The first half of the season is in the books, so let’s look ahead to some underrated players who are in prime position to return dividends and pad those fantasy stats in the second half:
Matt McLain – Reds: Cooled off in the past month (14/4/16/.245/.333/4) but still productive with a 37/7/29/.291/.254/4 overall line. The Reds keep showing faith in him, primarily batting him second in the lineup. As the batting average keeps falling, and opposing pitchers have more of a book on him, McLains’s xBA remains a respectable .265, so his current batting average shouldn’t drop too much further. Great American Ballpark is one of the friendliest home environments, and as opposing pitchers focus on Elly De La Cruz, McLain should see plenty of hittable pitches as he showcases his 5-tool talent. Matty McLain is barreling pitches at 11% clip, hitting plenty of line drives, he’s taking walks (OBP is at .364), and a showcasing great power/speed combo (7 each) in 224 at-bats entering play Sunday. Also encouraging, McLain is doing damage against both fastballs and breaking balls, showing some seasoning beyond his years. We’re starting to see why the Reds promoted him so aggressively through their minor league system. Looking at the Reds schedule over the next month, the Reds face the Brewers, Cubs, Dodgers, Nationals, and Marlins, so expect the Reds to post some big numbers against some shoddy pitching, and McLain should be right there in the middle of all the action.
Maikel Garcia – Royals: Another bat with around the same number of at-bats (222), Maikel Garcia has been leading off at times for the lowly Royals. While the Royals don’t offer much in terms of fantasy value, Garcia (44% owned in Yahoo), has a respectable 26/3/23/.275/14 slash in limited play. While Maikel is not barreling the ball yet, I believe he’ll eventually grow into some more power. His hard-hit rate is in the 91st percentile, average exit velocity in the 86th percentile, but what makes Maikel dangerous is the combination of the aforementioned stats coupled with a whiff rate in the 83rd percentile and chase rate in the 94th percentile. So, we’re not relying on Garcia for power at least for this season, but if you’re looking for a sneaky source of runs, steals, and batting average, Maikel Garcia is your guy. The Royals wrap up July facing the Tigers, Yankees, Guardians, and Twins, so there’s some opportunity for Garcia to run wild and pad his stats for an out-of-contention Royals team.
Trevor Story – Red Sox: Still on the shelf, and hasn’t started a rehab assignment yet, but is expected to be re-evaluated and start a rehab assignment shortly, which would bring him back to the Red Sox in early August. Although there will likely be some rust in the early going for Story, Fenway Park should give him a batting average boost (like it has for Justin Turner this year), and I expect Story to get back to being a multiple category contributor, but not peak Coors Field Trevor Story. He’s 41% rostered on Yahoo, so he’s relatively available. Stash him while you can.
Jeff McNeil: Mets – Not much has gone right for the Mets, including Jeff McNeil’s .248 average (coming off a batting title win). McNeil’s Statcast numbers don’t look pretty, but similar to Luis Arraez, you don’t necessarily need a hot Statcast page to hit for a high average. Some stats worth noting: his K% is in the 95th percentile and Whiff% is in the 93rd percentile. As McNeil is still hitting the ball to all fields, McNeils’s average and xBA is in line for some positive correction. As it’s yet to be determined if the Mets are selling off, McNeil has still been batting in the middle of the Mets lineup.
Who are your under-the-radar middle infielder picks to click in the second half? Let’s discuss in the comments section.
