Predicting Every MLB Team's Breakout Candidate for the Second Half

Back before the season began, at the beginning of March, we took a look at every team's biggest breakout candidate heading into the season.

With the All-Star break nearly upon us, now seems to be as good a time as any to take a look back while looking ahead at the same time.

How did those players selected four months ago pan out? Are they having that breakout season as expected? Or has another player laid claim to the title of "biggest breakout candidate" going forward?

There's only one way to find out.

Arizona Diamondbacks

Preseason Pick: Paul Goldschmidt (.302/.370/.541, 11 HR, 37 RBI)

Second-Half Pick: Goldschmidt

You could make a case for Trevor Bauer to be the pick here, but I'm sticking with my preseason pick of Paul Goldschmidt, who leads D-Backs starters with a .302 batting average and 23 doubles.

After making those who compared him to Carlos Pena look correct by hitting .193 in April, the 24-year-old has absolutely been on fire, posting a batting line of .335/.396/.622 with 10 home runs and 29 RBI.

Hitting fifth in the Diamondbacks lineup, Goldschmidt's RBI totals should be higher than they are. That being said, it's hard to find fault with the season that he's putting together.

Atlanta Braves

Preseason Pick: Jason Heyward (.273/.342/.507, 14 HR, 41 RBI)

Second-Half Pick: Andrelton Simmons (.302/.348/.462, 3 HR, 14 RBI)

While Jason Heyward is on his way to putting together the first 20/20 season of his career, I honestly expected him to break out in a big way this season. While he still could, there's a new pick in Atlanta for the second half of the season.

Once Andrelton Simmons got the call to start the month of June with the Braves, he went on a tear, posting a .333/.365/.522 batting line for the month while playing above-average defense at shortstop.

Simmons has struggled since the calendar flipped to July, picking up only two hits over his last 16 at-bats, but there's no reason to think that his struggles at the plate will last.

Baltimore Orioles

Preseason Pick: Brian Matusz (16 GS, 5-10, 5.42 ERA, 1.71 WHIP, 6.59 K/9, 6 QS)

Second-Half Pick: Chris Tillman (1 GS, 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 0.48 WHIP, 7.56 K/9, 1 QS)

The Orioles have patiently waited for someone amongst their trio of young starting pitchers comprised of Jake Arrieta, Brian Matusz and Chris Tillman to step up and take charge in 2012. While Arrieta and Matusz have both fallen flat on their face, it seems as if Tillman could be the one to grab the bull by the horns.

Having spent the majority of the year in Triple-A Norfolk, where he went 8-8 with a 3.63 ERA, 1.29 WHIP and a 9.3 K/9 ratio, the 24-year-old Tillman threw 8.1 innings of shutout ball against the Mariners on July 4, allowing a total of four base runners and striking out seven.

Tillman has struggled in parts of the past three seasons in Baltimore, and there is every reason to say that his 2012 big league debut was nothing more than a fluke.

But I'm willing to wager that Tillman figured something out in Norfolk and that the right-hander is poised to reward the Orioles by becoming the consistent, in-house starting pitcher that they desperately need to help Jason Hammel and Wei-Yin Chen, who simply cannot do it by themselves.

Some would pick Dylan Bundy, the 19-year-old flamethrower the Orioles drafted in the first round of the 2011 draft, as their second half breakout player. While Orioles' skipper Buck Showalter didn't discount the notion of calling Bundy up to the big leagues this season, I just don't see it happening.

Boston Red Sox

Preseason Pick: Mike Aviles (80 G, .261/.283.411, 9 HR, 43 RBI, 9-for-13 SB)

Second-Half Pick: Will Middlebrooks (48 G, .298/.335/.538, 10 HR, 37 RBI, 3-for-4 SB)

Mike Aviles hasn't had a bad season, but I'll go ahead and say that Adrian Gonzalez was wrong when he told me that Aviles was poised to have his breakout season at the age of 30.

Rookie third baseman Will Middlebrooks' swing seems tailor-made for Fenway Park, where he's hitting .326/.377/.589 with six home runs and 25 RBI. Including today's double-header against the Yankees, Boston has 38 home games remaining on the schedule.

The last Red Sox rookie to truly have a prolific rookie season was Nomar Garciaparra back in 1997, when he hit .306/.342/.534 with 30 home runs and 98 RBI en route to taking home AL Rookie of the Year award honors, The 23-year-old third baseman is on pace to join Nomar in making his rookie campaign his breakout season.

It's tough to imagine that Middlebrooks can beat out Anaheim's Mike Trout for the AL Rookie of the Year this season, but he'll certainly be in the conversation when the voting takes place.

Chicago Cubs

Preseason Pick: Bryan LaHair (71 G, .289/.369/.529, 14 HR, 30 RBI, 1-for-2 SB)

Second-Half Pick: LaHair

Sure, Anthony Rizzo has come in and taken the first base job away from Bryan LaHair—something Cubs' manager Dale Sveum didn't believe would happen heading into the season—but that's not a knock on the 29-year-old LaHair, who has moved to right field since Rizzo's promotion.

Excluding Rizzo's 10 games thus far, LaHair leads the Cubs in batting average, on-base percentage and OPS. Regardless of where he's playing in the field, with 26 extra-base hits on the season (he has 14 two-baggers), you'd like to see more run production out of such a powerful hitter.

"

#Cubs will listen on Bryan LaHair, but price remains high at the moment. They don’t have to trade him.

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) July 5, 2012

 

"

While the Cubs are willing to deal LaHair, it certainly isn't because they are displeased with his performance through the first half of the season. Were he 24 or 25 years old, there's little doubt that he, along with Rizzo and Starlin Castro, would be looked at as the three building blocks of the Cubs' offense for the next decade.

Regardless of where LaHair calls home after the trade deadline, there is no reason to bet against him continuing to produce at the plate.

Chicago White Sox

Preseason Pick: Dayan Viciedo (75 G, .254/.298/.441, 14 HR, 38 RBI, 0-for-0 SB)

Second-Half Pick: Addison Reed (33 G, 2-1, 3.90 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 9.9 K/9 ratio, 12-for-13 SV)

Outfielders Dayan Viciedo and Alejandro De Aza have had fine seasons for the White Sox, and reliever-turned-starter Chris Sale has been their breakout performer over the first half of the season, but I'm going with another young flamethrower for their second-half breakout performer: current closer Addison Reed.

Reed, 23, was ranked as the organization's best prospect by Baseball America heading into the season, and for good reason—his fastball sits around 95 mph, while his slider (which has late bite to it) comes in more than 10 mph lower, in the 83-84 range, making it seem more like a changeup than anything else.

He's been mediocre at best since the middle of May, pitching to a 5.85 ERA and 1.40 WHIP over his last 20 appearances, but Reed is simply too talented for those numbers not to improve drastically in the second half of the season.

Cincinnati Reds

Preseason Pick: Devin Mesoraco (37 G, .212/.297/.398, 5 HR, 13 RBI, 1-for-2 SB)

Second-Half Pick: Zack Cozart (78 G, 247/.294/.396, 8 HR, 16 RBI, 2-for-2 SB)

While Devin Mesoraco is still the Reds' catcher of the future, the future is not now, as 31-year-old Ryan Hanigan has outplayed the rookie in every aspect of the game. Simply put, the 24-year-old Mesoraco has a lot of work ahead of him before Reds' manager Dusty Baker will give him the keys to the kingdom.

Zack Cozart, the Reds' 26-year-old shortstop—who finished third in the B/R experts' Preseason Award Picks for National League Rookie of the Year—has been disappointing over the first half of the season, struggling to get on base consistently while hitting atop the Reds' potent lineup.

Over parts of five minor league seasons, Cozart posted a .270/.332/.421 batting line. While minor league success doesn't automatically carry over into the major leagues, there is reason to think that Cozart can improve on his rather pedestrian first half numbers.

I, for one, expect that he will.

Cleveland Indians

Preseason Pick: Jason Kipnis (81G, .272/.337/.415, 11 HR, 49 RBI, 20-for-21 SB)

Second-Half Pick: Kipnis

As expected, 25-year-old Jason Kipnis has put together an outstanding first half of the season for the Indians. He has come through with clutch hitting and fantastic defense, firmly entrenching himself in the middle of the lineup.

More deserving of an All-Star selection than Rangers' second baseman Ian Kinsler, Indians' manager Manny Acta understands that it's not easy for a rookie to break into the midsummer classic. Shortly after the rosters were announced, he said, per the AP (via the Washington Post):

"

He’s not the only one. It’s easy for us to be biased because we see him on an everyday basis and we want him to be in there bad, but if you look around the league there are some guys who also must feel that they have been snubbed. We let him know, he’s our All-Star in our hearts and he’s going to have an opportunity again because he’s going to be good for years to come.

But I really wanted to see him over there.

"

While Kipnis and the Indians may not be thrilled that he's getting some extra rest over the All-Star break, Kipnis is poised to put together one of the more impressive rookie campaigns by a second baseman in recent history.

As for the All-Star snub, it's safe to say that we'll be seeing Kipnis represent the American League for many years to come.

Colorado Rockies

Preseason Pick: Dexter Fowler (79 G, .288/.379/.539, 11 HR, 36 RBI, 7-for-8 SB)

Second-Half Pick: Fowler

Rockies' manager Jim Tracy was pleased with the shape that 26-year-old center fielder Dexter Fowler reported to camp in, and he's seen Fowler's hard work manifest itself in what many would say is a borderline All-Star caliber first half of the season.

Talking to the Denver Post's Josh Saunders, Tracy remains high on the man known as Dex:

"

In my opinion, right now, he's in the best place he's ever been offensively since he arrived in the big leagues. What is dramatically improving before our eyes is his pitch recognition — what's a strike and what's a ball — especially on breaking balls when Dex is up there as a left-hander. He's doing a much better job of recognizing that pitch quickly. When pitchers make a mistake and Dex gets a hittable pitch, he's not fouling it off, he's driving the ball.

"

His nine triples lead all of baseball, and his .379 on-base percentage ranks among the best of any outfielder in the game. However, his defense is still lacking at points, he strikes out entirely too much—29 percent of the time—and his splits on the road, compared to at Coors Field, are significantly worse.

While he's not a superstar, Fowler is developing into a solid baseball player—and there's every reason to expect his development to continue in the second half of the season.

Detroit Tigers

Preseason Pick: Brennan Boesch (78 G, .239/.274/.364, 8 HR, 31 RBI, 3-for-5 SB)

Second-Half Pick: Drew Smyly (15 GS, 4-3, 4.42 ERA, 1.27 WHIP, 8.51 K/9, 6 QS)

Of the 30 players I pegged as breakout candidates heading into the season, nobody may have been more disappointing than Brennan Boesch. He has failed to live up to even the most modest of expectations, and finds himself now in a platoon with Ryan Raburn in the Tigers' outfield.

Drew Smyly on the other hand has been a pleasant surprise for the Tigers starting rotation, starting off hot (1-0 record with a 1.59 ERA over his first four starts) before cooling off and landing on the disabled list (3-3 with a 5.65 in 11 starts since.)

He finished the first half on a positive note on Friday, holding the Royals to two runs over six innings of work while striking out a career-high 10 batters. It is performances like that which lead me to call Smyly the Tigers' best breakout candidate for the second half of the season.

Houston Astros

Preseason Pick: J.D. Martinez (76 G, .233/.314/.396, 11 HR, 48 RBI, 0-for-1 SB)

Second-Half Pick: Jose Altuve (77 G, .299/.339/.435, 5 HR, 25 RBI, 14-for-19 SB)

While the power numbers have been there for Martinez, his depressed batting average and inability to get on base consistently leave much to be desired.

There's no reason for me to not go with the Astros' biggest breakout player (and one of the biggest in baseball thus far in 2012), All-Star second baseman Jose Altuve, as we look ahead to the second half of the season.

Altuve leads the Astros in batting average, doubles, triples and runs scored. While the diminutive 22-year-old isn't an intimidating physical presence by any means, standing 5'5" and weighing 170 pounds, he has been a menace for pitchers around the league.

He has struggled in July, posting a .211/.238/.263 batting line over 19 at-bats. But I wouldn't bet against Altuve being able to get back on track in the second half of the season as he makes his case for NL Rookie of the Year honors at the end of the season.

Kansas City Royals

Preseason Pick: Mike Moustakas (77 G, .269/.330/.486, 14 HR, 44 RBI, 1-for-2 SB)

Second-Half Pick: Wil Myers (Triple-A: 48 G, .315/.395/.636, 14 HR, 42 RBI, 1-for-1 SB)

Mike Moustakas has had a fine first half of the season manning the hot corner for the Royals. His 14 home runs and 44 RBI trails only All-Star Billy Butler for the team lead.

But outfielder Wil Myers is beyond ready to contribute at the major league level. Royals' GM Dayton Moore truly has no reason to keep him down on the farm other than not wanting to start the clock on his service time from starting.

Myers, one of the best prospects in all of baseball, is bound to reach the big leagues at some point in the second half of the season—perhaps after the trade deadline, when it makes sense that Jeff Francoeur could find himself playing elsewhere, opening up a spot for the 21-year-old phenom.

He has the ability and plate discipline where he could immediately slide into the No. 3 spot in the Royals' batting order, allowing the team to drop the struggling Eric Hosmer to a less stressful place in the lineup.

Whenever Myers does make his major league debut, he will take the league by storm—he's the real deal.

Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim

Preseason Pick: Mike Trout (61 G, .348/.403/.555, 10 HR, 38 RBI, 26-for-29 SB)

Second-Half Pick: Trout

What were you doing when you were 20 years old?

Me, I was having entirely too much fun in college.

Mike Trout? He's putting together one of the most impressive rookie campaigns that the game has ever seen.

Forget the American League Rookie of the Year award, because it would take a failure of epic proportions for Trout to not win that award. But he has a legitimate claim to the American League MVP award as well, and that's not something to be taken lightly.

He leads the American League in batting average, stolen bases, is fourth in on-base percentage and both his slugging percentage and OPS land him in the top 10 as well.

Did I mention that he's only 20 years old?

By this time next season, we might be saying that there is no better player in baseball than Mike Trout.

Los Angeles Dodgers

Preseason Pick: Dee Gordon (78 G, .229/.280/.282, 1 HR, 17 RBI, 30-for-38 SB)

Second-Half Pick: A.J. Ellis (66 G, .271/.394/.402, 6 HR, 27 RBI, 0-for-0 SB)

Sure, Dee Gordon has utilized his speed to lead baseball in stolen bases, but that doesn't mean much when you look at the rest of his offensive numbers—which are, well, downright offensive.

A backup for his entire career until this season, 31-year-old catcher A.J. Ellis has taken off as a starter. He's put up outstanding numbers for a catcher who spends most of his time hitting in the bottom third of the Dodgers' lineup.

With the exception of home runs and RBI, Ellis' stats place him in the top 10 of all major league catchers, and his .394 on-base percentage ranks third in baseball behind Joe Mauer and Carlos Ruiz.

His ability to handle the pitching staff has only aided the quality pitchers that the Dodgers can throw both from the starting rotation and bullpen, leading them to have one of the most effective and complete pitching staffs in all of baseball.

It's not every day that a player past his 30th birthday has his breakout season. But A.J. Ellis has treated every day as if it's his last in the majors. And that's led to fantastic results over the first half of the season, results that should continue as the Dodgers' make a run at their first World Series championship since 1988.

Miami Marlins

Preseason Pick: Logan Morrison (78 G, 248/.326/.447, 11 HR, 38 RBI, 0-for-0 SB)

Second-Half Pick: Morrison

Partly due to my own belief that Logan Morrison is a heck of a baseball player and partly due to the realization that the Marlins really don't have another viable candidate, I'm sticking with the 24-year-old outfielder as my pick for the Marlins' breakout candidate in the second half of the season.

Morrison set some lofty goals for himself heading into the season—30 home runs and 100 RBI—and he's got quite a ways to go before he can even think of reaching those numbers. But there is no disputing that Morrison is a supremely talented offensive player, and he's ending the first half of the season on a hot streak, hitting .412/.444/.882 with two home runs and eight RBI in the month of July.

If Morrison can stay healthy and keep his composure at the plate, his overall numbers—though they are likely to fall short of his goals for the season—should be markedly better by the time the 2012 season comes to a close.

Milwaukee Brewers

Preseason Pick: Mat Gamel (21 G, 246/.293/.348, 1 HR, 6 RBI, 3-for-3 SB)

Second-Half Pick: Michael Fiers (8 G, 7 GS, 3-3, 2.31 ERA, 1.07 WHIP, 9.64 K/9, 5 QS)

Mat Gamel was off to a pretty miserable start to the season before tearing his ACL, putting him on the shelf until 2013.

While the Brewers continue to waffle between being buyers or sellers at the trade deadline, 27-year-old righty Michael Fiers has given the Brewers faithful something to be happy about as they wait for the inevitable trades of starting pitchers Zack Greinke and Shaun Marcum.

Fiers doesn't overpower hitters—his fastball sits in the upper 80s to low 90s—but he has command over all of his pitches and can locate the ball with enough consistency to miss bats. That being said, any mistakes that Fiers makes are likely to get crushed by quality hitters.

Fiers has been outstanding over his last five starts, pitching to a 0.94 ERA and holding opposing batters to a .173/.225/.212 batting line.

He doesn't project as a front-of-the-rotation starter, but as long as Fiers continues to command his fastball, slider and chanegup—probably the best pitch of the three—he can continue to break onto the scene in the second half of the season for the Brewers.

Minnesota Twins

Preseason Pick: Ben Revere (49 G, 323/.358/.374, 0 HR, 11 RBI, 17-for-21 SB)

Second-Half Pick: Revere

After being sent down to Triple-A early in the season, 24-year-old speedster Ben Revere has made it difficult for Twins' skipper Ron Gardehire to keep him out of the lineup since his return. He's hitting .328 and causing chaos on the bases when he gets on.

Revere has been a bright spot in an otherwise disappointing first half of the season for the Twins. Though he will never become a power-hitting outfielder, Revere's speed and newly discovered ability to get on base consistently makes him a dangerous offensive weapon.

I was high on Revere heading into the season, and I've had no reason to sour on him since then. Revere will continue to put up excellent numbers hitting near the top of the Twins' lineup, even if the team's results continue to disappoint.

New York Mets

Preseason Pick: Ike Davis (79 G, 204/.275/.385, 11 HR, 47 RBI, 0-for-1 SB)

Second-Half Pick: Kirk Nieuwenhuis (77 G, .267/.329/.402, 7 HR, 25 RBI, 4-for-7 SB)

Next to Brennan Boesch, there may not be a player I pegged as a breakout candidate heading into the season that I'm more disappointed in than Ike Davis. He has simply been awful at the plate in 2012, save a week here or there where he has gotten hot and put up just enough offense to keep his batting average north of the Mendoza line.

While thoughts of 24-year-old outfielder Kirk Nieuwnhuis putting together a Rookie of the Year award winning season have waned, he has been a pleasant surprise for a Mets team that was said to have precious little in the way of impact offensive players down on the farm.

His bat has cooled off over the past month, hitting .227/.269/.443 since June 1, he's had trouble catching up to fastballs in the 90s and he's been dealing with a bruised right hand as of late. But with all that said, he is a talented youngster who has the tools needed to put together a quality second half of the season.

New York Yankees

Preseason Pick: Michael Pineda (Will not play due to injury)

Second-Half Pick: Cody Eppley (27 G, 0-0, 2.91 ERA, 1.29 WHIP, 5.40 K/9, 5 HLD)

The main piece coming back to the Yankees in the trade that saw their top hitting prospect Jesus Montero shipped to the Seattle Mariners, being without Michael Pineda for the entire season not only threw a monkey wrench into the Yankees' 2012 plans, it also drew the ire of the media and Yankees' fans as well.

But the team has survived by piecing together their starting rotation—a rotation that has been bolstered by a surprisingly effective bullpen, one without it's unquestioned leader, Mariano Rivera for the bulk of the season.

Unsung heroes like 26-year-old Cody Eppley, picked up off of waivers from the Texas Rangers earlier this season, have stepped up their games and burst onto the scene in the Bronx. Not only has Eppley been effective against batters from both sides of the plate, but he's thrived in whatever situation Yankees skipper Joe Girardi has put him in.

He''ll never be a superstar, but on a team where unproven players rarely get a chance to shine, Eppley has made the most of his opportunity.

Oakland A's

Preseason Pick: Jarrod Parker (13 GS, 5-3, 2.46 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 6.83 K/9, 10 QS)

Second-Half Pick: Parker

I was a bit off on this one, saying that Parker would surpass Brandon McCarthy as the ace of the A's staff by Memorial Day. While I believe Parker has surpassed McCarthy, their first-half statistics are virtually identical, so we'll call it a tie.

But that doesn't change the fact that, going forward, the 23-year-old Parker will have the expectations of an ace laid upon him. After his first half performance, it's easy to see why.

Perker has allowed more than two earned runs in only two of his starts—both against National League teams—and he's allowed no more than one run in nine of the remaining 11.

That's a ridiculous accomplishment—and one that has flown under the radar across much of the league. Jarrod Parker is the real deal, and he's only going to get better—a scary proposition for the rest of the American League.

Philadelphia Phillies

Preseason Pick: John Mayberry Jr. (77 G, .229/.264/.376, 6 HR, 23 RBI, 1-for-1 SB)

Second-Half Pick: Carlos Ruiz (76 G, .349/.413/.586, 13 HR, 46 RBI, 3-for-3 SB)

Like A.J. Ellis with the Dodgers, it's not everyday that a catcher on the wrong side of 30 has a breakout season. But that's exactly what 33-year-old Carlos Ruiz has done in Philadelphia this season.

With John Mayberry Jr. unable to contribute much of anything on offense and the team playing the bulk of the first half without stars Chase Utley and Ryan Howard, Ruiz stepped up his game at the plate, resulting in the first All-Star selection of his seven-year career.

While he's always shown some ability with the bat, Ruiz has never had a season like this. He's already set a new career high in home runs, and shortly after the All-Star break, we'll see him shatter his all-time highs in virtually every other offensive category as well.

I'd be crazy to bet against Ruiz being able to continue his hot hitting for the rest of the season—especially with both Howard and Utley back in the fold in Philadelphia.

Pittsburgh Pirates

Preseason Pick: Pedro Alvarez (74 G, .234/.308/.484, 16 HR, 49 RBI, 0-for-0 SB)

Second-Half Pick: James McDonald (16 GS, 8-3, 2.45 ERA, 1.00 WHIP, 7.86 K/9, 11 QS)

Pedro Alvarez has come into his own as a slugging third baseman. He's on pace to set new career highs in both home runs and RBI. But he continues to be an all-or-nothing kind of player at the plate—he either goes deep or strikes out—and I was looking for more of a complete season out of the former first-round pick.

You could definitely make an argument for Andrew McCutchen as the Pirates' breakout star and nobody would disagree with you—he'd be the National League's MVP if the season ended today.

But considering that McCutchen was a known commodity heading into the season, while 27-year-old James McDonald was not, I'll put my money on McDonald to continue his breakout performance into the second half of the season.

McDonald belongs on the National League All-Star team, having one of the lowest ERAs of any starting pitcher in all of baseball. Without him, there's little chance that the Pirates are still relevant in the postseason discussion.

San Diego Padres

Preseason Pick: Yonder Alonso (81 G, .263/.347/.365, 3 HR, 23 RBI, 2-for-2 SB)

Second-Half Pick: Yasmani Grandal (8 G, .296/.296/.778, 4 HR, 6 RBI, 0-for-0 SB)

Part of the haul that the Padres received from the Cincinnati Reds in exchange for staff ace Mat Latos, Yonder Alonso has put together a solid, albeit unspectacular rookie campaign.

But it's another piece of that trade, 23-year-old catcher Yasmani Grandal, who is poised to breakout in the second half of the season for the Padres.

Grandal, who was hitting Triple-A pitching to the tune of a .335/.443/.521 mark with six home runs and 35 RBI in 56 games, has all the tools necessary to translate that success to the major league level. He has the swing and plate discipline to hit for a high average while still having the ability to go deep—something that you don't see all the time with catchers.

Alonso had his chance in the first half to break out—now it's Grandal's turn.

San Francisco Giants

Preseason Pick: Brandon Belt (71 G, .259/.365/.427, 4 HR, 30 RBI, 5-for-6 SB)

Second-Half Pick: Belt

I remarked back in March that minor league numbers don't typically translate to the major leagues, but made note of Belt's .457 on-base percentage over two seasons of minor league ball. While he isn't getting on base at such an out-of-this-world clip in the big leagues, his .365 clip thus far in 2012 is impressive and is indicative of the kind of batter that the 24-year-old first baseman is.

After hitting nine home runs in 63 games last season with the Giants, many people, myself included, figured that Belt's power would continue to develop in 2012. Through the first half of the season, that hasn't been the case. And with no power game to supplement the rest of his offensive attack, his batting average leaves something to be desired as well.

You could easily make a case for Ryan Vogelsong as the Giants' best breakout candidate after his impressive first half of the season, but I'm going to be stubborn and stick with my preseason pick of Belt going forward.

Over his last 100 at-bats, Belt has posted a .294/.386/.521 batting line with four home runs and 16 RBI. I see no reason why he cannot carry that success over into the second half of the season.

Seattle Mariners

Preseason Pick: Jesus Montero (73 G, .245/.281/.376, 8 HR, 28 RBI, 0-for-2 SB)

Second-Half Pick: Danny Hultzen (Minor Leagues: 16 GS, 9-4, 1.75 ERA, 1.10 WHIP, 9.7 K/9)

The key piece in the trade that sent starter Michael Pineda to the Yankees this past winter, Jesus Montero has proven the doubters wrong: It's not his defense behind the plate that wasn't major league ready—it's been his bat.

Since finishing the first month of the season with a .259 batting average, four home runs and 13 RBI, Montero has been even worse at the plate. Since the calendar flipped to May, Montero has posted a .238/.285/.358 batting line with four home runs and 12 RBI, looking lost at the plate and in need of guidance.

While Montero and the Mariners' offense continues to sputter, 2011 first-round draft pick Danny Hultzen is quickly working his way through their minor league system. With the team having no shot at the playoffs in 2012 and the chance that starters Jason Vargas and Kevin Millwood could find themselves elsewhere at the trade deadline, it's only a matter of time before Hultzen makes his major league debut.

Once he arrives, Hultzen has three above-average major league pitches in his repertoire, and it won't take him long to establish himself as the No. 2 starter in the Mariners' rotation behind the king, Felix Hernandez.

St. Louis Cardinals

Preseason Pick: David Freese (77 G, .291/.338/.479, 13 HR, 51 RBI, 1-for-3 SB)

Second-Half Pick: Freese

I said back in March that all David Freese needed was to stay healthy to finally capitalize on his considerable talent, and what's happened in 2012?

Lo and behold, the 29-year-old MVP of the 2011 World Series has stayed on the field and in the lineup, resulting in his first All-Star selection and putting him on pace to have the best season of his career.

There's simply no reason not to expect Freese to continue playing at such a high level. We could see his RBI totals grow even larger should Cardinals' skipper Mike Matheny move him up from the seventh spot in the batting order.

Tampa Bay Rays

Preseason Pick: Matt Moore (16 GS, 5-5, 4.17 ERA, 1.42 WHIP, 8.81 K/9, 7 QS)

Second-Half Pick: Moore

Matt Moore has yet to "wow" us with a stretch of dominating performances, but considering that he pitches in the toughest division in baseball, the AL East, his numbers to date have been solid for a 23-year-old.

He has shown steady signs of improvement as the season has progressed, and over his last six starts, Moore is pitching to a 3.29 ERA and 1.36 WHIP—numbers more befitting a highly-touted pitching prospect.

Whether or not the Rays plan on putting an innings limit on the lefty remains to be seen. But Moore is beginning to show why most people considered him as the best pitching prospect in baseball heading into the 2012 season.

Texas Rangers

Preseason Pick: Yu Darvish (16 GS, 10-5, 3.59 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, 10.26 K/9, 9 QS)

Second-Half Pick: Darvish

It had to be Yu in March, and it has to be Yu going forward.

Darvish, the 25-year-old Japanese phenom who has taken the league by storm in 2012, caps off the first half of his inaugural major league season by heading to Kansas City as a member of the American League All-Star team next week.

He's had his ups and downs, as rookies are prone to do, but all in all, the Rangers have to be pleased with the results Darvish has delivered.

Since getting tagged for six earned runs by the Oakland A's one month ago, Darvish has been dominating at the plate, pitching to a 3.00 ERA while racking up 40 strikeouts over his last 30 innings of work.

As he continues to acclimate himself to a new country, a new language and a new culture, Darvish will only grow more comfortable in his Rangers' uniform. And that doesn't foretell of good things for those who oppose the Rangers on the days when he is standing on the mound.

Toronto Blue Jays

Preseason Pick: Brett Lawrie (80 G, .290/.334/.426, 8 HR, 33 RBI, 11-for-19 SB)

Second-Half Pick: Lawrie

Brett Lawrie has been as good as advertised at the hot corner for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2012, and the future looks bright, as he leads a crop of talented youngsters expected to take control of the Blue Jays' lineup over the next year or so.

At the plate, Lawrie has shown an ability to get on base consistently while having the power to drive the ball to all fields. In the field, he's been the best defensive third baseman in the American League and has to be considered the front-runner at this point for the Gold Glove award.

He doesn't walk enough and strikes out too much, but those are really the only things you can point to in the first half as areas that he needs to improve upon. Other than that, there is nothing not to like about the 22-year old going forward—both in the second half of this season and for years to come.

Washington Nationals

Preseason Pick: Bryce Harper (61 G, .283/.357/.479, 8 HR, 25 RBI, 8-for-11 SB)

Second-Half Pick: Harper

While the Angels' Mike Trout may be winning the comparison war at the moment, there is no question that 19-year-old Bryce Harper is a megastar in the making.

He's shown the ability to not only handle major league pitching, but to play major league defense in center field—a position many believed he was destined to be moved from. And while his future may still lie in right field, Harper will be a beast regardless of what position he's playing.

Keep in mind that he's only a teenager—and like Trout, Harper's best days still lie ahead of him.