Last week we toured the infield and our first half fantasy All-Stars. If you missed that article, stop, do not pass go, do not collect $200, and give last week’s article a read. For those of you that stopped in last week, thank you, and let us get into touring the outfield. Out on the grass, we have two clear front runners that have paid their owners many times over and then a heated competition for the final spot in our lineup. Without further ado, here are our first-half outfield All-Stars!
Outfield – Julio Rodriguez
Forcing his way onto the opening day roster for the Mariners, Julio was off to a rough start this season thanks to some terrible luck with the umpiring. It was as if Angel Hernandez oversaw each of his at bats even though the other facets of his game such as speed were apparent. However, when the calendar turned everything started to click with his first career home run on May 1st. Delivering a 15/21 first half has made him one of the most valuable players in the game with hope for much more as he continues to adjust to the league. The best part of all is that you really did not have to pay up at the draft table as he went off the table in the 20th round as folks did not expect the early debut. This is a slam dunk for the real life All-Star.
Outfield – Kyle Schwarber
Don’t be fooled by a subpar .214 batting average, Kyle Schwarber has been worth his weight in gold or more specifically power statistics. There are only two players in the league with 20+ home runs, 55+ runs batted in and 60+ runs scored. The first is Aaron Judge and the second is our main man Schwarbs. With a little extra launch angle despite some poor BABIP luck, this has been a great investment for a 10th round pick.
Outfield – Adolis Garcia
A 2021 fantasy darling, Adolis Garcia beats out a number of other deserving outfielders for the final starting role in our lineup. This was no easy choice and I will admit that I continue to be surprised by Garcia’s ability to deliver despite high strikeout rates that do hurt the batting average category. The value to our fantasy game really comes from what has turned out to be a four-category monster. Adolis is top 40 in runs, top 40 in homeruns, top 30 in RBI and top top 15 in steals. No one single category is amazing but the sum of the parts have delivered a top 10 outfield first half for a guy that barely made the top 50 outfielders off the board in the spring.
Honorable Mention:
Going with only three outfield spots feels like disrespect to the many successful fantasy contributors. So let us take moment to recognize the great first halves of Patrick Wisdom (17 HR, 45+ R and 45+ RBI), Tommy Pham (50+ R, 11 HR and 7 SB), and Taylor Ward (.290 BA, 12 HR, 40+ R). These guys might not be starters, but they at least get a late-inning cameo in the fantasy mid-summer classic.
Who are your second-half All-Stars?
