1. Mike Trout, OF, Angels

Next season won't be any different from the past five with Trout as the no-doubt-about-it top pick. Before a thumb injury sidelined him for more than a month, Trout was having his best season yet, hitting .337/.461/.742 with 16 homers and 36 RBI in 47 games. Even with the missed time, he might just finish as a top-10 outfielder. That's how good he is. 

2. Paul Goldschmidt, 1B, Diamondbacks

He may be the sport's best-kept secret, but Fantasy players know all about Goldschmidt at this point. He's on pace for 30-plus homers and 20-plus steals, while leading the NL in runs, and driving in 67 in 88 games. And he's hitting .312 to boot. A true five-category stud, and the most consistent player outside of Trout. 

3. Nolan Arenado, 3B, Rockies

You hesitate to refer to Arenado as "consistent," if only because that might downplay just how spectacular he is year-in and year-out. He is well on his way to a third straight season of at least 97 runs and 130 RBI, while hitting a career-best .301. You won't get steals, but that's just about the only place Arenado isn't elite -- the rest more than makes up for it. 

4. Mookie Betts, OF, Red Sox

Spots 2-7 in this draft are pretty interchangeable, and Betts has been a slight disappointment this season, which mostly just goes to show how high expectations were for him coming in. The 24-year-old is the only player in baseball with 15 homers and 15 steals, and his 8.3 percent strikeout rate makes him a pretty safe bet to improve on his .272 average. Betts is a five-category contributor, who plays in the perfect park for his game. 

5. Jose Altuve, 2B, Astros

He might be the smallest player in baseball, but Altuve carries a giant bat, leading the American League in hits for the fourth straight season. No longer a mere slap hitter, however, Altuve has 13 homers (40 XBH total), 50 RBI and 62 runs scored. The odd's-on-favorite to lead the league in batting pretty much every season, Altuve or Betts is about as close to a coin flip as you can get in Fantasy. 

6. Bryce Harper, OF, Nationals

Catch him on the right day, week or month, and Harper looks like the best hitter on the planet. Consistency has been an issue for him since his breakout 2015 campaign, but at some point, it's pretty pointless to nitpick a .325/.431/.590 hitter with 20 homers and 134 combined runs and RBI at the All-Star break. 

7. Clayton Kershaw, SP, Dodgers

The best pitcher in baseball. We'll get to Max Scherzer in due time, but Kershaw hasn't given up the throne yet. He's potentially worth taking as early as No. 2. After a bit of a hiccup early on, Kershaw posted a 2.20 ERA with 97 strikeouts in 69 2/3 innings over his final 10 starts of the first half. Yeah. Ridiculous.

8. Carlos Correa, SS, Astros

Correa made the leap this season, bumping his batting average up 50 points with more than 150-point increase in his OPS overall. With just 81 games under his belt, he has already matched last season's homer total. Correa is following the Manny Machado breakout path, but has seemingly surpassed the Orioles' superstar. At least on our list. 

9. Joey Votto, 1B, Reds

You're not supposed to peak at 33, but Votto has always bucked convention. Long knocked for a lack of aggressiveness impacting his run production, Votto already has 68 RBI at the break, putting him well on his way to a career-high total. He hasn't traded any of his vaunted plate discipline despite the power surge as he enters the break with 20 more walks than strikeouts. One of the best hitters alive has gotten better.

10. Trea Turner, SS, Nationals

Is it a reach? Maybe. But, you reach for 70-steal potential in a league where only three players entered the break with more than 25. Turner was a slight disappointment before his wrist injury, but after 168 career games in MLB, here are his numbers: .306/.344/.485, 21 HR, 73 RBI, 111 R, 70 SB. That's not bad for a full season of work. 

11. Max Scherzer, SP, Nationals

If Scherzer hasn't surpassed Kershaw, he's second among equals. Despite passing the wrong side of 30 three years ago, Scherzer has been better than ever, following his Cy Young award with a 2.10 ERA, 0.779 WHIP and a whopping 12.1 K/9. This is one pitcher you reach for. 

12. Freddie Freeman, 1B, Braves

The second-half breakout was real. Despite a wrist injury that sidelined him for a long stretch in the first half, Freeman has arguably been the best hitter in baseball over the last 365 days, hitting .333/.442/.677, with 34 homers, 90 RBI, and 100 runs in just 113 games. Oh, and did we mention, he's like the only player to go off the board in the first two rounds with dual eligibility, thanks to the Braves' (so-far successful) experiment moving him to the hot corner. Here's your No. 2 third baseman in 2018. 

13. Aaron Judge, OF, Yankees

This one already feels foolish. Judge might be the most potent source of power we've seen since Barry Bonds' heyday, with 30 homers before the break -- a Yankees' rookie record for a full season. Judge won't keep hitting over .300 with his strikeout rate, but if he hits 50 homers and drives in 125 runs, it won't matter. Bet against him at your own risk. 

14. Anthony Rizzo, 1B, Cubs

Rizzo might shoot up five spots if he kept his 2B eligibility, but even as a 1B, it's hard to argue with his consistent production. He's a lock for 30-plus homers and 100-plus RBI, and double-digit steals aren't out of the question either. He gives you about 90 percent of what Votto does. 

15. Charlie Blackmon, OF, Rockies

You can cry about his numbers being Coors-inflated, or you can just enjoy them, because he isn't going anywhere. Blackmon took a huge step forward in 2016, and he has sustained those gains in 2017, sporting a career-high .955 OPS. Combined with his huge second half last season, Blackmon is now hitting .327/.379/.597, with 37 homers, 15 steals, 132 runs, and 100 RBI over the last 365 days. We might be underselling him. 

16. Kris Bryant, 3B, Cubs

Bryant isn't having a down season; everyone around him is. OK, his batting average has dipped from .292 to .269, but he's on pace for another 35-plus homer season, and he should get to 10 steals too. However, his run and RBI paces are both way down, and that's almost entirely out of his hands. The Cubs' offense won't be this mediocre forever, and Bryant's numbers should be where you need them to be before long. 

17. Manny Machado, 3B, Orioles

Like Rizzo, Machado's ranking might jump five spots if he maintained his secondary eligibility, but with no appearances at shortstop to his credit this season, he'll likely be 3B-only in 2018. That's fine, as long as he gives you 100-plus runs and RBI, and 35-plus homers. The batting average isn't where you want it to be, but a bit of better luck should get him there, and Machado's track record is too good to ignore. 

18. Corey Seager, SS, Dodgers

Correa has pulled back in front in the battle of young shortstops, but Seager is certainly no slouch. He'll likely best his rookie season totals in runs, RBI and steals, and he's a steady .300 hitter with 25-plus homers written in pencil. And, he certainly is capable of a Correa-esque breakout of his own, being just 23 himself. 

19. Chris Sale, SP, Red Sox

The best strikeout artist in baseball is back, after a one-year detour to the land of pitching to contact. His K/9 has jumped from 9.3 to a league-best 12.5, and unsurprisingly, his ERA has dipped more than a full run as a result. He's a flat-out overpowering pitcher at his best, and 300 strikeouts are a nice consolation prize if you don't want to reach for the top two pitchers. 

20. Corey Kluber, SP, Indians

Kluber has recaptured the magic from his Cy Young seaon, sporting a career-best 11.9 K/9. The only thing keeping him from Sale or Scherzer level was a brief trip to the DL with a back injury. This might be the best we've ever seen from the 31-year-old. 

21. Daniel Murphy, 2B, Nationals

Still doubting him? That's not very smart. Murphy's second-half breakout in 2015 was real, and he's unquestionably one of the best hitters in baseball at this point. He rarely strikes out, which makes his .345 batting average since the start of 2015 pretty hard to doubt. Add in 30-homer potential and a prime spot in arguably the best lineup in baseball, and you're living in 2014 if you don't buy it at this point. 

22. George Springer, OF, Astros

It's all coming up Astros, as they've gotten career years from pretty much every key player on their roster. Remember that 40-homer potential Springer had in the minors? It's showed up, as Springer is just two dingers shy of his career-high of 29. He doesn't run much anymore, but Springer's at the top of one of the best lineups in the league, and is hitting his peak at just the right time. 

23. Giancarlo Stanton, OF, Marlins

"If only Stanton could stay healthy..."

We've been saying it for years, and we're finally seeing what it looks like when it happens. This is a first-round talent who has bounced back from an uncharacteristically poor 2016 season, hitting .277/.360/.572 with an NL-leading 26 homers in the first half. He doesn't run much anymore, but that's probably for the best, given his proclivity for freak injuries. Let's keep Stanton in bubble wrap between at-bats, eh? 

24. Jacob deGrom, SP, Mets

The control was a little shaky for a while there, but deGrom has had some stretches comparable to the best in baseball in 2017. He's a bit of a stretch at the end of the second round -- a healthy Madison Bumgarner or Noah Syndergaard would be here in a perfect world -- but with pitching at a premium, deGrom's skills are hard to ignore.