At season’s beginning, quality rookie position players were tough to find. Cubs catcher Geovany Soto and Red Sox outfielder Jacoby Ellsbury comprised the list, and of course Rays third baseman Evan Longoria was a near lock for eventual fantasy success. But, as the season has progressed, a number of rookies, both heralded and unheralded, have emerged to add some outstanding depth to the 2008 rookie class.

Soto and Ellsbury burst onto the scene and got fantasy teams started on strong notes. Longoria wasn’t far from behind, earning an early promotion when injuries bombarded Tampa Bay’s infield. Kosuke Fukudome was also a nice early surprise, but made more of a splash in reality than he did in fantasy. Read more »

What have you done for me lately? — the theme of the year forclosers of all kinds. Brief slumps by even the best relievers in baseball result in implosions that can torch a fantasy team’s ERA and WHIP numbers. And with only half the closers in baseball possessing any true sense of job security, a constant revolving door is making for tricky lineup decisions for the stretch run.

The 2008 crop of closers has been anchored at the top by a dominant group that has managed to stay healthy and effective. Joakim Soria has emerged as an elite option, while Philadelphia’s Brad Lidge has bounced back from a troublesome ‘07 season to put up dominant numbers for the pennant-chasing Phillies. Surprises Kerry Wood, Kevin Gregg and Salomon Torres have held steady in rounding out the top 10. Read more »

A quick look at starting pitchers available in at least 50 percent of ESPN.com leagues. These are the guys who either haven’t deserved or haven’t earned fantasy owners trust, but who could lend a helping hand during the stretch run. Though some of the pitchers on this list have limitless potential, it is important to tread lightly and use them in comfortable spots.

Home starts are always advisable, especially for youngsters who are a little timid when they leave their comfort zones. Keeper leaguers should pay special attention to pitchers like Clayton Kershaw, David Price and Ubaldo Jimenez, who all have top-of-the-rotation type stuff, but need to put it all together at the major league level. Even if they don’t crack your fantasy team’s starting lineup, they can still have carry-over value to next year. Read more »

The middle infield (2B/SS) gets a bad rap as being the thinnest and most difficult position to fill in fantasy baseball. While the sentiment is probably true, it is also an over-generalization that lumps second basemen and shortstops together. Where fantasy owners are hard-pressed to find production beyond the top tier of shortstops, a group of dynamic second basemen is emerging to make filling 2B/SS spots a much easier task.

Waiver wire finds like Mark DeRosa, Mike Aviles (also a SS), Alexei Ramirez and Jose Lopez have added to a group that runs 20 deep with steady, if unspectacular, producers. Ian Kinsler and Chase Utley give the group star power at the top, while the position’s depth can go toe-to-toe with any other in fantasy. The new-found strength has eased the usually excruciating middle infield search, which is a breath of fresh air for fantasy owners everywhere. Read more »

Raul Ibanez continues to hit and the Seattle Mariners lose. This has become an all too common headline around the Pacific Northwest, but it - and the M’s 46-77 record - shouldn’t keep the 36-year-old outfielder out of fantasy lineups.

Ibanez went 5-for-5, including 2 doubles and an RBI in Sunday’s loss at the hands of the Minnesota Twins and is now hitting .413 with 12 runs and 20 RBIs in 15 August games. The multi-hit game was his third in his last 5 contests and the doubles give him a total of 13 extra-base hits in the month. Read more »

Entering Thursday, the Washington Nationals were 34 games under .500 and ranked last in baseball in runs scored and batting average, yet two of their outfielders made our list of top free agents available in at least 50 percent of leagues.

A pennant race seems to have energized the bat and 38 year-old legs of Jim Edmonds, while youngsters Denard Span and Jed Lowrie are proving that the futures of the Red Sox and Twins are in good hands. Read more »

Closer carousels have been in motion virtually all season, making for a constant shuffle at the bottom of the closer heap. And as constant as the change has been at the bottom, the top has been even more dominant. From Angels’ record chaser Francisco Rodriguez at the top to Pirates fill-in John Grabow at the bottom, 2008 is a clear-cut case of the haves and have-nots.

K-Rod could stop pitching today and still possibly lead baseball in saves. And as the saves pile up, we’re starting to see his typical dominance in strikeouts, something that was missing from his early season run. The rest of the top six remains virtually intact, the only change being Philadelphia’s Brad Lidge slipping in favor of Minnesota’s Joe Nathan and Kansas City’s Joakim Soria. Read more »

One interesting item to note each season is how teams handle their underperforming young players, especially those who have garnered top prospect status. Confidence is key, so clubs must be cautious in their decision to bench a rookie, demote him, or let him play through his struggles. Demotions make for interesting storylines because a player can, and often does, come back to the majors more prepared than ever for sustained success.

Four players come to mind as going that route in ‘08. The most heralded of the group was Twins left-hander Francisco Liriano, who was called up for an early test in his first major league action since 2006 Tommy John surgery. Liriano crashed and burned in the earlyaudition and was sent to Triple-A Rochester, where he went 10-0 in his final 11 starts and hit the ground running upon his recall to Minnesota. Read more »

In a season full of pleasant surprises, has there been a more pleasant surprise in fantasy baseball than Texas’ Ian Kinsler? The 26-year old’s flawless 5×5 rotisserie game has pushed him to the top of second base rankings this season, while putting him in the conversation for Fantasy MVP honors.

With speed that was quoted by Rangers assistant general manager Thad Levine as being “just a tick above average” in an SI.com article, Kinsler has still managed 26 stolen bases to go with 16 home runs. He ranks third in the American League batting race (.320), while leading the league with 99 runs scored and ranking second among major league second basemen with his 26 steals. Read more »

As they travel to Oakland for a series against the sliding Atheltics, the Tampa Bay Rays have dodged questions about who is going to step up after injuries to Evan Longoria and Carl Crawford., At the other end of the AL East, the Baltimore Orioles, despite being 6 games below .500 and 15 games behind the first place Rays, are reaping the benefits of a healthy season for former Devil Rays salary cap casualty Aubrey Huff.

Huff is hitting .390 with 5 home runs, 14 runs and 15 RBIs during his league-high 19-game hitting streak, and now has 24 homers and 77 RBIs on the year. Although he has seven multi-hit games during the streak, seven of the last eight games have been one-hit performances. Read more »