AL Report

In due time: Players primed for big second halves

Magglio Ordonez hit .338 with 23 homers after the All-Star break last year. AP

By Jason Grey, Special to SI.com

I generally run this feature the week of the All-Star Game, but I have been getting so many questions lately relating to players who might have some second-half surges in value that I'll push it up a little bit. Give the readers what they want, I say.

So, without further introduction, is a team by team list of the best candidates to have bigger second-half impacts to fantasy teams:

Anaheim: David Eckstein looks to have finally busted out of his slump against Jaime Moyer on Wednesday night. Eckstein has never failed to hit over a full season at any level, and I don't think he starts a new trend this year. That .240 average has a lot of movement left in it.

Baltimore: 1995 Cy Young winner Pat Hentgen gets a permanent spot back in the Orioles rotation at the expense of Omar Daal. His numbers haven't been that great, but they can only get better with consistent work every fifth day. He might be serviceable in deep AL leagues.

Boston: As mentioned here before, with the exception of his first year in Boston, Johnny Damon has been a notoriously slow starter who picks it up in the second half. I like his chances of producing significantly better for the balance of the year.

Chicago: Magglio Ordonez's numbers for the post-break period of 2002: .338-23-68. 'Nuff said.

Cleveland: The Indians had high hopes for their best pitching prospect, Cliff Lee, coming into the season, but a strained abdominal muscle in spring training has put off his 2003 debut. Lee has been rehabbing in the minors and has advanced from Class A back up to AAA. Lee could be a shot in the arm for some fantasy pitching staffs down the stretch when he is called up.

Detroit: Lost in all the hoopla about the chances of someone on the Tigers' staff hitting 20 losses (despite Mike Maroth having just a 4.99 ERA and criminal run support), is the fact that Jeremy Bonderman is starting to show that he belongs in the majors. Four of his last five starts have been quality starts and he hasn't walked a batter in his past three outings. His WHIP and ERA are steadily dropping and he has already been an asset in leagues that count strikeouts.

Kansas City: No real candidates here, with the exception of D.J. Carrasco, as he could wind up either in the rotation or as a closer if Mike MacDougal continues to be shaky.

Minnesota: Justin Morneau, and the fact he is hitting in a prime RBI slot, is a no-brainer. Torii Hunter really hasn't had a blistering hot streak like he normally does by this time, and there is no reason to think he can't start picking it up soon. He has too much talent not to, and his swing still looks fine. Part of his first-half troubles could be attributed to intermittent minor back spasms, which have not been an issue for the last month.

New York: Yes, Jason Giambi will be fine, and so will Derek Jeter. Both have at least 20 points of upward movement in their batting average, and Giambi perhaps more than that.

Oakland: Miguel Tejada has already started his upward movement. With the A's in contention yet again, and as always, with payroll constraints, they may wind up looking to add additional pieces for the stretch run from within their own organization. You all know about pitcher Rich Harden, who is a heartbeat from Oakland's rotation right now. Esteban German's .383 OBP at AAA could conceivably take over for Mark Ellis if he continues to struggle. Jermaine Dye had a phenomenal second half last year (.261-18-53 after the break) after a slow start, but he's admittedly still having trouble with his knee even after surgery, so that is not a smart bet again.

Seattle: Everyone is firing on all cylinders for the M's at this point, which helps to explain their position in the standings. However, Rafael Soriano may claim a greater role on the pitching staff, particularly if a starter gets hurt, and he has one of the best raw arms out there. He should be a good fantasy contributor in the second half, regardless.

Tampa Bay: Dewon Brazelton gets busted all the way down to A ball? Wow. He has too much talent to not succeed in the major leagues, and perhaps he'll be back to provide some quality outings in late August or early September. Other than that possibility, there isn't much upside that isn't already evident on the Devil Rays.

Texas: Mark Teixeira, like Jeremy Bonderman, is quietly starting to get into a rhythm at the major league level. After hitting just .188 in April, he hit .282 in May and has followed that up with a .275 mark in June. That's a little more like it. With the Rangers committed to a youth movement for the second half, as evidenced by the attempted trade of Juan Gonzalez, Teixeira should find plenty of playing time for him to stay in the groove.

Toronto: Some will look at Cory Lidle's ERA (5.12) despite his win total, and not get too excited. I remember last year, where Lidle went into the All-Star Game with a 5.30 ERA. From that point on, he had a 2.69 ERA including a ridiculous 5-0 mark with a 0.20 ERA in August. It's hard not to take a chance with historical numbers like that.

Jason Grey is the publisher of The Masters of Fantasy Baseball at www.mastersball.com, a free daily source for news, analysis, insight, and opinion.

 

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