Fantasy Baseball 2019 First Half Awards

With there being no official games until Thursday, let’s take a look back at the best and worst value picks in fantasy baseball for the first half.

The first half of the MLB season is over. It may be just me but those 90 games flew by. With the All-Star break here, now is a good time to reflect on the first half and see what fantasy baseball picks went right and wrong.

This isn’t going to be a typical MVP-type article. If it were, then Christian Yelich and Cody Bellinger would be the only ones talked about. No, this is going to be based on fantasy baseball ADP and their current performance.

When you draft a guy like Yelich or Bellinger in the first round, you expect big things out of them. It’s the players you draft in the 20th round that you don’t expect much that are your most valuable assets.

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Think of it like investing. You put in a dollar and the return in $20. That’s a nice profit. Or you put in $20 and profit only a dollar. It’s something but not as big as it should be. That’s what I’m getting at here.

I listed a pitcher and a hitter for both categories as the first-half winners and losers of the fantasy baseball world.

First-Half Winners

Josh Bell

Entering this season, Bell had a career .260 batting average with 41 home runs and 171 RBIs in two and a half seasons. He is on pace to pass those numbers. Not really, but he can pass most of them.

In 88 games this season, Bell has 27 home runs, 84 RBIs and a .304 average. He posted a 26/90/.255 line back in 2017. Bell is crushing balls out of PNC Park and into the Allegheny River multiple times.

Bell had a 191.1 ADP in ESPN leagues. That’s a 20th round pick in 10-team leagues. Talk about value. Someone who is in the NL MVP conversation being drafted in Round 20. That’s excellent value.

Barring injury or a major slump coming out of the Home Run Derby, Bell should continue to hit for contact and power.

Mike Minor

The veteran southpaw had a decent season last year, 4.18 ERA, 1.121 WHIP, 12-8 record and 7.6 K/9. Though, with the balls flying out this much since the mid-90s, fantasy owners were staying away. He had a 208.9 ADP, a 21st round pick.

Whether you drafted him or picked him up early, Minor has been amazing this season. He currently ranks 11th among starting pitchers on the ESPN Player Rater ahead of guys like Clayton Kershaw and Masahiro Tanaka.

Minor has two complete games this season. He had one prior in his career. He also has 11 quality starts out of his 18 games.

Minor also has a tough task coming out of the break, facing the Astros at home. He’s had one bad and one great start against him. If you trade deadline hasn’t past yet, I’d look to see what kind of value you can get for him.

First-Half Losers

Jose Ramirez

After the season he had, it’s no surprise that fantasy owners were drafting Ramirez with the fourth overall pick. The then-25 year old hit 39 home runs, 105 RBI and scored 110 runs with a .270 batting average. Oh, he also stole 34 bases in 40 attempts.

This season has been the complete opposite. In 85 games, he has seven home runs, 34 RBI and a .218 average. The only good thing to come from him is his 18 steals.

The Indians have been riddled with injuries this season. The offense looks to be 100 percent. Give them a couple of days of rest and they should be the powerhouse they were last season. The Indians are 21-8 since June 4.

Ramirez should bounce back in the second half to help his team reach the playoffs.

Chris Sale

The seven-time all-star has been on a bit of a decline since joining the Red Sox. He had a great 2017 campaign, striking out over 300 batters. But he missed a few starts last year, pitching in 158.0 innings.

Yet, he was still drafted as the No. 2 starting pitcher in ESPN leagues. His owners are likely not too happy with his performance in the first half. Sale, in 107.0 innings, has a 4.04 ERA, 1.075 WHIP, 2.2 BB/9 and 16 home runs allowed. Those numbers are all below his career average.

While Sale is still striking batters out at an unbelievable rate, 12.9 K/9, the walks and hits are piling up. He’s allowed at least four runs in six of his 18 starts this season. The bullpen isn’t helping him either as he has a 6-12 record.

Things may not get better right away as Sale makes his first start in the second half against the Dodgers. But, if you have stuck by him this long, one more bad start won’t sway you now.

I think all four players will have great success in the second half. Enjoy the next couple of days off and get back to winning on Friday.

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