The All-Star Game has come and gone and now is the time to get ready for the fantasy playoff push. The non-waiver trade deadline is a week away and now is the time to not only pay attention to where certain hitters go, but hit the waiver wire to help your team. Standard leagues have already felt an impact with players such as Jeurys Familia and Brad Hand switching teams. If your league counts holds as a category, you won’t feel much of an effect, but, if your league counts strictly saves, you could be in line for less production from both players as Familia looks to setup Blake Treinen in Oakland while Hand looks to pair with Andrew Miller, once healthy, to bridge the gap to Cody Allen. Of course, if Allen continues his first half struggles, Hand could be in line to assume the closer role. That being said, this week, I want to shift owners’ attention to position players and list five hitters that could be in line for second-half rebounds and boosts. This week, I bring you “That’s Amore!” Hitters Looking to Rebound in the Second Half.

Jonathan Schoop

Schoop has been one of the biggest disappointments of all second basemen. With an average ADP of the fifth round for standard, 12-team leagues, it’s hard to defend his production for such a high draft position. Entering 2018, he was coming off back-to-back seasons in which he reached 25+ home runs, 80+ RBI and an average OBP of .318 (right around an average ranking). With Manny Machado already getting comfortable in Los Angeles, this leaves Baltimore looking for some sort of production in the middle of their lineup. Following Friday’s series start with Toronto, Schoop found himself hitting in the two hole Friday and Saturday followed by hitting third on Sunday. Prior to the All-Star break, Schoop slashed .229/.263/.389 with 10 home runs and 25 RBI. This is hardly the production many owners predicted, but there is hope as Schoop has slashed .270/.275/.735 with four home runs and nine runs batted in over the last 30 days.

Schoop has never been one to have huge second halves over the past three seasons in terms of overall slash line. However, he’s always been on-par in terms of home runs and RBI. I can easily handle the dip in overall slash numbers and, if this is accompanied with the long ball and driving runners in, I’ll be more than reluctant to buy in on Schoop. Again, with Machado out of the picture, the Orioles will be looking to lean on someone to hit in the heart of their order and Schoop is more than capable of doing so. With his first half slash line of .229/.263/.389, it’s almost as if he would have to go up and take every pitch he saw not to improve on those numbers.

What steps can Schoop take to improve on a dismal first half? While his K% (20.1%) is down from his 2015-2017 K% of 22.2%, he has seen a drastic decrease in his BABIP of .255 down from his 2015-2017 mark of .321. I attribute a drastic decrease in BABIP due to the fact that his LD% is at a three-year low of 17.3%. Not only is this number down 2.7% from 2015-2018, but he’s hitting more ground balls, seeing his GB% (46.2%) — 4.3% higher than 2017. It’s nearly impossible for Schoop to maintain his 2013-2017 statistics when hitting more ground balls than line drives. We are talking about a player with average speed at best. Along with hitting more line drives, Schoop absolutely needs to get into better hitter counts. He has yet to post an average of .200+ when behind in the count and the reciprocal is through the roof as he’s hit .340+ when ahead in the count. Still, there’s a lot of baseball left and over the past 30 days we’ve seen Schoop post successful numbers. Only owned in 64% of leagues, there’s plenty of leagues where Schoop is available and he’s one of my top players to rebound in the second half.

Anthony Rizzo

Looking at Rizzo’s numbers, he’s been able to driver runners in, but he’s on pace for career-lows in home runs, RBI, OBP, SLG and OPS. For a team looking to make a fourth-straight NLCS appearance and counteract their pitching woes, the Cubs absolutely can’t afford for Rizzo not to rebound in the second half of the season. A lot like the aforementioned Jonathan Schoop, Rizzo was drafted high, around 21st overall in 12-team leagues, and this is a high price to pay not to get All-Star production. After starting April and May slashing .230/.340/.367, he’s rebounded slashing .287/.382/.443 in June and July. Over the last 30 days, he’s slashed .297/.393/.832 with one home run and 15 RBI. Again, the home runs just aren’t there, but he’s driving runners in and getting on base. Joe Maddon has tinkered with his lineup often, through the season, batting Rizzo at different spots in the lineup, even first, to allow him to see more pitches, in better situations and getting him the extra at-bats while batting him first.

What steps can Rizzo take to increase his production in the second half of the season? Strikeouts haven’t been an issue as his 12.3 K% is the lowest it’s been he’s entered the majors and it’s 4.1% lower than his career-average of 16.4%. However, one of the most glowing statistics is his GB%. It currently sits at 36.4% which is 3% lower than his career-average and down nearly 5% from his 2015-2017 average. His BB% as well as batted ball percentages are right around his career-averages as well and it leads me to believe that he’s not driving pitches as well as he has in the past. He’s hitting more line drives and not getting the ball elevated. Again, he’s driving runners in, but the home runs haven’t been there. I’ll take Rizzo getting on base and driving runners in and I would suspect he’s due to surpass his first half total of 12 home runs. There’s no reason to believe he can’t get on a hot streak and have a week of 5+ home runs as there are currently just over 60 games left in the regular season.

Eric Hosmer

Entering the offseason, Hosmer was looking for a long-term deal and he was able to latch on with the Padres at 8-years, $144 million. Looking at his first half slash line of .249/.317/.397, I’m sure there are numerous GMs breathing a sigh of relief that they didn’t give in and offer Hosmer a long-term deal. However, Hosmer is one player that has always seen an uptick in production in the second half. From 2015-2017 he’s seen an increase in home runs and RBI while cutting back on strikeouts. This is the type of production owners want when making a playoff push.

What has been the main culprit in Hosmer’s dismal start in his inaugural season with the Padres? For one, he’s striking out way too much. His 22.6 K% is 7.1% higher than 2017 and 5.8% higher than his career average. Hosmer has also seen one of the highest dips in BABIP going from .351 in 2017 to .301 in 2018. Accompany these numbers with a career-high GB% of 61.3% and it’s easy to see why Hosmer is having a season on-par with his worst statistical season of 2012.

What changes does Hosmer need to make in the second half of the season? For one, he needs to start driving the ball with more authority and getting the ball off the ground. He owns a career FB% of 25.9%, and his 2018 mark of 17.4% is down 8.5%. As I mentioned earlier, he’s striking out higher than he ever has and is currently on pace to set a career-high in strikeouts. Numerous of his at-bats have been from behind in the count, or at 2-2. He’s hit below .180 during any of those counts and the only way to bounce back is to set himself up for better hitter counts. I’d recommend getting good swings in while ahead in the count 1-0 or 2-1 as he’s hit above .400 while at those counts. After Hosmer’s dismal first half, it’s hard to believe he’s not due for progression. While it’s hard to expect an uptick in RBI, as San Diego is 29th in OBP and 26th in hits, that doesn’t negate the fact that Hosmer himself can still produce in terms of personal statistics.

Brian Dozier

Dozier is the epitome of a second half rebound. Over a three-year span of 2015-2017, we’ve seen Dozier post pre-All-Star slash lines of .248/.330/.461 with 46 home runs and 134 RBI followed by .269/.341/.535 with 58 home runs and 135 RBI. He’s been arguably the best in the second half with power numbers and nothing leads me to believe he won’t do it again in 2018. We’ve already begun to see the transformation over the last 30 days as he’s slashed .234/.342/.468 with six home runs and 19 RBI. This season is different than seasons of the past as Dozier’s name has been passed around as a potential trade acquisition and this could play big for fantasy owners if Dozier lands on a playoff-bound team that sees Dozier in line for great production.

I don’t know what it is about the month of August, but from 2015-2018 Dozier has slashed .280/.354/.575 (.929 OPS) with 26 home runs and 59 RBI. Maybe, he gets excited for the end of the season, but he’s been arguably one of the best hitters in August over that span. His second half numbers always seem to be unexplainable as even in 2018 he’s hovered around his career-average with batted ball numbers and there has been a slight increase in FB% and GB% with a decease in LD%. Still, looking at his second half splits over his career, it’s easy to believe Dozier is due to break out and the last 30 days has already seen him nearly equal his total home runs over the previous months. At 31 and an upcoming free agent, Dozier should be attainable in nearly any league format and I’d recommend seeing if you can acquire him for a cheap price. Plug him into your lineup and remember this post All-Star average stat line over the previous three seasons: .269/.341/.535 with 19 home runs and 45 RBI.

Justin Upton

Looking at this list, you’ll notice the players listed are all infielders. I wanted to zero in on five players and I wanted at least one outfielder. I thought about looking at a player such a Bryce Harper. He’s in his contract year and more than likely going to leave Washington after seven seasons, but it’s highly unlikely that he’s a player a fantasy owner could acquire without having to pay a steep price. Still, I searched for a player that not only is due for a second half burst, but one that still could be acquired for a respectable price. The player I landed on is Angels outfielder Justin Upton. We all know what Upton can do in terms of power, and he’s been one that has always posted solid stats in the second half of the season. Pre-All-Star, he’s posted a respectable slash line of .251/.344/.444 accompanied by 19 home runs and 54 RBI. Looking at these numbers, it’s hard to argue that he’s been bad, but he is still due for a big second half of the season.

From 2015-2017, Upton has slashed .250/.323/.429 with 38 home runs and 140 RBI Pre-All-Star. Post All-Star, Upton has slashed .264/.352/.560 with 54 home runs and 137 RBI. Looking at the averages, that’s 12 home runs and 46 RBI pre-All-Star and 18 home runs and 45 RBI post All-Star. He’s a player that feasts in the second half and 2018 shouldn’t be any different. Looking at this season, Upton has hit more line drives and ground balls while decreasing his FB% 8.6% from 2017. If his 2015-2017 second half splits are a sign, I see his FB% increasing while hitting more home runs. His career-high is 35 hit in 2017 and he already has one home run post All-Star break. Assuming the post All-Star split holds true, Upton could end the season with 37+ home runs — setting a new career-high. Again, as I mentioned earlier, Upton hasn’t had a bad season by any means, but there was no way I was leaving him off this list as he’s historically had better post All-Star numbers throughout his career. If you’re looking for more than an above-average upgrade at the outfield position, I’d suggest seeing what kind of price you’d have to pay for Upton. Remember, he always seems to hit more home runs in the second half of the season and he’s currently on pace for a new career-high.

Major League Fantasy Baseball Radio Show: Join host Brian Roach, Jr, and Cole Freel live on Sunday July 22nd, 2018 from 8-9:30pm EST for episode #130 of Major League Fantasy Baseball Radio. We are a live broadcast that will take callers at 323-870-4395. Press 1 to speak with the host. We will discuss the latest information in the world of fantasy baseball.

Major League Fantasy Football Radio Show: Join host Corey D Roberts, James Wilk, and Coach Jeff Nelson live July 19th, 2018 from 8-9:30pm EST for episode #85 of Major League Fantasy Football Radio. Call in number is 323-870-4395 press 1 to speak with the host. We will hit free agents, rookies, and fantasy football as a whole for each team for 2018. This week we will discuss everything NFC East!

Jeff has been a member of majorleaguefantasyports.com for 10 years, he is also a 3 time Major League Fantasy Football Champion, and was the defensive coach at White Hall H.S. in PA where Saquan Barkley went to H.S. Jeff clued us in on Barkley nearly 4 years ago on one of our football shows.

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