SPECULATOR: All-2nd half team
Jul 11 2012
We have spent our last two columns pointing out first-half stud hitter and pitchers who we don't like for the balance of the year. So, you might reasonably ask, who do we like for the 2nd half? This week, we answer that question with a lineup's worth of players. While they may not have much in common in terms of first-half performance, these are players are likely on the upswing.
Catcher: Mike Napoli, TEX
For a catcher, Napoli hasn't been bad this year. But his .228/12 HR first half is extremely disappointing in light of his .320/30 HR, 1000+ OPS breakout of 2011. The truth is, Napoli is an extremely streaky hitter, and the second half of 2011 was one enormous hot streak for him. Half-season splits aren't predictive; we can't just...
Almost!
You’re just a few clicks away from accessing this feature and hundreds more throughout the year that have a singular goal in mind: Winning your league. Subscribe to BaseballHQ.com here!
Already a subscriber? Sign in here
More From Speculator
This week's exercise is all about picking holes to help avoid early-round busts.
Feb 25 2026 3:10am
Feb 25 2026 3:10am
Sure, they struggled last year, but if we remove some recency bias, granting mulligans could be a lucrative exercise.
Feb 18 2026 3:06am
Feb 18 2026 3:06am
Our annual look at who changed their pitch mix the most in-season last year, and (most importantly) whether it worked.
Feb 11 2026 3:06am
Feb 11 2026 3:06am
Could Jakob Marsee lead the majors in plate appearances? We'll take our component playing time metrics for a spin to see who could bubble up.
Feb 4 2026 8:30am
Feb 4 2026 8:30am
To the mound this week. We list out all "UP"side pitchers from the Baseball Forecaster with comments on outlooks that may have changed.
Jan 28 2026 3:09am
Jan 28 2026 3:09am
