After this weekend, baseball will reach the All-Star break. Even though all teams have passed the midpoint of their seasons, coming out of the break is considered the official start of the second half. With a couple days between games, managers can take a hard look at their rosters. Doing so can help determine the fixes necessary for a strong postseason push. With that in mind, this fantasy AllStar break pickups is presented. Of course, discussion and debate is encouraged. Please recall that all ownership percentages are taken from ESPN. Having said that, let’s dive right in, shall we?

Position Player Waiver Pickups

MJ Melendez, C/DH, Kansas City Royals, 13.4% Owned

Without question, few veteran catchers, let alone rookies, are in their team’s lineup more than three or four times a week. However, ever since being called up to the big club, MJ Melendez has been a mainstay for the Royals. If he is not behind the plate, Melendez has been Kansas City’s starter at designated hitter. For sure, his hitting has slowed down since his debut, but the fact he is in the lineup on a near daily basis is enough for fantasy managers to get excited. Because of his regular playing time, Melendez is the only catcher needed on a fantasy roster.

When looking at the stats, his slash line of .217/.309/.406 clearly don’t impress much. Even so, before Melendez went 0-4 Wednesday, he had hits in three straight, with three runs and three RBIs. Perhaps a little wear and tear were starting to reveal themselves in recent days. If that is the case, a lot of rest is headed Melendez’ way.

He, along with several Royals teammates, will not play in Toronto to finish the first half. This is due to Canada’s rule of not allowing non-vaccinated players into the country. After the break, Melendez will be a constant presence in the Royals’ lineup. No other reason is needed in recommending picking him up off the waiver wire.

Jose Trevino, C, New York Yankees, 8.3% Owned

Perhaps Melendez doesn’t grab a manager’s fancy or isn’t available. In that case, Jose Trevino fits the bill. It seems very safe to say that of all the players making their way to Los Angeles for All-Star festivities, Trevino has the lowest ownership rate of them all. If catcher is a need, and just about every fantasy roster has an issue at that position, Trevino will help solve the problem. The last seven days clearly show what Trevino is capable of, as he is hitting .313 with two doubles, three runs and two RBIs and a steal.

For the season, Trevino is hitting .255-7-27 with 23 runs scored. He even has two stolen bases. His HR% and BB% are his highest ever, while his SO% is the lowest he’s had in a full season since 2018. His BAbip is .266, which indicates there is no slump in the forecast. Clearly, he is the prototypical catcher that will need time off after starting two or three games in a row.

Even so, the catcher position is filled with players that can’t hit their own weight. If the position is a need, filling it with Trevino is a highly recommended move on this fantasy AllStar break pickups edition.

Nico Hoerner, 2B/SS, Chicago Cubs, 26% Owned

Granted, the Chicago Cubs are having a nightmare of a season. Even with that being the case, they do have fantasy assets that need attention. Example number one would be the performance of Nico Hoerner. Entering Thursday’s play, Hoerner has hits in 12 of his last 14 games. Over the past week, he is hitting .320 with a homer, three doubles, four runs and two RBIs. He even threw in a stolen base for good measure.

On the first day of July, Hoerner was not in the lineup. He has been there every day since, however, providing stability for anyone’s fantasy roster. On the year, Hoerner is hitting .304-5-26 with 11 doubles, three triples, 28 runs and eight steals. Obviously, he fills up a lot of stat lines. Best of all, he has already played in more games this season than he ever has before in his career.

One of the reasons is Hoerner has corralled his SO%, having his best season in that regard. The Cubs have every reason to keep him in their lineup every day down the stretch. He plays both 2B and SS, increasing his value. No doubt about it, getting Hoerner onto a fantasy roster is a smart play for any manager.

Alex Kirilloff, 1B/OF, Minnesota Twins, 30% Owned

It seems like forever that Alex Kirilloff has been touted as the next big thing in baseball. The truth has not matched the hype, however. There is every reason to believe that is about to change in the second half this season. Over the past week, Kirilloff is hitting .308. Entering play on Thursday, he has hits in three straight games. He has been a regular in the Twins’ starting lineup since July 29. After being sent back to the minors on more than one occasion, it certainly seems like Kirilloff is up with the big club to stay this time.

For sure, there isn’t a whole lot to go by when it comes to Kirilloff, seeing as how he has only played 93 career games, 34 this season. However, the most important consideration of all is that the Twins are keeping him in their lineup. That means they are happy with his performance. Minnesota is battling for the division title and wouldn’t keep a struggling player in their starting nine for long.

That hasn’t been the case with Kirilloff. He has the talent and the opportunity to put together a strong second half. Those managers needing help at first or in the outfield should definitely snatch up Kirilloff before anyone else catches on.

Other Position Player Possibilities

In 12 team or shallower leagues, the following players have multi position eligibility and are largely available.

No player in fantasy qualifies at more positions than Aledmys Díaz of Houston. He is only owned in seven percent of leagues and is playing every day in one of the best hitting lineups in baseball. He generates one of the best values to be found and clearly belongs on this fantasy AllStar break pickups edition.

Miami’s Jon Berti is much more owned than Diaz at 38%. Even so, he is worth checking to see if he is on the wire as he qualifies as three positions. Even better, he is hitting .320 with two steals in his last seven. NOTE: Berti was taken out of Thursday’s game against Philadelphia with a mild groan strain. The issue doesn’t sound serious, but confirm he is active before making a claim on him.

Has there been a player that has exploded on the scene more spectacularly than Matt Carpenter? The Yankees added him to an already potent lineup and all he has done for them is hit, especially in crucial situations. He has two or more hits in three straight games this week. Amazingly, he is only owned in 17.9% of leagues. He doesn’t qualify in as many positions as the above players (2B/DH), but Carpenter clearly has value. If the second base position is any kind of roster problem, solve it today with Carpenter.

Pitcher Waiver Pickups

Zach Greinke, Kansas City Royals, 30.3% Owned

Without doubt, a problem exists that fantasy managers with young pitchers will have to deal with during the second half. The reality is that baseball teams frequently curtail youngster’s innings or even shut them down completely. Of course, with a veteran, there is no such issue. This is where Zack Greinke comes into focus. In his 19th season, Greinke knows how to manage the workload a pitcher faces coming down the stretch. Yet, his best feature in recent starts is he has begun to look like the pitcher of old.

In three of his last four starts, Greinke has generated over 20 fantasy points for his managers. True, he was bombed by his old Houston team in the other start, but the Astros do that to the best of them. Remove that debacle and Greinke has allowed two earned runs in 17 innings while striking out 12 and walking just two. In his last appearance against Cleveland, Greinke completely shut them down, giving up just three hits in five innings.

In the three starts not against Houston, he won them all. Further, his OPS, HR% and BB% stats are all down from last year. His BAbip is .285. Greinke can maintain that. For sure, he isn’t a sexy name anymore, but he can get the job done for a fantasy manager. See how he pitches against the Blue Jays over the weekend. Any positive showing should get his ownership percentage sky rocketing. Make sure to be in the front of the line when that happens.

George Kirby, Seattle Mariners, 20.9% Owned

Unlike Greinke, George Kirby is one of those younger pitchers managers are so leery of overusing. In fact, Seattle has taken steps in preventing just such a scenario by sending Kirby to the minors. However, Mariners’ manager Scott Servais confirmed Kirby will get recalled back to the majors when the All-Star break is over. Once he was sent down, his ownership rate plunged, as expected. However, a savvy fantasy manager will keep Kirby under surveillance because he has been a quality pitcher this season.

In fact, in three of his last five starts, Kirby has gone six innings or longer. On June 27, Baltimore bombed him for seven runs in just four innings. Besides that, however, Kirby hasn’t given up more than three runs in a start since May 24. So far this season, he has provided his fantasy manager with 22 or more points four times. For the year, Kirby is 2-3 with a 3.78 ERA and a 1.24 WHIP.

Seattle is playing much better baseball now than earlier in the season. They are back in the wild card race. They will use Kirby down the stretch. Watch the news and as soon as his return is announced, pounce on that wire. Better yet, if a roster spot is open, add him and just keep him in reserve until he is ready. Making plenty of managers happy in the second half is the prediction on this fantasy AllStar break pickups edition.

Johnny Cueto, Chicago White Sox, 29.5% Owned

No doubt, much like his veteran pitching counterpart Greinke, Johnny Cueto deserves a fantasy home after the break. In each of his last five starts, Cueto has pitched at least into the sixth inning. He began that stretch by shutting out Houston on just two hits in seven innings. He completed the string even more masterfully, blanking Detroit on five hits in eight innings. Four times this season, Cueto has pitched at least six innings against an opponent without allowing a run. In all, Cueto is 3-4 with a 2.91 ERA with a 1.15 WHIP.

Many of the important stats (OBP, SLG, OPS) have improved for Cueto from this season to last. The others (HR%, SO% and BB%) are all in line with what he has done over the past several years. In short, Cueto knows how to pitch. Chicago has been a big disappointment in the first half. The team will look to make a push for the division title down the stretch.

Obviously, the White Sox will lean a lot on a veteran like Cueto. He can be a difference maker for his fantasy owners, both in the regular season and playoffs. Don’t hesitate to add him to the roster.

NOTE: After Cueto’s dominate outing against division leading Minnesota Thursday (6 IP, 7 hits, 1 earned run), he is clearly a priority starting pitcher add going into the second half.

Justin Steele, Chicago Cubs, 7.6% Owned

As sorry as the Cubs are playing this season, it would seem impossible that two of their players would make it onto this fantasy AllStar break pickups edition. However, that is the case as Justin Steele deserves his time in the spotlight. Steele is coming off an incredible run in which he has pitched at least five innings in eight straight starts. Even better, he has pitched into the sixth or later in five of them. As noted, Chicago is a terrible baseball team, which explains why Steele only has a 3-6 record on the year.

Despite that, Steele delivers solid fantasy numbers just about every time he takes the mound. He has a 4.15 ERA and a 1.41 WHIP with 79 strikeouts in 82.1 innings. His numbers would be much better if he didn’t have an unlucky .312 BAbip. That should come down as the season goes along. Steele keeps the ball in the park, as his HR% of 1.4 solidly demonstrates. Further, his hard hit, ground ball and fly ball percentages are all improved from last season.

Steele is not in his first season, so limiting his innings shouldn’t be as high a priority as if he were a rookie. Add it all up, and Steele should look mighty good on anyone’s fantasy roster the second half of the year.

The Final Word

Thank you for joining me for this fantasy AllStar break pickups edition! As always, I welcome any and all suggestions, comments and input from my readers. Have players to add to the list? Let’s discuss! Follow me on twitter @kevin62wilsea. Please feel free to share this article. Check out the latest Belly Up Fantasy Live Baseball Show talking about player injuries and how they will affect fantasy teams going forward here. Be sure to turn to Belly Up Sports and Belly Up Fantasy Sports & Picks for the MLB, NBA, NFL, NHL happenings and all the latest sports news!