Eight MLB players poised for breakout seasons in 2020

Keston Hiura, second baseman, Milwaukee Brewers

Just two years after being selected with the No. 9 pick in the 2017 MLB Draft, Hiura made his MLB debut with the Brewers. The 23-year-old quickly made his mark as a rookie, blasting 19 home runs and posting a .938 OPS in 84 games.

If the Brewers didn’t manipulate his service time by limiting him to 84 games, he at least could have made a case to be NL Rookie of the Year. Now entering his first full season and locked into a spot in the heart of Milwaukee’s batting order, Hiura can hit 30-plus homers with 80-plus RBI. We could soon be talking about him as one of the best, young infielders in baseball.

Jesus Luzardo, starting pitcher, Oakland Athletics

Oakland is loaded with exciting arms in its rotation, but Luzardo will likely be the best of the bunch. He made his MLB debut in September and the southpaw quickly put his incredible repertoire on display with a 16/3 K/BB ratio in his first 12 innings.

The 22-year-old is regarded as one of MLB’s top pitching prospect thanks to exceptional command, a dominant fastball and an arsenal of pitches to pair with it. He’s been coached up by Hall of Famer Randy Johnson, too. He is Oakland’s ace of the future and it wouldn’t surprise us if he earned that role by midseason, which would be remarkable on a playoff contender.

Bo Bichette, shortstop, Toronto Blue Jays

While Vladimir Guerrero Jr. drew most of the national attention this past season, it was Bichette who delivered the far better season by a Blue Jays rookie. In fact, the young shortstop quickly established himself as a rising star in only 46 games.

Bichette is gifted with a rocket arm and he provided us with just a glimpse into his power potential. The 21-year-old posted a .930 OPS in his 196 at-bats as a rookie, while crushing 18 doubles and 11 homers. It will start coming together even more for Bichette this season and he’ll prove why he’s just as valuable to Toronto’s future as Vlad Jr.

Dinelson Lamet, starting pitcher, San Diego Padres

The Padres didn’t land a front-line pitcher to add to their rotation this season. Instead, the front office is putting its faith in Lamet. The 27-year-old comes with durability concerns and his 4.07 ERA last year doesn’t inspire confidence, but don’t let that fool you.

Lamet regularly blew away batters in 2019 with a 33.6% strikeout rate and an incredible 14% swinging-strike rate across 73 innings. The 6-foot-4 righty showed glimpses of brilliance in his first season back from Tommy John surgery and could be even better this season without any limitations. Lamet is capable of posting a sub-four ERA with 180-plus strikeouts and becoming an excellent No. 3 starter for the Padres.

Eloy Jiménez, outfielder, Chicago White Sox

Yankees fans will forever be grateful to the Chicago Cubs for trading them Gleyber Torres. That feeling of elation will likely be felt even more so by White Sox fans when they watch Jiménez become a transcendent star.

The 6-foot-4 slugger crushed 31 homers with a .828 OPS in his first MLB season. He finished 22nd in the league with a 15.1 HR/AB ratio, ahead of Atlanta Braves star Ronald Acuña Jr, Washington Nationals outfielder Juan Soto and All-Stars like Freddie Freeman and J.D. Martinez. We’re not just talking about a player capable of hitting 40-plus homers, Jiménez can post a .900-plus OPS and will hit for a high average. If the White Sox make it into the postseason this year, which is a possibility, Jiménez will be the driving force.

Eduardo Rodriguez, starting pitcher, Boston Red Sox

Boston’s fan base needs something to feel hopeful about for the 2020 season. Fortunately, there’s a Rodriguez they can actually love. The Red Sox need someone to step in as their No 2 starter and the 26-year-old southpaw is the perfect candidate.

After struggling in the first half of 2019 (4.65 ERA), Rodriguez turned things around coming out of the All-Star Break. He held opponents to a .239 batting average with a 2.95 ERA over his final 100.2 innings, stepping in as Boston’s ace when it needed one. Given the long-term concerns with Chris Sale, the Red Sox will be relying on E-Rod even more in 2020.

Gavin Lux, second baseman, Los Angeles Dodgers

The rich seem to get richer every year. Even if you look beyond the Dodgers’ acquisition of Mookie Betts, bringing Lux into their 2020 lineup was already going to provide a boost. Now this lineup is about to become even more intimidating to opposing pitchers.

When you talk about players who were born to hit, that’s exactly who Lux is. He posted a .347/.421/.607 slash line with 25 doubles and 26 homers in 113 MiLB games before getting called up to the majors. Scouts profile him with an elite hit tool, excellent power and the kind of instincts and intelligence that are rare to find. He’s going to do incredible things in his rookie season and this lineup is so deep that he’ll be hitting in the bottom half of the batting order.