As we approach the All-Star break and the traditional second half of the MLB season draws near, hopefully, your teams are still in the hunt. As we take a minute to appreciate the good breaks and bounces that have come our way, let’s take a look at the Razzball Rest of Season Player Rater and how it relates to middle infielders in the second half (player ranks as of Sunday, 7/9/23):
Fernando Tatis Jr. – Padres – Coming in at #2 overall on the Player Rater, FTJ is still playing hard and making highlight-reel plays, on both sides of the ball. Happy to see he’s showing no ill effects from his physical ailments (shoulder/wrist) of years past, as well as (presumably) being off the PEDs.
Trea Turner – Phillies – #16 – Underperforming to his standards in his first year of a huge deal with the Phillies, Turner is having a still-productive season with a 51/10/32/.250/.299/19 line. Interesting to see the Player Rater has Trea at #16 ROS, but if anyone could use a few days off to recalibrate, it’s Trea Turner. In redrafts, hopefully, he hasn’t hurt you too much, and in keeper leagues, I’d still be hesitant to sell at a discount. As we’ve seen with many of these big-time free agent deals, the first year seems to be a tough transition for many players, particularly in big markets.
Ozzie Albies – Braves – #32 – Having a great rebound season and has produced tremendous draft day value (.262 average, 22 HRs, 63 RBI). Albies is taking advantage of a career-best HardHit%, has trimmed his K% in each of the past four years, and finds himself batting second in a loaded Braves offense, where Brian Snitker seems to prefer slotting him in the lineup.
Wander Franco – Rays – #38 – Another tremendous draft day boon and beneficiary of the extra stolen bases this season, Franco has turned himself into an MVP candidate (11 HRs, 28 stolen bases, .278 batting average, 13.4 K%). At age 22, it’s wild to think this is only the first few steps of Franco’s MLB career, which will likely include an MVP or two on his resume after he hangs them up (I know, hot take). No one needs Shohei Ohtani to move to an NL team more than Franco!
Elly De La Cruz – Reds – #39 – The man has 122 Major League at-bats and the Player Rater has him producing top 40 value rest of the way. Enough said!
Andres Gimenez – Guardians – #65 – After looking at how cold his Savant page is, this is one ROS ranking I don’t particularly agree with. Tread carefully.
Gleyber Torres – Yankees – #68 – One of the few bright spots in an aging Yankees lineup, Gleyber’s found himself batting toward the top of the lineup at times. At age 26, Torres seems to be maturing as a hitter and probably realizes the Yankees are depending on him more than in years past. His second half should provide some good fortune (xBA of .270 compared to his actual .251 average).
Jonathan India – Reds – #94 – Another great rebound season, and India finds himself in an exciting, youthful lineup. Most of his metrics look better than his 2021 Rookie of the Year stats and should accrue plenty of counting stats in the second half.
Willy Adames – Brewers – #96 – On pace for around 30 homers, but that’s about where the good news ends (.213 average, .294 OBP). Willy’s got a career-best barrel and K% rate, but these rates aren’t helping him this season. The Brewers lineup also hasn’t been a great place to be this year (21st in runs scored).
Ketel Marte – Diamondbacks – #100 – Ketel’s Statcast page is red. Barring injury, I see no reason why Marte should have a dramatic second-half drop off. As I scan his Savant page, what stands out to me is the gains in Run Value from 2022, where he played in 137 games (so, definitely a significant sample size) to this year. Looks like Marte’s back to full health and producing as such, spraying the ball all over the field.
Have a great All-Star break!
