Rolling In The Deep: Second Half Surprises (To Me, Anyway)

Greetings, friends! As we wind down the final week plus of the 2026 season, it’s time to look back a bit. I always like to check in to see which players were surprisingly productive in the second half, even though it’s easier said than done to turn that information into any useful fantasy insight. I’d rather take a look now, so that I can think about my rankings and values for next season (should we have one), before I see early ADP and how others are valuing players. Rather than using the All Star break, I’m going back to June 27th, which should be a bit closer to the mid way point, just to keep things nice and tidy as we look at performance from that date up to now. I’m using standard 5×5 value as measured via Fantrax in formats like our Razzball RCL leagues, and this week we’ll just be looking at hitters. To swing back around to our deep league theme here, I’ll only be mentioning guys who had 2026 NFBC ADPs outside the top 350, with all but one outside the top 400. I’m already curious as to where some of these players will land when drafts start up, and if nothing else it’s always a good reminder to see just how much value can be found late in a draft, if only you know where to look.

Jake McCarthy (ADP #416). I knew McCarthy had been performing pretty well lately, but honestly had no idea he’d turn up as the fifth most valuable fantasy hitter in the second half of the season. Even though the speed is always going to be more of an asset than the power, he’s actually delivered in all five categories (second half: 9 homers, 18 steals, 46 runs as well as 46 RBI, and a gaudy .290 average). While his home numbers in Colorado are definitely better, his splits aren’t even that dramatic. So, it’s hard to say how much of his success is due to the literal rarified air, or if the more figurative change of scenery was just as important. Next year is McCarthy’s age 30 season, and this already feels like one of those situations where we’ll see his name on both sleeper and bust lists next year.

Jordan Walker (ADP #359). I knew, of course, that Walker had a monster first half even though sadly I somehow didn’t draft him. This despite mentioning him in this space at least once in the preseason (heavy sigh), but we digress. I did not know, however, that he’d been continuing his success to the extent that he has, as he checks in as the 14th best second half fantasy hitter. Once again that power/speed combo is driving his value, and Walker has delivered 10 homers plus 10 steals since late June. If you want him on your team next year, it will likely cost you, as his breakout is looking about as legit as they come at this point.

Kody Clemens (ADP #405). I actually thought Clemens was being overdrafted this past spring, but I can never resist a power bat who qualifies at multiple positions, so I did grab him in one NFBC draft and hold league at pick 425. Clemens has hit 14 homers in the second half to give him 26 on the year. He’s also chipped in 9 steals on the season, and while his .241 average isn’t exactly an asset, it doesn’t hurt you either. We have to drop down a ways from Walker to get to another guy drafted outside the top 300 in Clemens, who ranks the 30th best hitter in the second half. He’s also already 30 years old, which I didn’t realize. This, then, seems like an appropriate time for me to mention yet again that we may still be seeing some relatively late breakouts from guys who were in their early 20’s during the Covid season and lost a year of development at the worst possible time. Clemens will also retain his 1B/2B/OF eligibility in most leagues next year on top of everything else.  He’s feeling like a guy who could be a popular fantasy target, but it will be interesting to see how those in standard shallower leagues value him.

Ezequiel Duran. We only need to drop down two spots, to 32nd on the second half hitter rankings, to find Duran, whose NFBC ADP this year was #488. I knew he’d been solid early on this year, but wasn’t aware he’d been so good the last couple of months. Hmm, I guess I should have just held him in an RCL or two instead of looking at him as a one or two day stream. Duran qualifies at just about everywhere in many leagues, and will head into 2027 eligible at second, third, short, and outfield for leagues with a 20 games played in the previous season threshold. I don’t know if any of us expected him to have 143 games played at this point in the year. He’s also managed to fairly consistently contribute in all five categories for those who were wise enough to draft him and hold him for the year.

A.J. Ewing (ADP #450). Drop three more spots down the second half hitter rater, and it’s time to chat about Ewing. He went from being the Mets center fielder of the future to their center fielder of the present fairly quickly after joining the team in mid May. He has a profile similar to McCarthy without the batting average boost this year, as Ewing is now in double digit homers on the year with 10, to go along with his fantasy-friendly 24 steals. Ewing looked confident and locked in at the plate almost from the get-go, at least until he didn’t. Once he did start slumping, things were looking rather bleak, and he looked visibly frustrated in the batter’s box at times. The pitchers may have adjusted to him, but he seems to have adjusted back to at least some degree. After having his average drop all the way down to .236 on August 30th, he’s suddenly gotten it back up to .256 heading into Thursday. Will he just be a cheap speed grab next year, or will a strong finish in 2026 give him more legitimate fantasy interest heading into the season?