BBC Preview: Pujols, Mauer easy MVP picks in BBC

For even more statistics and advice to help you set your Baseball Challenge lineup, check out Tristan's Week 21 Fantasy Forecaster!

I always seem to get a chuckle about the annual MVP debate.

This year might be the most anticlimactic race yet -- in both leagues -- yet here we are, with six weeks left to play in the season, and we're hearing rumblings about why there should be substantial support for Derek Jeter and Mark Teixeira. Great years by both, sure, but to me, it's about as cut-and-dried as decisions get in either league. American League: Joe Mauer. National League: Albert Pujols.

These are seasons for the ages, and I discussed on this page a few weeks back the value of Pujols in the Baseball Challenge despite his playing by far the deepest position in our game. By contrast, Mauer plays probably the thinnest position, and it's for that reason, with six weeks to go, I'm about ready to officially crown him the 2009 Baseball Challenge MVP.

It's all in the numbers: Mauer has already amassed 439 BBC points for the season, a number exceeded by only 21 other players, each of whom has played at least 15 more games than he has. Among players with at least 80 games played, Mauer ranks second in BBC points per game with 4.6, behind only -- who else? -- Pujols at 4.9.

Then there's the matter of staying power. I've broken down BBC points since the All-Star break and by position, and Mauer not only has the fourth-most points of any hitter during that span, he also has the greatest advantage over the No. 2 man of any position leader. Listed below are the position leaders and post-ASB point totals, as well as the difference in points between the Nos. 1 and 2 men at that position. Some of the leaders might surprise you; see if you can guess them before reading on!

C: Joe Mauer, 155 -- 39 up on No. 2 (Brian McCann)
1B: Kendry Morales, 150 -- 3 (Derrek Lee)
2B: Brian Roberts, 136 -- 19 (Aaron Hill)
3B: Mark Reynolds, 160 -- 9 (Ryan Zimmerman)
SS: Troy Tulowitzki, 153 -- 15 (Hanley Ramirez/Jimmy Rollins)
LF: Matt Holliday, 173 -- 20 (Ryan Braun)
CF: Matt Kemp, 126 -- 6 (Kosuke Fukudome)
RF: Andre Ethier, 157 -- 18 (Nick Markakis)
DH: Jason Kubel, 107 -- 2 (David Ortiz)

Needless to say, given that I already want to hand out the hardware on Aug. 21, I think we know who will reside in my BBC weekly lineup.

Tristan's top weekly pitching staffs

1. Philadelphia Phillies (@NYM-1, @PIT-3, ATL-3 -- two-start pitchers Cliff Lee and Joe Blanton), 5.9 price tag: Thank you, Phillies, for stinking so much on the pitching side in the season's early weeks that your price tag today remains easily affordable. These aren't your April or May Phillies, though; as I noted in the Forecaster, this team has a 2.99 ERA and 1.21 WHIP in 18 games since Cliff Lee debuted with the team on July 31. The lefty has injected some life into what was once a struggling staff, and it's a coup that the team draws these soft matchups and will be throwing Lee, who has won seven consecutive starts with a 1.09 ERA, and Blanton, who has eight straight quality starts, twice apiece.

2. Los Angeles Angels (DET-3, OAK-4 -- two-start pitchers Jered Weaver and John Lackey), 5.0: Wins, wins and more wins. Can you believe the Angels have won 24 of 33 games since the All-Star break? That's 120 BBC points right there. This offense is loaded and red-hot, and the team gets an even bigger advantage this week because it plays the entire week at home. Those Oakland matchups are especially attractive. To steal another stat from the Forecaster, Lackey, Ervin Santana and Weaver each will face the A's, and they're a combined 27-7 with a 2.35 ERA and 1.08 WHIP in 50 career games (49 starts) against Oakland.

3. St. Louis Cardinals (HOU-3, WAS-3 -- two-start pitcher Adam Wainwright), 6.1: They're the most expensive of my three choices -- which were clear top-three choices this week, by the way -- and they're the only one of the three to play six games rather than seven. For those reasons, the Cardinals rank third on my list, not that I have any problem with the matchups. Having Wainwright, who's riding a streak of 11 consecutive quality starts (1.44 ERA), as the team's two-start pitcher is a huge advantage, especially in light of his 2.02 ERA and 1.14 WHIP in 14 starts at Busch Stadium this season.

Tristan's daily matchup tips

Monday, Aug. 24 -- It's a good day to go cheap, as both the Phillies behind Cliff Lee (5.9) and Angels behind Jered Weaver (5.0) stand out in the matchups department. Lee battles the light-hitting, injury-plagued Mets at spacious Citi Field, while Weaver hosts the middling Detroit offense at Angel Stadium, where he's 8-1 with a 2.76 ERA and 0.99 WHIP in 13 starts this season. … Though one of Collin Balester's four career wins came against the Brewers this season, in his career, opponents have batted .288 with an .867 OPS against the right-hander. And Milwaukee can hit; this team has batted .300 with 16 homers in its past 11 games.

Tuesday, Aug. 25 -- St. Louis and Wainwright, as discussed above, is a natural choice in a home game against the Astros. But I'm intrigued by the Cubs and Rich Harden, as the right-hander has a 1.64 ERA, 0.77 WHIP and 55 K's in 44 innings in seven starts since the All-Star break. He also battles the Nationals and Garrett Mock, a soft matchup indeed. … Jose Contreras is 1-4 with a 6.37 ERA and 1.58 WHIP in seven starts since the All-Star break, and 2-4 with a 10.26 ERA and 1.80 WHIP in seven career games (six starts) at Fenway Park. Advantage: Red Sox.

Wednesday, Aug. 26 -- It's a bit of a gamble accounting for how he has pitched all year, but the Phillies' Cole Hamels draws a sneaky-good matchup at Pittsburgh, facing a Pirates offense that has a .696 OPS versus left-handers. It's not the deepest day in terms of elite pitching options. … Nick Blackburn's season is unraveling quickly, as the right-hander, who was once lights-out at home, is now 0-4 with a 10.17 ERA and 2.14 WHIP in six starts since the All-Star break. The Orioles' lineup is loaded with left-handers, and lefties have batted .307 with 12 homers and an .850 OPS versus Blackburn this year. Load up.

Thursday, Aug. 27 -- Atlanta and Javier Vazquez versus the Padres is a no-brainer matchup, but I couldn't fault anyone who preferred to take the Angels and Ervin Santana versus the Athletics for 5.0, 2.2 cheaper than Atlanta. Santana has compiled a quality start in every one of his 14 career starts versus Oakland, and tacking on one career relief appearance, he's 10-1 with a 1.35 WHIP against the Athletics. … The Mets' rotation problems have reached such a desperate state that Tim Redding probably will have to pitch Thursday at Florida. Marlins hitters have a combined .351 batting average and 1.091 OPS in their careers versus Redding.

Friday, Aug. 28 -- Oh, if only the Giants' Tim Lincecum wasn't matched up against the Rockies' Ubaldo Jimenez -- and vice versa -- either would be an obvious choice. But since the winner of that game shapes up as a toss-up, it's St. Louis behind Chris Carpenter versus the Nationals that stands out. The right-hander is 6-0 with a 1.96 ERA and 1.11 WHIP in seven starts since the All-Star break. … Incredibly, Jason Berken remains in the Orioles' rotation in spite of a 6.72 ERA and .322 batting average allowed in 16 starts. It doesn't matter who faces him; righties and lefties have each managed an .862 OPS or better against him. Cleveland's offense isn't as bad as you think, so feel free to capitalize upon the great matchup.

Saturday, Aug. 29 -- Several teams stand out on Saturday -- Florida (Ricky Nolasco versus Padres), Milwaukee (Yovani Gallardo versus Pirates), Philadelphia (Cliff Lee versus Braves) -- but once again, it's the dirt-cheap Angels and Weaver whom I'd pick. Oakland's offense isn't scary at all, and the Angels' offense has been practically guaranteeing the team a win 70 percent of the time lately. … Vin Mazzaro has been getting pounded since the All-Star break, allowing a .390 batting average and 1.057 OPS in seven starts, and the Angels represent one of the game's hottest offenses, with a .304 batting average and 49 home runs in 33 games during that same time span. They should eat the rookie alive.

Sunday, Aug. 30 -- Another day chock-full of good pitching matchups. My top four, in no particular order: San Francisco and Matt Cain versus Colorado; St. Louis and Adam Wainwright versus Washington; Cubs and Rich Harden versus Mets; and Angels and John Lackey versus Oakland. Based on hot streaks, home-start status and his opponent's lackluster offense, Harden is my probable choice at the onset of the week. Being a Sunday game, though, I reserve the right to change my mind. … Again, Contreras is the pitcher to pick on, as he has lost five consecutive starts to the Yankees, during which time he has a 6.00 ERA, and this game will be played at hitter-friendly Yankee Stadium. Load up on Yankees.

Tristan's BBC weekly-game lineup

Total Segment 2 points: 1,581.
Percentage: 85.8. Overall rank: 3,744th.
Ranking in Fantasy Editorial Group: 134th. Total points for 2009 season: 5,546.
Percentage: 97.5. Overall rank: 1,488th.

C -- Joe Mauer, Twins (BAL-3, TEX-3), locked at 4.9 price tag, market price 5.5: I'd be amazed if anyone could build me a case for a different catcher. He's on a hitting tear and this is a six-home-game, five-versus-righty-starters week.
1B -- Ryan Howard, Phillies (@NYM-1, @PIT-3, ATL-3), market 5.1: A little bit of thinking ahead here: He's a .317 hitter with a 1.151 OPS after Sept. 1 in his career, and each of those numbers is easily his best in any month.
2B -- Chase Utley, Phillies (@NYM-1, @PIT-3, ATL-3), 4.6: Grabbing Howard also speaks to the matchups, hence the Utley pick. Three home games and six versus right-handed starters? Yes, please.
3B -- Alex Rodriguez, Yankees (TEX-3, CHW-3), 4.8: With the Yankees playing a full slate of home games, I wanted at least one Yankee in my lineup. Who was it gonna be, Mark Teixeira? Nope, preferred Howard. Derek Jeter? Nope, Hanley was a better price. Johnny Damon? Nope, not letting the dirt-cheap Holliday go. So, A-Rod fits the bill, especially at that cheap price.
SS -- Hanley Ramirez, Marlins (NYM-3, SD-3), locked at 4.9, market 5.2: He's running more lately and will be facing two bruised and battered rotations.
LF -- Matt Holliday, Cardinals (HOU-3, WAS-3), locked at 4.4, market 5.5: Let's keep a running tally -- he now has 122 BBC points in his first 25 games with the Cardinals, an average of 4.9 per game.
CF -- Josh Hamilton, Rangers (@NYY-3, @MIN-3), locked at 3.9, market 4.2: He's a .409 hitter with 12 RBIs in his past 17 games, and I have to think that, hot as he has been, the power will be coming soon.
RF -- Nick Markakis, Orioles (@MIN-3, CLE-4), 4.9: A noted second-half performer, Markakis is at it again this season, batting .348 with seven home runs, 27 RBIs and a .972 OPS in 33 games since the All-Star break.
DH -- Vladimir Guerrero, Angels (DET-3, OAK-3), 4.3: Since his return from the DL, he's a .339 hitter with a 1.069 OPS in 15 games, and the Angels as noted above have one of the hottest offenses in the game.
Pitching staff -- Phillies (@NYM-1, @PIT-3, ATL-3), 5.9

Tristan's BBC daily-game stats

Total Segment 2 points: 2,017.
Percentage: 99.4. Overall rank: 358th.

Tristan H. Cockcroft is a fantasy baseball analyst for ESPN.com and a two-time champion of the League of Alternative Baseball Reality (LABR) experts league. You can e-mail him here.