EACH TEAMS PLAYER THAT NEEDS TO STEP UP IN SECOND HALF OF THE SEASON

PITTSBURGH PIRATES: GREGORY POLANCO

It may very well be make or break time for Polanco in Pittsburgh, who has begun to show more consistent flashes of his long-anticipated potential of late. His 17 home runs are encouraging that his long-awaited breakout could be about to occur.

ARIZONA DIAMONDBACKS: JAKE LAMB

Coming into the year, Lamb had begun to entrench himself among the best young power hitters in the game. However, he has struggled to get into gear after spraining his left shoulder cost him much of April. After averaging 29.5 home runs over the past two years, Lamb enters the second half with only six, causing his slugging percentage to drop over 120 points from last season.

ATLANTA BRAVES: ENDER INCIARTE

While the Braves have been full of surprises this year, the underwhelming returns from the usually consistent Inciarte have not been a welcome one. After hitting .300 over the past three seasons and accounting for two offensive win shares each year since 2015, Inciarte’s average has tumbled 60 points. While remaining both a defensive and speed threat, a steadier Inciarte could make a significant difference in a tight NL East race.

BALTIMORE ORIOLES: JONATHAN SCHOOP

Coming off a 32-homer, 105-RBI All-Star breakout a year ago, Schoop positioned himself to be the heir apparent to Manny Machado at the heart of the O’s lineup. Instead, the O’s second baseman has tumbled with the rest of his lineup mates. His .231/.264/.403/.667 split line is a worrisome downslide when the franchise needs him most.

BOSTON RED SOX: DAVID PRICE

Price had his moments in the first half, but he still isn't the ace he was before heading to Boston. His continued struggles with the big moment (5.03 postseason ERA) and the Yankees (24.92 ERA this year) create a black cloud over the potential of the Red Sox to finally get over the hill of the ALDS this October. While Price is on pace to reach 17 victories for the second time in three years with the Sox, picking up a first postseason win since relocating to Fenway would be very timely.

CHICAGO CUBS: ANTHONY RIZZO

Usually the most dependable weapon in the Cubs' arsenal, Rizzo has struggled to live up to his usual standard this year. His .792 OPS is a five-year worst and lowest since his first full season in the Chicago lineup back in 2013. Although he has continued to drive in runs at a high rate, a trend up toward his usual MVP-caliber levels could easily separate the Cubs from the pack in the NL yet again.

CHICAGO WHITE SOX: LUCAS GIOLITO

In Giolito’s final start of the first half, he completed his first scoreless outing of the year, keeping the Royals off the board over a 6.1-inning outing. Even with this high-water mark, his ERA still sits at a rotund 6.18. Giolito’s first full year of duty has been a brutal one that includes just three more strikeouts than walks and six outings of yielding five earned runs or more. The Sox are seemingly fully invested in letting him work through this amid their rebuild, so one can only hope his confidence can turn the corner in the second half.

CINCINNATI REDS: LUIS CASTILLO

The ultra-talented righty has shown flashes of the potential that have many followers of the Reds believing Castillo can become the club’s first ace since the departure of Johnny Cueto. The only problem is that those flashes have been offset by some tough patches of growing pains as well. He has struggled with his command and keeping the ball in the park, which has contributed to him allowing the most earned runs and home runs in the National League.

CLEVELAND INDIANS: THE ENTIRE BULLPEN

Although the Indians expect the return of Andrew Miller and struck a deal to acquire All-Star reliever Brad Hand, the Cleveland bullpen is still in dire need of snapping back to life. A year after leading baseball with a 2.89 bullpen ERA, the team’s ERA has ballooned due to a cocktail of injuries and underachievement. Even closer Cody Allen has seen his ERA rise to nearly 5.00 despite converting 20 of 21 saves so far.

COLORADO ROCKIES: JON GRAY

After opening the season as the clear-cut leader of the Colorado staff, Gray had a whirlwind first half that included a demotion late. With the Rockies back in the NL West race, they will need Gray to resume where he left off at a year ago, when he won 10 games and averaged over a strikeout per inning.

DETROIT TIGERS: JEIMER CANDELARIO

Coming into 2018, Candelario seemed to be on the verge of a breakout campaign. After producing an .874 OPS over a 27-game sample size when he came over from the Cubs in the Justin Wilson trade last season, Candelario seemed primed for a strong follow-up season. Instead, the 24-year-old has hit only .230, although the flash of power he has displayed (14 home runs) is encouraging.

HOUSTON ASTROS: KEN GILES

Although he looked to have gotten over the struggles that plagued him during the Astros' World Series run early in the year, troubled waters washed in again on Giles by May. After a 7.88 ERA in May and then a disastrous handful of appearances in July, capped by a blow-up at manager A.J. Hinch, Giles was demoted to Triple-A, where he still resides. Eventually the talented hurler will be recalled, and a Houston bullpen that still needs to define itself late in games will need him to have everything sorted out.

KANSAS CITY ROYALS: DANNY DUFFY

When Duffy and the Royals agreed to a five-year, $65 million extension in early 2017, the idea was that the lefty would soon assume the role of ace in K.C. That future is in doubt at best, as he is stumbling through a rough year to date. A recent uptick has provided some hope, as in four of his last five starts he has allowed one run or fewer — surrounded by allowing six earned runs over six innings against the Indians on July 3. A continued return to his expected level of production would be a welcome sign amid a miserable season in western Missouri.

LOS ANGELES ANGELS: IAN KINSLER

In a busy winter, the veteran additions of Kinsler and Zack Cozart were intended to supply a pair of veteran bats to provide a stronger supporting cast around Mike Trout and company. Instead, the duo finished the first half with identical .219 averages and Cozart out for the season with a shoulder injury. The bounceback now falls squarely on the shoulders of Kinsler, whose .672 OPS is over 100 points lower than his career average.

LOS ANGELES DODGERS: RICH HILL

Hill is with the Dodgers to provide pitching depth, while also holding the upside of an excellent outing here and there. Thus far on the year, Hill has at the very least provided depth by being a (mostly) warm body within a rotation that has yet again been a turnstile fueled by injuries. Over his 13 outings, Hill has delivered a quality start in only four. With the annually ambitious Dodgers climbing back into the NL West race, they will require much more than just solid attendance from Hill.

MIAMI MARLINS: LEWIS BRINSON

Of all the talents acquired during the great Miami outfield purge in 2017, none’s potential shined brighter than Brinson’s. So far, while the talent has been clear, he has been too often unable to convert those skills into production. The 10 home runs and exciting outfield dashes have shown flashes of the potential, but the sky-high strikeout totals (94 in 84 games), minimal walks (14) and cringeworthy on-base percentage (.232) make it hard to watch the maturation process so far.

MILWAUKEE BREWERS: CHASE ANDERSON

It is not that Anderson has been particularly bad so far, as his 3.81 ERA is respectable, as is his 1.20 WHIP. The thing is that the Brewers need him to be closer to the level he was at a year ago, when Anderson turned in a 2.74 ERA over 25 starts, including a 4-1 record and 2.06 ERA in September. With the Brewers' struggles late in the first half echoing their second-half decline of a year ago, a throwback version of Anderson would be very timely.

MINNESOTA TWINS: MIGUEL SANO

Just a year ago, it seemed as if Sano was ready to arrive on the scene as one of the elite power presences in the game. It has all come tumbling down this year, as the Twins would-be DH has not been able to even stay present on the MLB roster after hitting just .203 with 66 strikeouts in 37 games on the year. Hopes are that after a productive stop at Triple-A he can soon return to the ways that made him top 25 homers in each of the last two years.

NEW YORK METS: MICHAEL CONFORTO

It has been a rough year for Conforto. After spending the winter rehabbing the freak shoulder dislocation that prematurely ended his breakout campaign a year ago, he has struggled to get into gear all season. His average has lived beneath the Mendoza line for the past two months, as the Mets’ season has bottomed out. For no other reason than wanting the best for an exciting young talent who got a bad break, let's hope Conforto can find his way again over the next three months.

NEW YORK YANKEES: SONNY GRAY

So far Gray’s tenure in the Bronx has seen him become one of the most underwhelming blockbuster trade returns in the history of a franchise that is known for them. The former Oakland ace has struggled with stunning regularity at a time when the New York rotation stands as the team's biggest question mark. Gray allowed four or more earned runs over five or fewer innings in five of his last 10 starts, but his upside still remains tantalizing. If he can straighten himself out, the Yankees could cross their singular uncertainty off the board down the stretch.

OAKLAND ATHLETICS: JONATHAN LUCROY

With the A’s unexpectedly finding themselves at the heart of the AL Wild Card race, it would be a prime time for Lucroy to channel the form that made him an All-Star as recently as 2016. Lucroy’s power has all but abandoned him over the last two years, but if nothing else if he can continue to guide the surprising mix of arms on the A’s and chip in slightly more at the dish, he remains a valuable commodity

PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES: PAT NESHEK

The Phillies were aggressive in upgrading their bullpen this winter, with Neshek at the heart of that effort. So far though, Neshek has been limited to just eight appearances on the year as he has dealt with a forearm injury. Since returning just before the break, Neshek has allowed just three hits over six appearances and notched his first save of the year in the process. The 37-year-old could make an immense difference in the Phillies' push to hold ground atop the NL East.

SAN DIEGO PADRES: MANUEL MARGOT

Margot was one of the most exciting collections of skills in the game a year ago, often displaying five-tool potential. In year two, however, he has struggled to replicate that form, hitting .245 with only three home runs and converting only nine of 16 of his stolen base attempts. With a farm system preparing to inject Petco Park with several talents as soon as this fall, it would be encouraging to see Margot fortify his place in the future over the next two months.

SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS: EVAN LONGORIA

So far all of the worst-case scenarios for the Giants' acquisition of Longoria have come true. Before being sidelined with a fractured hand in mid-June, Longoria was among the worst everyday third basemen in baseball, producing only a .246/.278/.434 split line, with a continued steep decline in his power output as well. With the Giants suddenly sitting on the outskirts of the NL West race, a more productive return from the veteran slugger could be a much-needed booster shot for improving their chances.

SEATTLE MARINERS: KYLE SEAGER

While the Mariners’ knack for pulling off tight, dramatic victories has been fun to watch, some of the need for such wins could be alleviated with an increased offensive impact from Seager. The usually dependable third baseman has struggled through a career-worst year so far, hitting in the .230s while also struggling to keep his OPS above .700. With Robinson Cano still on the shelf and Oakland baring down on the M's in the standings, a vintage Seager second half is needed.

ST. LOUIS CARDINALS: MARCELL OZUNA

Ozuna was brought to St. Louis over the winter after he became a breakout power provider in Miami last summer. Three months later, the Cardinals are still waiting to see him resume that form. An up-and-down first half for Ozuna concluded with just 10 home runs and a .385 slugging percentage, which checked in at seventh among Cardinal regulars.

TAMPA BAY RAYS: KEVIN KIERMAIER

In what has become an annual event at this point, Kiermaier missed significant time, out for over two months with a thumb injury. Aside of a June 25 grand slam against the Nationals, he has struggled to bring any value to the lineup since returning, hitting .158 in June before sliding slightly north of .200 so far in July. Elite glovework aside, Tampa needs more from its $5 million franchise star.

TEXAS RANGERS: ROUGNED ODOR

Odor has long been a feast or famine type at the plate, but what he has regressed to this year is not much more than a thorn in the side of the Rangers. Sitting on the brink of a potentially major rebuild period, Odor is not doing much to make a case for being either valuable long term or having much trade value either. Texas desperately needs him to rediscover his power stroke, as he connected for only seven home runs on the year after topping 30 in each of the past two years.

TORONTO BLUE JAYS: MARCUS STROMAN

The ascension of Stroman to one of the top young arms in the game has taken a severe detour in the early going this year. The 27-year-old would-be ace brings a brutal 3-7 record along with a 5.42 ERA into the second half. While Stroman is certain to survive any purge of the roster that could be ahead, getting back on track is essential to both the immediate and long-term future of the club.

WASHINGTON NATIONALS: BRYCE HARPER

Impressive power numbers aside, his .218 average caps the worst half of overall production in his career and has dropped to below .200 so far in July. The bottom line is that there is still time for the Nationals to salvage this season, but it will be impossible to do so until Harper snaps out of it and becomes himself again. Perhaps his remarkable showing during the All-Star festivities will do the trick.