The player on each AL team we're looking forward to watching in MLB's second half
The second half is here, here's who we can't wait to watch in the second half
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7 min read
With the second half beginning play today, this is an appropriate time to focus on the important questions -- like which player is worth watching on each squad from now until season's end. "Worth watching" is a vague term, and we're embracing its broadness here. Some players are listed because they're vital to their team's short- and/or long-term success, others because they're fun to watch, and a few for other oddball reasons. Whatever the explanation, here are our picks, listed in order of the standings. (We'll tackle the National League tomorrow.)
American League East
As straightforward of a selection as it gets: the Orioles handed Gallardo $22 million during the winter to help improve their rotation. Yet here, half a season later, the Fightin' Showalters are still in need of productive starters. Gallardo doesn't seem too likely to turn his year around -- in five starts since returning from the disabled list, he's recorded more than 15 outs twice -- but he's probably a better bet than Ubaldo Jimenez. Just a league-average performance from hereon would change how we view the Orioles' chances of making a deep run come October.
Cheating? Perhaps, but everyone's already watching David Ortiz. In addition to being Boston's latest attempt at shoring up their rotation, Pomeranz is an entertaining and intriguing pitcher. He's found success in a big-league rotation for the first time in part by spamming the opposition with his quality curveball. Other left-handed starters -- think Barry Zito . . . or Rich Hill for you youngsters out there -- have succeeded using a similar formula. We'll see if Pomeranz adds his name to that group in the coming weeks.
Though it feels as if Stroman has been around forever, he remains a relatively inexperienced big-league starter. That, paired with his size, means we have to continue to monitor whether he's game for a full workload. Stroman will soon set new career-highs in starts (at 21) and innings (at 131), and could well curb some of the talk by blowing those marks away. At that point, everyone will have to adopt a new annoying question to ask about Stroman. Here's the odds-on favorite: did we always expect him to pitch like a Twin?
Castro might be having the saddest age-26 season in baseball. Not only are his park-adjusted numbers almost identical to his 2015 lot, but he's posted them after receiving a supposedly much-needed change of scenery. Outside of April, when Castro hit .305 and earned a long leash by driving in eight runs over the first three games, he's batted .244/.277/.364 with 40 more strikeouts than walks. We'll see if Castro can course-correct during the second half, but if he doesn't it might be time to accept that he is what he is -- a youngish player who already peaked.
The Rays are a mess, but the one thing they have working in their favor is an abundance of starters -- even if some aren't performing up to their standards. Cobb is working his way back from Tommy John surgery and could rejoin the ranks soon. The intrigue here is whether Cobb will continue topping out in the 87 mph range. Everyone knows Cobb is tough and smart, but it's difficult for any pitcher to survive in that velocity band. The next few months could determine whether Cobb is a part of Tampa Bay's future, or just a famous non-tender candidate.
American League Central
Lindor is the ring-tailed lemur of ballplayers: his specialness is observable at a glance; he's a joy to watch play; and, no matter how much you'd like to, it's unadvisable that you touch him. He's also the rarest of ballplayer types: a switch-hitting shortstop who combines an above-average bat with an elite or near-elite glove. Lindor has all the attributes you want from a shortstop -- a preternatural ability to position himself; a strong arm; impeccable body control; and soft hands. He's the real deal, and he's a major reason why the Indians are where they are in the standings.
Coming into the season, everyone knew Fulmer had a good fastball and had made progress with repeating his delivery. Yet he's still found a way to exceed expectations during his 13 starts, and has helped breathe new life into the Tigers' rotation. (Here's one of many fun Fulmer-related stats: batters have whiffed on roughly 40 percent of their swings against his slider and changeup.) It's too early to say for certain that Fulmer is this good, but right now, his acquisition looks like one of Dave Dombrowski's final Detroit masterstrokes.
Anderson's results heretofore have been impressive, and he's undoubtedly the most exciting position player the White Sox have drafted and developed in more than a decade. But he's here because of a blemish: his plate discipline. Anderson has walked once during his big-league stay, and has done so while striking out nearly 30 percent of the time. That's not going to work over the long haul -- not for him, prime Ichiro, or anyone else. Here's hoping with more seasoning Anderson will make the necessary adjustments, because at present he's too prone to expanding his zone to think he's going to maintain this level of production for much longer.
Not a whole lot has gone right in Kansas City this season. One of the things that has, however, has been Duffy's reintroduction to the rotation. Since moving back into the starting five in mid-May, Duffy has posted a 3.11 ERA and a 6.08 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 11 starts. He's credited switching to the stretch full-time as the driving force behind his success, and who's to doubt that? If Duffy can keep it up, the Royals will have a little less to worry about as it pertains to their 2017 plans -- and we'll have yet another example that there is life after a demotion to the bullpen.
Kepler has provided a nice distraction for Twins fans eager to avoid eye contact with Byron Buxton's numbers and Miguel Sano's defense. He's homered eight times over his first 48 games, which is notable for reasons obvious and not -- his previous single-season high was 10, set back in 2012. Provided Kepler can start hitting for average -- and the expectation during his prospect days was that he could flirt with .300 -- then the Twins just might have a youngster who avoids the disappointing tag.
American League West
The hope entering the season was that Perez would benefit from his first normal winter since undergoing Tommy John surgery. That hasn't happened. Instead Perez delivered a bizarre first-half performance that saw his strikeout, walk, and home-run rates head in the wrong direction. He's always benefitted from a timely ability to coerce double-play balls -- and that's remained true, as evidenced by his 120 ERA+ -- but ideally he'll show more ability to miss bats and avoid walks during the second half. Otherwise, maybe it's time to shelf the breakout hopes.
We're going off the majors roster here because you'll be hearing more about Bregman sooner than later. The second-overall pick in the 2015 draft, he's made quick work of the minors and was recently bumped to Triple-A, where he's since boosted his seasonal line to .307/.413/.596. Bregman has primarily played shortstop this season, so it's not entirely clear where the Astros would play him upon promotion -- perhaps at third base with Luis Valbuena moving to first base or DH? -- but they should make room for him at some point in the near future.
You have to feel for Seager. While he's one of the best third basemen in baseball, few notice because of where and how he plays -- his game is largely chrome-free, though his personality is not. To make matters worse, he now has to deal with being known as the other Seager brother, due to his insanely talented younger brother who plays in a larger market. That's rough. Do yourself and oldest siblings a favor and make it a point to watch some of this Seager before the season ends. You won't regret it.
Never has a surname been more apt for a team at large. The A's will be hard to watch in the second half, but the real answer is Sonny Gray (because of what it could mean for his future trade value) or Sean Manaea (because of what it will mean for his future trade value). Even with that said, there's not a ton of intrigue here and A's fans are in for a rough few months.
Who'd you expect? There's nothing new that we can put out here to sell you on Trout as the game's most watchable player. In fact, consider it a testament to Trout's otherworldliness that his presence makes Angels games bearable. As such, the intriguing subplots surrounding this team heading forward are: 1) will the Angels' poor record cost Trout another MVP trophy?; and 2) how many more summers will that be a relevant question?
