Shandler: Segura leads first half all-value fantasy team

It didn't take great baseball acumen to draft Detroit Tigers third baseman Miguel Cabrera with a top pick in March.

Cabrera entered the season with an average draft position ranking (ADP) of No. 2 and currently is ranked No. 1 in fantasy value.

But high-value players performing as expected are not the pieces that win leagues; they are just building blocks. In fantasy baseball, it's all about profit.

These are the players who are providing owners with the most profit on their draft-day investment and should be considered the real fantasy All-Stars:

Catcher: This position has been toughest to find value this year. Jason Castro of the Houston Astros went 340th on average in most drafts. His current ranking of 144th overall is a profit of nearly 200 spots.

First base: James Loney of the Tampa Bay Rays came into the season with an ADP of 451. His nine home runs and .317 batting average have him ranked 67th, a profit of 384 spots.

Second base: It's been tougher to find bargains here. The New York Mets' Daniel Murphy, ranked 96th, is producing at a level 172 spots higher than his ADP. Howie Kendrick of the Los Angeles Angels (47th) is rated higher overall, but with a 193 ADP, his +146 gain is slightly less.

Third base: A gold mine for savvy owners. Josh Donaldson of the Oakland Athletics currently is ranked 30th overall, a huge 361-spot profit over his ADP of 391. Matt Carpenter of the St.Louis Cardinals is ranked 45th, a +233 profit. The Baltimore Orioles' Manny Machado is ranked 44th, a profit of +206.

Shortstop: Of all players drafted in the top 300, the two most profitable ones are both National League shortstops.

Currently ranked seventh overall, Jean Segura of the Milwaukee Brewers came into the season with an ADP of 265. And despite recently spending time on the disabled list, the San Diego Padres' Everth Cabrera has used his speed to a current ranking of 38, a profit of 242 spots.

Outfield: There are plenty of huge values here, the majority of them from players who went undrafted in most leagues.

The Boston Red Sox's Daniel Nava leads the list. He is ranked 69th but came into the season with an ADP of 738 (+669).

Yasiel Puig, 22, of the Los Angeles Dodgers (+399) and Raul Ibanez, 41, of the Seattle Mariners (+398) have provided near-identical profit.

Nate McLouth of the Orioles (408 ADP) currently is the highest ranked of this group at 52.

Pitcher: The highest-ranked big-profit pitcher is Arizona Diamondbacks left-hander Patrick Corbin.

The 10-game winner with a 2.40 ERA is ranked 19th overall. His ADP was 468, good for a profit of 449.

Several others currently are ranked lower but have returned more profit, such as Pittsburgh Pirates lefty Jeff Locke (+669), Cardinals reliever Edward Mujica (+591), Miami Marlins rookie Jose Fernandez (+508) and A's veteran Bartolo Colon (+453).

These are the players who have made the biggest difference for fantasy leaguers so far this season and have put their owners in position for a title run.

Ron Shandler is the founder of BaseballHQ.com, a Paste BN Sports Media Group property