At that point, Francisco Rodriguez entered the game for the third day in a row and easily disposed of Albert Pujols on a fly to center and put an end to Matt Holliday’s 13-game hitting streak by freezing Holliday on a called third strike. It was the 10th shutout of the season for the Cardinals, nine of them on the road.

Blake Hawksworth was better than he had been lately as the Cardinals’ starter. But Hawksworth surrendered a three-run homer on a changeup to New York rookie Ike Davis in the third inning.

Looking to support the affiliates of my favorite Major League team, I decided to purchase the caps of each of the ball clubs.

It started with the Rochester Redwings. I was surprised by the sheer volume of caps available, not just for my favorite teams, but for all of the minor league baseball clubs.

I delved into the minor leagues looking for (in my opinion) the best baseball caps out there.

I was equally surprised by some of the names of the teams.

There were plenty of dogs and cats: Charleston River Dogs, Sacramento River Cats, New Britain Rock Cats, and the Midland Rock Hounds to name a few.

There were some dirty animals as well—Carolina Mudcats, Toledo Mudhens, and Bativia Muckdogs.

And some truly unusual mascots: Modesto Nuts, Montogomery Biscuits, Hickory Crawdads, and the Jamestown Jammers.

The list includes teams from Rookie League to Class AAA.

Begin Slideshow

He faced off against Letterman, who surprisingly has some pop in his bat and, not to mention, an athletic-looking swing.

Watch Letterman try to beat Pujols at his own game on TheSportingRave.com.

Actor and comedian Denis Leary was a guest on the show as well and was kind enough to play the role of pitcher for both of the contestants.

Read more St Louis Cardinals news on BleacherReport.com

Even though they were once seen as the front-runners to land Astros ace Roy Oswalt, the St. Louis Cardinals seem to be turning away from the idea of adding a front-of-the-rotation pitcher. Or, for that matter, any pitcher.

While St. Louis’ pitching staff has been rock-solid this season, its offense has been suspect at times. Adding an All-Star-caliber middle infielder could solve this issue.

The Cardinals’ second baseman, Skip Schumaker, and slick-fielding shortstop, Brendan Ryan, have failed to produce at the plate. Ryan has hit below the Mendoza line for most of the season, and Schumaker has failed to recreate his last two seasons, when he batted over .300 and had an on-base percentage around .400. If St. Louis wants to compete for the pennant, they need to add a middle infielder.

Several second basemen and shortstops have been made available. Among the options are Stephen Drew, Dan Uggla, Kelly Johnson, and Jhonny Peralta. The Cardinals would be wise to pick up one, or even two, of these players.

At shortstop, the Cardinals have had a revolving door ever since David Eckstein left via free agency. Adding a player such as Drew, who has above-average power for a shortstop, and is also locked up for the next two years, could solve this problem. The Cardinals are all too familiar with Drew’s bat. In 2008, he hit for the third cycle in Arizona Diamondbacks history against St. Louis.

Another option for the middle infield is Florida Marlins second baseman Dan Uggla. The Marlins have never exactly shopped Uggla around, but they’ve been listening to offers for him over the past two seasons.

Uggla is the polar opposite of Schumaker. He hits for incredible power as a second baseman, and he holds the record for the fastest second baseman to hit 100 home runs, doing so in 505 games. Although his glove is suspect at times, the Kentucky native’s rare power at the second base position would be much appreciated in the Cardinals’ lineup. Unlike Drew, Uggla’s contract expires at the end of this year.

Another name that has been circulated is Kelly Johnson. Johnson is having a career year, already tying his personal high for home runs with 16. Rumors have circulated about a Johnson-Ryan Ludwick swap, but I don’t see this trade happening. The Diamondbacks already have good, young outfielders, and they are in a rebuilding process. I can’t see them taking on Ludwick’s contract.

Whatever decision the Cardinals make, it will be much clearer come August 1st how the NL Central race will unfold.

Read more St Louis Cardinals news on BleacherReport.com

Moreover, the guys at the top are truly elite.  Of pitchers with at least 100 innings pitched, an astounding 17 of them have an ERA under 3.00.  So, you may not be hurting for pitching, but there are still plenty of guys out there who remain undervalued for you to target either through trade or on the waiver wire. All ownership percentages are from ESPN. (stats as of Sunday, July 25, 2010)

TIER 1
1.    Adam Wainwright (100% owned)
2.    Josh Johnson (100% owned)

Each has a WHIP right around 1.00, and Johnson has a marginal five strikeout lead over Wainwright.  The only differences between them are Johnson leads in ERA 1.61 to 2.02, and Wainwright has four more wins.  Johnson is more likely to see his ERA regress towards 2.00 than he is to win more games than Wainwright the rest of the way.  So, while wins are not the best way to evaluate pitchers, they still count in fantasy, and their value cannot be ignored.

3.    Roy Halladay (100% owned)
4.    Cliff Lee (100% owned)
5.    Tim Lincecum (100% owned)
6.    Jon Lester (100% owned)
7.    Jered Weaver (100% owned)

Weaver is striking out almost ten batters per nine innings while walking just over two batters per nine, and all of his peripheral numbers indicate that what he has been is what he is going to be.  If you have a stud starter with a lot of name value (say, Justin Verlander or Johan Santana), do not hesitate to swap them straight up for Weaver.

TIER 2
10.    Zach Greinke (100% owned)

In his last 7 starts, Greinke is 4-1 with a 2.89 ERA, 0.91 WHIP, and 7.98 K/9.
The “buy-low window” is probably closed by now as Greinke looks poised for a monster second-half.

11.    Justin Verlander (100% owned)
12.    Ubaldo Jimenez (100% owned)
13.    Yovani Gallardo (100% owned)
14.    David Price (100% owned)
15.    Chris Carpenter (100% owned)
16.    Clayton Kershaw (100% owned)
17.    Dan Haren (100% owned)

Haren has always been a notorious first-half stud and second-half bust, but this year he had a disappointing first half.  This led many to wonder how much worse it would get once he hit the inevitable second-half decline.  However, if he broke the trend in the first-half, why can he not do the same in the second-half?  He is third in the league with 141 K’s.

TIER 3
18.    Matt Cain (100% owned)
19.    Johan Santana (100% owned)
20.    Roy Oswalt (100% owned)
21.    Colby Lewis (98.5% owned)
22.    Tommy Hanson (100% owned)

With a record of 8-6, a 4.12 ERA and 1.36 WHIP, Hanson has not exactly given fantasy owners the return they were expecting on a top 80-ish draft pick.  However, Hanson has pitched better than those numbers indicate.  He is striking out almost a batter more per inning than he did last year at a clip of 9.03 K/9 , his walks are down, and his BABIP is .348 (the higher the number is over .300, the more unlucky the pitcher has been).  If your league redrafted today, Hanson still might be worth a top 80 pick.

23.    John Danks (100% owned)
24.    Tim Hudson (100% owned)
25.    Jeff Niemann (100% owned)
26.    Stephen Strasburg (100% owned)
27.    Mat Latos (100% owned)

Both Strasburg and Latos are going to have their innings limited as we get deeper into the season, but if they were pitching through September, they would both be top 15 pitchers.  Just keep running them out there every time they pitch, and then, use their roster slot to stream pitchers once they hit the shelf.  By doing so, you can still get top 20 value out of that slot in your rotation.

28.    Jaime Garcia (99.9% owned)

Garcia was one of the most difficult guys to rank.  You keep expecting the rookie pitcher with the unusually low HR/9 rate (0.41) and good but not great K/BB rate (2.09)  to regress, but so far it just hasn’t happened.  He is currently third in the majors with a 2.21 ERA and could absolutely continue to be a top 25-30 starting pitcher.

TIER 4
29.    Francisco Liriano (100% owned)
30.    Clay Buchholz (100% owned)
31.    Matt Garza (100% owned)
32.    Max Scherzer (84.1% owned)
33.    Ricky Nolasco (97.9% owned)

In 2009, Nolasco had a 5.76 ERA and 8.93 K/9 before the All-Star break.  He rebounded nicely with a 4.39 ERA and 10.02 K/9 after the break.  This year, he had a 4.55 ERA and 7.64 K/9 before the break, but in his two starts since the break, Nolasco has posted a 4.05 ERA and 10.99 K/9.  See where this is going?

34.    Jonathan Sanchez (99.4% owned)
35.    Wandy Rodriguez (55.4% owned)
36.    Cole Hamels (100% owned)
37.    Ryan Dempster (100% owned)
38.    Carl Pavano (93.1% owned)

Pavano in 2010: 12-6, 3.26 ERA, 1.01 WHIP (!), and 81 K’s to just 19 BB’s. Really?!?!  As mentioned above, the undrafted Pavano is providing substantial value to his owners.  In a 16-team league with 30 man rosters, I got Pavano with pick No. 433.  Now that is value!  The only reason he is not ranked higher is because, well, he is still Carl Pavano.

TIER 5
39.    Gavin Floyd (90.4% owned)
40.    Jason Hammel (26.2% owned)
41.    Javier Vazquez (94.7% owned)
42.    C.J. Wilson (72.3% owned)
43.    Ervin Santana (88.9% owned)
44.    Scott Baker (65.5% owned)

Baker’s increased strikeout rate, decreased walk rate, high BABIP, and inflated FIP all indicate that he has pitched better than it looks on paper.  FIP, or Fielding Independent Pitching, shows how well a pitcher pitched regardless of how the defense played behind him.  The nice thing about FIP is that it is based on the same scale as ERA.  So, while his ERA is right at 5.00, Baker’s FIP is just over 4.00, and his xFIP (Expected FIP predicts future ERA by adjusting home run rates) is actually below 4.00.

45.    Phil Hughes (100% owned)
46.    Brett Myers (21.3% owned)
47.    Chad Billingsley (95% owned)
48.    Edinson Volquez (73.2% owned)
49.    Kris Medlen (9.8% owned)
50.    Tommy Hunter (67.4% owned)

Both Medlen and Hunter are nice young pitchers with which to fill out the back end of your rotation.  While Hunter’s ownership percentage is substantially higher, Medlen is the guy you would rather own.  He has an impressive 3.57 ERA and 1.19 WHIP in 92.1 innings, and nothing in his peripherals suggests that he has just been lucky.  Meanwhile, Hunter is 7-0 with a 2.09 ERA and 1.11 WHIP in nine starts, but he is striking out less than five batters per nine innings and is receiving 7.3 runs per game of support from his offense.

Just missed the cut: Trevor Cahill (84.8% owned), Jason Vargas (20.8% owned), Shawn Marcum (66.3% owned), Barry Zito (88.2% owned), Ricky Romero (91.4% owned)

Agree or Disagree with the rankings?
Leave a comment and let us know, or reply to us on Twitter@TheFantasyFix

Article written by Brett Talley exclusively for TheFantasyFix.com. Brett is a blackbelt and taught Steven Seagal everything he knows.

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Read more St Louis Cardinals news on BleacherReport.com

Catchers
Ryan Doumit (31) – $7.25MM club option for 2012, $8.25MM club option for ‘13 with a $500K buyout
Jason Kendall (38)
Yadier Molina (29) – $7MM club option with a $750K buyout
Dioner Navarro (28)
Jorge Posada (40)
Ivan Rodriguez (40)
Brian Schneider (35)
Kelly Shoppach (29) – $3.2MM club option with a $300K buyout
Chris Snyder (31) – $6.75MM club option with a $750K buyout

First basemen
Michael Cuddyer (33)
Prince Fielder (28)
Ross Gload (36)
Adrian Gonzalez (30)
Albert Pujols (32)
Nick Swisher (31) – $10.25MM club option with a $1MM buyout

Second basemen
Clint Barmes (33)
Robinson Cano (29) – $14MM club option with a $2MM buyout
Luis Castillo (36)
Aaron Hill (30) – $8MM club option for 2012, $8MM club option for ‘13, $10MM club option for ‘14
Kelly Johnson (30)
Jose Lopez (28)
Augie Ojeda (37)
Brandon Phillips (31) – $12MM club option with a $1MM buyout
Freddy Sanchez (34)
Dan Uggla (32)
Rickie Weeks (29)

Shortstops
Jason Bartlett (32)
Yuniesky Betancourt (30) – $6MM club option with a $2MM buyout
Ronny Cedeno (29)
Rafael Furcal (34) – $12MM club/vesting option
J.J. Hardy (29)
John McDonald (37)
Augie Ojeda (37)
Jimmy Rollins (33)
Ramon Santiago (32)
Marco Scutaro (36) – $6MM club option/$3MM player option with a $1.5MM buyout
Jack Wilson (34)

Third basemen
Jose Bautista (31)
Casey Blake (38) – $6MM club option with a $1.25MM buyout
Mark DeRosa (37)
Greg Dobbs (33)
Edwin Encarnacion (29)

Left fielders
Jose Bautista (31)
Jack Cust (33)
Mark DeRosa (37)
Matt Diaz (34)
Jonny Gomes (31)
Carlos Guillen (36)
Scott Hairston (32)
Jeremy Hermida (28)
Raul Ibanez (40)
Conor Jackson (30)
Ryan Langerhans (32)
Juan Pierre (34)
Juan Rivera (33)
Josh Willingham (33)

Center fielders
Carlos Beltran (35)
Mike Cameron (39)
Scott Hairston (32)
Gary Matthews Jr. (37)
Nate McLouth (30) – $10.65MM club option with a $1.25MM buyout
Cody Ross (31)
Grady Sizemore (29) – $8.5MM club option with a $500K buyout

Right fielders
Bobby Abreu (38) – $9MM club option with a $1MM buyout; vests with 550 PAs in 2011 or 1,100 PA in 2010-11
Jose Bautista (31)
Milton Bradley (34)
Ryan Church (33)
Michael Cuddyer (33)
Jack Cust (33)
J.D. Drew (36)
Jeff Francoeur (28)
Kosuke Fukudome (35)
Gabe Gross (32)
Corey Hart (30)
Jeremy Hermida (28)
Ryan Ludwick (33)  
Gary Matthews Jr. (37)
Cody Ross (31)
Nick Swisher (31) – $10.25MM club option with a $1MM buyout
Josh Willingham (33)

Designated hitters
Milton Bradley (34)
Jack Cust (33)
Vlad Guerrero (37)

Starting pitchers
Mark Buehrle (33)
Chris Carpenter (37) – $15MM club option with a $1MM buyout
Aaron Cook (33) – $11MM mutual option with a $500K buyout
Kyle Davies (28)
Ryan Dempster (35) – $14MM player option
Zach Duke (29)
Jeff Francis (30)
Edwin Jackson (28)
Kenshin Kawakami (37)
Scott Kazmir (28) – $13.5MM club option with a $2.5MM buyout
Paul Maholm (30) – $9.75MM club option with a $750K buyout
John Maine (31)
Jason Marquis (33)
Brandon McCarthy (28)
Gil Meche (33)
Sergio Mitre (31)
Scott Olsen (28)
Roy Oswalt (34) – $16MM mutual option with a $2MM buyout
Oliver Perez (30)
Joel Pineiro (33)
Wandy Rodriguez (33)
C.C. Sabathia (31) – may opt out of remaining four years, $92MM
Carlos Silva (33) – $12MM mutual option with a $2MM buyout
Ian Snell (30) – $9.25MM club option
Brian Tallet (34)
Adam Wainwright (30) – $9MM club option for 2012, $12MM club option for ‘13 
Tim Wakefield (45)
Chien-Ming Wang (32)
C.J. Wilson (31)

Closers
Heath Bell (34)
Jonathan Broxton (28)
Matt Capps (28)
Francisco Cordero (37) – $12MM club option with a $1MM buyout 
Ryan Franklin (39)
Brian Fuentes (36)
Mike Gonzalez (34)
Bobby Jenks (31)
Brad Lidge (35) – $12.5MM club option with a $1.5MM buyout
Joe Nathan (37) – $12.5MM club option with a $2MM buyout
Jonathan Papelbon (31)
Francisco Rodriguez (30) – $17.5MM club/vesting option with a $3.5MM buyout
Jose Valverde (34) – $9MM club option

Right-handed relievers
Danys Baez (34)
Matt Belisle (32)
Rafael Betancourt (37)
Brian Bruney (30)
Shawn Camp (36)
Todd Coffey (31)
Clay Condrey (36)
Lance Cormier (31)
LaTroy Hawkins (37)
Scott Linebrink (35)
Ryan Madson (31)
Chris Ray (30)
Fernando Rodney (35)
Tyler Walker (36)
Michael Wuertz (33) – $3.25MM club option with a $250K buyout
Joel Zumaya (27)

Left-handed relievers
Tim Byrdak (38)
John Grabow (33)
Javier Lopez (34)
Damaso Marte (37) – $4MM club option with a $250K buyout
George Sherrill (35)

This list is very stout to say the least.

The Best 5 Position players are:

1.Albert Pujols

2.Adrian Gonzalez

3.Prince Fielder

4.Robinson Cano (If club declines option)

5.Grady Sizemore (If club declines option)

The Best 5 Pitchers are:

1.CC Sabathia (If he opts out)

2.Adam Wainwright (If club declines option)

3.Chris Carpenter (If club declines option)

4.Roy Oswalt (If club declines option)

5.Jonathon Broxton 

This list could change over time, but will still feature a strong list of free agents. This class could change the way people look at baseball, and could closely resemble the stout NBA free agent class of 2010. Though, compared to the NBA, MLB will always be deeper in talent. 

(Free Agent info provided by mlbtraderumors)

Read more St Louis Cardinals news on BleacherReport.com

In previous seasons, I’ve done just  a “straight” ranking by position, as opposed to a “tiering” system, but have recently found that the tiering system will help you to better distinguish the difference between a Tier-One player and a Tier-two player, ultimately leading to better value.

Tier-One

1) Albert Pujols – St. Louis Cardinals

2) Miguel Cabrera – Detroit Tigers

3) Ryan Howard – Philadelphia Phillies

4) Mark Teixeira – New York Yankees

Nothing new with these top tier guys, as any of these options will provide solid numbers during the second half of play. Albert Pujols is Albert Pujols, and is still the king. Miguel Cabrera certainly is second to no one in fantasy baseball this year, as he’s posting a MVP/Triple Crown type of season.

Ryan Howard and Mark Teixeira had up-and-down numbers during the first half of play, but both know how to produce huge numbers after the All-Star break. As the temperature rises, so do the HR and RBI totals for both of these sluggers.

Tier-Two

5) Joey Votto – Cincinnati Reds

6) Prince Fielder – Milwaukee Brewers

7) Kevin Youkilis – Boston Red Sox

Adrian Gonzalez – San Diego Padres

Again, can’t go wrong with any of these guys. Joey Votto is carrying the Reds offensively right now and has done so all season long, and he could easily be thrown into the Tier-One group. Prince Fielder will probably be staying in Milwaukee the rest of the season, but his numbers should still continue to be around the same mark with the power numbers taking a slight hit.

The on-base percentage (OBP) machine that is Kevin Youkilis is putting together another solid season. Expect more of the same during the second half, as the runs scored, slugging (SLG), and OBP numbers will be near the top of the AL leader board.

I’m sure every Adrian Gonzalez owner is hoping that the Padres acquire a power-bat before the trading deadline passes. Gonzalez currently sits in second place in the NL with 17 intentional-walks, but with pennant races hitting up, I fully expect teams to start treating Adrian like Barry Bonds.

Tier-Three

9) Justin Morneau – Minnesota Twins

10) Billy Butler – Kansas City Royals

11) Adam Dunn – Washington Nationals

12) Paul Konerko – Chicago White Sox

13) Carlos Pena – Tampa Bay Rays

Justin Morneau has yet to play a game during the second half due to an injury (surprise!) and is a suspect the rest of the season for poor numbers. Morneau floats around a .300/.360/.550 with an on-base plus + slugging percentage (OPS) over .900 during the first half of play, but when the second half hits, his numbers take a huge hit, posting drops in all categories, especially the home run department. Hopefully, you were able to trade Morneau for a high return before the second half of play started. 

Billy Butler doesn’t have the HR power like most first baseman, but still flat out hits every month. With KC being what it is, Butler will likely be limited as far as his runs scored and the RBI department.

The Nationals want to move Adam Dunn before the trade deadline, but the price is reportedly high, so I see him staying put and signing an extension in D.C.  Dunn has always been known for the high home run totals, walks, and high strike out totals, but he is surprisingly hitting at an average above the .275 mark right now, which is something he simply isn’t known for. The highest average Dunn has ever hit during an entire season is .267 (2009 season).

Another down factor for Dunn is his OBP number this season, as he’s been attacking the zone aggressively, seeing the lowest numbers of pitches per plate appearance during his ten-year career.  Over the past two seasons, Dunn hasn’t hit over 15 home runs post All-Star break since the 2007 season.

Tier-Four

14) Adam LaRoche – Arizona Diamondbacks

15) Aubrey Huff – San Francisco Giants

16) James Loney – Los Angels Dodgers

17) Derrek Lee – Chicago Cubs

18) Lance Berkman – Houston Astros

I’ve had a serious man-crush  on Adam LaRoche all season long. Everyone knows how he tears the second half of play up, but I think we will see his best second half surge ever during the 2010 season. 

Aubrey Huff of the Giants is having his best season since 2008 and has already surpassed his home run totals from last season. Huff’s best month has yet to come, so watch out when the calendar hits August 1st. 

James Loney reminds me of Billy Butler because of their similar numbers, and the fact that he will not hit for a ton of power, but will still have the high AVG and OPS number.

Derrek Lee and Lance Berkman have a lot in common this season, from poor production numbers to the inability to hit left-handed pitching. On the bright side, owners can expect some bounce back from both players. I especially like Lee moving forward, so see if you can grab him from someone for a cheap price. Closing out the season, Lee should hit around the .290 clip and will end with between 20-25 HR.

Tier-Five

19) Ike Davis – New York Mets

20) Gaby Sanchez – Florida Marlins

21) Russell Branyan – Seattle Mariners

22) Justin Smoak – Seattle Mariners

23) Todd Helton – Colorado Rockies

24) Troy Glaus – Atlanta Braves

25) Daric Barton – Oakland Athletics

Most of the Tier-Five guys are part of the youth movement and will be moving up the ranks next season, as they are able to hit for solid power numbers and are reliable late round options for that corner infield position on your team.  

Like most of the Mets roster, Ike Davis is red-hot when playing in Citi Field (.298/.387/.496), but struggles on the road (.212/.272/.400). The good news is that he’s hitting .278 with a .329 OBP against left-handed pitching this season.

Former University of Miami slugger Gaby Sanchez is having a terrific rookie season across all categories. He’s hit left-handed pitching extremely well to this point and hits both while at home and on the road.

Justin Smoak has the power, but has struggled against left-handed pitching this season, which should be expected for a player of his age.

Written by Reggie Yinger, exclusively for the TheFantasyFix.com
Reggie Yinger is a programmer in the IT field and also writes for BaseballPress.com. He previously worked for a Minor League Baseball team and hopes to return to baseball full-time in some fashion. You can follow him on Twitter @sacksjacked.

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