It’s safe to say it’s been an exciting first half of the MLB season. From the 1st year splash of new stars like Jose Abreu and Masahiro Tanaka to the surprising dominance of the Oakland A’s, it’s been a fun half of baseball. Heck, even the Astros have become an enjoyable team to follow due to their influx of young talent.
It goes without saying that there have been more than a few fantasy surprises thus far. Given that we tracked the preseason rankings of 70+ experts (in-season rankings here), we thought it would be interesting to highlight some of the best expert calls. With that in mind, below is a summary of which pundits liked this year’s surprise studs the most heading into the season.
Surprise Studs (Hitters)
ECR = Preseason Consensus
Best = Top Expert Preseason Rank
Actual = Season to Date Rank
Jonathan Lucroy, C, MIL
.315 AVE | 9 HR | 44 RBI
ECR: #7 C | Best: #3 C | Actual: #1 C
Top Experts: Rotochamp, Al Melchior (CBS Sports) & KFFL Staff
Jose Abreu, 1B, CWS
.292 AVE | 29 HR | 73 RBI
ECR: #13 1B | Best: #9 1B | Actual: #3 1B
Top Expert: Jesse Sakstrup (Roto Spectrum)
Jose Altuve, 2B, HOU
.335 AVE | 2 HR | 41 SB
ECR: #6 2B | Best: #3 2B | Actual: #1 2B
Top Experts: Jeff Zimmerman & Zach Sanders (Fangraphs)
.292 AVE | 2 HR | 43 SB
ECR: #23 SS | Best: #18 SS | Actual: #1 SS
Top Expert: Scott White (CBS Sports)
.290 AVE | 19 HR | 53 RBI
ECR: #19 3B | Best: #13 3B | Actual: #1 3B
Top Expert: Grey Albright (Razzball)
.287 AVE | 28 HR | 74 RBI
ECR: #38 OF | Best: #13 OF | Actual: #2 OF
Top Expert: Muntradamus (Beast Dome)
.326 AVE | 15 HR | 63 RBI
ECR: #55 OF | Best: #32 OF | Actual: #5 OF
Top Expert: Brent Namejko (Fantasy Smack Talk)
ly Hamilton, OF, CIN.285 AVE | 5 HR | 38 SB
ECR: #28 OF | Best: #13 OF | Actual: #8 OF
Top Expert: Dalton Del Don (Yahoo! Sports)
.306 AVE | 14 HR | 52 RBI
ECR: #88 OF | Best: #75 OF | Actual: #7 OF
Top Expert: Tim McCullough (RotoExperts)
Surprise Studs (Pitchers)
ECR = Preseason Consensus
Best = Top Expert Preseason Rank
Actual = Season to Date Rank
10-6 | 2.13 ERA | 141 SO
ECR: #34 SP | Best: #17 SP | Actual: #2 SP
Top Expert: Muntradamus (Beast Dome)
12-4 | 2.51 ERA | 135 SO
ECR: #24 SP | Best: #14 SP | Actual: #4 SP
Top Expert: Nate Springfield (Baseball Press)
11-4 | 2.38 ERA | 108 SO
ECR: #65 SP | Best: #36 SP | Actual: #6 SP
Top Expert: Josh Shepardson (The Fantasy Fix)
11-2 | 2.55 ERA | 127 SO
ECR: #99 SP | Best: #80 SP | Actual: #9 SP
Top Expert: Dalton Del Don (Yahoo! Sports)
9-6 | 2.71 ERA | 116 SO
ECR: #21 SP | Best: #13 SP | Actual: #7 SP
Top Expert: Al Mechior (CBS Sports)
12-3 | 2.70 ERA | 75 SO
ECR: #136 SP | Best: #85 SP | Actual: #13 SP
Top Expert: KFFL Staff
9-6 | 3.01 ERA | 142 SO
ECR: #52 SP | Best: #25 SP | Actual: #15 SP
Top Expert: Al Mechior (CBS Sports)
7-6 | 2.87 ERA | 78 SO
ECR: #75 SP | Best: #48 SP | Actual: #25 SP
Top Experts: Mike Podhorzer (Fangraphs) & FFToolbox Staff
2.58 ERA | 27 Saves
ECR: #46 RP | Best: #36 RP | Actual: #7 RP
Top Expert: Nando Di Fino (CBS Sports)
1.09 ERA | 24 Saves
ECR: #21 RP | Best: #14 RP | Actual: #15 RP
Top Expert: Nate Springfield (Baseball Press)
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Think we missed anyone? If so, please let us know in the comments. In the meantime, be sure to check out our Rest of Season Projections and Rest of Season Rankings for a forward-looking view of the season.
Enjoy the All Star game festivities!
