Benny Sieu-USA TODAY Sports
Fantasy owners are chomping at the bit for the second half of the season to start. These last three days have been the longest three days for any baseball fan. Owners are scouting the waiver wire on who to pick up for a second-half boost. One player fantasy owners should keep an eye on is St. Louis Cardinals second baseman Kolten Wong.
Wong started the 2014 season with the Cardinals, but fantasy owners weren’t buying it. Between April and May, he hit .269 with 11 RBI, five doubles and eight stolen bases in 33 games. June was a wasted month as Wong played in just 12 games, batting .103.
Something happened after he returned from the DL in July. In his first game back, Wong went 2-for-4 with a solo home run. In July alone, Wong is hitting .321 with five home runs, eight RBI and .893 slugging percentage. He is currently 12th on the ESPN Player Rater among second basemen over the last 30 days.
Other fantasy experts don’t believe this power surge will continue throughout the season. He won’t continue on that pace, and rightly so, but he does have some power to excite fantasy owners. That, along with his speed on the bases will make him a valuable option in the second half.
Wong is currently ranked higher than some popular second basemen, including Jason Kipnis and Dustin Pedroia. If Wong can secure more playing time, he hasn’t started against a lefty since April 6, then he is worth starting everyday.
Wong is owned in 57 percent of ESPN.com leagues. Even at a deep position like second base, Wong has the skills to surpass most of them in fantasy value.
Bill Pivetz is a fantasy sports writer for Rant Sports. Follow him on Twitter @BPiv_Sports.
