All-Star week is tough.  It’s a shortened week and could be the difference in whether or not you make the playoffs.  You must make sure that you have enough guys pitching Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.  It’s also important to make sure that you have two starters going the next week that are going Monday or Tuesday.  So this could be a period in which you need to make moves to make sure that you have both.  For the shortened week, you must make sure you have at least the same number of starting pitchers as your opponent.  In a 3 day week the person with the most starts are probably going to win Wins and K’s.  Here are some hot pickups.

Yasmani Grandal (SD, C)- He’s a good hitter.  Eventually he projects to be like Jason Varitek.  Expect a decent average from the stud rookie.  He’s probably an upgrade to most guys in the league.

Anthony Rizzo (CHC, 1B)– He’s off to a great start.  I do expect him to slow down some, but he should stay serviceable.  He could have a decent second half much like Eric Hosmer did last year.  Unfortunately he plays for the Cubs, and they will probably sell some of the bats around him like Alfonso Soriano.  The better he hits, the less pitches he will see.  If he’s available to pick up you should.  If you already have him, he’s also a good sell high candidate.

Adam Lind (TOR, 1B)- He’s back and with a vengeance.  He hits in a powerful lineup which is a bonus.  He’s looked like his old self since being called back up to the majors.  Too bad he still isn’t eligible in the OF as well.

Carlos Lee (MIA, 1B/OF)- I expect him to play better in Miami.  Better offensive players around him.

Rickie Weeks (MIL, 2B)- If he was cut in your league, now is a good time to pick him up.  His first half slump seems to be over and he’s now back to his old self.

Alexi Amarista (SD, 2B)- He’s been a spark plug for their offense as of late.  He hit over .300 in the minors, which is a good sign.  He also steals bases and gets an above average number of RBI’s for a speedster.  He already has 4 HR’s this year, so he may be developing a little of that.  Don’t expect the HR stats to continue though.  There is also a chance he eventually gains eligibility at SS and/or OF, thus increasing his value even more.

Todd Frazier (CIN, 3B/OF)-  I’ve always wanted to see him get more playing time.  Now that he has it he’s serviceable.  He’s in a good lineup and has pretty good power.  Plus he’s eligible at two positions.

Tyler Colvin (COL, OF)- Solid hitter for the rest of the season.  He’s always had good numbers.  It baffled me as to why the Cubs traded him this past off season.  Colvin should hit for average and adds nice power…especially in Colorado.  He’s worthy of a #3 outfield spot for the rest of the year.

Michael Fiers (MIL, SP)- His K’s are through the roof.  And so is his ERA so far.  He’s pitching like a high upside #2 fantasy starter right now.  Which means you should pick him up…right now.

Drew Pomeranz (COL, SP)- Dominated the minors when he went down.  Dominated his first two starts back.  The Rockies have a stupid 75 pitch count on all of their starters because of their stupid 4 man rotation.  That is the only thing holding him back.  Other than that, I’d call him a must have for the second half.

Jose Quintana (CWS, SP)- Every start has been very good.  He’s a decent K guy, but he’s also had some very high games.  I didn’t expect him to continue to be good for this long, but he keeps throwing gems.

Chris Tillman (BAL, SP)- So far so good.  He has a nice ceiling because of what he’s done in the minors.

Jorge De La Rosa (COL, SP)- Getting close to returning from Tommy John.  Grab him now and stash him on your DL.

Rick Porcello (DET, SP)- Always has had a high ceiling.  He was awful in the first half.  Now he’s starting to pitch to potential.  Watch him.

Travis Blackley (OAK, SP)- Australian guy.  Good story.  Good season so far.

Jeff Karstens (PIT, SP)- The old guy knows how to pitch.  He will have a pretty rough outing once in awhile, but he mainly produces quality start after quality start.

Travis Wood (CHC, SP)- He’s serviceable for Quality Starts.