Cleveland Indians: 2 players who always play better in the second half

Cleveland Indians 2B Amed Rosario

While the sample size for Amed Rosario isn’t as large as Jose Ramirez, the same trends can be identified. The difference in the two is that Rosario is already putting together one of his better seasons at the plate for his career. Since moving up to the second spot of the lineup, Rosario has really found his stride.

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Up to this point, Rosario is slashing a respectable .261/.304/.362, with his batting average and on-base percentage already the second best numbers of his career if the season ended today. Luckily, it doesn’t and what lies ahead could be even greener pastures for Rosario.

Over the course of his career after the All-Star break, Rosario has watched his batting average increase 28 points, his on-base goes up 15 points and his slugging takes a 20-point jump. On top of that, despite having 140 fewer at-bats in the second half he has just 10 doubles and three home runs less in the second half. Not to mention he’s stolen 11 more bases in the second half than the first half.

Since moving up to the second spot in the batting order, Rosario is already slashing .280/.315/.370 when batting second. If these trends continue of him going off in the second half, then he could quietly become one of the better hitting shortstops in the American League. He’s already found his spot in the order and is having a strong year. Now, he gets to play in his favorite part of the season and watch those stats get even better.