Well well well, ladies and gents (I do hope I have regular readers) the second half of the season is about to kick off. I sincerely hope your team is undefeated at this juncture. But who cares about the first half, all that matters is how you finish. Fret not, for I have ranked them all. We’re talking every player over the second half. Projection data is taken from the Razzball Steamer Rest of Season projections. That is then converted into point totals, the number in brackets following each players name. Yeah a lot of them will be on a roster already, in fact, I would be pretty disappointed in you if they weren’t. But anyhoo, here’s the new rankings for the second half. Use this info to help in trade negotiations and hope that the rest of your league isn’t reading Razzball as well. When perusing these rankings keep in mind that in many cases point totals can be very close. In that case, prioritize the position you need or the guy you enjoy watching.
1. Shohei Ohtani (337.4) – Shohei really is a cheat code for daily leagues. He’s a top 20 hitter (167) and a top 10 pitcher (170.4) rolled into a single roster spot.
2. Gerrit Cole (218.4) – There have been plenty of ups and downs for Cole since the “sticky stuff” crackdown but the results have been more good than bad this season. Look for that to continue in the back half, especially the strong K numbers.
3. Jose Ramirez (218) – Yep, he’s the top dog pure hitter in the second half, and the third player overall. So really, expect him to keep doing what he’s been doing since April. Basically, I’m telling you he’s pretty awesome.
4. Juan Soto (217) – This man may soon have a new team and he just won the Home Run Derby, but that doesn’t mean he forgot about his fantasy managers. By my calculations, he’s right behind JoRam. He’s about the be traded, or maybe he isn’t. But who turns down a jillion million dollars unless they want out. No matter where he ends up, he’s a great hitter and fantasy asset.
5. Vladimir Guerrero Jr (214) – His big power bat should be on full display in the second half. Everything you wanted him to be when you drafted him.
6. Mookie Betts (207) – This projection looks mighty fine, basically right in line with the performance he’s having on the season.
7. Freddie Freeman (198) – This puts him a bit off the blistering pace he set in the first half, but still great numbers. With as stacked as that team is, there’s always the potential for more.
8. Corbin Burnes (197) – You know what you’re getting with Burnes and that’s not changing anytime soon.
9. Kyle Tucker (197) – Good news if you roster him, you can expect more of the same with a little higher batting average. I love his power/speed combo even if steals aren’t the big money maker for points leagues.
10. Rafael Devers (196) – Third base feels very top heavy this season so I hope you have one of the top guys because I doubt you would be able to pry any of them away from your league mates.
11. Trea Turner (188) – Come for the speed, stay for the power. Expect a healthy dose of doubles and in that lineup, there’s potential for him to score even more runs than his projection.
12. Aaron Judge (185) – What a power display he put on in the first half. He should eclipse 50 bombs and if things break the right way, could even threaten 60.
13. Pete Alonso (183) – With his swing I wouldn’t be surprised if he goes on a binge and beats his 16 home run projection.
14. Brandon Woodruff (182.8) – His K numbers should improve over the second half and he’ll rack up some innings. That makes him a potential buy if his manager is frustrated with his first half results.
15. Matt Olson (182) – Strong power and RBI numbers keep him rubbing shoulders with the other upper end fantasy bats.
16. Jose Altuve (180) – He wasn’t a priority target for me in the preseason but I’ll admit I was wrong about him. His numbers are reminiscent of a few years ago when he was a fantasy stud and he should keep on rolling.
17. Alex Bregman (180) – He’s neck in neck with his diminutive teammate, His value is significantly higher in points leagues that it is on the player rater so don’t be too discouraged if you don’t see him getting a ton of love. He’s primed for a strong second half.
18. Max Scherzer (180) – He’s been fine this season for points leagues. In fact, his numbers look pretty good and if he didn’t deal with an oblique strain in the first half he’d be more than fine. Now that’s behind him he can get back to dominating hitters.
19. Anthony Rizzo (179) – An increase in his batting average bumps him up into the top 20 although the point totals are so close in this range that he could end up closer to the top 50 and it would necessarily be an indictment of his second half.
20. Shane McClanahan (178.3) – He’s been nothing short of incredible so far and has pitched himself into the Cy Young conversation as well as the most valuable fantasy pitcher. He’s a top 5 guy for the second half and could very easily challenge Cole for the top spot.
21. Manny Machado (177) – When Fernando Tatis Jr is able to get back on the field Manny’s numbers could go even higher. As it stands he’s looking pretty good without his buddy on the left side of the infield.
22. Justin Verlander (175.6) – If you took a chance on him coming off Tommy John, you have been very happy with the results. He probably won’t win 12 games in the second half but that won’t prevent him from being a top end fantasy pitcher.
23. Ronald Acuna Jr (175) – Power should start rounding into form coming out of the break. It’s great that he’s still a high end option without that part of his game. With a boost there, the sky is the limit.
24. Shohei Ohtani (Pitcher) (170.4) – Mentioned this in the first blurb. Pitcher only Shohei is pretty darn valuable.
25. Shane Bieber (169) – He closed out the first half on a high note and he’s ready to carry that momentum into the second. More K’s would be nice, but he’ll still pile up points.
Tune in next week for more second half content.
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