I'm not gonna call myself a genius. In fact, most of my 1st half wills and won'ts were way off base. But let me hit you with some knowledge...They were purposely supposed to be wrong. I'm not gonna waste time by saying facts that everyone knows are going to be true.
Pujols will be good=FACT.
What the reader really wants to read is who will not be as good as most originally believed?
Whether or not, I did mention that Greinke, Felix, and Cain would dominate in the first half. 3 picks, 3 all-stars.
Question is: Who will keep up their pace moving forward (or pick it up after stumbling), or more importantly, who will lose the streak and not assist you in the 2nd half?
Players to trade for/pick up:
Miguel Cabrera, DET: While it's not like he struggled, I expect much, MUCH more in his second half this year. I'm sure he won't be easy to trade for, but consider giving up first half studs like Bartlett, Reynolds, or Crawford; all guys that I think will slow down in the second half.
Pablo Sandoval, SF: Yes, the .330 pace will be kept up throughout the entire season. For those who have not had the pleasure to watch him in action, please do. He has become more selective, which means he will be one of the most dangerous hitters in the second half this season.
Juan Pierre, LAD: Pierre is an injury in the Dodger outfield away from not only being fantasy relevant, but being a stud. Trade for him now while he is cheap, and reap the benefits if someone goes down. He is worth stashing on the bench until the right time.
Lance Berkman, HOU: .260 in the first half. He will be hitting .295 by the end of the second half. What does that mean? It means he will hit at least .315 the rest of the way to get there. Throw in 15 more home runs and 5-8 steals, and he is back where he started the season, one of the best in the league.
Joey Votto: CIN: No, he probably won't hit .347 for the entire season. He probably won't even hit .325. But this kid is extremely talented, so it wouldn't shock me if he did either. One thing is for sure, as long as his dizziness is behind him, he will keep hitting for power and cement his place among the top 8 one baggers in the league.
Players to trade away:
I've already mentioned Reynolds, Bartlett, and Crawford. Reynolds is easy. Power potential=HUGE. Steals potential=Average. Batting average=Much below average. The fact that he is running at will is a surprise. A guy who strikes out this often is certain to fall into deep slumps, something he didn't see in the first half. If you were lucky enough to have him, great. Just make sure you sell him before his average dips below .240.
Jason Bartlett, TB: Really? Has he ever been considered even of fantasy relevance before this season? I'm not gonna say it is impossible, he will have value through the second half because Maddon has his team run around the bases like it is little league. But the power is probably not legit, and neither is the .345 average. Don't sit on him and let his numbers drag you down.
Russell Branyan, SEA: He's finally get hyped up after all these years, and I'm shooting him right back down. The power is real, and nice, but nothing else is. He is going to go back to where he was before this season, a Free Agent in fantasy leagues.
Adrian Gonzalez, SD: His team sucks. He doesn't. But it is a recipe for disaster when you have a fantasy stud.
Really? After all people expected, that is all that you've produced in the first half?
The award goes to: Nick Markakis. Drafted between rounds 3-5 in drafts, he has been a supreme disappointment. Wasn't this a guy that people thought could go 30-20 this year? He's on pace for 16-3. Don't get me wrong, he's not a bad fantasy player, but really? That is all you've produced?
Shoot for these pitchers in the 2nd half:
John Lackey, ANA; Jon Lester, BOS; Cliff Lee, CLE.
Stay away from:
Chad Billingsley, LAD; Jarrod Washburn, SEA.
No comments:
Post a Comment