Nick Fruscello: Hello again and welcome to the Fantasy Friday! The marathon that is the fantasy baseball season is now half over and for the most part we have a pretty good idea of who is for real and who is a fluke. Josh Hamilton went undrafted in many fantasy leagues this past March, despite hitting over .400 in spring training. Those you that took my advice back then are reaping the rewards and can look forward to watching this fantasy monster pursue Hack Wilson's RBI record of 191. On the other side of the spectrum, Prince Fielder got off to a slow start and is now projected to end with 31 homers and less than a 100 RBI's. About 20 homers and 40-50 RBI's off most preseason projections. Despite his struggles, Fielder has started to turn it around and should bounce back strong in the second half.

XmanNdawg: Richie Sexson didn't end up with the Buccos like we hoped, but the Yankees isn't a bad fit. Is he a good fantasy source now?

Nick Fruscello: Absolutely. Adding Big Sexy to the Bronx Bombers will really pay off for everyone involved. With all the other big bats in the lineup, he won't be leaned on as much as he was in Seattle. Richie should finish with around 25 homers and get between 70-85 RBI's when its all said and done.

XmanNdawg: I want to get Nady on my team in the worst way, but my trades keep getting rejected. Who could I give up that would be fair for Nady?

Nick Fruscello: Well it really depends on who you're offering. You won't get Nady for someone like Jay Bruce or Justin Christian. Typically, trades are difficult to pull off in fantasy sports because the other guy is always afraid of getting ripped off, which means you have to basically give them a good deal before it gets accepted. Players off the top of my head that would be a fair trade would be like Josh Willingham, Mike Jacobs and Jack Cust.

theWellHungarian: What's up Nick-- What's going on with Liriano? I still have him & am hoping I can get something out of him

Nick Fruscello: The latest on Liriano is that he's looking really good in Triple A and the Twins are probably going to give him a call up sometime soon. If you've held onto him this long, you might as well keep him. There's a chance he could return to form in the next month or so, but remember the AL is a much tougher league to pitch.

theWellHungarian: I know they say no team wants to sign Barry Bonds because of the media circus that it would create. Let's face it, the Pirates aren't winning anything this year or for that matter the next few years. Why not sign him & put the Pirates in the media? The only pub the Pirates ever get is for their futility. If the Buccos signed Bonds, the Pirates would get a few nationally televised games on ESPN. Would be talked about on Sportscenter & the national radio shows. What's wrong with this? The past few years the Pirates have averaged around 22,000/game. With Bonds, I GUARANTEE that number would be in the 30s ... In other words, what do the Pirates have to lose by signing him?

Nick Fruscello: I think its a fantastic idea. Bonds coming back to where it all began and finishing his career here. It would really be something to see. Here's the problem though, where would he play? Bay and McLouth shouldn't go anywhere and Nady should stay as well. Only if Nady gets traded would it work out. Second, how much money would he command? Probably more than the penny pinching Pirates (don't try that at home) can afford.

XmanNdawg: Does Nate stay hot in the second half?

Nick Fruscello: I don't see why not. If you were fortunate enough to snag him off waivers in April, you should be tough to knock out in the fantasy playoffs.

XmanNdawg: If Andrew McCutchen gets called up, what impact would he have?

Nick Fruscello: Again, Nady would need to be traded in order for him to get any playing time. Right now, the Pirates outfield is pretty solid, no need to go messing with it.

Species8472: Is Kevin Jones going to start for the Bears?

Nick Fruscello: Unless he plays really well in pre-season, Jones will back up rookie running back Matt Forte. That's not to say Jones won't get his touches, but I see him in a backup role and or 3rd down back.

Grinny: What did you think of this week's All-Star game?

Nick Fruscello: It was incredible! I really enjoyed it. It was like watching a real life game of fantasy baseball with all the great names out there.

XmanNdawg: I was at the game last Saturday and Ryan Ludwick almost hit for the cycle and I noticed he was in the all star game too. Is he really that good?

Nick Fruscello: Yeah, I was at that game too. Michaels' homer landed about 10 feet away from my son and I. Ludwick is another big first half story. He pretty much came out of nowhere and is producing big numbers for the Cards. Of course, he is batting ahead of Albert Pujols. That's like being the punter for the Colts.

theWellHungarian: Ok, then here's the plan: Trade Nady & Bay. Call up Andy McCutcheon. Sign Bonds. Bonds, McLouth, & McCutcheon in the OF ... I think me & you should run the Buccos, Nick

Nick Fruscello: Sounds good, Hungarian. Actually I would hold onto Bay, try to sign Bonds to a small deal and if he signs, then trade Nady for a good infielder. Right now though I'd stick with what we have. Its proven to be pretty good so far.

Species8472: How good is Forte?

Nick Fruscello: At Tulane last year, he ran for over 2000 yards and scored 23 TD's. Now Tulane didn't really play anyone that tough last year, but you don't run for that many yards and not be talented. If the Bears do ride him through the regular season, he should get around 1000 yards and 7-8 touchdowns.

theWellHungarian: It's proven to getcha 7 games under .500 ... Below mediocrity is not pretty good in my book

Nick Fruscello: The Pirates being 7 games under .500 has nothing to do with the outfield. It has everything to do with the poor pitching. The outfield has two all stars and a guy that if he could stay healthy might play in one himself.

theWellHungarian: After P. Maholm's performance last night, Is he done doing his best impersonation of Greg Maddux & will go back to the Paul Maholm we all know & love?

Nick Fruscello: A couple weeks ago someone asked me if Maholm would be a good pickup after looking really impressive against the Yankees. My response was that he would be getting smacked around in his next start. There you have it.

Nick Fruscello: Well I have good news and bad news. The bad news is that this is the FINAL Fantasy Friday chat. The good news is Fantasy Friday is evolving into "The Fantasy Factor" blog which will be found at Post-Gazette.com's blogs homepage. While there, you will be able to post questions or comments. Then every Friday, I will post your questions along with my response to keep the spirit of Fantasy Friday alive. In addition to this, I will be making various posts throughout the week including Fantasy Stock Market and Fantasy Roundup. This blog should be up and running sometime early next week. I want to thank everyone for their support in making this chat a success.