By Dalton Del Don – Senior Writer

Saves is the one category not readily available on your waiver wire. I’ve never been a big fan of spending early draft picks on closers, but looking at the ninth-inning situations around the league, it wouldn’t be such a bad idea to lock up a stud with so many volatile back ends to bullpens. That said, many fantasy owners are scrounging for saves right now, and a handful can make quite an impact on your standings at this stage of the season. Fully aware that league formats will influence the names on this list, if stashing a potential closer down the line is something you’d be interested in, look no further than:

Zack Greinke – The overall numbers still don’t look pretty, but Greinke has really turned it around of late, posting a 21:4 K:BB ratio during June. He’s already been dubbed the alternative to close if/when Octavio Dotel gets hurt or traded, a scenario that seems more than likely to happen one way or the other. He has the stuff to be a very successful major league pitcher.

Santiago Casilla – With Justin Duchscherer out for the season, Huston Street’s health still up in the air and Alan Embree’s recent implosion, Casilla could fall into a dozen or so saves over the second half of the season. The fact he’s given up just one run over 17.2 innings this year doesn’t hurt matters either.

Carlos Marmol – Regardless of Ryan Dempster’s health, Marmol already has the best stuff in Chicago’s pen. 34 strikeouts in 24 innings tell you as much.

Rafael Betancourt – Probably not available in too many leagues, Betancourt’s season has been so good that he got All-Star consideration. Joe Borowski, the Indians’ current closer, has a 5.68 ERA and 1.55 WHIP.

Vinnie Chulk – Brad Hennessey hasn’t been bad, but his stuff is atypical of a closer, and he’s just one year removed from a 42:42 K:BB ratio season. Chulk, meanwhile, had a 0.73 ERA and 0.89 WHIP last month. Jonathan Sanchez (1.74 ERA, 0.77 WHIP in June) is another option in S.F.

Paul Shuey – I don’t really see a need for change, but Shuey seems to be the alternative to Chris Ray.

Jon Rauch – There’s a decent chance Chad Cordero gets dealt, making Rauch the top choice to finish games in Washington.

Eddie Guardado – Everyday Eddie is quite an ironic nickname at this stage of his career, but if he ever gets back to health, the Reds could move David Weathers to a contending team looking for a setup guy.

By Dalton Del Don – Senior Writer

I understand the absurdity of arguing against who got snubbed for the Major League All-Star game, but what good is having a blog if you can’t complain about the minutiae? First up, the NL squad:

Catcher – Russell Martin – An easy call. Martin has been one of the most pleasant surprises in baseball through the first half of the season. In fact, if he kept the same pace over the next three months, he’d likely finish the season as a top-20 fantasy player.

First Base – Prince Fielder – Deserving. He’s one homer shy of last year’s total in 266 fewer at-bats.

Second Base – Chase Utley – Another no-brainer. There isn’t a bigger gap at any other position than Utley and the rest of MLB’s second basemen.

Third Base - David Wright – He’s having a fine season, but Miguel Cabrera should be starting here. Still, that’s nitpicking, and there are far worse decisions to come.

Shortstop – Jose Reyes – The most loaded group in recent memory. Tough to argue with the Reyes pick, but the fact Hanley Ramirez didn’t even make it as a reserve is egregious. There’s a pretty good argument to be made that J.J. Hardy has been the fifth best NL SS this year.

Outfield – Ken Griffey Jr. – Do you realize that Griffey has 585 career home runs? Over the last six seasons, Junior has missed 418 games, an average of 70 contests per season.

Outfield – Carlos Beltran – Four homers over a two-game span this weekend sure makes this selection more palatable.

Outfield - Barry Bonds – Some of the media are treating his insertion like some charity case because the game is in San Francisco. In a recent ESPN SportsNation poll, Bonds blew everyone out with a 48% vote as “player least deserving to start.” Unfortunately, those pesky stats don’t back up these claims. Bonds leads the NL in OPS (1.119), walks (84), OBP (.516) and ranks second in slugging (.603) despite playing in an extreme pitcher’s park. He only ranks eighth in the league in homers (16), but it’s awfully tough to contend in that category when seeing two-three pitches within feet of the strike zone per game.

A few notes on the NL reserves: Did Dmitri Young really just make an All-Star team? Freddy Sanchez over Ian Snell as Pittsburgh’s representative is laughable, especially considering the other middle infield snubs. With Matt Holliday already on the roster, why was Brian Fuentes also included? You’re telling me he’s had a better year than Chris Young? Young should be in consideration to start the game, let alone make it as a reserve. As for Jake Peavy vs. Brad Penny, it’s a tough call on who should start. Peavy has the more impressive strikeout numbers, but Petco is a better park to pitch in. Penny hasn’t allowed more than one run in a game since June 3! Still, since I’m convinced last year’s All-Star start – when he came out pumping 99 mph fastballs – essentially ruined Penny’s second half, for his own sake (and my fantasy team’s), I’m hoping Peavy gets the nod.

By Dalton Del Don – Senior Writer

Catcher – Ivan Rodriguez – Selecting Pudge over Victor Martinez might be the worst decision of all. How about a whopping .190 OPS advantage for V-Mart? I-Rod’s 41:4 K:BB ratio is almost embarrassing. “How can you be so obtuse?” (Again, bonus points for catching that reference – this time it’s a movie).

First Base – David Ortiz – The fact he’s only played seven games at first base this season doesn’t bother me too much. Justin Morneau is the obvious alternative.

Second Base – Placido Polanco – Well, he’s tough to strike out, and Joe Morgan says he “plays the game the right way.” (Just once, I’d like to hear someone get called out for playing it the “wrong way”). Anyway, Brian Roberts would have been the correct choice here.

Third Base – Alex Rodriguez – A-Rod has a legitimate chance of reaching 162 RBI this season.

Shortstop – Derek Jeter – Again, nitpicking, but Carlos Guillen is having the superior season offensively. Interesting stat to note: Jeter is just 7-for-14 in stolen base attempts this season.

Outfield – Magglio Ordonez – No argument here. What a remarkable turnaround that I certainly didn’t see coming.

Outfield – Ichiro Suzuki – Sporting the best walk rate of his career, Ichiro is looking at a monster contract this offseason. Grady Sizemore is right there with him as deserving starters in center field.

Outfield – Vladimir Guerrero – The right choice.

A few notes on the AL reserves: Not a whole lot to argue about here, but Gary Sheffield absolutely deserves to be on the team. Michael Young wins out in the battle of attrition in Texas, while Gil Meche does the same in Kansas City. Dan Haren has had a fine season, but it’s Johan Santana who deserves to take the ball in the first inning. Santana’s 2.76 ERA is the best mark during a first half of his career. If he’s not the most valuable fantasy player this season (Jose Reyes), he’s the second best.