The Major League Baseball All-Star break is here, and it’s time to take a step back and recharge the batteries for the stretch run of the fantasy baseball season. I always like to reflect on what has happened and come up with a game plan of what I need to do in order to try to win a fantasy championship. We have been grinding since March so we all deserve a couple of days off, but it’s still a great idea to understand what needs to be done during the final two and a half months of the season.
This week we will recap the hitters and pitchers through the first half of the season, beginning with the offense.
Three Up:
1. St. Louis Cardinals First Baseman Paul Goldschmidt — It can’t be overstated how good of a first half Goldschmidt had. The veteran is batting .330 with 20 home runs, 70 RBIs, 64 runs scored and has even chipped in with five stolen bases. Goldschmidt is valuable in on-base percentage leagues as well as he has a .414 OBP. Goldschmidt will continue to be a rock solid fantasy option for the remainder of the season.
2. Seattle Mariners Outfielder Julio Rodriguez — There have been many hyped prospects that have come and gone in baseball and sometimes it takes them a season or two to finally figure things out. That has not been the case for the 21-year-old. The Mariners have won 14 games in a row, and Rodriguez is a big reason why. The rookie did struggle in April as he hit .206, but since then, he has not finished a month batting under .280 and his skillset has been on full display. Rodriguez is currently batting .275 with 16 home runs, 52 RBIs, 53 runs scored and 21 stolen bases. This is a true five-category player and he’s only going to get better. Rodriguez will help fantasy owners during the final couple of months and is positioning himself to be a first-round draft pick in 2023.
3. Los Angeles Dodgers Shortstop Trea Turner — The best skill set is availability and Turner has proven that in 2022. We need our players to actually be on the field and Turner has played in all 90 games for the Dodgers. The stats have followed, as Turner is batting .306 with 14 home runs, 68 RBIs, 54 runs scored and 17 stolen bases. There’s a strong chance Turner finishes with 90 RBIs and 90 runs scored to go along with 25 home runs and 30 stolen bases. Those are fantasy baseball championship numbers and Turner is helping in a big way.
Three Down:
1. Boston Red Sox Second Baseman Trevor Story — It’s been a rough first season for Story in Boston. The veteran struggled in April and showed signs of life in May when he hit nine home runs. However, that was just a spike as the struggles have continued in June and July. Overall, Story is batting .222 with 15 home runs, 49 runs scored 58 RBIs and 10 stolen bases. The stolen bases are saving his fantasy season, but the batting average is crushing it. Story is on pace for career lows in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and OPS.
2. Detroit Tigers Shortstop Javier Baez — Like Story, Baez is struggling in his first season with a new team. Baez is batting .213 with nine home runs, 35 RBIs, 30 runs scored and three stolen bases. The shortstop was horrendous in 2020, but with a shortened season I was willing to give the 29-year-old the benefit of the doubt. He rewarded us last season by hitting 31 home runs, but this season has been a struggle. There have been no signs of him turning things around, so it could be more of the same during the last couple of months of the season.
3. Los Angeles Dodgers Infielder Max Muncy — There’s no sugarcoating it, Muncy has been awful this season. It’s pretty amazing the Dodgers are as good as they are with Muncy and Cody Bellinger struggling so much. Muncy dealt with an elbow injury late last season that cost him the playoffs and there’s no doubt it has hindered him this year. The veteran is batting .160, which would be a career low, and his slugging percentage of .315 would be the worst since he became a regular player in 2018.