Top 10 Baseball Earners

It's just the nature of the way we interpret data, so you can't really blame people for not noticing, but Rodriguez has actually been better this month than he was in April, cutting his strikeouts, upping his walks and hitting for just as much power overall (.864 SLG), despite what the single-digit home run count would lead you to believe. And in the interest of making claims that will look ridiculous by the time people are paying to see Michael Bay adapt a 30-minute toy commercial into a feature film starring the kid from Even Stevens, let me just say this: If the Yankees add an Adam Dunn-typ ***

As versatile as Jack White and twice as fast on the basepaths, Reyes is the most complete player in the game today. Sure, his power has dipped since the start of interleague play (he has but one extra-base hit in June), but he keeps his batting average high enough to make that as irrelevant as a 100 Greatest Movies list that ranks Forrest Gump ahead of The Third Man. There's not much else to say; his game speaks for itself. PROTRADE Fantasy Earnings: $146.71 ***

What should be most encouraging about Ordonez isn't his red hot start -- it's that, over the last 365 days, he's been as good as he's ever been, batting .331 with a combined 225 RBIs and runs scored. Years removed from injury concerns that kept a number of high-profile teams from offering him a contract, Ordonez continues to produce at a high level, and is on pace to make his sixth All-Star team, which is more than Chipper Jones. PROTRADE Market Earnings: $142.36 ***

If Ichiro was a folk parody group from New Zealand, he'd be Flight of the Conchords: Subtle, fun to watch, and fourth-best in his class. PROTRADE Market Earnings: $133.62 ***

Like Carlos Beltran, Sizemore features a round skill set that's probably worth more to teams in real life than in fantasyland. Nevertheless, he's generating plenty of value on both fronts this season, showing improved plate discipline and a more aggressive baserunning style that's allowed him to match his stolen base total from 2006 (and at the same success rate, to boot). If there's one knock on this former Expos farmhand, it's that he still struggles against lefties -- since entering the majors he's hit just .227/.303/.373 against them in 613 plate appearances. Still, at 24, he has plenty of ***

It's probably too early to declare Reyes v. Ramirez to be the Ripken vs. Yount of our generation, but given how similar these two unique players are, I think the comparison fits. While more of Ramirez's value is distributed toward power instead of speed, his overall production matches Reyes almost run for run. At the moment, the former Boston farmhand is playing bridesmaid. Check back in a month -- their spots could easily be flipped. PROTRADE Market Earnings: $127.90 ***

If Holliday was a football player, he'd be Cris Carter. All he does is hit. Batting a robust .423/.477/.711 over the last month and .321/.372/.522 away from Denver, NL teams are going to need a firehose if they want to cool him off. There isn't a less assuming career .319 hitter in the game today. PROTRADE Market Earnings: $127.87 ***

While Haren lacks the gaudy peripherals of Jake Peavy or Johan Santana, he makes up for it in his ability to pitch deep into games and use his defense like a spiritual descendant of Tommy John. Leading the world with an ERA that's 142 percent better than league average, he's likely to see some regression before year's end. Regardless, he could give up twice as many runs in his next 100 innings and still finish the season with a 3.83 ERA. PROTRADE Market Earnings: $126.42 ***

If there's one reason why the Tigers are leading the majors in runs per game, it's Magglio Ordonez. But if there are two reasons why, then you can easily give that empty spot to Sheffield, who's having his best offensive season since 2003. At what point do we recognize that this former Brewers shortstop is a Hall of Fame caliber hitter, on par with Duke Snider, Willie Stargell and active shoo-in Ken Griffey Jr.? PROTRADE Market Earnings: $125.06 ***

Still just 23, Fielder is wasting no time establishing himself as one of the league's premier sluggers, improving his strike zone judgment while showing the same power that made his dad such a force in the early '90s in Detroit. Batting a ridiculous .280/.381/.695 with 14 homers since May 16, he's raising the red latern on our Top Earners list, but that doesn't mean he won't be in the thick of it for the rest of the year. He's a whole lotta man, and he has a whole lotta production ahead of him. PROTRADE Market Earnings: $123.68 ***