At the All-Star break, fantasy baseball owners really should be taking stock of their baseball team and evaluating if they have what it takes to make a run for top spot in the second half. If you had any of our fantasy studs over the first half, you're likely in a good spot to challenge for the title. If you had more than one of our duds, then good luck next year.
Fantasy Studs:
Baseball Hitters
Alex Rodriguez - Anyone who passed on A-Rod because they thought he couldn't deliver in New York ended up passing on the top fantasy stud in the first half. If A-Rod can keep mashing through the second half, he could provide enough offense to carry any fantasy team to a title.
Gary Sheffield - Sheffield started out the season ice-cold and hopefully you were smart enough to trade for him while his value was in the toilet. After batting a lowly .200 with two homers in April, Sheffield has hit 19 homers and is on a .342 clip since June.
Matt Holliday - Even before he displayed his hidden power in the Home Run Derby, you should have known the name Matt Holliday. Not only is he second in the NL with a .341 batting average, but he also has 15 dingers and 69 RBI. In a rotisserie league he'll provide everything you need aside from steals.
Grady Sizemore - Sizemore may very well be the king of rotisserie. Sizemore's average may be a little light for a leadoff man at .280, but he makes up for it by producing in every other fantasy category. Sizemore has some pop in his bat, drives in a lot of runs for a leadoff man and has the wheels to steal.
Russell Martin - Where did this guy come from? Before the season most rankings barely listed Martin as a Top 10 catcher. Martin leads the Dodgers in average, home runs and RBI and he also has 16 stolen bases. For a catcher, that's just nasty.
Baseball Pitchers
Josh Beckett - I avoided drafting Beckett like the plague, and that turned out to be a big mistake. With his blister problems hopefully behind him, Beckett is racking up the wins in Boston while posting a respectable ERA.
Jake Peavy - The Padres' ace likely went much later than he should have in most drafts due to his off-year last season. Anyone who grabbed him is reaping the rewards in the wins, strikeouts and ERA category.
Chris Young - If you missed out on Peavy, hopefully you at least snagged Young. The experts were calling for a third-year breakout from the tall righthander, and they were right.
J.J. Putz - Don't let his performance in the All-Star Game fool you; Putz may be the best closer in the American League right now. With a microscopic ERA of 0.88 and an insane WHIP of 0.59, any lead in the ninth is safe in Seattle right now.
Dan Haren - That Mark Mulder trade is looking pretty good now for A's fans. Haren may not be able to keep his ERA under 2.50 all season, but anything under 3.00 is a rare feat.
Fantasy Duds:
Baseball Hitters
Andruw Jones - Jones finally got over the Mendoza line before the break, but he's still the biggest fantasy bust of the year with his .211 average and 15 home runs. Way to get paid in your free-agent year, Andruw.
Vernon Wells - Wells can't seem to keep it going for more than a few games at a time. He'll need a superb second half to hit his usual solid numbers.
Carlos Delgado - Another usually reliable slugger that has had a hole in his swing most of the season. The power comes and goes, but the average has been out to lunch all season.
Scott Rolen - Anyone that drafted Rolen expecting him to bounce back hopefully waived him for a better third baseman by now. The power has all but disappeared and so has the plate prowess.
Bobby Abreu - Abreu used to be a five-tool fantasy star. This year he goes through hot and cold streaks that leave owners not knowing when to bench him and when to start him.
Baseball Pitchers
Chris Carpenter - Anyone that used a second-round pick on the Cardinals' ace got burned badly when Carpenter went down. He'll be back for the second half, but will he be his old self right away?
Scott Kazmir - Last season Kazmir had a respectable ERA and a pile of strikeouts. The strikeouts are still coming, but a lack of command has raised his ERA by more than a run. Don't even talk about the brutal WHIP.
Ervin Santana - Anyone who (unfortunately) drafted Santana has learned never to start him on the road where his ERA is 8.59.
Dontrelle Willis - An ace with a 4.72 ERA and a 1.54 WHIP? No thanks.
Barry Zito - Another great ace with an even worse 4.90 ERA. The 6-9 record kind of stands out too.
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