even his slow month of July was still an .829OPS and he’s back to hitting well in August again.
Give me Butler or Morse over Konerko for the rest of the season.
I’m kind of just, meh, on Dickey for the rest of the year.
I like seeing Aramis at least on the just missed….dude always rakes in the second half and this year is no different.
Stubbs over the last 30 games is at 5hr/11sb with a lot of runs scored…he’s quietly been putting up some numbers here recently if you can handle the poor average…though it’s been decent the last 30 days.
Adam Jones has been mediocre but he can turn it on quick and make you wish you didn’t say anything bad about him. I am a believer.
I was surprised by the high marks J-Up got from some guys, but he is scoring runs and the AVG isn’t terrible. If he could hit a few HR, he’s worth a quick look.
Posey went from not on the Countdown to #31, easily the biggest move anyone has made. Putting him higher would play too heavily towards hot streaks.
I’d still rather have Trout than a guy like Cargo, who has nothing to play for and a pretty mediocre lineup.
I agree a bit on Craig, but I don’t think anyone even ranked him, so no Countdown love.
Konerko has been struggling, but he showed earlier this season he can be quite valuable, and some of the rankers were not willing to give up on him yet.
Dickey can still pitch deep enough to win some games and his Ks are extremely valuable, despite the mediocre ERA/WHIP.
Stubbs just doesn’t get any love on any list, so even giving him a next ten nod would be excessive. He could be good value for the stretch run though, I’ll admit.
Thanks for the comments J, I like to read what people think of the ranks and give out the info as to why they are ranked as they are as best I can. Most fun part of the job in my mind.
I threw preseason projections out the window for this countdown. At this point of the season, you have to trust the stats more than how you felt about a player at the beginning of the season, and I rarely trade for a player at this point who I thought would be good this year but is still suffering from a down year. So, my list was compiled based mostly off of what players have done up to this point with consideration to how they’ve performed over the past 30 days.
I will agree that Butler and Craig got snubbed in this countdown. Especially with Craig’s 2B eligibility. Butler has been a Cabrera-lite.
I dont know why I overlooked them…
Exactly right jfg. Names get thrown out the window at this point…with only a couple of weeks left you have to really start riding the hot hands and go with the numbers. If I’m trading for a guy today in hopes of getting the best numbers for the next 4 weeks then I don’t want, Jones, Konerko, Dickey, Upton…I absolutely want Posey, Craig, Butler, Morse, etc
Agreed that Cargo may not be a guy I take over Trout for the next 4 weeks but McCutch, Pujols, Cano, Kemp and Hamilton may be though.