Second Half Breakouts for Fantasy Baseball - Joey Pollizze's "My Guys"

July 14, 2025

Joey's second-half fantasy baseball breakouts for 2025. These are all MLB hitters and pitchers he's trying to get on his rosters via waiver wire or trade including Cam Smith, Cade Horton, more.

The first half of the season saw many players break out. Kris Bubic has been one of the most surprising pitchers through the first few months, Jacob Wilson ranks second in all of baseball with a .337 batting average, and James Wood is putting together an all-around breakout campaign. All three of these players have been top fantasy options in the early going. 

With the first half coming to a close, now is a perfect time to see which players could break out in the second half. These players are "my guys" that I'm looking to add off waivers or trade for in every fantasy league. The six players on this list are set to explode after the All-Star break.

So, which players could break out in the second half for fantasy baseball? Let's dive in and find out. 

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Jasson Dominguez, OF, New York Yankees

New York Yankees outfielder Jasson Dominguez has shown signs of breaking out in recent weeks. He is batting .426 with two home runs, seven RBI, and four stolen bases across his last 13 games. After struggling for most of the first half, we are finally seeing why Dominguez was a highly touted prospect. 

There's no doubt that Dominguez has turned things around lately. He had a two-homer game on July 4 and has tallied multiple hits in five of his last eight contests. With a strong 51.2% hard-hit rate, a 73.7 mph bat speed, and a solid 11% walk rate in his first 74 games this season, the 22-year-old could break out even further in the second half. 

Jasson Domínguez must LOVE the leadoff spot!

He goes deep again and gives the @Yankees the lead! pic.twitter.com/PxSVTfJwrt

— MLB (@MLB) July 4, 2025

Therefore, fantasy managers should be looking to acquire him right now. He is still available in over 45% of Yahoo! leagues, and the talent is there for him to explode following the All-Star break. Don't forget, Dominguez hit .265 with 15 home runs, 76 RBI, and 40 stolen bases in 118 minor league games in 2023. 

He has the potential to hit 15 home runs and steal over 30 bases in the majors this season. So, we shouldn't sleep on Dominguez becoming an elite fantasy option in the second half. 

Cam Smith, 3B/OF, Houston Astros

Houston Astros third baseman Cam Smith is another player showing signs of a breakout. He is batting .395 with four home runs and 19 RBI over his past 20 games dating back to June 13. It's not a total surprise to see Smith finally turn it around offensively, especially since most rookies go through plenty of ups and downs in their first year. 

This strong stretch should give fantasy managers some confidence in him moving forward. He is hitting the ball hard, and his .290 expected batting average ranks in the 87th percentile through the first few months. Given how he has looked at the plate in recent weeks, fantasy managers should expect Smith to continue to break out in the second half. 

That makes him a "my guy" in the second half. The talent has always been there, and he is still available in over 40% of Yahoo! leagues. Even if someone in your league rosters him, do what it takes to acquire him. Smith has the upside to finish with around a .290 batting average, over 15 home runs, 85 RBI, and double-digit stolen bases in 2025.

Noelvi Marte, 3B, Cincinnati Reds

This one might be more out there, but Cincinnati Reds third baseman Noelvi Marte is someone who could really put together a strong second half. He hit .339 with three home runs and 17 RBI in 14 games from April 20 through May 4 before suffering an oblique strain that caused him to miss two months. However, Marte is finally back from that injury and could tear it up in the summer months.  

Terry Francona on what Noelvi Marte showed earlier this season: “The thing I was happiest about is he was given nothing. He got sent down, and he continued to have a good work ethic. He went to Triple-A and knocked the ball all over the place. When we came up with us, he was in a…

— Charlie Goldsmith (@CharlieG__) July 4, 2025

We all know that Marte has the skill set to be a strong fantasy option. He demonstrated this in a two-week span earlier in the year, posting solid numbers across 35 games in his rookie campaign. The Reds infielder hit .316 with three home runs, 15 RBI, and six stolen bases in the final two months of the 2023 season. 

With Marte locked down as Cincinnati's starting third baseman for the rest of the year, he could break out in the second half. It was just a few years ago that the third baseman finished with a .279 batting average, 19 home runs, and 23 stolen bases in his last full minor league season in 2022. So, fantasy managers should be looking to pick him up.

He doesn't strike out much (16.9% strikeout rate), and his 29.3 ft/sec sprint speed currently ranks in the 94th percentile. At just 23 years old, Marte has the upside to really take off in the second half. 

Chase Burns, SP, Cincinnati Reds

There has been good and bad with Cincinnati Reds pitcher Chase Burns in his first two career starts. He threw five innings of three-run ball with eight strikeouts in his MLB debut against the New York Yankees on June 24. In that outing, Burns struck out six of the first seven batters he faced while topping out at 100 mph. 

However, Burns' second start was not smooth sailing by any means. He allowed seven runs (five earned runs) on five hits with two walks across 1/3 of an inning against the Boston Red Sox on June 30. After getting rocked in that outing and getting yanked in the first inning, his roster percentage currently sits at 50% in Yahoo! leagues. 

Even though Burns didn't look great in that second start, he has the tools to break out in the second half. He is one of the best pitching prospects in baseball for a reason, and showed that all throughout the minors this year. The right-hander had a 1.77 ERA and 89 strikeouts across 66 innings pitched between High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A. 

As a result, Burns is someone to grab in every league right now. It's hard not to love him in the second half, especially as he gets more reps on the mound in the majors. We could see a Paul Skenes-type second half from the Reds prospect. That's how much upside the 22-year-old has in 2025. 

Roman Anthony, OF, Boston Red Sox 

Fantasy managers often overreact to prospects getting off to slow starts in their careers. It happens all the time. As we have seen numerous times, though, most of these top prospects eventually figure things out. Nick Kurtz is one of the most prominent examples of that this year, as he has hit 12 home runs across his last 27 games. 

Boston Red Sox prospect Roman Anthony could certainly fall under that category in the second half. Although the 21-year-old is batting just .219 in his first 22 games, there's a strong chance that a second-half breakout is in store for MLB Pipeline's No. 1 overall prospect. For starters, he is starting to pick things up at the plate.

Anthony has tallied at least one hit in seven of his past eight games. 

Roman gets it done! pic.twitter.com/d82VDUDud6

— Red Sox (@RedSox) July 5, 2025

Additionally, he has gotten a bit unlucky at the plate during the start of his MLB career. His expected slugging (.462) is 107 points higher than his actual slugging (.355), and his hard-hit rate (52.9%), barrel rate (13.7%), squared-up rate (29.2%), and walk rate (13.8%) all rank extremely well over the past month. 

So, Anthony should be on everyone's radar heading into the second half of the season. He has an everyday role locked up for the rest of the season, and his numbers should eventually even out in the coming weeks. Once his numbers do, we could see the Red Sox outfielder take off in fantasy. 

Cade Horton, SP, Chicago Cubs 

The final "my guy" on this list is Chicago Cubs starting pitcher Cade Horton. He is another rookie who has the chance to break out in the second half. Fantasy managers have seen some nice things from the right-hander in his first few major league starts, including tossing seven scoreless innings with five strikeouts his last time out against the Cleveland Guardians.  

Horton has the makings to be an elite starting pitcher in the league. He has an above-average fastball to go with a devious sweeper that many major league hitters have had a hard time with through his first 10 appearances. Opposing hitters have an expected .191 batting average with 11 strikeouts against that sweeper in 2025. 

There are certainly going to be ups and downs with Horton throughout his rookie campaign. However, he should only improve as the season goes on, making him a prime breakout candidate in the second half. He has a solid 29.9% chase rate, 26.9% whiff rate, and 7.1% walk rate to begin his major league career. 

Therefore, fantasy managers need to hop on the Horton train before it's too late. The right-hander has allowed zero runs in two of his past four starts and should only get more comfortable on the mound. It's shocking to see that the Cubs pitcher is only rostered in 16% of Yahoo! leagues at the moment. That's too low for a pitcher of his caliber. 

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