Second Half Breakouts for Fantasy Baseball - Zach Thompson's "My Guys"

Zach'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.

The All-Star break is a great chance to catch your breath and evaluate your fantasy baseball team for the rest of the season. We're past the halfway point in the fantasy season, and it's time to get your team ready for the push to the finish line. We've already seen some huge breakout performances in the first half of the year, with fantasy stars Pete Crow-Armstrong, Hunter Brown, Jacob Misiorowski, and Nick Kurtz all having monster seasons and emerging as pieces to build around. What about the second half, though? Who is ready to make an impact going forward?

It's crucial for fantasy baseball that you're always looking ahead and planning for the next step for your team. Whether you're dominating your league or batting to stay out of the basement, staying active and anticipating what's coming next will help your team continue to improve and push to the finish. To help you as you gear up for the rest of the ride, I'm going to feature some of "my guys" in this post - players I'm looking to add off waivers or trade for in every fantasy league since I think they're primed to be difference-makers down the stretch.

Since every league is slightly different and teams have different needs, "my guys" for the second half of the fantasy baseball season come from a wide variety of availability and positions. I've tried to strike a good balance between veterans and younger players, as well as hitters and pitchers. Let's dive in!

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Salvador Perez, C/1B - Kansas City Royals

Perez is a fantasy stalwart, but the 35-year-old got off to a slow start this season and was part of the overall struggles of the Royals' offense. While he's still below his averages, he has shown significant improvement over the last few weeks. With such a long track record of success, I'm confident that he will bounce back and be a solid starter in the second half.

Obviously, for the veteran, this is more of a bounce-back than a breakout, but he's definitely someone I'm trying to add where I can.

In his 92 games, he is hitting .244 with 13 home runs, a 44.9% hard-hit rate, and a 14.1% barrel rate. His batted-ball metrics are actually his best since 2022, and he has really picked things up over the last month.

Since June 1, he's hitting .280 with nine doubles, nine homers, a .364 wOBA, and a 131 wRC+. In his 12 games in July, he was even better in July before the break. In his last 12 games, he went 15-for-45 (.333) with four doubles, four homers, a. 450 wOBA, a 51.3% hard-hit rate, and a 20.5% barrel rate.

That surge included a two-homer game against the Pirates:

Salvador Perez has hit 870 feet worth of home runs tonight 😱

His second of the night gives the @Royals the late lead! pic.twitter.com/oPXXviPcse

— MLB (@MLB) July 10, 2025

His average exit velocity since July 1 is 93.4 miles per hour, which would be impressive for any player at any position. The fact that Perez is so well-established and is now returning to his norms at a position with so much scarcity makes him a great catcher to target for the second half.

The Royals will likely give him plenty of time at DH and 1B to keep him fresh, so if someone gave up on him too soon, he's a great add from waivers. He's also a great option to try and trade for if his current manager doesn't think he's going to sustain this the rest of the way.

Roman Anthony, OF - Boston Red Sox

From one end of the experience spectrum to the other, Anthony also comes into the break surging and has an arrow pointed straight up after an adjustment period. He's still somehow on waivers in over 40% of Yahoo! leagues, and if you can pry him away from his current manager, he's also someone who should be poised for a huge second half.

Anthony was the top prospect in baseball and arrived with plenty of fanfare on June 9, but he struggled initially, batting just .114 with five hits in his first 15 games in the majors. Since then, though, the 21-year-old has gotten red-hot for the surging Red Sox. Here's how productive he has been:

Roman Anthony since June 25th:

.386 BA
.438 OBP
1.006 OPS
1 HR
180 wrc+
63.6% Hard-Hit% ‼
9.1% Barrel%

The best prospect in baseball is figuring things out at the major league level.#DirtyWater pic.twitter.com/4PqxRfBD99

— LouisAnalysis (@LouisAnalysis) July 8, 2025

Anthony's ceiling long-term is incredibly high, and he could quickly develop into one of the top hitters in all of baseball. His contact metrics continue to be off the charts, and his plate approach has been excellent throughout his time in the majors. He has a couple of stolen bases and a couple of home runs in his first 31 games in the majors, but those "big play" events should increase as he settles in at the highest level.

He destroyed Triple-A with 10 homers, a .491 wOBA, and a 57.6% hard-hit rate. Now that his numbers at the majors are catching up to that level, he should continue to thrive in the heart of a productive order down the stretch. The Red Sox are committed to his development and will keep him in the lineup as he pushes to the end of his rookie year.

I love my colleague Thunder Dan's pick of Ceddanne Rafaela in his second-half picks, but I expect the young Anthony to be surging right there beside him as the core of a suddenly dynamic Red Sox lineup for the rest of the season.

Zebby Matthews, SP - Minnesota Twins

Both Perez and Anthony are already trending up and not available in many leagues, so let's take a look at a few deeper cuts in the rest of my picks for the second half. First up is a starting pitcher with such a high ceiling that I'm eager to see more, even though he hasn't quite put it together in the majors yet: Zebby Matthews.

Matthews skyrocketed through the minors last year, arrived with the Twins possibly too early, and struggled in his first stint in the majors. This season, he started the year in Triple-A and showed his high ceiling as he continued to refine his pitch mix and added more velocity. He went 2-1 with a 1.93 ERA, 2.42 FIP, and 28.1% strikeout rate in his seven starts in Triple-A.

After his promotion in May, he went just 1-1 in four starts with a 5.21 ERA, but his 3.08 FIP and 3.39 SIERA indicate he pitched better than that number indicates. His strikeout rate remained very high as well, at 30.1% through 19 innings. Unfortunately, just as he was starting to find his rhythm and looked ready to deliver on his potential, he landed on the injured list with a shoulder strain.

He looked very sharp in his rehab start on Sunday, picking up nine strikeouts in four innings for the St. Paul Saints.

He certainly looks ready to return to the #MNTwins. Daniel Zebulon Matthews goes 4.0 shutout innings allowing 1 hit & striking out a career tying high 9. He threw 56 pitches, 38 for strikes. Had an astounding 52% whiff rate. His fastball averaged 97.4 mph, topped out at 98.7 mph pic.twitter.com/pi4JsFNP61

— St. Paul Saints (@StPaulSaints) July 13, 2025

He may get one more rehab start, or he may be ready to jump right back into the rotation when the Twins come back from the All-Star break. Either way, he'll be a great fantasy pickup for the second half.

He's still available in over 80% of Yahoo! leagues and has an extremely high ceiling as a high-strikeout ace in the second half. He does come with risk, given his struggles earlier in the season, but I think he's much more likely to reach his full potential and establish himself as a front-line starting pitcher.

Addison Barger, 3B/OF - Toronto Blue Jays

Barger's breakout has already begun, but the 25-year-old lefty is one of my favorite additions for the second half. He brings nice versatility and can be used either at the hot corner or in the outfield, and he brings an electric bat to a prime spot in the Blue Jays' surging lineup. Toronto went on an impressive run and passed the Yankees at the top of the AL East, and that surge was also when Barger started going off.

Throughout his rise to the majors, his exit velocity and batted-ball metrics have been extremely strong, but the results have been inconsistent. Like Anthony, he had an adjustment period, but now he seems to be settling in and is ready to be a regular part of fantasy lineups for many years to come.

Barger has been an extra-base hit machine over his last 39 games with a .275 batting average, 11 doubles, 11 homers, and a .382 wOBA. He has a 53.9% hard-hit rate on the season with a 14.4% barrel rate. His average exit velocity is 93.4 miles per hour, which has him tied for 11th among all qualified batters in the major leagues, and his hard-hit rate also ranks in the top 15.

Addison Barger is having a monster July 💪 pic.twitter.com/DgL2Kom2z1

— Blue Jays Nation (@thejaysnation) July 12, 2025

With such outstanding metrics, he's definitely a hitter I'm snagging anywhere he's even the slightest bit available. He should actually be due for some positive regression, given how well he's hitting the ball, and could even have more power going forward. I'd prefer Anthony if forced to choose between the two, but if you can stock both young left-handed AL East bats, you should be in a great position for the second half.

Brice Matthews, 2B/3B/SS - Houston Astros

If you're in a deeper league where all the above options are already rostered and not available via trade, my last two picks are for you. The Astros just called up their top prospect Brice Matthews, who hit .283 with 10 homers and 25 stolen bases in Triple-A this season.

Brice Matthews gets the call!

An infielder with five-category upside, a must-add in all standard leaguespic.twitter.com/fVBbfLUzYm

— Andy Smith (@A_Smith_FS) July 11, 2025

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Matthews went 0-for-7 with five strikeouts in his first two major league games, but he will be given the chance to earn the Astros' everyday second base role in the second half, and if he plays up to his potential, he could be a multi-category beast. A significant note of caution is that his batting average is likely to be low, and his strikeout rate will likely be high.

He had a scary 30.2% strikeout rate in Triple-A, and he still has a lot of swing-and-miss in his game. 

However, when Matthews makes contact, good things usually happen. He had a 44.5% hard-hit rate in Triple-A with 12 doubles, five triples, 10 homers, and a .393 wOBA. He's also a weapon on the basepaths with 25 stolen bases in 31 attempts. 

If you can sacrifice some batting average for power and steals, Matthews is worth a look, especially since he will likely be eligible at all the infield spots besides first base in the next week. His versatility works well in a bench spot, as you can rotate him in for the right matchups and when you need speed.

His versatility and multi-category potential make him a great addition in over 90% of Yahoo! leagues, where he is still available on waiver wires.

Nolan McLean, SP - New York Mets

I'm also very high on Cam Schlittler on the other side of the city, but I'll go with McLean in this spot since he's an even deeper sleeper who is more widely available, but he could make a huge impact down the stretch for the Mets.

McLean is the team's No. 4 prospect and the No. 75 prospect in all of baseball, according to MLB Pipeline.

Right-hander Nolan McLean tonight for Triple-A Syracuse:

6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 10 K. He threw a season high 97 pitches (62 strikes) and generated 17 swing & misses

McLean’s AAA ERA stands at 2.52 and he’s struck out 10 batters in back-to-back starts pic.twitter.com/UVuKS94pWR

— Joe DeMayo (@PSLToFlushing) July 10, 2025

McLean isn't as major league-ready as Matthews just yet, but he could give the Mets a huge boost as a second-half call-up or end up as part of a trade that sends him to another team for his debut. McLean is 6-5 in his 16 games split between Double-A and Triple-A with a 2.17 ERA and 3.49 FIP. He has 95 strikeouts in 87 innings and has allowed more than two runs just once in his last 12 appearances.

McLean is almost unrostered at this point, but he's a name to keep a very close eye on and stash in deeper leagues if you can. Stud arms like Bubba Chandler, Chase Burns, and Andrew Painter are all good breakout candidates as well, but McLean's strikeout upside and excellent form in the minors make him a strong young arm to consider as a breakout candidate from off the radar.

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