Some of the usual suspects are among the National League’s most productive hitters this season, but a few newbies have also made their presence known. That’s not to say Joey Votto, Carlos Gonzalez and Chris Young are new to the fantasy scene; they’re just new to the upper echelon of the league’s hitters.

Let’s take a look at the top 10 thus far. Rankings are based solely on current numbers, not projections for the remainder of the season.

1. Albert Pujols, 1B, STL: Even in ‘down season’ is competing for NL Triple Crown
2. Joey Votto, 1B, CIN: Arrives on big stage with eerily similar season to Pujols
3. Carlos Gonzalez, OF, COL: CarGo is on pace for .300-30-100-100-20 benchmarks
4. Ryan Howard, 1B, PHI: Ankle injury threatens to derail usual 2nd half hot streak
5. David Wright, 3B, NYM: Big rebound in power; vying for 3rd career .300-25-20 season
6. Chris Young, OF, ARI: Unlikely All-Star is picking up SB pace; has 18 in last 52 games
7. Rickie Weeks, 2B, MIL: Finally healthy, ranks among top 3 2B in HRs, RBIs, runs
8. Adam Dunn, 1B, WSH: Staying put in D.C. (for now), again on 40 HR, 100 RBI pace
9. Dan Uggla, 2B, FLA: Flying under the radar with usual power, uptick in AVG (.281)
10. Corey Hart, OF, MIL: Returning to form after wrist injury; has 5 August RBIs

Along with the corner outfield positions, first base is a premium run-producing position. Significant home run, RBIs, runs scored and walk numbers accompany the first few tiers of first basemen.

Unlike most other positions, there isn’t a huge drop off between the first two tiers. Most teams put their big, strong defensive liability at first, making it a predominantly offensive position. Read more »

Having gone through a couple of early mock drafts, a few facts — some specific to 2009, others not — have become more clear. Even in the heart of winter, with spring training updates still to come, players are settling into slot positions and trends are beginning to develop.

For starters …

After the top seven players — Hanley Ramirez, Alex Rodriguez, Albert Pujols, David Wright, Jose Reyes, Grady Sizemore and Miguel Cabrera — drafts are wide open. The eighth pick is as good as the 14th, which makes late first-round decisions as hard as ever. Read more »

Good story by Philadelphia Inquirer columnist Jim Salisbury, who breaks down each of the Philadelphia Phillies’ six potential arbitration cases. He also gives a refresher on just how arbitration works, which is always handy for an often confusing, misunderstood process.

The defending World Series champions have some of the more intriguing cases, especially in first baseman Ryan Howard. Howard set a record with his $10-million ruling last season, now will be seeking somewhere in the $18 million range, according to the Inquirer. Read more »

Imagine this happening next season …

It’s September 13th, Mets at Phillies, bottom of the eighth inning and Philadelphia is down a run. The Mets hold a two game lead in the division and could extend the lead to a substantial three games, with three weeks to play, with a win.

The Phillies’ 3-4-5 part of the order is up against lefty specialist Pedro Feliciano. In 2008, the southpaw held left-handed hitters to a .210 average and 34 punchouts and has posted similar numbers so far in ‘09. Three hole hitter Chase Utley grounds out to second. Cleanup hitter Ryan Howard strikes out swinging. Raul Ibanez, hitting out of the five hole, pops out to shallow right, thus ruining any chance that the Phitins had at coming back in this game. Francisco Rodriguez comes on in the bottom of the ninth to shut the door and win the game for the Amazins. Read more »

Chase Utley would never admit it, but his ailing hip, the one requiring surgery this offseason, bothered him at times during the 2008 season. He’s having surgery in New York next week, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer, which is a class good news-bad news situation for Phillies fans.

The bad news is, Utley will not participate in baseball activities for three months, which leaves his status for Opening Day in serious question. If he is on the tail end of a potential six-month timetable for recovery, Utley may not return to the field until May or June. Read more »

In a year that saw no player separating himself from the rest of the league, voters had a tough task of electing the National League’s Most Valuable Player. Should the award be given to the player with the most gaudy numbers? Or should it be the best player on the best team? What about players acquired midseason that carried their respective teams to the playoffs? While Ryan Howard, Manny Ramirez and CC Sabathia all garnered consideration, voters decided to go with the numbers and voted Albert Pujols MVP.

Hitting .357 with 37 home runs and 116 RBIs, Pujols posted statistics that are tough to argue with. However, unlike many other worthy candidates, Pujols failed to lead his team to the postseason. Is it fair to give the coveted award to a player who could not even get his team in the playoffs in the weak National League? It can be, especially when Pujols was the lone reason St. Louis remained in contention as late as September. Read more »

Jimmy Rollins went 0-for-3 in Game 5.

Chase Utley went 0-for-3 with a run scored, but left five runners on base.

Even Ryan Howard, who was hitting at a .353 clip before taking an 0-for-4 in Game 5, struggled in the game that took nearly half a week to play. Thankfully for the Philadelphia Phillies, Jayson Werth went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a stolen base. Read more »

The ship has sailed for the Tampa Bay Rays on a potential World Series championship. The Rays had their opportunities early in the series, and by failing to cash in, they gave the Phillies more than enough time to get comfortable and find their rhythm.

This series turned out to be a race to that point. Who would break out of their funks first, Carlos Pena and Evan Longoria or Ryan Howard and Jimmy Rollins?

While Howard and Rollins emerged in big ways the last two games, Pena and Longoria may not wake up until spring training. Both players are in search of their first hits in the series — they are a combined 0-for-29 — and Phillies pitchers are searching for threats in the rest of the Rays lineup. Read more »

The Philadelphia Phillies are a well-publicized 1-for-28 with runners in scoring position in this World Series. The team has had little problem getting to Tampa Bay Rays pitchers, but from there, it has inexplicably frozen up and responded poorly in the clutch. Every player in the lineup has been part of the problem, which is equal parts good pitching, bad execution and flat out not getting the job done.

Take the early part of Game 2, for instance. After the Phillies botched a couple of key chances, they had virtually no chance of overcoming a 3-0 deficit on the road.

In the second inning, with runners on first and second with no outs, Shane Victorino fouled out to third base and failed to advance runners. Had Victorino executed and been productive with his out, a wild pitch by James Shields to the next batter, Greg Dobbs, would have scored a run. Read more »