Unknown MLB Players Who Will Have a Breakthrough Year in 2015
Every year, a handful of Major League Baseball players emerge from relative obscurity to become key contributors for their respective teams and household names to baseball fans across the country.
The breakout performance of guys like Jonathan Lucroy and Corey Kluber stole the headlines in 2014, but those two were relatively well-known around the league heading into the 2014 season.
On the other hand, guys like Josh Harrison, J.D. Martinez, Lorenzo Cain, Jake Arrieta, Tyson Ross and Dellin Betances were all relatively unknown league-wide heading into the year but emerged as stars by the end of the season.
So which players could announce themselves to the baseball world with a breakthrough year?
Here is a look at 10 guys who may not be known to most everyday baseball fans but could see that change in 2015 as they step into more significant roles with their respective teams and look to build off their 2014 performances.
SP Josh Collmenter, Arizona Diamondbacks
1 of 10
2014 Stats
| MLB | 33/28 | 11-9 | 3.46 | 3.87 | 1.126 | 39 | 115 | 179.1 |
Player Overview
The longest-tenured big leaguer on this list, Josh Collmenter broke into the league in 2011 and went 10-10 with a 3.38 ERA to finish fifth in NL Rookie of the Year voting.
However, he had yet to really establish himself as a quality big league starter until the second half last season, when he emerged as the Diamondbacks' most consistent starter and one of the best starters in baseball.
Over his final seven starts, the 28-year-old went 3-2 with a 1.26 ERA and 0.740 WHIP, as opponents hit just .173 with a .429 OPS against him during that span.
Still relatively unknown outside of Arizona, the 2015 season may finally be the year Collmenter makes a name for himself league-wide if he can build off his strong finish to last season.
SP Alex Colome, Tampa Bay Rays
2 of 10
2014 Combined Stats
| A+/AAA | 18/18 | 7-7 | 3.53 | - | 1.299 | 35 | 83 | 97.0 |
| MLB | 5/3 | 2-0 | 2.66 | 3.85 | 1.225 | 10 | 13 | 23.2 |
Player Overview
With the No. 5 starter job up for grabs and Alex Colome out of options, there is a good chance the 25-year-old opens the season in the Tampa Bay Rays rotation.
The right-hander has spent parts of the past three seasons pitching at the Triple-A level, but he finally has a clear path to a big league job. The Rays have done a terrific job cultivating pitching talent over the years, and Colome could be the next impact starter to climb through their minor league ranks.
Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com's Prospect Watch provided a scouting report:
"Colome has all the weapons to start, beginning with a fastball that can touch 95-96 mph. He throws a hard cutter-like slider that is an out pitch at times, and his changeup shows flashes of being above average as well. Colome struggles with the consistency of his secondary stuff, but he has the ceiling of having three above-average Major League offerings if it can all come together.
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Enny Romero and recently acquired Burch Smith will also be in the running for the No. 5 starter spot. But one way or another Colome figures to land a big league job, and he'll be given every chance to run with it.
SP Anthony DeSclafani, Cincinnati Reds
3 of 10
2014 Combined Stats
| AA/AAA | 20/19 | 6-7 | 3.78 | - | 1.212 | 31 | 97 | 102.1 |
| MLB | 13/5 | 2-2 | 6.27 | 3.77 | 1.364 | 5 | 26 | 33.0 |
Player Overview
With four starters headed for free agency next offseason, it was a foregone conclusion that the Cincinnati Reds would be trading at least one arm this offseason. They ended up moving both Mat Latos and Alfredo Simon during the winter meetings.
Latos was shipped to the Miami Marlins in return for a pair of prospects, including right-hander Anthony DeSclafani, who should have every chance to win a rotation spot this spring.
A quick scouting report of DeSclafani, via Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com's Prospect Watch:
"DeSclafani shows three workable pitches, giving him the chance to remain a starter. Aggressive on the mound, he pitches off of his above-average fastball, and while he's used two breaking balls in the past, he is now focused on his slider, which looks like a future out pitch. He tends to be too firm with his changeup, but if he can take a little more off of it to separate it from his fastball, he could stick in a Major League rotation for a long time.
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The 24-year-old is in for a big step forward if he can refine his changeup, and he'll be given every chance to prove he belongs in the Cincinnati rotation long-term as it looks to infuse some young talent at the big league level.
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CF Anthony Gose, Detroit Tigers
4 of 10
2014 Combined Stats
| AAA | 51 | 205 | .244/.305/.346 | 50 | 5 | 4 | 25 | 29 | 21 |
| MLB | 94 | 239 | .226/.311/.293 | 54 | 8 | 2 | 13 | 31 | 15 |
Player Overview
A top prospect in the Toronto Blue Jays organization who was ranked as highly as the No. 39 prospect in the league by Baseball America entering the 2012 season, speedy outfielder Anthony Gose never really got a chance at regular playing time in Toronto.
The 24-year-old was traded to the Detroit Tigers this offseason for second base prospect Devon Travis, and for the first time in his career he has a clear path to everyday at-bats in center field as the leading candidate to replace Austin Jackson.
Gose is a plus-defender. And that should make for a longer leash if he struggles early offensively, so he should have a legitimate chance to establish himself as the everyday guy during the first half of the season.
With a career .334 on-base percentage in the minors, Gose has the tools to be a decent leadoff option if everything breaks right, and in a lineup that features Miguel Cabrera, Victor Martinez, J.D. Martinez and Yoenis Cespedes, that would mean plenty of run-scoring opportunities.
RP Kevin Quackenbush, San Diego Padres
5 of 10
2014 Combined Stats
| AAA | 13 | 0-0 | 6 | 1.26 | 0.907 | 2.5 | 7.5 | 14.1 |
| MLB | 56 | 3-3 | 6 | 2.48 | 1.104 | 3.0 | 9.3 | 54.1 |
Player Overview
An eighth-round pick back in 2011, Kevin Quackenbush dominated every step of the way during his climb through the San Diego Padres' minor league system.
The right-hander made a total of 157 minor league appearances, saving 68 games and posting a 1.16 ERA, 1.073 WHIP and 237 strikeouts in 179 innings of work, before earning the call-up to San Diego last April.
By season's end he was one of the team's most reliable relievers, and when Joaquin Benoit landed on the disabled list with shoulder inflammation, he stepped into the closer's role and converted six out of seven save opportunities.
Benoit was 11-of-12 on save chances last season after taking over for Huston Street, but he's served as a setup man for the bulk of his career. The 37-year-old could return to that role if Quackenbush continues to dominate.
Even if Quackenbush remains in a setup role, he could still make a name for himself with a strong performance in 2015 like Dellin Betances, Andrew Miller and Wade Davis did with the eighth-inning job this past season.
2B Rob Refsnyder, New York Yankees
6 of 102014 Combined Stats
| AA | 60 | 228 | .342/.385/.548 | 78 | 19 | 6 | 30 | 35 | 5 |
| AAA | 77 | 287 | .300/.389/.456 | 86 | 19 | 8 | 33 | 47 | 4 |
Player Overview
A fifth-round pick out of the University of Arizona in 2012, Rob Refsnyder entered the 2014 season ranked as the No. 28 prospect in the New York Yankees' system, according to the Baseball America Prospect Handbook.
After hitting .293/.413/.413 with 32 doubles and six home runs between the Single-A and High-A levels in 2013, Refsnyder was even better in the upper levels of the minors last year, showing improved power with 38 doubles and 14 home runs.
The Yankees' decision to trade Martin Prado this offseason means that the second-base job will be a battle of prospects between Refsnyder and Jose Pirela this spring.
Pirela hit .305/.351/.441 with 42 extra-base hits in 535 at-bats in Triple-A last season, so it's not a foregone conclusion that Refsnyder will win the job. But if he does he could wind up being one of the front-runners for AL Rookie of the Year honors.
RP Aaron Sanchez, Toronto Blue Jays
7 of 10
2014 Combined Stats
| AA/AAA | 22/20 | 3-7 | 3.95 | - | 1.445 | 57 | 84 | 100.1 |
| MLB | 24/0 | 2-2 | 1.09 | 2.80 | 0.697 | 9 | 27 | 33.0 |
Player Overview
After a terrific debut season from Marcus Stroman in 2014, the Toronto Blue Jays will again be counting on a pair of rookies to make a significant impact this coming season in top prospects Daniel Norris and Aaron Sanchez.
Sanchez, the No. 34 pick in the 2010 draft, made his presence felt out of the bullpen last year with a 1.09 ERA and three saves in 24 appearances following his debut on July 23.
With Casey Janssen departing in free agency, there is a chance Sanchez winds up playing an even more significant role in the bullpen. Perhaps he'll end up being the closer if the team does not make a significant addition to the bullpen between now and the start of spring training.
If Toronto does go outside the organization for a closer, he'll compete alongside Norris for the No. 5 starter spot. And with more big league experience under his belt he'd have to be considered the favorite to win the job.
Sanchez was absolutely dominant last spring, throwing 15.1 scoreless innings, and regardless of what role he finds himself in this coming season, he has the stuff to quickly become a household name for what should be a good Blue Jays team.
SS Marcus Semien, Oakland Athletics
8 of 10
2014 Combined Stats
| AAA | 83 | 303 | .267/.380/.502 | 81 | 20 | 15 | 52 | 57 | 7 |
| MLB | 64 | 231 | .234/.300/.372 | 54 | 10 | 6 | 28 | 30 | 3 |
Player Overview
A sixth-round pick out of the University of California in 2011, Marcus Semien enjoyed a breakout season in 2013 when he hit .284/.401/.479 with 32 doubles, 19 home runs and 24 steals, splitting the season between Double-A and Triple-A for the Chicago White Sox.
Given an extended look at the major league level for the first time this past season, his overall numbers were nothing special, but he seemed to hit his stride down the stretch, as he batted .273/.333/.485 with seven extra-base hits in 66 at-bats during the month of September.
Semien was shipped to the Oakland Athletics during the winter meetings as part of the White Sox's four-player package to acquire Jeff Samardzija, and he will be given every chance to win the starting shortstop job to open the season.
He might not have the ceiling of Addison Russell, the highly regarded prospect the A's gave up to acquire Samardzija in the first place, but the tools are there for him to be a solid everyday shortstop.
A .374 on-base percentage in the minors and a 228/299 BB/K ratio over 1,468 at-bats speak to his advanced plate discipline, and he should contribute double-digit home runs and steals over a full season of at-bats.
CF Michael Taylor, Washington Nationals
9 of 10
2014 Combined Stats
| AA/AAA | 110 | 428 | .304/.390/.526 | 130 | 20 | 23 | 64 | 81 | 37 |
| MLB | 17 | 39 | .205/.279/.359 | 8 | 3 | 1 | 5 | 5 | 0 |
Player Overview
It might not be until the 2015 season that Michael Taylor finds his way into an everyday role at the major league level, but he could be this season's Joc Pederson if he remains trapped at the minor league level much longer.
The 23-year-old repeated the High-A level in 2013, hitting .263/.340/.426 with 41 doubles, 10 home runs and 51 RBI to enter this past season the No. 7 prospect in the Washington Nationals' system, according to Baseball America.
There is still a lot of swing-and-miss to his game (144 K in 428 AB in 2014), but his offense has come a long way since he was drafted as the prototypical toolsy high school athlete who got by more on raw ability than anything else.
The Nationals' outfield is currently set with Bryce Harper, Denard Span and Jayson Werth penciled into everyday jobs, but with Span headed for free agency at the end of the 2015 season, the team is going to want to see what it has in Taylor at some point.
He has the exciting mix of tools to make a serious impact as a second-half call-up, even if it's in a part-time role. He'll also be the first guy called on should injury strike in the outfield, and he may force his way into the team's 2015 plans if given the chance.
DH Kennys Vargas, Minnesota Twins
10 of 10
2014 Combined Stats
| AA | 97 | 356 | .281/.360/.472 | 100 | 17 | 17 | 63 | 50 | 0 |
| MLB | 53 | 215 | .274/.316/.456 | 59 | 19 | 9 | 38 | 26 | 0 |
Player Overview
Something of a forgotten man in a farm system that features Byron Buxton, Miguel Sano and other high-quality prospects, Kennys Vargas entered the 2014 season as the No. 20 prospect in a deep Minnesota Twins organization, according to the Baseball America Prospect Handbook.
After hitting .267/.344/.468 with 33 doubles and 19 home runs in a full 2013 season at the High-A level, Vargas was promoted to Double-A to open the 2014 season, and he proved he belongs in the team's future plans with a strong first-half showing that included a trip to the Futures Game.
Vargas was promoted to the majors on Aug. 1, and after Josh Willingham was traded to the Kansas City Royals, the 6'5", 275-pound slugger served as the team's cleanup hitter for the final two months of the season on his way to a 115 OPS+.
His plate discipline still needs some work, as he posted a 12/63 BB/K ratio over 215 at-bats following his call-up, but he had a .367 on-base percentage in six minor league seasons, so the tools are there for him to make the necessary adjustments.
In a couple of years, Vargas could be a legitimate 30-home run threat in the middle of what should be a dangerous Twins lineup. As for 2015, an OPS in the neighborhood of .800 with 20-plus home runs and 80-plus RBI are well within reach.
All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted.
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