MLB players to watch in 2nd half

Brett Lawrie was "pumped" to be back in the Toronto Blue Jays’ clubhouse last weekend in Baltimore, not pumping out his chest at what his return from injury could mean for the team’s prospects in the unofficial second half of the season.

Manager John Gibbons wondered if the 23-year-old from Langley, B.C. could provide the team with "a shot in the arm" following a 41-game absence with a high left ankle sprain.

Lawrie went 1-for-8 in the final two games of a three-game series and watched his season batting average plummet to .204. It seems forever ago that the second/third baseman burst on the scene and hit .293 with a .373 on-base percentage and nine home runs in his 43-game introduction to the major leagues in 2011.

"I’m no saviour," he reminded reporters and fans in Baltimore. "You just want to go out … and do whatever you can to help the team win."

Lawrie will have to do more than this season’s five homers and 14 runs batted in through 39 games if the Blue Jays stand a chance at trimming their 8½-game deficit in the American League wild-card race.

His move and adjustment to second base, the position he played while climbing the ranks in the Milwaukee Brewers organization, is also worth monitoring as it could affect his performance at the plate.

With five of the six division leaders fewer than three games ahead of their closest competitor, there’s room for a lot of players to make a difference in the final 10 weeks of the regular season.

In the photo gallery above, we feature Lawrie and 11 other major leaguers to keep an eye on.