On July 12th this season, the best major leaguers in the game met up in Pittsburgh for this year’s All-Star game to celebrate the best performers in the game over the course of the first three months of the season. The exhibition was both a reward for those players that shined in the first half and also a small break in the grueling, marathon season for the rest of the league to get a chance to regroup and recharge for a strong second half. The players that appeared in that All-Star game were immortalized for their efforts in the first 80+ games, but what about the guys that shine in the second half?

Over the course of the past four weeks, there are some very surprising names on the leaderboards. Names like Jason Bartlett, Juan Rivera, Mark Teahen and Michael Cuddyer were nowhere to be found on this year’s All-Star Game ballots, but they’ve shockingly dominated the league since the famed exhibition game. Hurlers such as Carlos Silva, Joe Saunders, Scott Olsen and Jeremy Sowers didn’t get any consideration for a trip to Pittsburgh, but they’ve outperformed the likes of Pedro, Webb, Johan and Carpenter since. In this edition of Inside the Numbers, we’ll break down the top performers in each major Rotisserie category over the second half.

Hitting Leaders
Batting Averages (min. 60 AB)
1. Jason Bartlett, MIN .424 (36-for-85)
2. Adrian Gonzalez, SD .411 (37-for-90)
3. Luke Scott, HOU .403 (25-for-62)
4. Paul Lo Duca, NYM .400 (28-for-70)
5. Justin Morneau, MIN .396 (38-for-96)
6. Miguel Tejada, BAL .389 (35-for-90)
7. Prince Fielder, MIL .384 (28-for-73)
8. Howie Kendrick, LAA .380 (27-for-71)
9. Luis Gonzalez, ARI .379 (36-for-95)
10. Dave Roberts, SD .377 (29-for-77)

Bartlett, Gonzalez and Scott? Not exactly the same appeal as Ichiro, Mauer and Jeter, huh… Gonzalez, the former first-rounder for the Marlins, has finally settled into a nice role with the Padres, quietly hitting .306 with 19 long balls in his first full season in the bigs. In a very pitcher-friendly ballpark at PETCO, he’s proven he belongs. Kendrick got called up to the Angels again in mid-July and promptly put together a 16-game hitting streak, raising his average from .115 to .309.

Home Runs
1. Ryan Howard, PHI 11 HR in 86 AB, (7.8 AB)
2. Adam LaRoche, ATL 10 HR in 76 AB, (7.6 AB)
3T. Aramis Ramirez, CHC 9 HR in 82 AB (9.1 AB)
3T. Mark Teixeira, TEX 9 HR in 85 AB (9.4 AB)
3T. David Ortiz, BOS 9 HR in 93 AB (10.3 AB)
6T. Alfonso Soriano, WAS 8 HR in 81 AB (10.1 AB)
6T. Troy Glaus, TOR 8 HR in 71 AB (8.9 AB)
6T. Brian McCann 8 HR in 77 AB (9.6 AB)
6T. Juan Rivera, LAA 8 HR in 93 AB (11.6 AB)
6T. Carlos Beltran, NYM 8 HR in 83 AB (10.4 AB)
6T. Travis Hafner, CLE 8 HR in 91 AB (11.4 AB)
6T. Richie Sexson, SEA 8 HR in 84 AB (10.5 AB)

RBI
1. Howard, PHI 30 RBI
2. Beltran, NYM 29 RBI
3. Morneau, MIN 26 RBI
4T. Rivera, LAA 25 RBI
4T. Glaus, TOR 25 RBI
4T. Vladimir Guerrero, LAA 25 RBI
7. Manny Ramirez, BOS 24 RBI
8. McCann, ATL 23 RBI
9T. LaRoche, ATL 22 RBI
9T. Ortiz, BOS 22 RBI
9T. Andruw Jones, ATL 22 RBI
9T. Michael Cuddyer, MIN 22 RBI

Rivera has been spectacular since coming off the shelf in early May; he’s quietly got 13 home runs and 45 RBI in his 45 starts raising his average 71 points to .300. With about six weeks still remaining, he’s already set career-highs in HR (19), RBI (61) and is one run short of a new best (47). McCann, who was one of the elite who earned a trip to PNC Park in mid-July, has found his power stroke since July. He ripped three HR in the first eight games and then hit a meager two long balls in his next 50 contests. After the break, he went nuts and hit six home runs in his first 10 games, and now has a respectable 14 long balls to go along with a .349 average in the season. Those numbers make him the best catcher in fantasy from a statistical standpoint.

Runs
1. Chase Utley, PHI 23 R
2T. Mark Teahen, KC 21 R
2T. Nick Punto, MIN 21 R
2T. Jimmy Rollins, PHI 21 R
2T. Maicer Izturis, LAA 21 R
2T. Jason Kendall, OAK 21 R
6T. Guerrero, LAA 20 R
6T. Cuddyer, MIN 20 R
6T. Soriano, WAS 20 R
6T. Chris Duncan, STL 20 R
6T. Edgar Renteria, ATL 20 R

On May 5, Teahen was sent down to the minor leagues because he was hitting below the Mendoza line with two homers in 77 at-bats. He got the call back up to the Royals about a month later and hasn’t looked back; he’s hitting .306 (61-for-199) with 11 HR and 41 RBI in two-plus months since and is a bona fide start in any fantasy format for the first time in his career. Duncan, whose father is the long-time pitching coach for the Cards, has made the most of his platoon role and has shown a ton of power in the process. He ranks sixth in the majors with 20 runs since the break despite only starting 16 of those games. That production makes him a worthy starter in NL-only formats.

Stolen Bases
1. Dave Roberts, SD 11 SB
2. Juan Pierre, CHC 9 SB
3T. Soriano, WAS 8 SB
3T. Chone Figgins, LAA 8 SB
5T. Felipe Lopez, WAS 7 SB
5T. Ichiro Suzuki, SEA 7 SB
5T. Coco Crisp, BOS 7 SB
8T. Rollins, PHI 6 SB
8T. Brian Roberts, BAL 6 SB
8T. Derek Jeter, NYY 6 SB
8T. Jose Reyes, NYM 6 SB
8T. Julio Lugo, TB 6 SB
8T. Hanley Ramirez, FLA 6 SB


Pitching Leaders
Victories
1T. Joe Blanton, OAK 4 (5 GS)
1T. Jon Garland, CHW 4 (4 GS)
1T. Cory Lidle, NYY 4 (4 GS)
1T. Curt Schilling, BOS 4 (5 GS)
1T. Carlos Silva, MIN 4 (5 GS)
1T. Justin Verlander, DET 4 (4 GS)
1T. Chien-Ming Wang, NYY 4 (4 GS)
1T. Carlos Zambrano, CHC 4 (5 GS)
1T. Barry Zito, OAK 4 (5 GS)

ERA (min. 20 IP)
1. John Maine, NYM 0.00 (23 IP)
2. Joe Saunders, LAA 1.29 (21 IP)
3. Wang, NYY 1.80 (30 IP)
4T. Verlander, DET 1.82 (24 2/3 IP)
4T. Kip Wells, TEX 1.82 (24 2/3 IP)
6. Ricky Nolasco, FLA 1.90 (23 2/3 IP)
7. Jeff Suppan, STL 1.95 (32 2/3 IP)
8. Roger Clemens, HOU 1.97 (32 IP)
9. Erik Bedard, BAL 2.05 (26 2/3 IP)
10. Jeremy Sowers, CLE 2.10 (30 IP)

Maine has been unreal since the break, not allowing a run to score in his past three starts, spanning 20 innings. He leads all of baseball in ERA (0.00) and WHIP (0.83) since the break, and is all a sudden, a fantastic start in all of fantasy. Fellow rookies Joe Saunders and Ricky Nolasco have been impressive as well in their first campaigns in the show. Saunders, along with first-year teammate Jered Weaver, has carried the Angels recently. The two are a combined 10-0 in a dozen starts and have not allowed more than three runs in any one of those games.

Strikeouts
1. Francisco Liriano, MIN 40 K (30 2/3 IP)
2. Scott Olsen, FLA 38 K (30 1/3 IP)
3. Cole Hamels, PHI 37 K (25 1/3 IP)
4. Matt Cain, SF 36 K (35 1/3 IP)
5T. John Smoltz, ATL 35 K (35 IP)
5T. Ian Snell, PIT 35 K (31 IP)
5T. Jeremy Bonderman, DET 35 K (31 1/3 IP)
8T. Andy Pettitte, HOU 34 K (31 1/3 IP)
8T. Zambrano, CHC 34 K (33 IP)
8T. Brett Myers, PHI 34 K (34 IP)

WHIP (min. 20 IP)
1. Maine, NYM 0.83 (23 IP)
2. Brad Radke, MIN 0.90 (31 IP)
3. Saunders, LAA 0.95 (21 IP)
4. Chris Carpenter, STL 0.96 (33 1/3 IP)
5. Sowers, CLE 0.97 (30 IP)
6. Clemens, HOU 0.97 (32 IP)
7. Jeff Francis, COL 0.97 (37 IP)
8. Anibal Sanchez, FLA 0.99 (31 1/3 IP)
9. Cain, SF 1.02 (35 1/3 IP)
10. Wang, NYY 1.03 (30 IP)

Sowers has also been one of the most impressive first-year hurlers, putting together back-to-back shutouts recently. He’ll get the nod against the Angels’ phenom Weaver on Tuesday in a marquee matchup. Clemens continues to get no support whatsoever in Houston, but puts together strong performances every time out. He just turned 44 years old last week, and hasn’t allowed more than two runs in any of his seven starts this year. The old man is not showing any signs of slowing down.

Saves
1. Mariano Rivera, NYY 9 S
2T. Todd Jones, DET 8 S
2T. Joe Nathan, MIN 8 S
2T. J.J. Putz, SEA 8 S
5T. Bob Wickman, ATL 7 S
5T. Eddie Guardado, CIN 7 S
5T. Ryan Dempster, FLA 7 S
8T. 9 tied