Each MLB Team's Potential Breakout Star for 2023 Season
You don't need us to tell you that players to watch for the 2023 Major League Baseball season include Shohei Ohtani, Aaron Judge and the like. Those are names from the "Duh and/or Hello!" file.
So instead, how about some breakout candidates that should be on everyone's radar?
We have one for every team, and we cast a wide net in looking for players to include. Young players who are ready for their close-ups? Check. Veterans who are set to play bigger roles? Also, check. Other veterans who can simply be better than they've already shown? Oh, you better believe that's a check.
In any case, we'll proceed in alphabetical order by city.
Arizona Diamondbacks: CF Corbin Carroll
1 of 30
Age: 22
2022 Stats: 32 G, 115 PA, 4 HR, 2 SB, .260 AVG, .330 OBP, .500 SLG
Why did the Diamondbacks trade Daulton Varsho? Well, presumably in part because they really wanted Gabriel Moreno. It doesn't hurt, though, that it'll now be that much easier for them to find playing time for Corbin Carroll.
He batted .307/.425/.611 with 24 home runs and 31 stolen bases in the minors even before his strong debut with the Snakes. For anyone wondering which of his tools is his best, here's a hint: at 30.7 feet per second, he clocked as the fastest runner in MLB last year.
That Carroll also averaged just 85.8 mph on his batted balls is more of a cause for skepticism. But if he hits up around .300, steals a ton of bases and plays good defense in center field, he'll be a contender for the National League Rookie of the Year.
Atlanta: SS Vaughn Grissom
2 of 30
Age: 22
2022 Stats: 41 G, 156 PA, 5 HR, 5 SB, .291 AVG, .353 OBP, .440 SLG
It should have been a major problem for Atlanta that injuries limited two-time All-Star second baseman Ozzie Albies to just 64 games. Part of the reason it wasn't, however, was because of the play of Vaughn Grissom.
After torching the minors to the tune of a .324/.405/.494 batting line, Grissom homered in his very first game with Atlanta on Aug. 10. He went on to hit .347 over his first 26 games, though a late slump ultimately forced him from his starting job at second base.
Atlanta is nonetheless clearly confident in Grissom, as it otherwise wouldn't have been so lackadaisical about retaining Dansby Swanson at shortstop. Especially if his offseason work with Ron Washington pays off, Grissom should seize yet another chance to make a strong first impression at his new position.
Baltimore Orioles: SS Gunnar Henderson
3 of 30
Age: 21
2022 Stats: 34 G, 132 PA, 4 HR, 1 SB, .259 AVG, .348 OBP, .440 SLG
It was mostly The Adley Rutschman Show in Baltimore as the Orioles rose from the ash heap in 2022. Come September, though, it was The Adley Rutschman Show, featuring Gunnar Henderson.
Henderson absolutely raked in the minors last year, posting a .946 OPS with 19 home runs. He likewise raked in the majors, and even more so than his final results let on. After he made his debut on Aug. 31, he had the highest rate of hard contact in the entire league.
You can see why Henderson ended up at No. 2 on B/R's rankings for MLB's top 100 prospects for 2023. After Rutschman lost out to Julio Rodríguez in 2022, Henderson should make a run at becoming Baltimore's first Rookie of the Year since Gregg Olson in 1989.
Boston Red Sox: 1B Triston Casas
4 of 30
Age: 22
2022 Stats: 27 G, 95 PA, 5 HR, 1 SB, .197 AVG, .358 OBP, .408 SLG
The Red Sox basically enacted an insurance policy when they acquired Eric Hosmer from the San Diego Padres last August. It's to Triston Casas' credit, then, that Boston felt comfortable cutting Hosmer loose in December.
It wasn't all smooth sailing for Casas in the minors last year, but he still clubbed 12 home runs before he joined the Red Sox and added five more. The most notable of those was a 411-foot clout off New York Yankees ace Gerrit Cole at Fenway Park.
There's real power in the 6'4", 252-pounder's bat, but it's not to be overlooked that he walked 19 times against only 23 strikeouts in the majors last year. Add in quality defense at the cold corner, and Casas has the goods to be a mainstay in Boston in 2023 and beyond.
Chicago Cubs: LHP Brandon Hughes
5 of 30
Age: 27
2022 Stats: 57 G, 16 GF, 57.2 IP, 42 H (11 HR), 68 K, 21 BB, 3.12 ERA
There are some good prospects down in the Cubs' farm system, most notably including defensive-wiz center fielder Pete Crow-Armstrong. And yet, our eyes are on a 27-year-old left-hander who only averages 93.2 mph on his fastball.
Hear us out. Or, better yet, just consider these notes and footage concerning Brandon Hughes' slider from MLB.com's Jordan Bastian:
Nasty pitch. Nasty results. The easy comp here is Taylor Rogers, in which case Hughes might also find success as a slider-first closer who gets the job done again and again and again.
Chicago White Sox: 1B Andrew Vaughn
6 of 30
Age: 24
2022 Stats: 134 G, 555 PA, 17 HR, 0 SB, .271 AVG, .321 OBP, .429 SLG
Poor Andrew Vaughn. The White Sox drafted him as a first baseman out of UC Berkeley at No. 3 overall in 2019, but he had to play left field in deference to José Abreu after he arrived in the majors in 2021.
It was a bad fit, and not simply because the 6'0", 215-pound Vaughn was miscast as an outfielder. Scott Merkin of MLB.com posited that the effort also sucked the life out of his bat, and his career splits do present some compelling evidence in that regard:
- First Half: .797 OPS
- Second Half: .643 OPS
Mercifully, Abreu's departure to the Houston Astros opened first base for Vaughn. If the position does indeed help keep his body fresh, he should be that much more able to tap into the raw oomph that produced a hard-hit rate in the 90th percentile last year.
Cincinnati Reds: RHP Hunter Greene
7 of 30
Age: 23
2022 Stats: 24 GS, 125.2 IP, 104 H (24 HR), 164 K, 48 BB, 4.44 ERA
Hunter Greene was an obvious breakout candidate for the Reds heading into last season, and look how that panned out. Still, don't be too quick to mumble, "Fool me once..."
It's still easy to dream big on Greene because, well, how can you not with a fastball like that? He chucked 337 heaters at 100 mph and above in 2022, easily shattering the previous record of 199 for starting pitchers.
Though Greene's fastball nonetheless got hit hard throughout the year, that changed when he found success with it as he was ripping off a 0.78 ERA in September. If he can keep up that momentum while also continuing to confound hitters with his slider, his results should start living up to his talent in 2023.
Cleveland Guardians: RF Oscar Gonzalez
8 of 30
Age: 24
2022 Stats: 91 G, 382 PA, 11 HR, 1 SB, .296 AVG, .327 OBP, .461 SLG
Is it unfair to label Oscar Gonzalez as a breakout candidate after last year? The guy did, after all, do pretty well in the regular season before collecting not one, not two, but three go-ahead hits during the Guardians' playoff run.
Still, let's assume for the sake of argument that all of that was a lightning-in-a-bottle thing. And maybe it was, given that Gonzalez didn't exactly light up the metrics board even as his clutch hits and SpongeBob Squarepants walk-up music were winning hearts and minds.
At least for today, however, we're going to be optimistic. Because if nothing else, fun-loving dudes with noses for big hits and cannon-like arms are worth rooting for.
Colorado Rockies: 2B Brendan Rodgers
9 of 30
Age: 26
2022 Stats: 137 G, 581 PA, 13 HR, 0 SB, .266 AVG, .325 OBP, .408 SLG
Man, talk about "been there, done that." Brendan Rodgers has been a popular breakout pick for years at this point, and yet it just hasn't happened.
Except, it sort of happened in 2022. Rodgers put on a defensive clinic for the Rockies, ultimately ranking second among all fielders with 22 defensive runs saved. It was no great surprise when he collected his first Gold Glove in September.
It's on offense where Rodgers has yet to really break through, but signs that he could were never more present than they were in 2022. He put up strong metrics pretty much across the board, and especially with an 80th-percentile hard-hit rate. If he can add just a little more loft to his swing, all that would really start to count for something in 2023.
Detroit Tigers: CF Riley Greene
10 of 30
Age: 22
2022 Stats: 93 G, 418 PA, 5 HR, 1 SB, .253 AVG, .321 OBP, .362 SLG
We're not giving up on Spencer Torkelson yet. The Tigers' No. 1 pick from 2020 had a rough go of things in his debut season, but it wasn't entirely without signs that his supposedly extraordinary hitting acumen does exist in some form.
It's just that we're so more on board the Riley Greene Hype Train, if for no other reason than it was tons of fun to watch him roam the outfield after he made his debut last June.
Greene endured more of a trial by fire on the offensive side of things, but the part that seems unsustainable there is that the left-handed swinger had a reverse platoon split. Unsustainable in a good way, that is, as he'll surely start hitting right-handed pitching and take off accordingly.
Houston Astros: RHP Cristian Javier
11 of 30
Age: 25
2022 Stats: 30 G, 25 GS, 148.2 IP, 89 H (17 HR), 194 K, 52 BB, 2.54 ERA
The more reasonable pick for the Astros' breakout candidate is arguably right-hander Hunter Brown, who ranks as their best prospect and our No. 30 talent overall.
We landed on Cristian Javier, though, because we're not convinced he's done rising yet even after he spearheaded two combined no-hitters in 2022, including a historic one in Game 4 of the World Series.
Javier did take some lumps in the first half of 2022, but much less so as he pitched to a 2.20 ERA with 98 more strikeouts than walks over his last 98 innings after June 18. His slider and fastball were Houston's second and third-best pitches in that span after only Justin Verlander's fastball, which is hardly a bad thing to rank second and third behind.
Kansas City Royals: 1B Vinnie Pasquantino
12 of 30
Age: 25
2022 Stats: 72 G, 298 PA, 10 HR, 1 SB, .295 AVG, .383 OBP, .450 SLG
Is there a case for Bobby Witt Jr. here? Probably. Well, definitely. But when you hit 20 home runs and steal 30 bases as a rookie, there's only so much upward territory left to discover.
So, how about some love for Vinnie Pasquantino? He deserves it after the impression he made last year, and the numbers we've listed here don't encapsulate the totality of it. It's especially Really Quite Cool that he had more walks (35) than strikeouts (34) while averaging 91.2 mph on his batted balls.
All that bodes well for 2023, and so do the upcoming shift regulations. Pasquantino was shifted on for 93.8 percent of the pitches he saw as a rookie. Sans those shackles, hard knocks like this one and this one should go for hits more often.
Los Angeles Angels: LHP Reid Detmers
13 of 30
Age: 23
2022 Stats: 25 GS, 129.0 IP, 110 H (13 HR), 122 K, 46 BB, 3.77 ERA
The next roller coaster that goes up in Anaheim ought to be called "The Reid Detmers." You know, in honor of how he pitched a no-hitter on May 11, 2022, and was nonetheless optioned to the minors barely more than a month later.
Yet something funny happened with Detmers after he rejoined the Angels on July 8. He got really good, pitching to a 3.04 ERA on the strength of a slider that somehow wasn't the ruination of scores of right foots and ankles.
That slider accounted for a third of Detmers' pitches down the stretch, and presumably will again in 2023. Hitters can sit on it all they want, but that might not help them hit it and it sure won't make them less vulnerable to his mid-90s heater and rainbow curveball.
Los Angeles Dodgers: 3B Miguel Vargas
14 of 30
Age: 23
2022 Stats: 18 G, 50 PA, 1 HR, 1 SB, .170 AVG, .200 OBP, .255 SLG
The Dodgers had better hope they get more than one breakout in 2023, or their bafflingly quiet offseason is going to look even worse in retrospect.
It's a good thing that they have at least two breakout candidates in left fielder James Outman and Miguel Vargas, who we obviously like better. He isn't so much a third baseman as a guy who doesn't fit anywhere, really, but the .900-plus OPSes he's posted in the minors in each of the last two seasons confirm it: dude can hit.
Further, Vargas had only five more strikeouts than walks in the minors last season, and the 35 batted balls he collected in the majors provided a window into his feel for solid contact. Between these things and 94th percentile sprint speed, he should eventually give the Dodgers little choice but to give him at-bats.
Miami Marlins: RHP Edward Cabrera
15 of 30
Age: 24
2022 Stats: 14 GS, 71.2 IP, 44 H (10 HR), 75 K, 33 BB, 3.01 ERA
The first thing to know about Edward Cabrera is that he throws his changeup really hard. As in, 96 mph hard:
That's a ridiculously hard changeup, so the second thing to know about Cabrera should surprise nobody: he also throws a hard fastball. As a rookie in 2022, he averaged 96 mph and routinely hit 97 and 98 mph.
These things alone give a good enough sense of how Cabrera was so effective last year, but then you can get into how he was hard to hit in more ways than one. His whiff rate was in the 86th percentile, while his hard-hit rate was in the 83rd. If he can avoid one of his all-too-frequent run-ins with the injury bug, more of the same should follow in 2023.
Milwaukee Brewers: CF Garrett Mitchell
16 of 30
Age: 24
2022 Stats: 28 G, 68 PA, 2 HR, 8 SB, .311 AVG, .373 OBP, .459 SLG
With Christian Yelich, Lorenzo Cain and Hunter Renfroe from left to right, the Brewers' opening outfield for last season looked good on paper at least. Now that the latter two are gone, maybe not so much.
Yet Garrett Mitchell, the guy in center field, deserves a closer look. He had a fine year in the minors last year, posting an .804 OPS with 17 stolen bases, before debuting in the majors and lighting up Statcast with 99th-percentile speed and 96th-percentile arm strength.
As evidenced by the fact that he struck out 28 times in 68 plate appearances, the downside is that Mitchell swings and misses a lot. But since he hit the ball at 92.9 mph when he did make contact, well, that's evidence of still another standout tool. If nothing else, he could be a human highlight reel in 2023.
Minnesota Twins: RHP Bailey Ober
17 of 30
Age: 27
2022 Stats: 11 GS, 56.0 IP, 48 H (4 HR), 51 K, 11 BB, 3.21 ERA
At 6'9", 260 pounds, Bailey Ober is literally hard to miss. Alas, the man himself has missed his share of time with injuries throughout his professional career, including last year as he dealt with a truly uncomfortable-sounding groin and core injury.
The silver lining is that Ober was very good when he did pitch, and it had a lot to do with him leaning less on a fastball—which only sits in the low 90s—and more on his secondary pitches.
The other part of Ober's 2022 season that's not to be discounted is that, even despite all the extra secondary offerings, he still only walked 1.8 batters per nine innings. With that kind of control of that kind of stuff, he could really go off in 2023 if he's able to stay healthy.
New York Mets: C Francisco Álvarez
18 of 30
Age: 21
2022 Stats: 5 G, 14 PA, 1 HR, 0 SB, .167 AVG, .286 OBP, .500 SLG
The Mets are presumably going to open 2023 with Omar Narváez as their starting catcher. And that's fine. He's a good player. Heck, he was even an All-Star in 2021.
It shouldn't be long, though, before baseball's No. 1 prospect takes his place behind the dish. That's Francisco Álvarez, who's fresh off posting an .885 OPS with 27 home runs in the minors in 2022. Oh, and a 439-foot blast in the majors to cap things off.
That power is very real, and it alone can make Álvarez an NL Rookie of the Year contender, even if his other tools don't quite shine through in 2023. In the long run, he could be for the Mets what Salvador Perez has been for the Royals.
New York Yankees: SS Oswald Peraza
19 of 30
Age: 22
2022 Stats: 18 G, 57 PA, 1 HR, 2 SB, .306 AVG, .404 OBP, .429 SLG
Yankees fans have every right to feel frustrated about the team's lack of urgency regarding its shortstop situation. Isiah Kiner-Falefa was the solution nobody asked for in 2022, and he's still there heading into 2023.
At least this year, however, there's hope on the horizon in the form of Oswald Peraza. It wouldn't even be surprising if he cracked the Opening Day roster as a starter over Kiner-Falefa, an arena in which he already has some experience from the 2022 playoffs.
Defensively, Peraza is ready for the majors right now. There's less clarity with his offensive outlook after he whiffed 100 times next to 34 walks in the minors last year, but that was with a hefty dose of power (19 home runs) and an even heftier dose of speed (33 stolen bases). So even if he's not the most consistent hitter, he can still make an impact.
Oakland Athletics: C Shea Langeliers
20 of 30
Age: 25
2022 Stats: 40 G, 153 PA, 6 HR, 0 SB, .218 AVG, .261 OBP, .430 SLG
Why did the A's trade Sean Murphy? Because they're cheap, for one thing. But also because they needed him out of the way so they can see what Shea Langeliers can do.
Not to be confused with one of Stephen King's more obscure monsters, Langeliers has tools that give off faint J.T. Realmuto vibes. His exit velocity got as high as 112.2 mph in 2022, while his sprint speed (85th percentile) and pop time (79th percentile) both graded near the top of the charts.
As for the bad stuff, Langeliers was a high-strikeout, low-walk guy in the minors even before he debuted with 53 strikeouts and only nine walks last year. But with the other tools he has, he can make only gradual process there and still be a difference-making regular in 2023.
Philadelphia Phillies: 2B Bryson Stott
21 of 30
Age: 25
2022 Stats: 127 G, 466 PA, 10 HR, 12 SB, .234 AVG, .295 OBP, .358 SLG
Phillies president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski has constructed perhaps the ultimate testament to his "you win with star players" philosophy. A good thing in general, to be sure, but it leaves us regrettably few options to sort into the "breakout star" folder.
Far from a default pick, though, Bryson Stott truly deserves the distinction. He initially endured some difficult on-the-job training after making the Phillies' Opening Day roster in 2022, but by the second half, he was hitting .276 with a .735 OPS.
Stott might not have much in the way of untapped power, but his excellent bat-to-ball skill (i.e., 89th percentile whiff rate) can only help him carry on last year's momentum. He should also fare better defensively this year, as he had three outs above average at second base compared to zero at shortstop last season.
Pittsburgh Pirates: SS Oneil Cruz
22 of 30
Age: 24
2022 Stats: 87 G, 361 PA, 17 HR, 10 SB, .233 AVG, .295 OBP, .450 SLG
Even as is, Oneil Cruz is already one of the most entertaining players in baseball. That one guy can be among the hardest hitters, fastest runners and hardest throwers scarcely seems plausible, much less possible.
The catch is that Cruz's approach at the dish isn't exactly refined, but he at least put himself on the path to better things at the end of 2022. He finished with a 29-game stretch in September in which he had an .884 OPS and six home runs, including one off Jacob deGrom.
Notably, September was the first time all season that Cruz's monthly strikeout rate dipped below 30 percent. That doesn't make him a great contact hitter, but more of that would more than justify the Pirates keeping him around for the sake of his other tools.
San Diego Padres: RHP Robert Suarez
23 of 30
Age: 31
2022 Stats: 45 G, 6 GF, 29 H (4 HR), 61 K, 21 BB, 2.27 ERA
Wait a minute. Didn't Robert Suarez break out as he was blowing away hitters in support of Josh Hader last October?
You could say that. But you could also say, as we are, that Suarez hasn't yet completed his breakout. Because while it was clearly enough for the Padres to deem him worthy of a five-year contract, his run of excellence last year only lasted a few weeks from the beginning of September into the middle of October.
Suarez might not simply be just as good in 2023—but perhaps even better. We're looking for him to put more trust in a changeup that drew whiffs at a 40 percent clip last year. If he does, the Padres will have a ready-made replacement for Hader, who's a free agent next winter.
San Francisco Giants: C Joey Bart
24 of 30
Age: 26
2022 Stats: 97 G, 291 PA, 11 HR, 2 SB, .215 AVG, .296 OBP, .364 SLG
Especially if one removes Camilo Doval, who saved 27 games last year, from the equation, the Giants don't really have many breakout candidates.
We're therefore looking at Joey Bart somewhat by default, and it's surely now or never for the former No. 2 pick. Buster Posey's retirement after 2021 cleared part of the way for him behind the plate, and the trade of Curt Casali last August effectively cleared the rest of it.
There were good vibes in San Francisco when that trade coincided with a seven-game hot streak in which Bart went 14-for-28 with two home runs. What the Giants need now is for him to actually sustain being an offensive force, for which a good start would be turning a corner against breaking and off-speed stuff after he hit .116 against it in 2022.
Seattle Mariners: RHP George Kirby
25 of 30
Age: 24
2022 Stats: 25 GS, 130.0 IP, 135 H (13 HR), 133 K, 22 BB, 3.39 ERA
Could Jarred Kelenic finally break out in 2023? Well, sure. It's just not easy to make a case that he will, as moments of him showing off his tools have been frustratingly few and far between in the 147 major league games he's played in.
Instead, we submit that George Kirby's peak is still out there somewhere. Because who can't help but fall in love with a guy who only walks 1.5 batters per nine innings, much less with one of the most effective fastballs around?
Oh, and that's just Kirby's four-seamer, by the way. That's just one of...[counts on fingers]...six pitches that he threw with some regularity as a rookie last year. Should he discover the perfect golden ratio of how to deploy all those offerings, we'll go so far as to say he has Cy Young upside in 2023.
St. Louis Cardinals: RF Lars Nootbaar
26 of 30
Age: 25
2022 Stats: 108 G, 347 PA, 14 HR, 4 SB, .228 AVG, .340 OBP, .448 SLG
You can't take more than two steps in the Cardinals clubhouse without bumping into a talented 20-something hitter. And if you bump into Nootbaar, you've made contact with potentially the best of the bunch.
This might be an unpopular opinion, but, well, just look at what the guy did in 2022. And not just at the results, as any hitter who can post a walk rate in the 98th percentile with exit velocity in the 90th percentile is surely deserving of substantial respect.
The catch should be that the lefty-swinging Nootbaar took 80 percent of his plate appearances with the platoon advantage, but he actually got on base at a higher clip against lefties (.400) than he did against righties (.325). Between that and his arm strength, he has all he needs to be a standout regular in right field.
Tampa Bay Rays: RHP Pete Fairbanks
27 of 30
Age: 29
2022 Stats: 24 G, 10 GF, 24.0 IP, 13 H (1 HR), 38 K, 3 BB, 1.13 ERA
After a strong 2021 season, Pete Fairbanks went into 2022 looking to solidify himself as one of the key pieces of the Rays bullpen. Alas, the injury bug put the kibosh on that in the form of a lat injury that kept him out until July.
Could this explain why Fairbanks was pitching angry when he finally returned? Because this sure looks like a graph of angry pitching:
Granted, the settings on the Y axis are doing a lot of work here. But opposing hitters nonetheless felt the pain of Fairbanks' supercharged fastball, especially as he was striking out 36, walking only three and allowing zero runs over his last 22 appearances. Health permitting, more of that in 2023 would make him one of the game's top closers.
Texas Rangers: 3B Josh Jung
28 of 30
Age: 24
2022 Stats: 26 G, 102 PA, 5 HR, 2 SB, .204 AVG, .235 OBP, .418 SLG
It was around this time last year that Josh Jung was in the running to make an impact on the Rangers as soon as Opening Day. But then he tore a labrum in his left shoulder, requiring surgery that kept him out of action until July 28.
It's a small miracle that Jung not only salvaged his season, but made the most of what time he had by OPS'ing .866 in the minors and forcing the Rangers to pick him for a September call-up. He celebrated by homering in his very first at-bat:
There's a hint of Chris Taylor in Jung's swing, so it's not the biggest shock that he struck out 39 times in 102 plate appearances late last season. But even if the whiffs persist, he can do what Taylor does to earn his keep with the Dodgers: just hit rockets and then some more rockets.
Toronto Blue Jays: RHP Erik Swanson
29 of 30
Age: 29
2022 Stats: 57 G, 1 GS, 9 GF, 53.2 IP, 39 H (3 HR), 70 K, 10 BB, 1.68 ERA
If the Blue Jays' side of the trade that sent Teoscar Hernández to the Mariners felt light, it might be worthwhile to take another look at what Erik Swanson did last season.
The results? Yeah, they're obviously impressive. But it also bears noting that his peripherals were overflowing with intimidating figures. In particular, it's not often you see a guy with such a huge strikeout-to-walk ratio who also has exit velocity and hard-contact percentiles in the upper 90s.
Though Swanson will begin the year setting up for Jordan Romano, the latter's strikeout dip from last season has us thinking that their roles could eventually be reversed.
Washington Nationals: RHP Cade Cavalli
30 of 30
Age: 24
2022 Stats: 1 G, 1 GS, 4.1 IP, 6 H (0 HR), 6 K, 2 BB, 14.54 ERA
It's too early to give up on CJ Abrams and MacKenzie Gore, who were the Nationals' top prizes from the trade that sent Juan Soto to San Diego. In the cases of both players, however, there are quite a few red flags at present.
For his part, Cade Cavalli didn't have the best go of things last season. But he put himself in the majors by way of a 2.10 ERA over his last 13 games in the minors, and he showed good stuff even as he was roughed up in his debut.
To wit, 30 of his 40 four-seam fastballs landed above 95 mph and all six of his strikeouts came on non-heaters. Provided that his control is so much as adequate, stuff like that can sustain him as a capable starter in his rookie season.
Stats courtesy of Baseball Reference, FanGraphs and Baseball Savant.
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