I’ve written about guys who should be sold high before the second half of this season.
Now, it’s time to tackle players you should buy low. These are guys who struggled in the first half but will pick up their production in the second half.
If you can manage to get any of these guys on your team, do it. You won’t be sorry.
- Jayson Werth, OF, Washington Nationals – There’s simply no way Werth will have a second half as bad as his first half. He should find himself settling into his new home in Washington and should start becoming the fantasy threat owners have been accustomed to. There’s also no way he’ll hit .215 for the whole season. As his average rises into the .260-.270 range, his power numbers will improve as well.
- Dan Uggla, 2B, Atlanta Braves – Uggla is hitting an astonishingly low .185 right now, a number that really can’t be much worse. That batting average is a full 70 points below his career batting average. Uggla is probably in the same boat as Werth in that he’s trying too hard for his new team. Once he settles down, his numbers should improve. His home run total is about where it usually is, but he’s driving in far fewer runs than normal. That should change in the second half.
- Jason Heyward, OF, Atlanta Braves – Heyward has been battling injuries and a sophomore slump all season. But, he should be able to improve his average by 30 to 40 points in the second half of this season. And, if the Braves are going to challenge the Phillies for the NL East crown, they’ll need Heyward to have way more than 22 RBI in the second half.
- Joe Mauer, C, Minnesota Twins – Mauer has only 111 at-bats after missing most of the first half of the season. But, even his 111 at-bats have been disappointing. He’s only hitting .243 with no home runs and nine RBI. Expect the batting average to skyrocket in the second half.
- Corey Hart, OF, Milwaukee Brewers – Hart certainly hasn’t been terrible in the first half of the year, hitting .270 with 10 home runs and 26 RBI. But, if the Brewers are going to stay competitive in the NL Central, they’ll need Hart to provide more protection for Prince Fielder and Ryan Braun. That means they’ll need more RBI from him.