Top Five Projected Second Half Achievers - Brandt Edition

The season is officially half over. It is time to predict will achieve in the second half.

Alex Rodriguez -3B - New York Yankees - Yes, I know, this is a tremendously bold prediction. However, take this thought in context. A-Rod is coming off (for him) a fairly sub-par 1st half of a season. His divorce is going to put lot of extra pressure on him. These factors might give you reason to doubt the power of A-Rod. Also, it might give you the opportunity to buy low. If he stays healthy, A-Rod should continue to match his usual numbers. See if you can use the negativity around him to pick him up for below market value.
Robinson Cano - 2B - New York Yankees - Cano is one of those players who consistently has an awful first half, and then turns up after the All Star break. In 06', Cano hit .325/4/27 in the first half and .365/11/51 in the second half. In '07, Cano started .274/6/30 and finished .343/13/57. See a pattern? Pick up Cano this week before the break ends, and Cano begins his Rod Carew imitation.
Francisco Liriano - SP - Minnesota Twins - Per Rotoworld, Liriano has a streak of 20 scoreless innings in AAA. During this streak, he has a K/BB ratio of 24/3. It will not be long before the Twins bring him back to the Big Leagues. While Lirano has been a disappointment so far this season, the Twins were wise to send him down to AAA to let him find his groove again. If you are fortunate, he might be on your waiver wire. Otherwise, try to buy low on him before he comes back to the majors for the 2nd half.
Carl Crawford - OF - Tampa Bay D---l Rays - While I have always felt that Crawford is overrated, he is not as bad as he is playing. Crawford ended the first half in a 0-25 slump. In addition, he has had some knee and hamstring issues. While these are certainly not good signs, they are opportunity to buy low. Crawford has consistently provided R, SBs and Avg. He will have this week to recover and a six game homestrech to start the second half. Trade for Crawford before he gets hot again.
Alfonso Soriano - OF - Chicago Cubs - Soriano has been saddled with some hard luck this season. He started ice cold in April, followed by a DL stint after injuring himself by hopping unnecessarily after catching a fly ball. Once he came back, he started to blister the ball, hitting 10 HRs in May alone. Of course, this ended with a broken finger. However, this might have been a blessing in disguise. Soriano has been able to rest his legs for the second half and will return to a Cubs team that continues to hit well. While there will be lingering worries about the hand, Soriano should be fine. Try to buy him low if you have a manager tried of dealing with his injuries. If you already own Soriano, be patient and wait for a good second half.

Others to watch
Prince Fielder - 1B - Milwaukee Brewers, Clay Buchholtz - SP - Boston Red Sox, Dave Bush - SP - Milwaukee Brewers, Nick Markakis - OF - Baltimore Orioles,

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