Second Half Players: Aubrey Huff

July is already halfway over is it's time to start looking for those notorious "second-half-studs." Scanning over the last two seasons, using OPS as my guide, I found two constants that could be had a potentially moderate price.

Aubrey Huff should be owned in all fantasy leagues. He's not a guy who you're going to just 'pick up' from waivers without giving up anything substantive. To date, Huff started out like a bat from hell in 2009. Recently, though, his numbers have been dipping. His once-.300 batting average has dipped to Elvis Andrus territory at .250, and he's seemingly been stuck on 11 home runs forever!

Rewind to 2007, Huff slugged 8 home runs in August. On top of that, he scored 19 runs and drove in 19 RBIs of his own. His OPS was an astronomical 1.135, placing him in vintage David Ortiz, Alex Rodriguez, and David Wright territory.

In hopes that 2007 was not an aberration, we look to August 2008, when, you guess it, Huff clubbed 8 home runs (...again...), scored 20 runs, and drove in 26 RBIs. His 1.056 OPS, again, placed him fractions of a point away from the 2008 AL MVP, Dustin Pedroia (1.060).

Officially, I suggest you chase Aubrey Huff. He shouldn't take much to land in a deal because he's stumbled into the All-Star Break. The one caveat surrounding Huff is that he's in a contract year and is highly likely to be traded within the next several weeks. If he goes to a team like the Mets or the Mariners, he'll be hard pressed to club 8 home runs in such a huge home ballpark. That all said... I still think he's a worthwhile investment for your team down the stretch... especially in August.

Fantasy Man-Crush: Pablo "Kung Fu Panda" Sandoval

This one's overdue. Up until today, there's been one "official" Life of Brian man-crush: Nick Markakis. Today, we expand the population to two with the addition of Pablo Sandoval.

Several months ago, I drafted Sandoval hoping he would attain catcher eligibility for the Giants within the first few weeks of the 2009 season. However, much to my chagrin... catcher eligibility never came for the Kung Fu Panda... in fact, it still hasn't arrived.

But...

I'm okay with it. Yes, it was hard for me deal with nagging groin and elbow injuries combined with bouts of the flu early on. For all the hardship Sadoval delivered early on this year, he's paid off in dividends when healthy.

...which has been for some time now. It's kind of hard to believe, but the 22 year-old Venezuelan is still a rookie for the San Francisco Giants. Masking this fact is Sandoval's current (as of 7-1-2009) .338 BA, 11 home runs, and .958 OPS on the season. To give you an idea of how good that is, here's a list of the Top-5 First basemen in BA and OPS for the season:

Batting Average (at least 250 ABs)

1. Pablo Sandoval -- .338

2. Miggy Cabrera -- .332

3. Albert Pujols -- .332

4. Victor Martinez -- .313

5. Justin Morneau -- .312

On-Base + Slugging (at least 250 ABs)

1. Albert Pujols -- 1.197

2. Prince Fielder -- 1.034

3. Adrian Gonzalez -- 1.001

4. Justin Morneau -- .975

5. Pablo Sandoval -- .958

I'm not going to repeat this chore for third base for one reason and one reason only: LOOK AT THE NAMES ON THESE LISTS!!! Seriously, this kid is hanging with the big boys of the most potent position in baseball.

Whether you're starting him at first or third, Sandoval has provided "must-start" support in 2009. If someone in your league is using Sandoval as a back-up or bench-warmer... feel confident in making a move for this young man... especially if you're in a deeper, keeper league.