Jul 12, 2015; Seattle, WA, USA; Los Angeles Angels first baseman Albert Pujols (5) high-fives a teammate after coming around to score a run in the sixth inning against the Seattle Mariners at Safeco Field. Mandatory Credit: Jennifer Buchanan-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. Today is about the AL West.
Here is part one, focusing on the NL West.
Los Angeles Angels
The Angels are eighth in team home runs, mostly because of superstars Mike Trout and Albert Pujols. The latter put on a nice performance in the Home Run Derby. The pitching is doing good as well. Three of the starters have at least 11 quality starts in the first half.
Looking ahead to the second half, I believe Kole Calhoun is going to make a big impact. He has three home run and 13 RBI in the last 15 days. He is ranked 37th among outfielders on ESPN’s Player Rater. I think he can move into the top 30. Let’s hope that the Derby didn’t drain all of Pujols’ power for the second half. With age always a concern, keep an eye out for any slumps.
On the pitching side of things, Andrew Heaney is looking good so far. Since being called up on June 24, he has four straight quality starts with a 1.32 ERA and 0.84 WHIP. He is still widely available and should be a good second-half pickup in all leagues. Joe Smith may see some save opportunities with recent injury to Huston Street. He is someone to own as a handcuff in deeper leagues.
Houston Astros
The Astros lead the league in home runs and strikeouts. Those go hand-in-hand when you have some free-swinging hitters on the team. Their top-five home run hitters have at least 72 strikeouts. Regardless, it’s working as the team is second in its division.
George Springer took a pitch off his wrist on July 1 and is expected to miss six weeks. He will be back for the end of the season, so keep him on your team. Jose Altuve is a speed demon, racking up 25 first-half steals. Expect another 25 in the second half.
Dallas Keuchel is on a tear this season. He’s shown no signs of regressing, and has been a great late-round pick for his owners. Collin McHugh starting the season strong, but had some poor outings over the last two months. He isn’t a must start anymore, but can still be used as a streaming option.
Texas Rangers
A healthy Prince Fielder is wonderful to watch. He is fifth on the Player Rater with 14 homers, 54 RBI, a 39:31 K:BB ratio and .339 batting average. This could be his best season to date. Mitch Moreland is also hitting well, 16 home runs and 46 RBI.
Yovani Gallardo has been good in recent games, four earned runs in his last six, but hasn’t made it out of the sixth inning in two straight. If he can lower his pitch count and strike out a couple of more batters, he would be owned in more leagues. I think this break can help with that.
Closer Shawn Tolleson has pitched well since taking over, five earned runs in his last 10 appearances. However, the save opportunities just haven’t been there. He has just five saves over the last 30 days. The Rangers offense has just 28 runs scored this month, 10 games, which ranks them 28th in the league. Without run support, he will not be an effective fantasy closer. Let’s hope the rest can revive the offense.
Seattle Mariners
What a differece the seasons make. And I’m not talking about baseball seasons. Nelson Cruz has been in the middle of a power outage in June and July, hitting just three home runs compared to 18 in the first two months. On the flip side, Robinson Cano looks to have found his swing. He has 17 hits, two home runs, in 12 July games.
Felix Hernandez looks to be past that rough patch. He had two outings in June in which he gave up at least seven runs. He hasn’t allowed more than two in his last three starts, which helped lower his ERA to 2.84. I believe in Mike Montgomery as the No. 2 guy for the Mariners. Despite his last outing, five earned in five innings against the Angels, he has a 2.29 ERA and 1.00 WHIP
I think Cruz will recover and be the powerhouse fantasy owners drafted him to be. I don’t think Fernando Rodney will see the ninth inning for the rest of the season. He has allowed an earned run in three straight outings. Carson Smith has a lock on the closer role and should be added for depth.
Oakland Athletics
Luckily for fantasy owners, Stephen Vogt added catcher eligibility because he was not being drafted as a first baseman. He is No. 2 on the Player Rater only behind Buster Posey. Unfortunately, he is the only one producing for the A’s. The team is 23rd in runs scored and 19th in batting average this month. In order to compete in the AL West, they will need to step up the offense.
However, the pitching has been stepping up. The pitchers have a collective 2.88 ERA and 1.05 WHIP, ninth and fifth in the league, respectively. The rotation has been carried by Sonny Gray and his 2.04 ERA and 0.96 WHIP. Tyler Clippard is pitching well as the team’s closer, eight saves in his last 10 appearances.
Unless something changes, there is very little fantasy value in the A’s lineup. Josh Reddick has shown some pop, one home run in his last 13 games, but not enough to be an everyday starter. Kendall Graveman has his good moments, four straight outings of seven innings and less than three earned runs. But he also has his bad ones, four earned in 5.2 innings. He is a speculative add in standard leagues.
That was my preview for the second half for the AL West. Next up, the NL Central.