With all the All-Star talk floating around this week and next, it's only natural to take a look back at the first half of 2004, position by position, and point out who has been the best so far.

First base: David Ortiz, Red Sox. One of my morning rituals is to torture myself by looking at the Boston box score to see how much damage Ortiz did the night before. I traded away Ortiz and Lance Berkman for Todd Helton in early May. I drafted Ortiz figuring that if he stayed healthy, he'd have a repeat performance of 2003's breakout campaign. But even the most rabid Red Sox fans didn't expect this. Ortiz was hitting .306 with 22 home runs and 76 RBI through the first 78 games of 2004.

Helton (.351-15-54), Sean Casey (.352-15-54), Jim Thome (.299-27-59), Lyle Overbay (.340-9-61) and Albert Pujols (.310-21-57) all deserve honorable mention.

Second base: Alfonso Soriano, Rangers. His average (.292) isn't as high as you would expect, but Soriano's overall production (15 home runs, 52 RBI, eight steals, 43 runs) gives him the edge over several talented competitors. You also could make an argument for Mark Loretta (.318-6-34), but I'll give Soriano the edge because of his higher power numbers. This position has plenty of talent flying under the radar as well: Aaron Miles (.332 average), Tony Womack (.310, 14 steals) and Ronnie Belliard (.311).

Shortstop: Michael Young, Rangers. There's plenty of competition, but Young's stat-stuffing ways (.332-11-49, six triples, seven steals, 23 walks, 119 hits, 61 runs) make him the most valuable fantasy commodity at this position. He has surpassed all expectations and delighted those owners smart enough to roll the dice on him in 2004.

Let's not forget Miguel Tejada (.318-15-71), along with the surprising duo of Carlos Guillen (.324-11-57, seven triples, five steals) and Jack Wilson (.341-8-34, seven triples, 115 hits, six steals).

Third base: Scott Rolen, Cardinals. This one is easy. Nobody has been able to match Rolen's offense (.346-18-80) in the first half. He's on pace to finish with 158 RBI, in case you were wondering.

By the way, watch out in the second half for Alex Rodriguez (remember him?), who quietly has racked up 18 steals to go with 20 homers and 53 RBI so far. Hats off also to Chone Figgins (.307, 20 steals, 11 triples), Hank Blalock (.314-22-63), Aramis Ramirez (.326-15-56), Adrian Beltre (.318-21-55), Melvin Mora (.347-12-43) and Vinny Castilla (.280-16-70).

Outfield: Bobby Abreu, Phillies; Carlos Beltran, Astros; Vladimir Guerrero, Angels. Combine their stats and average them, and you get a player hitting .309-18-62 with 13 steals, 46 walks and 22 doubles. Across the board, it's difficult to find better fantasy production than these three players give you.

Obviously there is still a ton of other fantasy talent here, namely Barry Bonds (.352-22-46, 121 walks), Manny Ramirez (.340-22-65), Carl Crawford (.308, eight triples, 38 steals) and J.D. Drew (.295-19-52, five steals, five triples).

Catcher: Ivan Rodriguez, Tigers. I guess Detroit knew what it was doing by signing the 32-year-old I-Rod to a gigantic contract this winter. His numbers (.373-10-57, seven steals, 110 hits) are MVP-worthy. I deserve a spanking for being among those fantasy pundits who pooh-poohed Rodriguez during spring training and said he was bound for a letdown in 2004.

Honorable mention goes to Javy Lopez (.321-11-39), Jason Kendall (.311, seven steals), Mike Piazza (.309-16-40) and Victor Martinez (.299-12-61, 25 doubles).

Starting pitcher: Jason Schmidt, Giants. He has been the best fantasy starter across the board, going 10-2 with a 2.61 ERA, 0.97 WHIP and 112 strikeouts in 107 innings, and allowing only 69 hits. That puts him a hair ahead of super-geezers Randy Johnson (10-6, 2.90 ERA, 0.86 WHIP, 139 strikeouts) and Roger Clemens (10-2, 2.54 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 113 strikeouts).

Perhaps the biggest surprise is Kenny Rogers, who stands at a major league-best 12-2 with a respectable 3.65 ERA and 1.26 WHIP. The real question, though, is this: Will fantasy owners be wise to hold onto The Gambler, or should they trade him now?

Relief pitcher: Armando Benitez, Marlins. Who expected this? He's 2-0 with 27 saves, a 1.07 ERA and 0.88 WHIP. He has blown only two saves all year and given up only four earned runs. Finishing a close second are Mariano Rivera (29 saves, 0.86 ERA, 1.08 WHIP) and Francisco Cordero (2-0, 25 saves, no home runs allowed), along with Dan Kolb (25 saves, 0.84 ERA, 0.81 WHIP, no home runs allowed, only three earned runs allowed all season). Danny Graves, Joe Nathan and Eric Gagne are three more who merit consideration for the top spot.

HOT BOX

Pick him up: Richard Hidalgo, OF, Mets. He's on fire right now, hitting .440 with five home runs and seven RBI during the first week of July. He's also making the most of a fresh start in New York while batting behind Mike Piazza and Cliff Floyd. Oh yeah, and he's also playing for a contract. Chances are somebody in your league gave up on Hidalgo, so go grab him if you can.

Sit him down: Pedro Feliz, IF, Giants. Feliz is fading fast. He hit .290 in April, .286 in May, .231 in June and started July 2-for-13. He also has been in and out of the lineup, and San Francisco manager Felipe Alou said recently he thought Feliz was "tiring." Not a good sign, even for a guy who has managed 13 home runs and 45 RBI.

Keep an eye on: David Newhan, 3B, Orioles. He has been incredible while filling in for the injured Melvin Mora at third, batting .406 with four homers and 15 RBI in his first 69 at-bats, and you should pick him up right now if you need a short-term fix in the infield. Otherwise, he merits further study.

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