⚾️ MLB 7/16: SM 2nd Half Team to Watch 🏟️
Players to watch, target, and pick-up for the 2nd half of season
Welcome back! I hope you all had a great finish to the first half of the baseball season and enjoyed Seattle Mariners’ Cal Raleigh winning the 2025 Home Run Derby over Tampa Bay Rays’ Junior Caminero.
With no official games until Friday, we are bringing you the Skiing Moles Team to Watch for the second half of the season. This team will comprise of players who are coming around after bad starts, had an-injury disrupted season, or players we have a hunch who will turn into all-stars in the last few months.
As always, share with your friends or any baseball lovers in your life and have a great day!
The Players
Catcher
Sean Murphy (ATL, 23% rostered in Yahoo!)
The bat is starting to come back to life for the Atlanta Braves’ veteran backstop. He has been slugging .808 coming into the all-star break and has hit seven home runs in his last 49 at-bats. The main hinderance for Sean Murphy breaking out has been the play of his counter-part Drake Baldwin. The Braves have been inclined to give a bit more playing time to the younger talent, as he has just 14 less plate appearances this season. With the Braves considering their options at the trade deadline, Murphy could be on the move to another team more willing to play him close to everyday. The good thing is Murphy is still barreling up the ball, he has a 16.3% rate which is good for top 6% of the league.
First Baseman
Jac Caglianone (KCR, 28% rostered in Yahoo!)
The powerful rookie from the University of Florida has not been living up to his potential … yet. Even though he has just four home runs in his first 35 games, I do expect him to turn it around in the second half for a team that desperately needs it. His xwOBA hit a low-mark of .202 on July 6th, but since then has seen it skyrocket to a .330. He ranks in the top of league in bat-speed, clocking in at 77.1 MPH. His expected stats tell a different story of his season, with a xBA of .259 and xSLG of .462 compared to his actual numbers of .140 and .264, respectively.
NOTE: I was between Caglianone and Nolan Schanuel who is also in my radar in the second half.
Second Baseman
Jordan Westburg (BAL, 82% rostered in Yahoo!)
A bit more highly rostered, but check to make sure he isn’t and if any owners are getting a bit anxious. He has been heating up over the last two weeks, with a slash line of .278/.316/.481 and three home runs. Westburg missed a good portion of the start of the season with multiple injuries and finally looks to be healthy. His xBA and xSLG are both higher than his actual marks which should lead to even bigger second half. One stat to know is his much higher road OPS (.826) vs. home OPS (.735).
Shortstop
Tyler Freeman (COL, 17% rostered in Yahoo!)
Yahoo! has given Freeman SS and OF eligibility for this season and that is a big-plus for his value. The first thought is “well, of course this guy can rake in Coors Field - anyone can!” Well, that is not exactly true for Freeman who has a better wRC+ on the road than at home this season (125 vs. 122) and is hitting over .295 both home and away. He ranks in the top 10 % of the league in xBA (.309), whiff % (10.3), and K % (9). Freeman has been showing elite plate discipline this season and has more walks than strikeouts (18 vs. 17). Ride the hot hand with Freeman who has been hitting .343 over the last month.
NOTE: Willy Adames is another option at higher owned percentage.
Third Baseman
Noelvi Marte (CIN, 28% rostered in Yahoo!)
Marte should be locked into an everyday spot in the lineup now with Jeimer Candelario out of the picture for the Reds. In his 22 at-bats leading up to the all-star break, Marte was hitting .318 with an OPS over 1.000 and has an .884 OPS in his 95 at-bats this season. He ranks in the top 2% of the league in max exit velocity at 116.7 MPH. Marte ranks in the top two of all third baseman in SLG % (.547) and wOBA (.375) with at least 100 PAs.
Outfield
Kyle Stowers (MIA, 57% rostered in Yahoo!)
Stowers has been one of the best hitters at his position this season and just take a look at his Baseball Savant page:
Over his last 30 games, Stowers is slashing .337/.429/.719 and has 19 home runs on the year. He has an xSLG % of .567 which puts him in the top four percent of the league this season. With consistent playing time in a Miami Marlins’ lineup which has been middle of the pack in wRC+ as a team should warrant a pickup.
Evan Carter (TEX, 18% rostered in Yahoo!)
Carter has some of the best potential in the game as a 22-year-old. He burst onto the scene in 2023 and had an OPS of 1.058 in 23 games played. He then dealt with subsequent lumbar and quad injuries in 2024 and to begin this season and finally seems to be getting fully healthy. Carter is slashing .300/.381/.480 and is among the league leaders in whiff % (19.9). He will need to figure out his swing vs. LHP as the Rangers have been using him mostly vs. right handers. A stat to know, he does have three walks in 12 ABs vs. LHP and a .333 OBP.
Dylan Crews (WSH, 50% rostered in Yahoo!)
Crews was off to a great start this season with seven home runs and 11 stolen bases in his first 45 games before heading to the injured list with an oblique strain. He has done on-field batting practice recently and is trending for an end of July return. His expectant numbers are way better than his actual marks as he has a xBA of .258 and xSLG of .469. Crews has a great barrel % of 14.5 and was top 5% of the league in spring speed (29.4). I expect him to be dominant when he is back and healthy.
Pitchers
Starting Pitcher
Zebby Matthews (MIN, 16% rostered in Yahoo!)
Matthews is working his way back from a shoulder injury and threw four scoreless innings in his last start, striking out nine batters along the way. He should be back in the Twins’ rotation after the All-Star break and will hope to carry this form into the Major League team. The “Stuff+” metric on Fangraphs has him at 106 (with 100 being league average) ranking his individual pitches 15th in all of baseball. His fastball was hitting 99 MPH in his last rehab start. Go pick him ups and reap the benefits.
NOTE: Here is a link to a useful guide on Stuff+ used on Fangraphs
Relief Pitcher
Ronny Henriquez (MIA, 40% rostered in Yahoo!)
Ronny Henriquez looks like the guy in the backend of the Marlins bullpen. They are a middling team, but have been playing better lately and Henriquez has claimed five saves so far. He has four of them in his last 15 games to go along with a 1.23 ERA and a 0.41 WHIP. Henriquez ranks in the top 5% of the league in chase % (36.1), whiff % (36.3), and K % (33.5). His Stuff+ number is at 110 this season and is averaging 96.4 MPH on his fastball, better than the average for RHP (94.9). Get him in your lineup for the rest of the season!
Great info!