There is a contrast between what's valuable in fantasy baseball and real life. I think we all know and, to varying degress, acknowledge that. It's not always a stark difference, but not having to care about defense, leadership and other intangibles skews a fantasy gamer's perspective.

But those things that don't show up in a box score, at the same time, really do show up in a box score. Finding out who the player is - physical attributes and intangibles - is key to discovering how he'll go about producing an offensive stat line.

Let me first address one side of the coin, which is how intangibles like leadership, focus and attitude can be positive indicators of a player's development. After that, I'll get into the list of most valuable in real life and most valuable in fantasy.

We all have to have some sort of appreciation for a player's all-around abilities, including defensive skills and intangibles. At the very least, they dictate how real-life managers value his services. A gaping hole in their defense and even the best offensive players are affected on the fantasy side. Ryan Braun, for instance, deals with a switch to the outfield because he was such a poor third baseman.

Character, attitude and leadership show in fantasy by the way a player conducts himself on the field and how consistently his name is penciled into the lineup. Players that show up every day and prepare themselves well for each of their 162 games are highly regarded by managers, who use trust as a good barometer to dictate roles.

We should do the same, recognizing and valuing players who produce consistent results and find ways to stay on the field. Preparation is the key to the latter - a player's ability to keep himself in good physical and mental shape for games.

You can go on to evaluate things like attitude, focus levels, courage and ability to handle pressure situations to paint a better picture of what a player is about. Know these things and know the numbers inside and out, and you stand a much better chance of guessing right on a player's future fortunes.

With all that said, the list below is a different animal than what's above. These are the top 10 players in real-life and the top 10 players in fantasy. The difference on this end is much more philosophical, being that pitching, leadership ability and defense are more valued in the real life game.

Top 10 Primetime Players - Reality

1. 3B Alex Rodriguez, New York Yankees
Say what you want about his postseason performances, but Rodriguez can single-handedly get a team into the playoffs. Throw in his future worth as all-time hitting records approach, and he's worth every dollar of his monster contract. 

2. 1B Albert Pujols, St. Louis Cardinals
His elbow is a concern, whether you're talking real or fantasy baseball. But a player like Pujols is extremely valuable to manager Tony LaRussa because everyone in his lineup is better as a result of his presence.

3. SS Derek Jeter, New York Yankees
The Yankees clubhouse, a constant carnival and media frenzy, is the most important place to lend a steadying hand. Jeter has done that and then some, annually jumpstarting one of baseball's best offenses.

4. SS Jimmy Rollins, Philadelphia Phillies
He plays every day, seems to always do the right thing as a leader amongst his teammates, and is an offensive force with power and speed. He made a bold prediction prior to last season, backed it up the entire way, then saw it come true.

5. DH David Ortiz, Boston Red Sox
In order for the Red Sox to execute their plans offensively, they must lean heavily on Ortiz and Manny Ramirez to produce big time results. Ortiz is a serious liability as a defender, but he also eases tension and negativity better than any player in baseball.

6. RF Vladimir Guerrero, Los Angeles Angels
His value slips in fantasy because he's no longer a threat on the basepaths, but with the havoc the Angels create, they don't want or need that from him. What they want is a big-time hitter and run producer, and he fills the role to perfection.

7. LHP Johan Santana, New York Mets
Electric, unhittable stuff and a proper realignment of the Mets starting rotation are valuable commodities. If he's the stopper he got signed to be, the Mets will cruise to a National League East title.

8. C Joe Mauer, Minnesota Twins
In addition to being a perennial batting title contender, Mauer is also well beyond his years in terms of handling the Twins pitching staff. He commands immediate respect from every pitcher, then provides a lethal left-handed bat in the middle of the order.

9. 3B David Wright and SS Jose Reyes, New York Mets
Call it a copout to list two players in this one slot, but these guys share pretty equal leadership roles for the Mets. Reyes is a lineup spark, and Wright is a do-it-all, franchise third baseman who won a Gold Glove last season. It's six of one, half dozen of the other.

10. RHP Josh Beckett, Boston Red Sox
Just how valuable are automatic wins in the postseason? "Very" is the answer. But taking the ball every fifth day and having that shaky injury history work against him and put more of a strain on the organization.

Top 10 Primetime Players - Fantasy

For the sake of not duplicating work, here is simply our list of top 10 fantasy players. For detailed descriptions on them, check out our expanded rankings.

1. Rodriguez
2. Reyes
3. SS Hanley Ramirez, Florida Marlins
4. Wright
5. Holliday
6. Chase Utley, Philadelphia Phillies
7. 3B Miguel Cabrera, Detroit Tigers
8. Rollins
9. Santana
10. 1B Ryan Howard, Philadelphia Phillies