American League Leftfielder – Carl Crawford, Tampa Bay Devil Rays – .285/.336/.445, 6 HR, 51 RBI, 48 R, 23 SB

This race was a little closer than I expected, that is for sure. It was not Crawford’s speed alone that set him apart, as Reggie Willits keeps pace at 18 stolen bases, but rather his 51 RBIs with the speed that allowed him to lap the field here. Hideki Matsui, Raul Ibanez, and Manny Ramirez are above or near the RBI total, but have absolutely no speed. Meanwhile, Willits’ speed is paired with just 25 RBI. It is not at all surprising that Ramirez and Matsui are tied for the home run lead in the American League leftfield, but it completely surprising that the total they have posted is 11! Shannon Stewart has acquitted himself rather well thus far as an adequate option, but sits pretty significantly behind the five mentioned in terms of complete fantasy impact.

National League Leftfielder – Matt Holliday, Colorado Rockies – .341/.392/.573, 15 HR, 69 RBI, 56 R, 4 SB

Unlike the American League, the battle for NL leftfield supremacy is deep and hotly contested. In the end, Holliday’s 35 batting points and 20 runs batted in offer more to a team than Eric Byrnes’ 13 extra stolen bases. Beyond those two, Carlos Lee, Barry Bonds, Alfonso Soriano, and Adam Dunn surely check into the party. Hats off to Chris Duncan and Luis Gonzalez while we are at it. Batting average leagues cancel out Dunn’s power advantage, but on-base leagues throw right into the midst of the fray. Back to Holliday, only that Bonds guy has higher OPS in the National League outfield and while many hope to cut him down by suggesting he milks Coors Field, his .301/.356/.472 is hardly anything to snuff at.

Biggest Bust – Pat Burrell (his three-year batting average decline has bottomed out at .215)

Best Value – Gonzalez (likely waiver-wire fodder in most leagues, perhaps even some NL-Only ones)

OBP-League Boost – Bonds (.512… that’s all I have to say)

American League Centerfielder – Grady Sizemore, Cleveland Indians – .280/.393/.471, 15 HR, 46 RBI, 73 R, 24 SB

I did look at Torii Hunter’s numbers, in case you were wondering. In fact, I almost gave him the nod, but despite a 19-point difference in batting average, Hunter has just one more hit. And if you shift to OBP leagues, he can’t touch Sizemore’s .393. A 23 RBI and four home run edge to Hunter is quickly washed away by an 18 run and 13 stolen base edge in favor of Sizemore. I’d be remiss if I made this a two-man battle. In fact, Ichiro Suzuki, Curtis Granderson, Gary Matthews, and even Vernon Wells would be rather nonplussed with me if they went unmentioned. Of course, Wells has struggled by his standards with a meager .253 average. David DeJesus has been exceptional out in Kansas City as well, though not overwhelming in any one particular category.

National League Centerfielder – Carlos Beltran, New York Mets – .264/.340/.477, 16 HR, 55 RBI, 49 R, 13 SB

But Paul, Beltran has a meager .264 average, how can he be the best? Despite that middling average, his advantage in every counting stat over Hunter Pence makes up for the 78 points in average. And then, shift over to OBP leagues and it’s a mere 27-point gap in Pence’s favor. Josh Hamilton has been everyone’s favorite feel-good story of the season and who can argue with the 14 home runs and adequate .279 average? The 30 RBI are kinda lame when you consider the power output, but that just lends more credence to the point that RBIs are far too team-centric to judge an individual on. Chris Young’s 13 home runs cannot erase his disgusting .233 average even if you immediately shift your gaze to the nine stolen bases. Aaron Rowand is having a career year, but is still far from a fantasy force. Mike Cameron remains the same WYSIWYG player he has been for years with a solid power-speed mix combined with a low batting average.

Biggest Bust – Andruw Jones (might be the biggest in baseball, not just centerfield)

Best Value – Hamilton (few thought he would even break camp)

OBP-League Boost – Sizemore

American League Rightfielder – Magglio Ordonez, Detroit Tigers – .367/.446/.604, 13 HR, 70 RBI, 70 R, 2 SB

No matter how you slice it, the Tigers had to overpay to lure Magglio to Motown, but with thoughts of the ALCS walk-off home run continuing to dance through the head of Detroiters everywhere and now a first-half that has Ordonez atop MVP ballots, it just doesn’t matter. He would have to pick up the power pace to hit 30 home runs, something he has done four times, but even without reaching that mark, he is in the midst of a career-year. You know someone is having a good season when they rate ahead of Vladimir Guerrero without even batting an eye. In fact, you could make the case that Vladdy is third in the American League race behind Ordonez and Alex Rios. Rios trails slightly in average and significantly in RBI, but wipes the board clean in runs, home runs and stolen bases.

National League Rightfielder – Ken Griffey Jr., Cincinnati Reds – .286/.390/.568, 23 HR, 59 RBI, 49 R, 3 SB

Check the calendar; it actually isn’t 1990-anything. It is great to see Junior raking like old times and even just a quick look at the numbers is enough to see that this is not some retro vote for him. He has lapped the field with his 23 home runs, trails Brad Hawpe by just one run batted in and Shane Victorino has a meager six-run lead on him thus far. Victorino’s surprising power (10 home runs) has gone quite well with his 27 stolen bases making he and Corey Hart (11 HR/16 SB) the most complete threats across the board. That is about as deep as the National League goes at rightfield, though. Many had high hopes for Luke Scott, including yours truly, but he has more or less been awful. Xavier Nady has been a nice surprise, sitting just three home runs from his entire 2006 total.

Biggest Bust – Jermaine Dye (can’t even muster enough power to hide that abysmal, abysmal average)

Best Value – Victorino

OBP-League Boost – Nick Swisher (want to hide that .263 average, head over to an OBP league and watch him soar to .395)

Have a question or comment for Paul? Email him at paulsporer@sportsgrumblings.com