Joey Pollizze's Second Half Bold Predictions for Fantasy Baseball (2026)

July 17, 2026

Joey's second-half fantasy baseball bold predictions for 2026. Some of his bold predictions include players like Nico Hoerner, Grant Taylor, Samuel Basallo and more.

There are always players who unexpectedly go off in the second half. It happens every single season. Last year, players like Cade Horton, Colson Montgomery, Daylen Lile, and Trevor Rogers posted unexpected numbers after the All-Star break. Horton had a 1.03 ERA in his last 12 starts, Montgomery had the fifth-most home runs (21), Lile was unreal in September, and Rogers had a 1.94 ERA in the second half.

Fantasy managers should assume more crazy things will happen in the second half this season. This article will highlight five things that could unexpectedly happen after the All-Star break. These five bold predictions will focus on a player leading the National League in batting average, a reliever finishing top-3 in saves, and more.

Let's look at five bold predictions for the second half of the 2026 fantasy baseball season.

Nico Hoerner Leads NL in Batting Average

Chicago Cubs second baseman Nico Hoerner had a miserable first half. He batted just .233 with four home runs, 23 doubles, 38 RBI, and 14 stolen bases across 94 games. His numbers have been even worse since he got hit in the head by a pitch on April 29, as he is slashing a mere .202/.270/.263 with 15 doubles, 12 RBI, and seven stolen bases in his last 63 contests.

But Hoerner will turn things around in the second half and lead the National League in batting average. Despite his poor numbers throughout the 2026 season, there is still plenty of optimism that he can raise his batting average in the final 2 1/2 months. The 29-year-old still owns a .284 expected batting average and a 36.9% squared-up rate.

The difference between Hoerner's expected batting average (.284) and actual batting average (.233) is also a massive 51 points. That is the second-largest batting average difference among all qualified hitters heading into the second half. That's a clear sign that the Cubs second baseman should see his batting average rise after the All-Star break.

Let's not forget that Hoerner really went off in the second half last season. He hit .317 with four home runs, 22 RBI, and 13 stolen bases over his final 64 contests. It wouldn't be surprising to see a similar hot streak from him this year, considering his underlying metrics are almost identical to his 2025 metrics.

Grant Taylor Ranks Top-3 In Saves

It seems like Chicago White Sox pitcher Grant Taylor has been granted the closer role on the South Side. He has pitched in the ninth inning in three of his last four appearances and has already saved two games for the White Sox in the month of July. Given Seranthony Dominguez's overall struggles this year, Taylor should be Chicago's preferred closer option moving forward.

Assuming that is the case, Taylor has a prime opportunity to rank top-3 in saves in the second half.

For starters, Taylor has the underlying metrics to really thrive in this closer role. The hard-throwing right-hander ranks in the 98th percentile in expected ERA (2.41), 97th percentile in expected batting average against (.184), 89th percentile in chase rate (34.8%), 86th percentile in whiff rate (30.7%), and 97th percentile in strikeout rate (33.8%). These are certainly some elite metrics.

Grant Taylor, 100mph Fastball and 90mph Slider, Individual Pitches + Overlay pic.twitter.com/CBPRUmD4oy

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 30, 2026

On top of that, being the closer on this Chicago team should lead to plenty of save chances in the final months of the season. The White Sox are performing better than expected this year and continue to find themselves in close games. They played in 32 one-run games in the first half, which was the second-most in baseball, only behind the Guardians (33). The South Siders went 19-13 in those contests.

There's a lot to love about Taylor in the second half. His underlying metrics look great, he's missing a ton of bats on the mound, and the White Sox play in a lot of one-run games. Those three things combined should help him finish in the top three in saves post-All-Star break.

Samuel Basallo Reaches 30 HRs, Rises To Top Catcher Spot

It was an up-and-down first half for Baltimore Orioles catcher Samuel Basallo. He definitely had some really good stretches, like when he slashed .328/.378/.607 with eight home runs and 24 RBI across 38 games from April 12 to May 30. But there were some really bad stretches as well, like when he slashed .177/.239/.242 with two extra-base hits (one home run) and six RBI in his next 19 games from June 2 to June 23.

In the second half, though, the lefty slugger will take off. He will hit 16 home runs to give him 30 on the season and will rise to the top catcher spot in fantasy. Basallo's power is really starting to show up as he gets more comfortable at the plate. The 21-year-old ended the first half by hitting six home runs in his final 16 contests.

HUGE homer
HUUUUGE bat toss

Samuel Basallo puts the @Orioles ahead with one big swing 😤 pic.twitter.com/u2h1qvkjBR

— MLB (@MLB) July 11, 2026

Fantasy managers should expect those home runs to come in bunches down the stretch. He currently ranks in the 85th percentile in expected slugging (.482), 84th percentile in average exit velocity (91.5 mph), 84th percentile in barrel rate (13.1%), 76th percentile in hard-hit rate, and 78th percentile in bat speed (74.6 mph).

Considering Basallo continues to see consistent at-bats in Baltimore's lineup, he's in a prime spot to post elite numbers in the second half.

Ronald Acuna Jr. Leads in Both Home Runs and Stolen Bases

Atlanta Braves outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. has not been able to stay healthy this season. He suffered a left hamstring strain in early May that kept him out for about two weeks, and then strained that same hamstring again in early-to-mid June. The good news is that Acuna should be back shortly after the All-Star break, as the Braves sent him on a rehab assignment with the rookie ball club on July 13.

With Acuna set to return potentially in the next week, there is a strong possibility that the former National League MVP will go berserk in the second half.

Acuna was starting to look like that MVP self on the field before straining his left hamstring for the second time this season on June 9. He went 12-for-38 (.316 batting average) with five home runs, 10 RBI, and seven stolen bases across 11 games from May 28 to June 9. Then, the Braves outfielder reaggravated that same hamstring running out a groundball against the White Sox.

Ronald Acuña Jr. was limping after running hard down the first base line.

Eli White replaces him in right field. pic.twitter.com/Pz3otRxNty

— Jesús Cano (@Jesus_Cano88) June 10, 2026

However, Acuna will be the most valuable fantasy player in the second half if he stays healthy. He was starting to heat up before his injury, and his underlying metrics suggest a strong second half could be in store. The five-time All-Star currently owns a 93rd percentile xwOBA (.378), 86th percentile in expected slugging (.489), 84th percentile in barrel rate (13.1%), 92nd percentile bat speed (76 mph), and 96th percentile walk rate (14.8%).

If there's any player who could lead the second half in both home runs and stolen bases, it would be Acuna. He has the upside to do it.

Emmet Sheehan Is A Top 10 Fantasy Pitcher

It has been a first half to forget for Los Angeles Dodgers starting pitcher Emmet Sheehan. Sheehan was a popular breakout candidate entering fantasy drafts this season after a spectacular 2025 campaign that saw him finish with a 2.82 ERA across 73 1/3 innings pitched. Unfortunately, the young right-hander has not had the breakout campaign most expected.

Sheehan has a whopping 4.81 ERA across 82 1/3 innings pitched this season. He has a 5.09 ERA over his last nine starts since mid-May, and has had plenty of blowup outings during this stretch. The 26-year-old gave up four runs across four innings against the Padres on May 19, allowed two runs across 1 1/3 innings against the Angels on June 6, and allowed six runs across 3 1/3 innings against the Orioles on June 21.

However, Sheehan has the makings to be a top-10 fantasy pitcher in the second half. He showed he can be that elite-caliber pitcher last year and has shown glimpses of that potential in the first half. The 26-year-old also appears to be getting into a bit of a groove on the mound, as he has thrown the ball well in each of his last three outings.

Sheehan threw five innings of one-run ball with five strikeouts against the Padres on May 28, threw 4 1/3 innings of one-run ball with five strikeouts against the Padres again on July 5, and allowed two earned runs with seven strikeouts against the Diamondbacks in his last start before the All-Star break. While these outings aren't anything spectacular, his 2.45 ERA during this stretch shows he could be turning a corner.

The biggest reason to love him moving forward is that he's still missing bats at a pretty high clip. Despite how poorly Sheehan has pitched this season, he still has a 91st percentile chase rate (35.2%), an 84th percentile whiff rate (30.2%), and a 76th percentile strikeout rate (26.6%). He owns an elite 14.4% swinging-strike rate as well.

The swing-and-miss ability is a clear sign that Sheehan has the stuff to blossom into a breakout pitcher in the second half. He has a 22%+ whiff rate and a 15%+ putaway rate on all four of his pitches, and is due for some positive regression in the final 2 1/2 months. Sheehan's expected ERA (3.88) is 93 points lower than his actual ERA (4.81)

If he can just put it all together, the Dodgers right-hander could be a top-10 fantasy pitcher in the second half.

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