2nd Half Hitter Targets
Who to grab for a big second half
LAB REPORTS
The calendar reads late July in the Fantasy Baseball world which can mean only one thing for your contending team.
It’s go time.
Be it roto, head-to-head of any most any format, it is time to begin to play the standings game, focus on categories that your team needs improvement and if possible, use the areas your team is strong to swing a deal or two to better prepare your club for the stretch run of your league.
Remember, Numbers Don’t Lie.
In his last four seasons, Julio Rodriguez has taken lower than expected numbers in the season’s first half before absolutely killing it in the second half.
Listed below is a chart for Rodriguez and nine other veteran players who have excelled in the second half of the season in recent years.
| Player | Average | HR | R | RBI | SB | Seasons |
| Bo Bichette | 0.320 | 6 | 26 | 24 | 3 | 7 |
| Jose Altuve | 0.307 | 10 | 40 | 27 | 6 | 10 |
| Michael A Harris | 0.307 | 9 | 30 | 28 | 5 | 4 |
| Freddie Freeman | 0.306 | 11 | 42 | 37 | 4 | 10 |
| Trae Turner | 0.301 | 9 | 40 | 29 | 14 | 10 |
| Mookie Betts | 0.301 | 10 | 40 | 34 | 6 | 10 |
| Vladdy Guerrero Jr. | 0.299 | 11 | 34 | 34 | 2 | 7 |
| Julio Rodriguez | 0.297 | 15 | 39 | 39 | 9 | 4 |
| Manny Machado | 0.272 | 13 | 34 | 39 | 3 | 10 |
| Matt Olson | 0.271 | 13 | 33 | 37 | 0 | 10 |
Don’t be afraid to approach owners for any player in any trade as, you don’t know what another owner is thinking until you ask.
Veteran fantasy players who are Rodriguez owners should know by now the second half is typically J-Rod time but perhaps they want to move on from the frustration that comes with owning his rights and are looking to either improve their chances this season or, in a dynasty league, looking to reshape the future of the franchise with a move that can bring along other assets.
Of the players listed above, a prime target is Manny Machado who appears to be coming out of his four-month funk at the plate with his Mario Medoza-like batting average.
The power numbers are still very good and the 34-year old is on pace for 34 home runs and 93 RBI.
Machado is a career .275-hitter so the expectation that the batting average will climb in the next two months is real and, just as important, third base is as weak a position as you’ll find in fantasy baseball.
Seek out Machado owners, overpay just a bit and take advantage of the other owner who may be suffering given the likelihood that batting average is factored in some way into your league’s scoring system.
At the All-Star break in 2025, Matt Olson was flashing signs of becoming an aging player at the dish with “okay” numbers but not his typical elite stats before turning it around with a .287 batting average with 12 home runs, 34 RBI and 46 runs scored.
Oly hasn’t slowed down since that stretch, a solid first half time year should result in an his best season since his 54 homer ouput in 2023 if he follows his stats based on a 10-year average.
Is it all sunshine and rainbows on the players on the list?
Of course not.
If we are Jose Altuve owners, we are posting his second half averages for all to see and even if the return in trade is a rosin bag and pine tar rag.
It’s worth it as Altuve appears to be done as a functional fantasy baseball player.
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