Fantasy Baseball Friday: 2nd half players to have

By Jim Ingram

Fan Fanatic Sports Staff

Since most people recognize this weekend to be the "Official" start to the 2nd half of the season, I'll humor them. What I'd like to talk about are the players you need to have on your team to help you make the playoffs. I don't care if you need to grab them off waivers, or make a trade for them. We'll take a look at each position.

Catcher:

Matt Weiters - I know he just went on the DL, but prior to that he'd finally found his swing

Buster Posey - The man has been on fire for three weeks now. Of course he'll slow down, but he'll end up in the top 5 at the position for the 2nd half.

First Base:

Gabby Sanchez - I know the position is deep, but the rookie will certainly help with average and increased power. He's a great fit in deep leagues at both first and utility.

Matt LaPorta - He's eligible at first and outfield, and has been raking since he got recalled. He finally gets a chance to play full time.

Second Base:

Ian Kinsler - Yeah, I know he's a household name, but he missed almost 20 games earlier this year. While some people are worried his average is 20 points higher than his career, I don't. His power numbers are down this year, but I feel it's more of a byproduct of his early season injury. Watch for it to return as the year goes on.

Clint Barnes - he's done a tremendous job replacing Tulo. It's nice that he's eligible at both middle infield positions, and can hit a few homers to boot.

Third Base:

Aramis Ramirez - Have you seen what he's done since coming off the DL. He seems to be back to his former self.

Chipper Jones - I'll probably catch hell for this pick, but he's been hitting for average, .301, and has an .881 OPS the past month. Not tremendous, but definitely valuable.

Short Stop: I really hate the position this year in Fantasy Baseball

Rafael Furcal - He's the only one I'm going to choose for right now. No one has been hotter of late, and he is really showing what he can do when fully healthy.

Outfield:

Carlos Beltran - In case you didn't realize it, he made his season debut last night. If the Mets were smart they'd make Angel Pagan the everyday right fielder.

Carlos Gonzalez - This is the time to prey on the lesser knowledgeable players in your league. I bet there are actually a good amount of people who don't realize how good, and valuable, he is. The man is the 5th ranked Outfielder for fantasy baseball. He hits for average, power, drives in runs and will get you 20 + steals. The only weak part of his game are his walks.

Adam Dunn - This is the year he gets traded by the Nationals. He'll go to a better team, with a deeper lineup. When that happens, his RBI total will increase.

Starting Pitcher:

Gavin Floyd - The kid has been lights out the past month. He's finally back on track and ready to turn his season around.

Max Scherzer - Talk about a man on fire. After his stint in the minors, it looks like he's righted himself. He's won 4 straight decisions allowing 6 runs and averaging 7.6 K's in those 5 starts.

Relief Pitcher:

John Axford - He's the man getting the saves for a bad Brewers team. My guess is someone takes a flyer on Trevor Hoffman at the deadline leaving him with the job for the remainder of the year.

Evan Meek - I look for Octavio Dotel to be moved as well opening up the closer's job for the man who's been great all year.