Ian Desmond and Starlin Castro may have more roto value than you think

The All Star Break provides time for reflection, and a chance to look at just where your team has gone wrong. Or right, if the case may be.

As all of you fantasy veterans well know, you can never be too comfortable in first place, or too far out in last. Not with more than two months left of the season. That said, now is the time to start looking for those players that can help you gain elusive points in category leagues.

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That is where I come in. I will provide players that can help in each 5×5 category at each position. Some of these guys may be one-category wonders, but if you need that category, is it really such a bad thing?

Most of these guys you will have to trade for. Trades are not a bad thing. They are often the only way you can get your team back into contention.

Would you trade him for

Billy Hamilton

? Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

In one of my leagues for example, someone just traded Carlos Gonzalez for Billy Hamilton. Straight up. He was miles ahead in runs and homers, but near the bottom in steals. So he went out and got the one guy who can net him upwards of five points in that category for the rest of the season. Some in the league complained, but I thought it was brilliant. There is no one else that can give him what he needs like Hamilton.

This piece will focus on shortstops. The catchers are here. The first basemen are here. The second basemen are here.

I will only give you the raw stats, not my opinion on what you should do in these pieces. The stats should speak for themselves. I will give the top 5 in each category, and a sleeper for the rest of the way.

Tulowitzki has been the best shortstop in fantasy so far. Mandatory Credit: Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

Runs:

Troy Tulowitzki, 71

Dee Gordon, 52

Jose Reyes, 51

Asdrubal Cabrera, 50

Elvis Andrus, 50

Sleeper: Andrelton Simmons. Simmons has scored 12 runs in July. He will keep producing runs as long as his teammates keep hitting like they are.

Need power? Peralta can provide some on the cheap. Mandatory Credit: Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports

Home Runs:

Troy Tulowitzki, 21

Ian Desmond, 16

Jhonny Peralta, 14

Jimmy Rollins, 11

Hanley Ramirez, 11

Starlin Castro, 11

Sleeper: J.J. Hardy. All of his homers on the season have come since June 30th. He could provide solid value the rest of the way.

There is a reason Aybar was an All Star this year. Mandatory Credit: Scott Rovak-USA TODAY Sports

RBI:

Ian Desmond, 57

Troy Tulowitzki, 52

Starlin Castro, 52

Erick Aybar, 50

Hanley Ramirez, 48

Sleeper: Ben Zobrist. One third of his season RBI total has come in the last two weeks.

Can’t afford Dee Gordon? Escobar is a suitable substitute. Mandatory Credit: Peter G. Aiken-USA TODAY Sports

Stolen Bases:

Dee Gordon, 43

Alcides Escobar, 22

Elvis Andrus, 20

Jimmy Rollins, 19

Jose Reyes, 15

Alexei Ramirez, 15

Sleeper: Erick Aybar. Seven of his 11 total steals have come since June 15th.

Santana hit his way into the Twins lineup. Maybe he should yours as well. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Batting Average: (minimum 100 at bats)

Troy Tulowitzki, .345

Danny Santana, .328

Dee Gordon, .292

Eduardo Nunez, .290

Josh Rutledge, .286

Sleeper: Arismendy Alcantara. He is hitting .391 since his callup.

We all knew that Tulowitzki is having possibly the best all around season of anyone in baseball. What you may not have noticed is just how valuable guys like Starlin Castro and Jose Reyes are. Not to say that these guys are cheap, but they will come MUCH cheaper than Tulo, and they will provide you with a lot of production.

What sticks out to me is the huge gap between Tulo and the pack in runs scored, and the gap between Gordon and the pack in steals. If you can get Tulo without giving up too much, that could give you a huge boost across the board.

The next piece will focus on the third basemen.

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