Second Half Fantasy Baseball Breakout Candidates - Sneaky Cheap Hitters on the Rise

July 20, 2026

Thunder Dan analyzes fantasy baseball breakout hitters, sleepers for the second half of 2026. These hitters are widely available on the waiver wire and trending up.

We have our first series of the season's second half in the books. At RotoBaller, we are still looking for second-half breakouts, and I decided to hone in on some hitters who I think could provide serious value for fantasy managers down the stretch.

These players are all widely available on the waiver wire, especially the last few, who, despite their strong trajectory, are still barely rostered.

I included each hitter's statistics through Sunday's games, and all rostership percentages are from Yahoo! Here are five hitters that you should consider adding to your rosters right now!

Garrett Mitchell, OF - Milwaukee Brewers

2026 Stats: 282 AB, .280 AVG, 8 HR, 47 RBI, 43 R, 7 SB

22% Rostered

What are we doing here, people? Garrett Mitchell is currently ranked 123 on Yahoo's player rater in standard 5x5 leagues! He was a major letdown last year after he teased us with eight home runs and 11 stolen bases in 2024, but the Milwaukee slugger finally looks like he's putting it all together.

There's still a pretty substantial contact issue with the strikeouts, but Mitchell has decreased his K% to 28% in June and July, which is a much more stomachable number. When he does make contact, however, he's absolutely smashing the baseball as evidenced by his batted ball metrics that continue to climb.

He's no longer being viewed as a platoon player as he's started every game this month for Milwaukee. His power has all come against righties, but he's hung in there against lefties (.717 OPS across 67 AB) well enough to justify keeping him in the lineup.

This is a player who should be rostered in all formats. I'd jump on the opportunity to add him in any leagues where he's still floating around.

Braden Montgomery, OF -  Chicago White Sox

2026 Stats: 116 AB, .241 AVG, 3 HR, 17 RBI, 17 R, 1 SB

10% Rostered

Montgomery was a trendy pick-up on the wire when he was called up to the big leagues in early June, but he really failed to make much of an impact for fantasy managers and was quickly cut by many of them. Chicago has stuck with him in the lineup, however, and we are starting to see some reasons for optimism.

Montgomery finished out the first half by clubbing his third home run and driving in four runs against the Athletics last Sunday. He's started the second half by going 4-12 this weekend against the Blue Jays with five RBI and a stolen base.

He also crossed the 100 at-bat threshold, which has been a pretty significant mark for several young hitters this season. Just take a look at what some of these other hitters have done before and after the 100 at-bat mark.

Let's not forget that this is a hitter who had only 224 AB at Double-A and 111 AB at Triple-A before he was called up. He's adjusting on the fly and should continue to improve with more experience. He has all the tools we are looking for and a solid group of hitters surrounding him in what has become a very good White Sox lineup.

I'm buying into a big second half from the switch-hitting 23-year-old.

Lane Thomas, OF - Kansas  City Royals

2026 Stats: 242 AB, .240 AVG, 9 HR, 34 RBI, 29 R, 5 SB

8% Rostered

Hey, remember this Lane Thomas guy? He's only a season removed from hitting 15 home runs and swiping 32 bases, but played in only 39 games last season for Cleveland and was a massive disappointment for them in the second half of the 2024 season after coming over from the Nationals.

The 30-year-old outfielder has not forgotten how to play baseball, however, and is enjoying a resurgence this year in Kansas City. He's never going to be player to hit for a high average (just a career .242 hitter), but has always had enough power and speed to justify being a fantasy option.

He's been locked in at the plate lately and hitting cleanup for a Royals offense that has badly needed a good right-handed bat to complement Jac Cagliagone and Carter Jensen (and Salvador Perez has not been it).

Eight of his nine home runs have come in June and July, as he's gotten back to pulling the ball in the air at an elite rate (27.8% Pull AIR%). The average over the last month has been a respectable .253, and he still has the type of speed (92nd percentile sprint speed) to swipe some bases (added his fifth steal just yesterday).

Thomas has an OPS of 1.088 this month and a wRC+ of 195. Sure, it could just be a hot streak, but it's been a steady increase in production now for about six weeks, and you simply won't find another power/speed guy on the wire who is as widely available as Thomas. He appears to have some job security in KC and a solid lineup spot hitting behind Bobby Witt Jr. and in front of the emerging Cags.

Ty France, 1B - San Diego Padres

2026 Stats: 218 AB, .275 AVG, 14 HR, 39 RBI, 28 R, 1 SB

3% Rostered

I swear to you that I had Ty France included in this feature even before he smacked two home runs yesterday in a 19-run outburst by the Padres!

Ty France leaves the yard again 💪 pic.twitter.com/WUHmxIcxdj

— MLB (@MLB) July 19, 2026

France has been raking now for the last month, hitting six home runs with 15 RBI and a tidy .310 batting average. That's been good enough for 61st on the Yahoo Player rater, friends! He now has 14 home runs in only 218 at-bats after hitting just seven last season and 13 in 2024 in 400+ at-bats.

Once again, we can see the effect of pulling the ball in the air on home run totals. France is back up to a 20.5% Pull AIR% this season, which is right around where he was in his best power season of 2022, in which he hit 20 home runs.

His 11.5% Barrel% is slightly better than Fernando Tatis Jr., Bryce Harper, and Pete Crow-Armstrong, just to give us a reference point. France is hitting the ball with authority and lifting it more often, resulting in the uptick in home runs.

We can see that he's made an adjustment to his launch angle as the season has gone along. If he can keep it up, he's an absolute steal on the waiver wire, and I'm inclined to give him a shot as the Padres seem more than willing to keep him in the lineup against both righties and lefties for the time being.

Griffin Conine, OF - Miami Marlins

2026 Stats: 87 AB, .276 AVG, 7 HR, 16 RBI, 15 R, 2 SB

2% Rostered

So this one might be the toughest sell, as the Marlins seem pretty intent on only playing Conine in a platoon against RHP. However, the left-handed slugger has slugged three home runs in his last four games, two of which came in games that he didn't start and entered as a pinch hitter in later innings.

Griffin picking up right where he left off 😤 pic.twitter.com/99qt9L8dYC

— Miami Marlins (@Marlins) July 18, 2026

Conine is no longer a prospect at age 29, but he does have only 274 career plate appearances. The son of former Marlins' great Jeff Conine, Griffin has been a fun story as a legacy, but has not done much as a hitter to earn everyday playing time or consideration in fantasy baseball.

But it feels like it would be foolish to ignore a player who is suddenly making some quality contact and getting some pretty darn good results. The strikeouts are still there (31%), but Conine has nearly doubled his Pull AIR% this season when compared to the last two years.

His numbers against lefties are poor, but he has a 1.023 OPS and .433 wOBA against RHP this season. I think we'll continue to see him draw starts against righties, and that type of power can certainly play in leagues with daily lineups. If you're looking for a sneaky impact bat in deeper formats, Conine's metrics all suggest that he could be a late-bloomer with some power potential.

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