Los Angeles Angels (48-31, first place)

Biggest Surprise: Entering spring training, Joe Saunders and Ervin Santana were hailed as the fringe options for the rotation while eyeing a potential battle for the fifth starter's spot. Things change quickly when the staff ace goes down, as both pitchers were relied upon heavily while John Lackey opened the season on the DL. The duo is a combined 20-6 in 30 starts, giving the Angels excellent depth for their rotation while ranking among the league's best. Saunders has benefited significantly from solid defense and good luck, as his .244 BABIP is the fourth-lowest mark among qualified starters. His soft-tossing ways may not be as fantasy friendly going forward, as normalization will yield more baserunners and ultimately, a rising ERA. As for Santana, talent was never an issue, but his brutal home-road splits last season had many owners shying away from him at the draft table this spring. His first-half numbers are on par with those of the leading American League Cy Young candidates as the calendar approaches July.

Biggest Disappointment: Brandon Wood hasn't been entrusted with a starting gig for the Halos, but his sporadic and limited trials at the big league level simply haven't gone as planned. His plate discipline - even at Triple-A - suggests long-term issues with strikeouts, but he's still only 23 and has time to turn things around in that department. It seems as though he'd benefit immensely from a fresh start via trade to a new organization, where an everyday job wouldn't be as difficult to come by. That he was unable to stick with Chone Figgins, Howie Kendrick and Erick Aybar spending time on the DL doesn't look good for his future as long as he's with the Angels, but owners in keeper leagues should be ready to pounce if he's available on the cheap.

One to Target: Howie Kendrick has been plagued by nagging injuries throughout the past two seasons, while falling short of his potential to hit .300 with double-digit homers and steals. His power ceiling is limited (nothing more than 15-20), but given that he can run a little bit and that a big percentage of his hits are singles, there's a pretty good chance he'll be getting the green light often in the second half as he moves away from the hamstring injury that landed him on the DL earlier this season. There aren't many owners who wouldn't enjoy a second-base eligible option capable of hitting better than .300 with 10-plus steals over the final three months.

One to Deal/Avoid: Jon Garland continues to pick up wins despite lackluster stuff when he takes the hill every fifth day. A 41:36 K:BB ratio rarely coincides with a 7-3 record, but the Angels have a good bullpen and a strong offense, so there's plenty of margin for error. His walk rate has been trending upward consistently since 2006, while his strikeout rate has been tumbling annually at roughly 0.5 strikeouts per 9 IP during that same span. Recipes for disaster are rarely so refined, but Garland continues to be the poster child for why starters shouldn't be measured solely on record and ERA. He's simply too hittable to sustain long-term success with so few strikeouts. Get out while you still can if you've been profiting from the wins thus far.

Oakland Athletics (43-35, second place)

Biggest Surprise: Greg Smith wasn't the key component in the deal that sent Dan Haren to the Diamondbacks this winter, but he's shown plenty of promise as a potential long-term option in the A's rotation through his first 14 major league starts. After fanning nearly a batter per inning for the first month that he spent in Oakland, his strikeout rate his slipped a little while his command has wavered to the point where his walk rate isn't as good it has been throughout his career in the minors. Still, Smith isn't sporting a ridiculous strand rate and even if a few more balls begin to fall in for hits (.264 BABIP) he's doing a decent job keeping the ball in the yard and should remain a safe play in most match-ups the rest of the way.

Biggest Disappointment: A's general manager Billy Beane makes plenty of good moves, so the fact that he didn't make one by trading Joe Blanton this winter can't completely be held against him. Going up against opposing clubs' aces isn't entirely fair, since Blanton profiles more as a good No. 3 or No. 4 starter than an option for the front of the rotation. If Rich Harden stays healthy and Justin Duchscherer continues to pitch well, the A's could shift the order a bit during the All-Star break in order to re-align their matchups, but his indicators right now are in line with his disappointing 2006 numbers, so it's probably best to stay away from Blanton unless the buy-low cost is extremely low.

One to Target: Particularly in keeper leagues, it's too soon to give up on Daric Barton. Entering play on Wednesday, he's posted an extremely disappointing .224/.331/.328 line along with three homers and 22 RBI. The fact that his slugging percentage is below his on-base percentage right now is "goofy" for lack of a better word. After maintaining an .82-.87 contact rate throughout his career in the minors, Barton has struggled to a .72 clip this season. Barton doesn't project to be more than a 20-homer guy in the majors, but he should be a perennial .300 average, .380-plus on-base percentage guy given his plate discipline at other levels. Barton will only be 23 in August, so don't completely write him off yet.

One to Deal/Avoid: Justin Duchscherer takes the silver medal in the "Biggest Surprise" department, but it's time to sell high. An ERA below two and a WHIP below one have most Duchscherer owners in a very good place with their pitching categories, but there are a few reasons to be concerned about him. Through Wednesday, Duchscherer has the third-lowest BABIP (.242) of all qualified starters, while he's stranding runners at an 82 percent clip (equal to Johan Santana). It won't be a complete disaster by any stretch as those numbers normalize a bit, but the biggest concern with Duchscherer should be his surgically-repaired hip, which actually flared up during interleague play during an at-bat in Arizona earlier this month. Sell high if you can find a suitable offer on the heels of his 4-0 record and 1.53 ERA in June.

Texas Rangers (40-40, third place)

Biggest Surprise: The Rangers' deal for Josh Hamilton is shaping up to be one of those rare deals where both sides are winners in the end. Hamilton's been one of the best overall players in the league through the first three months, while batting .310 with 19 homers and 76 RBI. After his first season in Cincinnati, there were concerns that he might be a platoon player given his struggles against lefties (.222). Those issues appear to be behind him now, as Hamilton has hit .300 over 100 at-bats against southpaws this season. He's hit 12 of his 19 homers at home, so the new surroundings certainly aren't hurting, but Hamilton has a respectable .269 average on the road to go with his seven homers and 32 RBI. The only concern is fatigue, as he didn't play a full season with the Reds last year and his production has tapered off a bit in June.

Biggest Disappointment: Michael Young is on pace to post his worst numbers since 2003, when he hit just 14 homers and had 72 RBI. He's probably going to finish with 12-15 homers, but there's no guarantee that he'll be hitting .300 by season's end as he's struggling to stay healthy. Give him credit for playing through a pair of injuries, including a broken finger and a groin issue. There's nothing in his skill set that appears to be completely deteriorating, so it might not be a bad idea to take advantage of a buy-low opportunity if a good opportunity comes along before the All-Star break.

One to Target: Gerald Laird is on the DL, but he's one of the few Rangers who has actually produced better numbers on the road than at home. Given that owners in shallow leagues are more prone to dropping players on the DL, be ready to make a move for Laird once he's healthy in a few weeks. Jarrod Saltalamacchia has been very inconsistent at the plate, while it seems unlikely that the Rangers will commit to Max Ramirez the rest of the way, so owners looking for a second-half boost out of the catcher spot should keep an eye on Laird's recovery.

One to Deal/Avoid: Milton Bradley was bound to produce as a result of the move from the extreme pitcher's park in San Diego to the extreme hitter's park in Texas, but this is getting ridiculous. Entering play on Wednesday, Bradley's gone deep 12 times in 100 at-bats at home compared to three homers and 120 at-bats on the road. Nothing like a little bit of home cooking, right? His overall numbers are among the league's best, including a .330 average, .451 on-base percentage and .624 slugging percentage. So, why sell now? Bradley's contact rate has dipped to .76, while he's managed to hit .382 on balls in play (.315 career mark). The current level of production simply isn't sustainable, so it's time to sell-high before the oft-injured outfielder turns up on the DL again.

Seattle Mariners (28-50, fourth place)

Biggest Surprise: Bill Bavasi finally received the ax. It took several years of bad free-agent signings and awful trades, but the head hanchos finally did the math and found that Bavasi was the common denominator behind the general failure of the club. If you're looking for one on the field (they're not easy to find), give the nod to Brandon Morrow. His quick turnaround can be linked to the fact that he's no longer giving out free passes like a clown throwing candy at a parade, while the Mariners have finally settled on letting him stay in the bullpen. Given J.J. Putz's inability to stay healthy thus far, it's been particularly useful for Seattle to have a young power arm available to work the ninth inning rather than having to turn to Miguel Batista when they're able to carry a lead into the final frame.

Biggest Disappointment: I imagine that every Mariners fan has three or four personal favorites for this section, but feel free to take your pick from Kenji Johjima, Richie Sexson, Erik Bedard (to an extent), Jarrod Washburn or Carlos Silva. OK, in fairness, nobody expected anything useful from Washburn or Silva (outside of Bavasi), and Sexson showed signs of a rapidly declining skill set last season, so it's really a matter of how high your expectations were Johjima and Bedard.

One to Target: You could make a case that Ichiro's .288 average and .348 on-base percentage are disappointing, but he's already stolen 33 bases through 77 games and the Mariners should continue to give him the green light since they're struggling to manufacture runs (remember, Jose Vidro is the DH). A big part of the dip is connected to a surprisingly low .316 BABIP (career .359), which is clearly not the byproduct of any sort of speed loss. Don't be afraid to make a pitch for Ichiro if his owner in your league is frustrated by the disappointing average, but even if you need to pay "full price" in a trade, another 25-30 steals in the second half are entirely possible.

One to Deal/Avoid: Be very hesitant to buy-low on Putz until he proves healthy and is able to throw strikes again. In just 19 innings this season, he's already issued 17 walks - four more than the 13 walks he had in 2007 (71 2/3 IP). Thus far, the indications are that his elbow soreness isn't related to any sort of ligament damage, but instead a byproduct of extra strain put on his arm due to a ribcage injury. It's not really a concern regarding his mental ability to handle the job (i.e. Derrick Turnbow), but instead it's a "buyer beware" label since he relies so heavily on big-time velocity to dominate opposing hitters.

Article first appeared 6/26/08