MLB hitters likely to improve in 2017

The younger brother of outfielder Oswaldo Arcia, Orlando struggled during his much-anticipated call-up during the second half. However, the 22-year-old has been a strong minor league hitter for much of his career, hitting .282. The Brewers should expect improvement next season, particularly if his contact rate gets closer to his pro norm.

A natural shortstop, Bregman moved to third base for Houston with Carlos Correa entrenched. The former first-round pick's production hasn't been poor during his rookie debut, but he hit .306-20-61 with more walks than strikeouts prior to his call-up in only 80 games. That production shows MVP potential soon.

Buxton has been a bitter disappointment for the Twins in consecutive seasons, looking overmatched at the plate. After finishing with the worst record in baseball, the Twins are unlikely to make a playoff jump next season and should have more time for Buxton to take his lumps. He's hit just .220 in the majors thus far but hit .305 in each of the last two seasons in the minors.

A wrist injury caused Cain to play only 103 games this season and struggle for much of the year when he was on the field. The Royals' center fielder saw his OPS drop 91 points, with most of the drop coming to his slugging percentage. That's not a surprise given the injury, and there's no reason to think Cain will fail to rebound if he enters spring training healthy.

It was a season to forget for Choo, with one injury after another. The Rangers are still relying on Choo, as he has four years remaining on his contract, and he was productive while on the field with a .756 OPS in 48 games. He's bound to see better luck with his health next season.

Cron about equaled his games played from 2015 but made great strides offensively. His OPS increased nearly 60 points, and Cron also drove in 18 more runs for the Angels. His production returned after returning from injury in the second half, and the Angels expect big middle-of-the-order numbers as a full-time player next season.

Dahl is a budding star if he remains with the Rockies. He made it look easy in his rookie season, posting an .859 OPS in 63 games for the Rockies. The dynamic outfielder hit .314-18-61 with 17 steals in 92 games between Double- and Triple-A prior to his promotion.

It really couldn't get any worse for Gomes. He was in a vicious slump for the second straight year, hitting just .167 in 251 at-bats and suffering multiple injuries. The Indians still see him as a long-term catcher or else Jonathan Lucroy likely wouldn't have invoked his no-trade clause at the deadline. Gomes was still an elite offensive catcher as recently as 2014, when he hit 21 home runs.

Gomez didn't have the type of year he would have liked heading into free agency, but he did rehab his value after signing with Texas. After hitting just .210-5-29 in 85 games with Houston, Gomez hit .284-8-24 in only 33 games with the Rangers. The former star outfielder isn't done yet.

The usually consistent Gordon had a poor season in the first year of his contract, hitting just .220-17-40 in 128 games. He fought through injuries for the second straight season and saw a huge spike in his strikeouts. A late-season push still brings optimism, as he hit 10 homers and 24 RBI over the last two months.

Houston signed Gurriel to a lucrative deal at midseason, then rushed the former Cuban star to the majors. That wasn't the best recipe for success, but Gurriel has held his own hitting .262-3-15 in 130 at-bats. He will turn 33 next season, and the Astros expect middle-of-the-order power numbers.

One season after being the unanimous NL MVP, Harper struggled through nagging injuries. A shoulder issue that was well-publicized late in the year was his most notable ailment, which helped sap his power. Harper is still a very feared hitter and will just be going into his age 24 season.

The A's really have something here with Healy's surprise breakout season. He hit .326-14-64 in only 85 games between Double- and Triple-A prior to his promotion, and the production continued in Oakland. He was the team's best hitter in the second half, hitting .305-13-37 in 72 games. Projecting those numbers over a full season, Healy is a potential All-Star despite the loaded third base position in the AL.

It's all but certain Heyward won't opt for free agency one year into his lucrative contract after a horrific first season with the Cubs. In 142 games, he hit only .230-7-49. If there's any good news, Heyward is still just entering his age 27 season and did show walk and strikeout numbers similar to his career norms. Given his age, it's difficult to believe Heyward just forgot how to hit.

Marte was overmatched at times as Seattle's starting shortstop, failing to show the production he did during his 2015 debut. Seattle still likes him to turn things around based on his minor league history, as he hit .321 with a strong contact rate as recently as last season.

Likely the favorite for AL Rookie of the Year in 2017, Moncada could open the season as Boston's leadoff man if he has a good spring. The Cuban hit .294-15-62 with 45 steals between High-A and Double-A in 106 games, though he looked somewhat overmatched during his late-season debut in Boston. With another offseason of work and more regular playing time next season, the sky is the limit.

Murphy failed to win a roster spot out of spring training for the Rockies, but he seems likely to be their starting catcher in 2017 based on how he performed late this season. After hitting .327-19-59 in 80 games at Triple-A Albuquerque, he hit five homers in only 21 games for the Rockies. His minor league history, combined with playing home games at Coors Field, shows a potential 20 home run hitter.

It was another enigmatic season for Puig, who was nearly traded at the deadline before getting demoted to Triple-A. To Puig's credit, he's returned to the Dodgers on a tear. Playing part time in September and October, he hit .281-4-11 in 57 at-bats, showing the promise that we saw early in his career. He's likely to see regular at-bats somewhere next season, and the expectation of a superstar at age 26 remains.

Rasmus has been lost during the second half while fighting an ear issue, hitting below .100 with four homers in 95 at-bats. The issue killed his numbers and potentially his free agent stock, but Rasmus had been one of the most consistent power hitters in the game before this season. Going on age 30, he's a good bet for a rebound.

Traded from Toronto to Washington last offseason, Revere was hurt to start the year and never got on track after returning. His performance was especially disappointing given his history as a consistent player, hitting at least .294 in four consecutive seasons. If he can find regular at-bats again in 2017, there's plenty of reasons to believe Revere will rebound.

Reyes opened the year away from the game following offseason domestic abuse allegations. He signed with the Mets, his former team, after being released by Colorado in late June. His new utility role has been a work in progress, but Reyes hit .267-8-24 with nine steals in 60 games. A player clearly in decline, Reyes is still a strong bet to put up viable numbers over a full year in 2017.

Shoulder issues prevented Travis from making his season debut until late May, but he picked up where he left off in 2015. In 101 games, the second baseman hit .300-11-50 as a key part of the Toronto's lineup. He's now proved himself over two abbreviated seasons and could be an All-Star candidate in 2017.

For whatever reason, Upton looked lost in the first half of the season after signing a lucrative contract with Detroit. He hit only .235-9-38 with 112 strikeouts in 356 plate appearances prior to the break, but he hit 22 homers after that. The streaky Upton has ended up with numbers not far off his norm and could be primed for a huge year in 2017 after putting his early season jitters behind him.

Vogelbach has long projected as a DH in the majors because of his poor defense at first base, but Seattle will happily take his bat potential after acquiring him from the Cubs. The big man hit .292-23-96 with 97 walks in 563 plate appearances at Triple-A this season but didn't look great during a very brief MLB debut. With a strong spring, Vogelbach should earn regular at-bats next season and has committed himself to improving his defense in the offseason.

A full year removed from Tommy John surgery, most expected Wieters to completely bounce back after a subpar 2015 season. That never really happened, as the elbow was still bothering him early in the year. Wieters did seem healthier as the season went along, and another year over the elbow issues can only help the three-time 20-plus home run hitter. Of course, potentially leaving hitter-friendly Baltimore wouldn't be great for his power numbers.