Patrick Csiszar |
Chris Sale - Braves SP
This seems to be a popular pick amongst most baseball analysts, and for good reason. Sale is finally coming off a healthy offseason without having to worry about any injuries to his elbow or shoulder which have plagued him in the past years. Sale’s looked sharp in Spring Training so far as he’s gone 4 ⅔ innings scoreless with 9 Ks. He’s also added some velocity to his fastball as he’s up 1mph in Spring. Along with increased velocity, he’s also gotten his break on his trademark slider back to normal; his slider averaged a break of 14.5 inches with a 20-inch max (up from avg of 11 last year). With a healthy offseason behind him, can the veteran left-hander finally turn it into another Cy Young-winning season?
Kerry Carpenter - Tigers OF
The former 16th-round pick solidified himself as a solid number-two hitter and a reliable outfielder for the Tigers last year hitting .278 with 20 HRs and a .811 OPS. Even though Carpenter had a good year last year, he can still do better, and the advanced statistics say it. Carpenter ranked in the 81st percentile is Sweet-Spot% last year and in the 65th and above for all of the following categories: Hard-Hit%, Barrel%, Avg. Exit Velocity, and xSLG (Expected SLG). The man can flat-out hit, and if he can increase his 13.1 launch angle from last year, you can expect some more home runs as well.
Dansby Swanson - Cubs SS
Some might say that Swanson doesn’t belong on this list because he’s already broken out, and is considered a good, borderline All-Star shortstop. I agree with that, but Swanson can and will be better this year. His glove has always been top-notch, and it will continue to do so, but his bat will bounce back from last year, and Swanson will be an All-Star come July. Almost all of his expected stats suggest that Swanson underperformed and just got unlucky last year. His BA, SLG, and WOBA all were significantly lower by an average of .027. Swanson is due this year for a bounce-back, and the Cubs need it as well.
Maikel Garcia - Royals 3B
As a rookie last year, third baseman Maikel Garcia did a fine job for the struggling Royals. He provided solid defense at the hot corner, was a consistent threat on the bases, and showed signs at the plate. Garcia hit the ball very hard last year, being above the 87th percentile for both averages. exit velocity and hard-hit percentage, but that did not translate to home runs as he only hit four in 123 games last year. This is mostly due to his 6.1 launch angle which means that Garcia was hitting the ball hard and well, but could not get it up and over the fence. With a few changes to his swing and approach, Maikel Garcia has all the tools to improve massively this year.
Keibert Ruiz - Nationals C
Ruiz used to be a top prospect for the Dodgers, and he’s now found himself in a full-time starting role with the Washington Nationals. What’s intriguing about Ruiz is that he’s always had very impressive plate discipline exemplified by his 11.5 and 10.3 K% in the last two years (97th and 99th percentile respectively). He has flashes of power with his max exit velocity of 110.1 mph last year, but now he just needs to put the barrel on the ball more. He is close though, placing in the 93rd percentile last year for sweet spot percentage. With a starting role all to himself, Keibert Ruiz is primed for his breakout year in the MLB.
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