The second half of the 2021 season has begun and teams are fighting hard to clinch playoffs. Juan Soto has been hitting very well in the first three games after the All-Star break. He’s hitting .538/.600/1.308 with 3 home runs in these three games. Additionally, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has 3 home runs after the All-Star break. In the MLB, which players did heat up after the All-Star break and enjoy the second half of the season?
Firstly, let’s look at hitters.
Giancarlo Stanton had a monster season in 2017. In the first half of the 2017 season, Stanton crushed 26 home runs and collected 58 RBI in 86 games, also, Stanton slashed .277/.360/.572. After the All-Star break, Stanton didn’t stop and kept crushing baseball. In the second half of the 2017, Stanton was hitting .287/.393/.702 with 33 home runs and 74 RBI in 73 games. Stanton had a tremendous 2017 season and he won the NL MVP award. Additionally, J.D. Martinez had 31 home runs in the second half of the 2017 season.
Christian Yelich was traded to the Brewers in 2018 and began a great season. Yelich had a .292/.364/.459 slash line with 11 home runs and 43 RBI before the All-Star break. Those numbers were good enough for Yelich to be named the 2018 All-Star. After the All-Star break, Yelich became the most dangerous hitter in the majors, slashing .367/.449/.770 with 25 home runs and 67 RBI. No surprise, Yelich was the most valuable player of the National League in 2018.
Nelson Cruz joined the Twins in 2019 and in the first half of the 2019 season, he was batting .279/.367/.554 with 16 home runs and 46 RBI. In the second half of the 2019 season, he was just on fire, he crushed 25 home runs and collected 62 RBI. His OPS was 1.147. Besides, Eugenio Suarez blasted 29 home runs in the second half of the 2019 season, leading the majors.
Now, let’s see who was dominant on the mound after the all-star break from 2017 to 2019.
In the first half of the 2017 season, Stephen Strasburg posted a 3.43 ERA and a 1.13 WHIP. He tossed 112.2 innings and earned 9 wins while taking 3 losses. In the second half, Strasburg was nearly unbeatable. He made 10 starts and threw 62.2 innings with a 0.86 ERA and a 0.81 WHIP. Strasburg got 6 wins after the All-Star break. Moreover, Corey Kluber was also dominant and he got 11 wins and threw 142 strikeouts in the second half of the 2017 season.
Blake Snell earned 21 wins in the 2018 season and it’s the only season that Snell has at least 10 wins in a single season. He did pitch well in the first half of the 2018 season, earning 12 wins with a 2.27 ERA and a 1.07 WHIP. After the All-Star break, Snell was unbeatable. Snell made 11 starts and threw 61.2 innings, posting a 1.17 ERA and a 0.79 WHIP. He got 9 wins and didn’t lose any games.
Jack Flaherty made his MLB debut on September 1, 2017, but he didn't secure a win in that season. Flaherty got 8 wins in 2018 and in 2019, he had a very interesting season. In the first half of the 2019 season, Flaherty made 18 starts and tossed 97 innings. He earned 4 wins and posted a 4.64 ERA and a 1.23 WHIP. After the All-Star break, he made 15 starts and threw 99.1 innings. Flaherty got 7 wins and had an ERA of only 0.91. Also, his WHIP was just 0.71 and he threw 124 strikeouts. He was just outstanding in the second half of the 2019 season. Furthermore, it’s worth mentioning Yu Darvish’s performance in the second half of the 2019 season. Yu Darvish tossed 81.2 innings after the All-Star break, he threw 118 strikeouts and allowed only 7 walks. His K/BB was 16.86, which is just unbelievable.
We’ve already seen some players who played very well after the All-Star break from 2017 to 2019. There was no All-Star game last year. However, the 2021 All-Star game attracted lots of attention and fans must be excited for the second half of the season. Some players such as Juan Soto and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. did hit well in the first series after the All-Star break, are they going to stay hot in the second half of the 2021 season? Who will also heat up this summer?
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