With the MLB betting season approaching the midway mark there is still a ton left to be determined. While some fantasy players have gotten the job done, there are a handful of projected superstars that have underachieved this year. Here is a look at five players that simply haven’t delivered.

5. Derrek Lee – Baltimore Orioles

Every year the Orioles are supposed to be one step closer to contending, but every season they become lost in the fray. That outlook epitomizes Lee, who was expected to step up as one of the league’s biggest stars at this point. Lee is hitting just .242 with six home runs, and has been a major disappointment so far in 2011.

4. Joe Mauer – Minnesota Twins

The former MVP has struggled to deliver since returning from another injury this season, with a .194 average and just six RBI. Mauer has yet to hit a home run so far in 2011, and until he proves that he can deliver without dealing with the nagging injuries he has to be considered expendable.

3. Dan Uggla – Atlanta Braves

It’s hard to complain about 11 home runs, except when the star is hitting just .177 on the betting season. In addition Uggla has a ton of strikeouts, and until he can show any kind of consistency there is no way fantasy owners can rely on him.

2. Geovanny Soto – Chicago Cubs

Soto has managed to deliver in the power category so it hasn’t all been bad, but a pedestrian .227 batting average is simply not good enough for a player that was expected to lead the Cubs this season.

1.Chase Utley – Philadelphia Phillies

You have to wonder whether fantasy owners should have been able to project that Utley would continue to slide, especially since he has been trending downhill since 2007. After starting the year on the DL, Utley has managed to hit just three home runs and 16 RBI, and his .269 batting average does little to bail him out.

The 2011 MLB All-Star teams will be announced this Sunday, and if the most recent voting results are any indication, the fans have once again got quite a bit of it wrong.

Of course, a system based on fan voting is naturally going to favour the teams with the biggest fan-bases, particularly when each person can vote multiple times for some ungodly reason. So naturally, the Yankees and Red Sox will always fare better than players on the Rays or Reds. This year, Yankees fans have made one particularly egregious, if predictable, error.

Here’s a run-down of the most undeserving players currently in line for an All-Star appearance.

AL Shortstop: Derek Jeter, New York Yankees

The Captain has made nearly every All-Star game since 1998, but it’s time to recognize that he’s not only a player in decline, he’s almost a liability at this point. He’s only hitting .260, and his .649 OPS is eighth amongst full-time AL shortstops. He doesn’t have range defensively anymore and is only an average base-runner for his position. He still scores runs, thanks to the bats hitting behind him, but he’s going to the All-Star game because of past performance. Here’s hoping his injury keeps him out, because Asdrubal Cabrera (.293/.344/.489 with 12 stolen bases, 12 homers, 50 scores) and Jhonny Peralta (.524 SLG with 45 RBI) are having much better seasons. Even the Blue Jays Yunel Escobar is having a much better season than Jeter.

AL Catcher: Russell Martin, New York Yankees

As of June 20^th, Martin held a lead of a half-million votes over the Tigers Alex Avila, who is enjoying a terrific breakout season in Detroit. Russell Martin the All-Star is slightly less offensive than Derek Jeter the All-Star, given his early-season home run binge, but he’s cooled off dramatically, his batting average decreasing every month and bottoming out at .174 for the month of June. Avila leads all full-time AL catchers in average (.303), OBP (.373), and slugging (.545), excellent offensive production at a position not known for it.

AL Outfielder: Josh Hamilton, Texas Rangers

The breeders cup betting fans got it right with Jose Bautista and Curtis Granderson as the first two outfielders, but Hamilton’s inclusion is a bit questionable, as he spent over a month on the disabled list after injuring himself on the base paths. He’s been productive when healthy and is still one of the best players in baseball, but overlooking Matt Joyce and his .310 average in favour of a player who has missed a third of the season is crazy.

NL First-baseman: Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals

King Albert’s recent broken arm should keep him out of the All-Star Weekend festivities, but he shouldn’t have been leading the voting in the first place. He’s had some hot stretches, but overall he’s been suffering through the worst season of his career. His numbers, while still good by ordinary human standards, are down across the board despite the fact he’s in the final year of his contract and hoping to make $300-million on the open market. Not only has Pujols struggled, there are two other players much more deserving of an All-Star appearance. Big Prince Fielder has been crushing the ball all season and only seems to be getting better – he’s had 10 home runs in June alone and is slugging .611. Reigning MVP Joey Votto has been doing his Joey Votto thing, hitting .318 with 49 RBI and leading NL first-basemen in stolen bases.

NL Third-basemen: Placido Polanco, Philadelphia Phillies

Polanco is still a solid veteran presence on the hot corner, but he’s having a bit of a down year offensively. Meanwhile, Chase Headley has been relatively effective in the Padres measly line-up, leading NL third-basemen in batting average, slugging percentage, on-base percentage, and doubles while stealing eight bases on only nine attempts. It’s hard to get selected to the All-Star game when your team spends the whole year in the cellar of the MLB standings, but Headley has been the best of a weak crop of NL candidates.

The first third of the 2011 MLB season is over, and a bit of normalcy seems to be returning to the game. Gone are the days of the dominant Cleveland Indians and futile Boston Red Sox; the Royals are making their way back to the basement in the AL Central; Albert Pujols is hitting home runs again. Sure, some surprises remain – the Diamondbacks have charged up the MLB standings with a recent 15-2 run and Seattle is in the hunt despite one of the worst offences in all of baseball – but generally speaking, this is baseball as we know it. All the weird statistical wrinkles are getting ironed out by the game’s enormous sample size.

Thus, it’s due time we start thinking way ahead to the fall, when each game starts counting that much more and teams round into playoff form. Based on what we’ve seen after two months and change, who can we expect to see when the leagues meet for the 2011 World Series?

Here’s a look at a few likely matchups.

Boston Red Sox vs. St. Louis Cardinals

The Red Sox have rounded into the juggernaut they were expected to be in March, led (unsurprisingly) by free agent signee Adrian Gonzalez and (surprisingly) 35-year-old DH David Ortiz. Gonzalez has driven in more scores than anyone in the American League. Josh Beckett looks like an ace again, while Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz have given the Sox a nice 1-2-3 at the top of the rotation. The bullpen isn’t perfect, but the Sox are looking like the immense favourite they were supposed to be all along.

Despite the absence of ace Adam Wainwright due to Tommy John surgery and the worst start of Albert Pujols career, the Cards have been a force in the National League. With Colby Rasmus, Matt Holliday, and a rejuvenated Lance Berkman mashing, they’ve scored the second most runs in baseball while Kyle Lohse has suddenly turned into an ace. King Albert is starting to round into form, giving them the scariest lineup in the National League.

This would be an absolute slugfest.

Texas Rangers vs. Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies have taken the opposite approach of the Cardinals on their way to the top of the National League. Their incredible starting rotation of Roy Halladay, Cliff Lee, Cole Hamels and Roy Oswalt has posted the most quality starts in baseball, while their staff ERA is the second best in baseball. Their offence has been particularly productive, in part due to injuries, but they’re winning anyways, (and that is no betonline scam). Lee single-handedly led the Rangers to the World Series last year – teaming him with Doc, Hamels, and Oswalt could allow them to make a deep playoff run despite a sputtering offence.

The Rangers have a real shot at the Series given how successful they’ve been despite an injury to AL MVP Josh Hamilton and down years from Nelson Cruz, Ian Kinsler, and David Murphy. Rangers stalwart Michael Young has been excellent as a DH, despite his gripes, and Alexi Ogando has been a revelation, going 7-0 with a 0.90 WHIP. Much like the Red Sox, their appearance in the Series is predicated on their line-up firing on all cylinders come September.

Not to beat a dead horse – OK, maybe to beat a dead horse – but MLB has been moving into a post-steroid era of great pitching, and a look at 2011’s rookie class suggests that trend is only going to continue. While there are some impressive young hitters and position players making waves this season, the most dominant first-year performances have all been on the mound.

Here’s a look at baseball’s five best rookies after two months.

5. J.P. Arencibia, C, Toronto Blue Jays

Arencibia has delivered exactly what the Jays expected from their young catcher. He’s tied for third amongst all catchers in baseball with eight home runs – despite splitting time with Jose Molina – and looks like he’ll be one of the best power bats in Toronto’s line-up for years to come. His catching and game-calling have both gradually improved, and he has only recently taken over catching for the entire staff, so his offensive numbers are only going to improve.

The Jays have hung around the MLB standings in the AL East, and if Arencibia can keep improving at, and behind, the plate, they might just have a Wild Card run in them.

4. Mark Trumbo, 1B, Los Angeles Angels

The silver lining to Kendry Morales’s ankle injury last May – which will now sideline him for all of 2011 – has been the emergence of Trumbo as his replacement. The big slugger leads all rookies with 10 home runs (“Trumbombs” as MLB Network host Ahmed Fareed calls them), and only veteran Torii Hunter has driven in more scores for the Angels. He’s flashed the ability to steal a base on occasion, and will only improve as he continues to adjust his swing.

3. Zach Britton, SP, Baltimore Orioles

The 23-year-old left-hander has been the biggest bright spot for the plucky Orioles, who are surprisingly still in the hunt in the murderous AL East. He’s been pitching like a seasoned vet, posting 8 quality starts in 11 appearances with a WHIP of 1.22 and an ERA of 2.93, both outstanding for a first-year player. He’s not striking out a lot of hitters – just 4.84 K’s per nine innings – and opposing line-ups have been catching up with him in his last two starts, but it looks like Britton might be the anchor the O’s can build their staff around.

2. Jeremy Hellickson, SP, Tampa Bay Rays

Unlike Britton, Hellickson has only got performed better as the season has progressed. He’s quickly become the third-best arm in the Rays’ dangerous rotation, tormenting smart hitters with what is already one of the best changeups in baseball. The only guy who has had much success hitting it is Jose Bautista, but he’s been hitting everything. If the Rays continue their steady play since an ugly start, expect Hellickson to be right near the top of the AL Rookie of the Year conversation.

1. Michael Pineda, SP, Seattle Mariners

But he probably won’t pass Pineda. The hard-throwing 22-year-old might be the best starter on the Mariners, and the guy pitching ahead of him in the rotation is reigning Cy Young winner Felix Hernandez. Seattle’s offence has been a disaster once again this season, but thanks to the 1-2 combo of King Felix and Pineda, they’re right in the thick of the AL West race.