Fantasy Baseball Second Half Predictions: NL West

Jul 9, 2015; Denver, CO, USA; Colorado Rockies third baseman Nolan Arenado (28) heads home to score on double by first baseman Wilin Rosario (not pictured) in the second inning against the Atlanta Braves at Coors Field. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Major League Baseball is taking a break from the regular season to enjoy the festivities of the All-Star break. The Home Run Derby is Monday night and the All-Star game is on Tuesday. As a result, there isn’t much going on fantasy wise until games pick back up again on Friday. So, I figured we can preview what the second half of the season is going to look like, starting with the NL West.

Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers looked good in the first half, leading the division by 4.5 games. The offense has been helped by rookie Joc Pederson and veteran Adrian Gonzalez. On the mound, Zack Greinke has been the team’s best pitcher, 1.39 ERA and 0.84 WHIP.

Entering the second half, I believe Brett Anderson will be someone worth trading for. He has a 3.17 ERA and 1.30 WHIP. He had a stretch of starts where he allowed just one earned run in each outing. If he can get the ERA below a 3.00 and WHIP down to 1.10, he will be a top-50 pitcher. 

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Back to the hitters, I don’t think 2015 will be when we see prospect Corey Seager called up. There is just no room for him in the Dodgers lineup. He is worth keeping in dynasty leagues, but can be dropped or avoided in redraft leagues.

San Francisco Giants

The defending World Series champions have been close to average all season. Luckily, Buster Posey has been more than average. He is tied for second in home runs among catchers, only one behind the lead. While Madison Bumgarner hasn’t been superstar-like, the Giants got Matt Cain and Jake Peavy back from injury.

MadBum will have a sub 3.00 ERA in the second half. He has a career 2.75 ERA after the All-Star break. Joe Panik and Matt Duffy will finish in the top 20 in their respective positions. Panik has seven homers and 33 RBI while Duffy has eight and 41.

I also think Santiago Casilla is in danger of losing the closer job. It isn’t one name, but a committee, that will take over the ninth inning.

Arizona Diamondbacks

A.J. Pollock is finally having the breakout year we expected. After playing in just 75 games last year, he has already played in 86 in 2015. Pollock is second on the team in home runs and RBI. Oh yeah, Paul Goldschmidt is a superstar. The DBacks pitching staff isn’t the best, holding a 4.22 team ERA (26th in the league).

However, Robbie Ray is someone you shouldn’t sleep on. He has a 2.16 ERA and 1.02 WHIP in eight starts this season. Josh Collmenter is another name you should stash for the second half. He is currently in the bullpen, allowing zero runs in his last six innings, but could quickly be back in the rotation.

The rest of the offense is not worth mentioning for those playing in standard leagues.

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San Diego Padres

The big boom during Free Agency hasn’t panned out for the Padres. Justin Upton hasn’t hit a home run over the last 15 days and Wil Myers is on the DL. On the other side, Matt Kemp seems to have found his swing, three home runs and seven RBI in that span. The rotation looks good with James Shields leading the way.

In the second half, Tyson Ross is a guy to watch. He has a 2.60 ERA over the last 30 days and pitched a shutout in 6.2 innings in his last outing. As for the hitters, Kemp is someone to add if you need outfield depth. Also, Yangervis Solarte is a good utility option in deeper leagues, three home runs in the last 15 days.

Colorado Rockies

Where did this come from? Was anyone expecting this kind of first half from Nolan Arenado? He has 24 home runs and 70 RBI. His previous career high was 18 and 61. Charlie Blackmon continues to contribute quite nicely for the Rockies. John Axford is possibly the team’s best pitcher. None of the starters are owned in more than 8.5 percent of ESPN.com leagues.

That won’t change in the second half. Chad Bettis and Jorge De La Rosa are too inconsistent to trust throughout the rest of the season. Chris Rusin might be your best chance at a second-half sleeper. Good luck trying to trade for Arenado, if you need help at third base. While I don’t see him keeping up this pace, it will take a lot to pry him away from his fantasy owner.

Those are my predictions for the NL West in the second half. Some may pan out, others won’t. But that’s the fun of playing.