With the season nearly halfway done, it is almost time for Major League Baseball's midseason showcase -- the 2004 All-Star game.
This year's game will be held in Houston's Minute Maid Park on July 13.
The game remains a novelty, even though it decides home field advantage for the New York Yankees and their National League opponent in the 2004 World Series.
The midseason game also suffers because, as in recent years, some of the best players in baseball will inevitably be omitted from the All-Star rosters because of fan balloting.
Fans chose the MLB All-Star starters, and they tend to chose household names rather than 2004 talent.
New York Yankees Jason Giambi (.237 AVG, 11 HR) and Derek Jeter (.266 AVG, 39 RBI) and Chicago Cub Sammy Sosa (.285 AVG, 29 RBI) are all slated to be 2004 All-Stars, according to current ballot polls, despite the fact that none are at the top of their games.
Sosa and Giambi have been limited by injuries all season, and Jeter's effort to date has been streaky.
Therefore, more important than dwelling on who belongs on the 2004 All-Star rosters is contemplating how different stars will perform in the later stages of the second season.
As in every season, some first-half stars are bound to drift into obscurity and some perennial stars who had quiet first halves look poised to rebound in time for the playoff push.
The Dartmouth takes a look at some stars who could struggle or shine in the second half of the season:
Shine
OF Garrett Anderson, Anaheim Angels (.333 AVG, 16 RBI):
Anderson is gearing up for a strong second-half run, following an injury plagued first half. The Anaheim outfielder has played in less than 40 games because of a mysterious back ailment. Anderson finally looks healthy and will flourish in the Anaheim batting order because he is protected by slugging outfielders Vladimir Guerrero (.349 AVG, 68 RBI) and Jose Guillen (.297 AVG, 55 RBI).
RHP Freddy Garcia, Chicago White Sox (4-7, 3.20ERA):
Garcia has struggled over the past few seasons in Seattle, but a change of scenary may re-energized the pitcher. With his new nasty slider in tow, Garcia will return to the form that earned him 18 victories in 2001.
LHP David Wells, San Diego Padres (2-5, 3.01 ERA):
Wells is the consummate big game pitcher and will have the opportunity to pitch in many important September games as the Padres stay alive in the NL West.
In his past 10 starts, Wells' ERA has been below 2.50, which is a better indication of how well he is pitching then his win-loss record. Wells' is also an invaluable pitcher on the road, posting a 1.71 ERA in Padres away games.
1B Carlos Delgado, Toronto Blue Jays (.227 AVG, 32 RBI):
This guy is gigantic and his numbers have been terrible so far. Delgado is currently on the 15-day DL because of a rib injury, but should perform well once healthy. The struggling Blue Jays will be blown out a lot in the second half, and this should benefit Delgado's bat because opponents will not need to tactically pitch around the slugger.
Struggle
RHP Paul Wilson, Cincinnatti Reds (7-2, 3.69 ERA):
As a New York Mets rookie in 1996, Wilson helped define the frustration of being a Mets fan in the early and mid-1990s. Yankees fans understand exactly what I'm talking about because they were Mets fans then too.
Wilson has never had a stellar season following his five-win-in-26-start debacle in New York, and he should settle back down into mediocrity as the season progresses.
RHP Roger Clemens, Houston Astros (10-2, 2.73 ERA):
Clemens is an early frontrunner for what would be a record-setting seventh Cy Young Award, but he will falter.
Clemens deserves to struggle: he does not travel with the Astros for road games when he is not slated to pitch, which is unprecedented in baseball history. At 41, Clemens will not be able to maintain his power pitching game as summer wears on.
Ken Griffey Jr., Cincinnati Reds (.239 AVG, 19 HR):
Griffey's home run numbers this season have led many excited fans to mistakingly believe that after a handful of injury-plagued seasons, Junior is finally ready to return to his 1990s form. Griffey has been slumping of late -- he is batting below .150 in his last 10 games, and will struggle from here on out as his hot-hitting supporting cast cools off.
