For those of us in contention this season, could you name a few second-half players we should be attempting to acquire (a la Adam LaRoche)?The answer to this question generally depends on your league and how liberal or conservative it is when it comes to trading. In some leagues, an Adam LaRoche might be too lofty of a target while in others he might be very attainable. I'm going to try to look at players who might be undervalued rather than players who have underperformed. For example, Jimmy Rollins is an excellent bounce back candidate, but if his owner hasn't traded Rollins by now, then he's probably going to sink or swim with him the rest of the way. As he probably should.
Garret Anderson 5 HR, 32 RBI, 1 SB, .276 AVG
I like Anderson for three reasons: 1) the Braves seem pretty committed to playing him, 2) the Roto web sites are down on him, which makes him a potentially cheap pick-up, and 3) despite all of the handwringing about Anderson's lack of production, he's actually two points in OPS below his Pre All-Star numbers from 2006-2008. Oh yes, and Anderson has an OPS 148 points higher Post All-Star during that 2006-2008 time period. That doesn't make him a surefire guarantee to produce an 850 OPS, but he might, and if he doesn't you're still getting a productive player.
Luis Castillo 0 HR, 18 RBI, 11 SB, .285 AVG
Those numbers look boring, but Castillo's on pace to earn $14 this year. He's not going to help you if you need power, but if you need speed you might be able to take advantage of all of the awful press surrounding Castillo's terrible 2008 and what a terrible signing he was for the Mets. That's true, but since you don't have to sign him to a four-year deal in Roto you can make this play if you need the bags.
Ramon Hernandez 5 HR, 36 RBI, 1 SB, .253 AVG
Again, I like Hernandez because of all of the hand wringing about what a disappointment he is. On one level, Hernandez has surely frustrated owners who thought or hoped he'd earn $15 this year and pop 15-20 HR in Great American. However, Hernandez is on pace to earn $9 and as we all know that's not too shabby for a catcher. It's probable that most owners in deep leagues know this, but if your league has a disgruntled Hernandez owner, pounce.
Miguel Montero 5 HR, 19 RBI, 1 SB, .267 AVG
The "buy low" window on Montero probably passed a couple of weeks ago, but if there are owners in your league who are scared that Chris Snyder is going to steal AB when he returns, Montero might be worth rolling the dice on. Montero should still get a fair amount of AB at catcher and is still going to pop the odd HR whether he's starting twice a week or five times a week. This is a gamble, but these are the types of gambles you have to make in deeper leagues to win.
Jack Wilson 4 HR, 31 RBI, 2 SB, .271 AVG
As anyone who has owned Wilson before knows, he's as boring as toast. Yet he's also on pace to earn $11 this season, and there are probably a handful of teams in deep N.L.-only leagues that could definitely (and are definitely) doing worse. Wilson also has a reputation as a poor BA hitter, but hasn't hit below .270 since 2005. In other words, he's a guy who you should either try to get in a small-ish deal or try to convince someone to throw in. He's boring, but he moves the chains.
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