Midsummer Classics: Remembering The First-Half Phenoms Of The 21st Century

We have already discussed the All-Century performers, as well as the top All-Stars for each team since 2000. But what about those players who weren’t consistent All-Stars, the guys who couldn’t quite ascend to the level of all-time greats like Barry Bonds or Randy Johnson? Here is a lineup — as well as a starter and closer — for a team of players worth remembering from this century, ones you very well may have forgotten. They all absolutely dominated in the first half of a season, and made what even might have been their lone All-Star appearance because of it, and that’s worth remembering. Carlos Ruiz made just one All-Star team in his 12-year career, but the Phillies’ longtime backstop made it count. After receiving down-ballot MVP votes in both 2010 and 2011, Ruiz slashed .350/.412/.584 with 13 homers and 21 doubles in 78 games (66 starts) before the 2012 All-Star Game. His second half wasn’t quite as dominant, but he still posted an .800 OPS to wrap up what would be his most productive season in the majors. In 2013, Chris Davis led the majors in home runs (53), RBIs (138) and total bases (370), while slashing .286/.370/.634. He finished third in the American League MVP race — one of just two times he received any votes for the award — and also made his lone All-Star team. (Despite also leading the majors with 47 homers in 2015 — the other season he picked up MVP votes — he didn’t make the All-Star team.) Davis’ first half with the Orioles in 2013 is flat-out absurd, and a contender for one of the best halves by a first baseman for the entire 21st century. Davis batted .315 and belted 37 of his 53 homers in his first 95 games. He also had 27 first-half doubles, meaning 64 of his 108 hits at that point were for extra bases. Dan Uggla had a great but not necessarily memorable full season in 2008. But he made his second of three All-Star teams — and earned a place on this list — because of his scorching first half. Uggla finished the season at .260/.360/.514 with 32 homers for the Marlins, but at the halfway point he was slashing .286/.374/.608, with 23 of those dingers already donged. Uggla — at least temporarily — defeated pitcher-friendly Hard Rock Stadium (then known as Dolphins Stadium) by slugging .573 with 11 homers there before the All-Star Game. In the second half, however, the football stadium’s cavernous dimensions won out. Morgan Ensberg made just one All-Star team in his eight-year career, but the Houston third baseman made it count. He batted .283 with 36 homers and 101 RBIs, amassing nearly double the WAR of the next-best Astros hitter and helping Houston to its first-ever World Series appearance. The 29-year-old finished fourth in the NL MVP race and won his lone Silver Slugger. Powering Ensberg’s career year was his first half, in which he had 19 doubles and 24 homers while slashing .290/.387/.596. Carlos Guillén was many things in his 14-year career — a three-time All-Star, a switch-hitter, a shortstop, a third baseman, a second baseman — but he was never better in the first half than in 2007. Guillén’s 2006 was actually his best year, mainly because of how incredibly good he was in the second half. That success carried over into the first half of ‘07, when Guillén hit .325 with 19 doubles, five triples and 14 homers. In all, Guillén sandwiched a .336/.409/.563 run, bashing both righties and lefties, between two All-Star appearances. There was a short window during which Cliff Floyd looked like one of the best hitters on the planet. To earn his lone All-Star berth, Floyd batted .342 with 21 homers and 45 extra-base hits in 83 games in the first half of 2001. He kept on mashing for the Marlins after the All-Star break, too, slashing a combined .371/.410/.730 with seven homers in July alone. Floyd’s production — at least on the power side — slipped in the late summer months, but overall, 2001 was his best season in a 17-year MLB career. Darin Erstad’s first half in 2000 was completely bonkers. Here’s a guy who was known more as a defense-first grinder than anything: In the Angels’ 2002 World Series championship season, Erstad led the league with over four wins above replacement just with his glove. In 2000, though, his bat was tremendous, too — especially in the first half. Erstad slashed .384/.441/.592 with 144 hits, 42 of them for extra bases. For context: In 2004, the season that Hall of Famer Ichiro Suzuki set the all-time single-season hits record, he had 119 hits at the break, and 143 in the second half. We’re cheating a little here: Ryan Klesko actually made his only All-Star team in 2001, but his résumé in 2000 was actually better. We’re also cheating by putting him in the outfield on our list. Though Klesko was mainly a first baseman in 2000, he played more games in his career as an outfielder. In any case, the batter’s box was his best position in the first halves of both 2001 and 2000. In the first half of 2001, he batted .297 with 22 doubles, four triples and 17 homers. That’s pretty great, but in 2000, he was just a little bit better, slashing .316/.405/.625 with 21 doubles and 19 homers. The difference is slight, sure, but it was all part of a .291/.386/.531 run over four seasons with the Braves and Padres, so we’ll give it all some shine. There was a four-year stretch during which Melvin Mora was quietly one of the better players in the majors. He was named to two All-Star teams during this run, and received down-ballot MVP votes as well as a Silver Slugger award in 2004. In 2003, he was at his best for our purposes: Mora slashed .349/.443/.560 with 31 extra-base hits and 41 walks in 75 first-half games. And he did this while playing every defensive position on the diamond except third base and catcher. The following season, Mora was Baltimore’s starting third baseman. Adam Lind actually never made an All-Star team, but there’s some rule-bending we can do here given the oddities regarding DHs either being part-time players or legends like Hall of Famer David Ortiz. Lind was on the fan ballot for the final spot on the American League roster in 2009 but lost out to Detroit Tigers third baseman Brandon Inge. Lind fits in here positionally and spiritually, however, due to his .306/.377/.551 slash line with 27 doubles and 19 homers in 87 games before the 2009 All-Star break. And 2009 is the only season in which he picked up any accolades, finishing 15th in the AL MVP vote and winning a Silver Slugger. In the first half of 2010, Ubaldo Jimenez allowed opponents to hit just .198 with a .280 OBP and .302 slugging percentage. He had a 2.20 ERA in 18 starts and 127 innings, averaging just over a baserunner per inning. This is where, for dramatic effect, we remind you that he pitched for the Rockies, and the Rockies play their home games in the hitter’s paradise called Coors Field. This kind of season — even half-season — should be impossible, and Jimenez earned his one and only All-Star nod because of it, as well as a third-place finish for the NL Cy Young. In 2007 with the Mariners, J.J. Putz was named to his one and only All-Star squad. It’s not that he was never any good in the other 12 years of his career, but the Mariners closer was impossible to ignore in ‘07. He posted a 0.88 ERA in the first half, limiting opponents to a slash line of .129/.183/.212. That’s an opponent OPS of just .395, with 28 total bases given up in 41 innings of work. How to Watch the 2026 MLB All-Star Game The 2026 MLB All-Star Game is Tuesday, July 14, with first pitch at 8 p.m. ET on FOX, live from Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Watch the MLB All-Star Game on FOX One for live and on-demand streaming.