Every MLB season brings breakout players. Sometimes the writing is on the wall, while others seemingly come out of nowhere. Which players will step up their games and become household names this season?
Here are 25 top candidates for breakout seasons in 2018.
The best hitting prospect in baseball, Acuna is just entering his age 20 season but already looks like a budding star. He hit .325-21-82 with 44 steals between three minor league levels last season. The Braves might hold him at Triple-A to start the year, but it won't be long before Acuna is dominating major league pitching.
Albies looked outstanding during his major league arrival last season, hitting .286 with an .810 OPS in 57 games. The speedy second baseman was promoted in the batting order late in the year and has consistently performed against more advanced pitching.
The Dodgers moved Buehler, their 2015 first-round pick, to the bullpen late last season, but he will be stretched out during spring training. After clearing out some rotation depth in the offseason, L.A. will need to call on Buehler eventually this season, and he looks up for the challenge after posting a 3.35 ERA and 12.7 K/9 between three minor league levels last year.
A doubles machine in the minors, Candelario held his own after he was traded to Detroit and promoted last season. He hit .330-2-13 in 27 games with the Tigers and is set to get plenty of playing time for the rebuilding squad. He has immediate 20-homer potential.
Showing elite velocity and control, Castillo was the talk of Cincinnati during the second half of the season. He posted a 3.12 ERA and 9.9 K/9 in 15 starts during his rookie campaign and shows the potential to get even better.
Chatwood's three-year, $38 million contract signed early in the offseason with the Cubs was a surprise to some, but the Chicago front office was well aware of his effectiveness away from Coors Field. For his career, Chatwood has a 3.31 ERA in 315.1 innings on the road, and his ground-ball tendency should fit well with a strong infield defense in Chicago.
Dahl looked terrific in his major league arrival in 2016, hitting .315-7-24 in 63 games. However, he suffered a stress reaction in his rib cage last spring and couldn't get over the injury. Now healthy this spring, Dahl has huge upside if he can carve out playing time with Colorado.
Diaz is a disciplined hitter who has looked like a batting champ in the minors, and he held his own with a .352 on-base percentage in 49 games last season. We've yet to see much power from Diaz, but his frame suggests power potential. If Jason Kipnis continues to falter, as he did last season, the Indians could shift Jose Ramirez to second base and give Diaz a long look.
Recently traded to the Yankees, Drury is set for regular at-bats as the team's starting third baseman. He's produced a .775 OPS over the last two seasons as a utilityman in Arizona and was a regular .300 hitter with 20-plus home run pop in the minors. Regular at-bats and a great supporting cast should make fans optimistic.
Braves fans only saw five starts out of Gohara in the majors last season, but there's already reason for huge excitement. The lefty brought major velocity and 31 strikeouts in 29.1 innings after a dominant year between three minor league levels, with a 2.62 ERA and 10.7 K/9. Injuries have been an issue for Gohara in the past, but the immediate upside is high at age 21.
Mikolas struggled during his first major league stint but found himself in Japan over the last two seasons. After going 14-8 with a 2.25 ERA in 27 starts last season, Mikolas signed a two-year deal with the Cardinals. He's likely to join the rotation and could be a difference maker for a team that desperately needs one after the division-rival Cubs and Brewers made big moves.
Arm trouble kept Minor out of the majors in 2015 and 2016, but he returned to be an elite reliever for the Royals last season. Minor cut his teeth as a starter in Atlanta early in his career, peaking with a 3.21 ERA in 32 starts for the Braves in 2013. Now healthy again, Minor signed a three-year, $28 million contract with Texas in the offseason and will be stretched out as a starter again after showing a 10.2 K/9 in the pen last season.
Mitchell has been mostly stuck at Triple-A over the last few seasons, but he will finally get his shot this year after getting traded to San Diego. He's shown a major league arm during his brief stints and has a career 3.18 ERA in 189.1 innings at Triple-A.
An otherworldly athlete from Cuba, Moncada struggled in his first shot at extended playing time last season. Still, he became a 20/20 man between his time at Triple-A and Chicago, and Moncada was twice a 40-plus base stealer in the minors. He has MVP-level upside.
Traded to Pittsburgh from Houston in the Gerrit Cole deal, Moran is likely to start at third base for the Pirates. He struggled to produce power in the minors until last season, when he hit 18 home runs in only 82 games. The former first-round pick has gotten more than enough minor league seasoning and has a strong career .290 minor league batting average.
A former top prospect, Musgrove found his way as a reliever for the world champion Astros last season after struggling early in the year as a starter. The right-hander had a 1.44 ERA in 23 relief appearances, showing the nearly perfect control that he had as a minor leaguer. After getting traded for Gerrit Cole, Musgrove will get another chance to start.
The pressure is on Ohtani after signing with the Angels from Japan. He's set to be the ace of the pitching staff and also hit as the DH on some of his off days. He can reach 100 mph on the radar gun and launch 450-foot home runs and is just 23. His best season in Japan came in 2016, when Ohtani went 10-4 with a 1.86 ERA in 140 innings and also hit .322-22-67 in 382 plate appearances.
Schwarber got off to a rough start last season after helping his team win a World Series in 2016, but he played much better after a short minor league stint. During the second half, Schwarber produced an .894 OPS, and he's tried to get in better shape this offseason to find his batting average stroke again after hitting .334 in the minors for his career.
The Rays lost significant power in the offseason with the deparatures of Logan Morrison, Evan Longoria and Corey Dickerson. Instead, they'll try to play the speed game to generate offense, and Smith will be one of the catalysts. He's swiped 32 bases in the majors during his career and also stole more than 50 bases three times in the minors. He's already a career .280 hitter against right-handers and should get plenty of opportunities.
Snell really struggled to throw strikes early last season, but the hard-throwing lefty found himself during the second half. He went 5-2 with a 3.49 ERA in 14 starts, fanning nearly one batter per inning and walking only 25 batters in 77.1 innings. The Rays will need Snell to keep up that effectiveness in order to compete in the loaded AL East.
Traded to the Royals last offseason for Wade Davis, Soler was a monstrous bust again. The Cuban power hitter fanned 36 times in 35 games with the Royals, but he did hit 24 home runs in 74 games at Triple-A Omaha. He's shown big power in his minor league career and worked on his stroke during the offseason. The Royals have plenty of opportunities to provide Soler now that they're in rebuilding mode.
Taillon got off to a great start last year, but his season was disrupted due to a diagnosis of testicular cancer. He still returned after missing just over a month but wasn't the same pitcher. The former first-round pick showed incredible control during his MLB debut in 2016, resulting in a 3.38 ERA in 18 starts, and is highly capable of getting back on track.
Weaver hasn't been the most durable pitcher in the minors, but he's certainly been dominant. He has a career 1.99 ERA in the minors and was particularly impressive last season after increasing his velocity. He also looked great with St. Louis, posting a 3.88 ERA and 72 strikeouts in 60.1 innings. Weaver could be capable of becoming an ace if he can stay off the DL.
An excellent player over several years in Miami, Yelich could be primed to go to the next level. He's moving from a pitcher's ballpark to a hitter's ballpark after getting traded to the Brewers and has already shown great consistency over the last two seasons. Hovering around 20 home runs over the last two years, there's hope Yelich can get to the 30-homer mark as he enters his prime.
Zimmer's power and speed were as advertised before a season-ending injury late last season. He had eight home runs and 18 stolen bases in 332 plate appearances after producing a .902 OPS at Triple-A earlier in the year. The former first-round pick had 15 home runs and 38 stolen bases between Double- and Triple-A in 2016 and helps make Cleveland one of the most athletic teams in baseball.
Seth Trachtman is a fantasy sports expert and diehard Kansas City Chiefs fan. He doesn't often Tweet, but when he does, you can find him on Twitter @sethroto.
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