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Fantasy baseball: Second half notables to note for 2019

By Benjamin Chase

CLEVELAND, OH - SEPTEMBER 15: Mike Clevinger #52 of the Cleveland Indians pitches against the Detroit Tigers during the first inning at Progressive Field on September 15, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by David Maxwell/Getty Images)
CLEVELAND, OH - SEPTEMBER 15: Mike Clevinger #52 of the Cleveland Indians pitches against the Detroit Tigers during the first inning at Progressive Field on September 15, 2018 in Cleveland, Ohio. (Photo by David Maxwell/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – AUGUST 24: Austin Hedges #18 of the San Diego Padres looks to his dugout after a play at home plate in the game against the Los Angeles Dodgers at Dodger Stadium on August 24, 2018 in Los Angeles, California. All players across MLB will wear nicknames on their backs as well as colorful, non-traditional uniforms featuring alternate designs inspired by youth-league uniforms during Players Weekend. (Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) /

Many fantasy baseball championships are won each year by scouting who finished the season strong the previous season. Who is finishing strong in 2018?

As fantasy baseball championships are being decided at this time of the season, it’s good to think of how to prepare to win in 2019. Many of the best teams each year are built with players who had a big second half the previous year to show they were ready to break out.

Who are the players that have been playing well in the second half in 2018 and could be ready to break out in 2019 for fantasy baseball teams?

Let’s start with those behind the plate…

Catchers

The San Diego Padres acquired Francisco Mejia in a mid-summer trade as their catcher of the future. That would put the future of Austin Hedges with the organization in question. That could be something to track this offseason as Hedges has been the 5th best catcher by Fangraphs WAR in the 2nd half, hitting .257/.302/.507 with 9 home runs.

When Jason Castro went down with a season-ending injury, many in the Minnesota Twins organization weren’t sure if Mitch Garver was ready for the full-time role, but he’s been picking up the pace as the season has gone along, and he’s hit a strong .276/.328/.455 in the second half with 26 RBI. Castro will be back in 2019, but with his defensive prowess and offensive weakness, he could end up being a highly-paid backup to Garver for the Twins, or at least splitting time.

He missed a ton of time injured this season, but the free agency of Wilson Ramos will be something to pay close attention to as he’s closing out the season as one of the hottest hitters in all of baseball. He won’t be sneaking up on anyone in fantasy, but he could out-produce projections, especially in the right environment. He’s hit .397/.452/.587 in 21 games in the second half once he got healthy.

Let’s check next around the infield…

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