Fantasy baseball: second half notables to remember for 2019

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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…

SAN DIEGO, CA – SEPTEMBER 14: Jurickson Profar #19 of the Texas Rangers celebrates after hitting a two-run home run during the seventh inning of a baseball game against the San Diego Padres at PETCO Park on September 14, 2018 in San Diego, California. (Photo by Denis Poroy/Getty Images) /

Infielders

While he may not be playing much infield in the future for the Astros, Tyler White has a good chance to take the DH role in 2019 after hitting .319/.387/.645 in the second half this season with 10 home runs and 35 RBI.

Similarly, Ryan O’Hearn isn’t going to make anyone forget about Eric Hosmer defensively at first base in Kansas City, but if he can keep putting up a nearly 15% walk rate and a .351 ISO, he’ll have a job for sure as he’s been able to knock out 10 home runs and post a .970 OPS in the second half.

The Mets Jeff McNeil has been widely noted for his impressive second half, as he’s hit .335/.389/.494 with 3 homers and 5 steals, and he’s likely to keep the job in New York, but it seems in the nation’s second-largest market, the work David Fletcher has done for the Angels, specifically with the glove, has gone little-noticed. While the Angels are currently connected with many second base free agents, they could choose to keep Fletcher in the infield with a solid .280/.324/.357 bat from the 2-hole in the lineup and a very impressive glove.

While everyone has doted over the work one former top prospect, Javier Baez, has done at short since being forced into work at the position in the second half, two former top prospects have both had very solid second half performances that could earn additional looks for full-time work in 2019.

Adalberto Mondesi has been running wild in the second half, with 19 steals in the second half, and his .301/.333/.476 line has helped keep the Royals offense respectable at times during the second half of the season. In Texas, he’s worked at many positions, but Jurickson Profar‘s 2018 seems to have flown far under the radar, and his .281/.365/.503 second half line with 8 home runs shows he’s ready to give owners even more in 2019.

With the Atlanta Braves entering free agency with a good chunk of change this offseason, many thought they would target a third baseman, but the play of Johan Camargo could change that mindset as his impressive glovework was already well-known, but his bat has been a pleasant surprise for fantasy baseball owners in the second half, as he’s hit .307/.365/.524 with 9 home runs.

Now for the outfield…

ST PETERSBURG, FL – AUGUST 09: Mallex Smith #0 of the Tampa Bay Rays rounds second in the sixth inning during a game against the Baltimore Orioles at Tropicana Field on August 9, 2018 in St Petersburg, Florida. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /

Outfielders

Many know about the huge surges of the young rookies Ronald Acuna and Juan Soto, and their high publicity will likely make them expensive buys at your fantasy baseball auction next spring, but there are plenty more that have had impressive second half performances that are not among the typical “big names”.

The Mets initially gave Brandon Nimmo run at the beginning of the season due to injury, then demoted him for seemingly no reason, and now they’re seeing him surge again. Nimmo has hit .294/.435/.515 with 4 home runs in the second half, and he looks to be a guy who would fit well in the leadoff spot, with an impressive 15.9% walk rate over the second half.

The Tampa Bay Rays will have decisions to make about their outfield for 2019, and Mallex Smith is making sure that he is not left out of those final choices. He’s hit .335/.409/.465 with impressive gap hits and 17 stolen bases in the second half of the season. Teammate Tommy Pham is having a tremendous second half in his own right, hitting .303/.399/.492.

While not the reason most know his name, Oakland A’s outfielder Ramon Laureano has been more than just his incredible defense in the second half, hitting .279/.357/.505 with 5 homers and 5 steals. Toronto Blue Jays outfielder Randal Grichuk has gotten healthy in the second half, and he’s gone on a power streak. While known for his streaks, this is one of Grichuk’s better ones, with 12 home runs in the second half and a .292/.340/.573 line.

SAN FRANCISCO, CA – SEPTEMBER 15: German Marquez #48 of the Colorado Rockies pitches against the San Francisco Giants during the first inning at AT&T Park on September 15, 2018 in San Francisco, California. (Photo by Jason O. Watson/Getty Images) /

Starting Pitchers

We discussed him recently and how underrated he is, but in the fantasy baseball community, Colorado Rockies starter German Marquez is still a question mark. He really should not be.

With 74 1/3 innings over the second half of the season, Marquez has the #2 Fangraphs WAR among all starting pitchers over the second half behind only Jacob deGrom, yet many are still concerned about owning him due to his ballpark. Perhaps his 11.26 K/9 and 2.06 BB/9 will help solve that. Maybe?

While there are legitimate questions about the Cleveland Indians bullpen going into the playoffs, it’s hard to argue with the work that the rotation has done. In fact, among the top pitchers in Fangraphs WAR over the second half, 4 of the top 20 are members of the Indians rotation.

Two of those, Shane Bieber and Mike Clevinger, are guys that likely aren’t going to go real early in your fantasy baseball draft next spring, but both could help plenty. Bieber’s 4.94 ERA really masks his true performance, as his 2.91 FIP shows, and his tremendous ability to limit hard contact and walks should allow for good WHIP numbers.

Mike Clevinger has put up a 2.31 ERA over 66 1/3 innings with over 10.5 K/9. He’s become an ideal #4-5 guy in the rotation with Bieber, likely putting up numbers that will eclipse most #2-3 guys in other rotations.

The Angels staff was a complete mess in the 2018 season, but one guy who showed well was Andrew Heaney. While he’s not likely to work his way into the front of a rotation, his steady work as an inning-eater, tossing 67 2/3 innings and limiting walks with a 3.53 xFIP should give a good indication of how well Heaney could fit at the back of a fantasy baseball rotation.

Relievers

Only 3 relievers have saved more games than the 11 that Jose Leclerc has in the second half, and all three of those have been closers the entire season. Leclerc has been simply dominant in the second half of the season, with a 0.83 ERA and just shy of 15 K/9.

Acquired by the Astros at the deadline, Ryan Pressly has turned loose his impressive stuff that seemed under-utilized in the Twins bullpen. He’s posted a 0.83 ERA over 23 appearances and walked less than one per 9 innings over the second half.

More from Call to the Pen

While the Tampa Bay Rays have had multiple relievers with excellent seasons put into excellent positions by Kevin Cash. One of those who have excelled is Jose Alvarado, who has pitched to a 1.25 ERA and a 12 K/9 over 24 games, even pulling of 5 saves.

The Chicago Cubs have seen multiple pitchers succumb to injuries in the second half, but the one steady pitcher in the bullpen this season has been Jesse Chavez, who has posted a 1.44 ERA and 9.77 K/9 over 31 1/3 innings. He likely won’t be closing, but as a guy who could end up pitching in multiple roles, he could be a good source of strikeouts and rate stats in fantasy baseball.

A guy who has picked up a closer’s role on a poor team after the team traded their closer is Jace Fry with the White Sox. He has posted a 4.42 ERA, but his 1.77 xFIP has shown that to not be the true measure of his ability, and his near-15 K/9 is going to make him a guy who could really impact your fantasy baseball bullpen as a 3rd or 4th closer next spring.

Next. Best non-playoff teams in Wild Card era. dark

There are plenty more that you could use in your fantasy baseball draft next spring, but this should give a good collection of names to get the early jump on preparing for 2019!

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