No I'm not going to go into great detail about the recently re-called Kyle Blanks, even though he mashed at Triple-A Tucson to the tune of .351 with 11 homers and 35 RBI in 134 at-bats between first base and left field. Or Chris Davis despite him hitting .363 with 24 bombs, 65 RBIs and a 1.222 OPS in 190 at-bats while splitting time between third base and left field at Triple-A Round Rock. With Blanks being slated for everyday work at first base or somewhere in the outfield and with Adrian Beltre's injury presenting Davis with an everyday job at third base these two have value once again in most formats, especially deeper mixed leagues.
For those of you looking for trade deadline reporting, stay up to date alongside Ray Tannock as he looks into the trade rumors swirling Cincinnati and Ubaldo Jimenez.
Here are five post-hype hitters who are playing up to their promise and will be important fantasy assets as you race toward a championship:
1. Gordon Beckham, 2B CWS- He's just 24, but his .252 batting average is the same as it was in his disappointing 2010 sophomore season and he has been just as bad in the power department posting a career worst .359 slugging percentage. However, brighter days are just around the corner. In 2010 Beckham hit .310 in the second half and posted a .497 SLG and .877 OPS in 171 at-bats. SO far in the second half of this season he is 8-for-24 with 5 RBIS, not astonishing numbers, but expect him to keep his average above the .300 mark for the final month and a half of the fantasy season. He is owned in just 54.8 percent of ESPN leagues.
2. Cameron Maybin, OF SD- Another 24-year old former highly-touted prospect who just hasn't been as awesome as hoped, but he is getting there. In July Maybin is hitting .324 with 6 RBIs and 8 SBs. He has never been much of a power hitter, but he is a lifetime .288 hitter in the second half. Don't let his home Petco Park scare you, take a chance on Maybin. He is owned in just 29.4 percent of ESPN leagues.
3. Travis Snider, OF TOR- The only thing uglier than this 23-year old's mustache is his career .693 OPS in the major leagues. A slow start and DL-stint in the early part of the season kept Snider in the minors, but the release of Juan Rivera opened up a spot for him in July and he has thrived since coming back to the show. He is hitting .333 in July with 2 homers, 17 RBIs and .916 OPS. The former No. 6 prospect in all of baseball has shown great power and a good career .306 average in the minors and is owned in 82.9 percent of ESPN leagues, but that number has shot up 46.1 percent in the last week. Hurry if you still want to catch him.
4. Edwin Encarnacion, 1B/3B/DH TOR- Possibly the least likely post-hype candidate, Encarnacion has five seasons with double digit home runs including two with 20+, but his .259 career batting average hasn't been so great. He has bounced around between two major league teams and the minor leagues, enough to make this list. The 28-year old third baseman with first base and DH eligibility as well is hitting .328 in July with 2 home runs and 9 RBIs. He is a career .268 hitter in the second half compared to .250 in the first half with power and is owned in just 53.4 percent of ESPN leagues.
5. Kyle Blanks, 1B/OF SDP- Okay, I lied. Kyle Blanks is just too tempting to pass up. He has 13 home runs in 250 career major league at-bats and was a career .308 hitter in the minors with lots of power. You've already read what he's doing this year, but in case you forgot, I'll provide the link back to the top. He is owned in 0.1 percent of ESPN leagues.
Interested in other young sleepers for the second half? Check out Mark Trumbo and Scott Sizemore.
