MLB 'Sidekicks' Who Need to Step Up Most in 2015
Every Major League Baseball team needs stars. Their talents include being really good at baseball, and really good baseball players help baseball teams win a lot of games.
Stars can't do everything, though. Like Batman needs Robin and Han Solo needs Chewbacca, even baseball stars need sidekicks. And in 2015, some sidekicks will need to be better than others.
Before we get to the 10 sidekicks I've rounded up for analysis, let's first get on the same page. I'm taking "sidekick" to mean a player who isn't his team's star in his respective line of work but has recently been good and would be a major asset if he performs beyond his perceived ability.
Basically, they're a lot like X-factors, with the only major difference being the term "sidekick" gave me an excuse to reference DC comics and Star Wars just now.
At any rate, let's get going with the 10 MLB sidekicks who need to step up most in 2015, ranked in order from least important to most important.
10. Casey Janssen, RP, Washington Nationals
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Take a moment to ponder the big stars on the Nationals, and your list will go on for a while before arriving at Casey Janssen. They're loaded with star talent, particularly in their starting rotation.
Washington's bullpen could be an Achilles' heel, however. After the recent departure of Tyler Clippard, the bridge to closer Drew Storen looks pretty shaky. And if Tanner Roark's likely move to the bullpen is restricted to a long relief role, Janssen may be only one guy who can fix it.
“They said I’m going to pitch late," Janssen told Tom Schad of The Washington Times. "I’m going to help fill the seventh, eighth or potentially the ninth inning if Drew needs a night off or something like that.”
This is a fine idea in light of how Janssen handled late-inning duty to the tune of a 2.46 ERA and 4.47 strikeout-to-walk ratio between 2011 and 2013. But in light of what happened in 2014, it's a risk.
Janssen's 2014 started off strong but finished with a 6.46 second-half ERA. A bout with food poisoning at the All-Star break looks like the culprit, but FanGraphs' Jeff Sullivan did a fine job of breaking down how Janssen's struggles in 2014 extended well beyond his illness. He was never really himself all season.
If Storen can't put 2014 behind him, the NL East race could be much more interesting than expected, as too many Nationals leads are blown on the doorstep to the ninth inning. But if he can, the bridge to Storen will be fine and the Nationals will have no problem being the super-team they're expected to be.
9. Carlos Martinez, SP, St. Louis Cardinals
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If you're looking for the most intriguing Cardinals player, look no further than Carlos Martinez. There are two roles he might fill in 2015, and he could conceivably make a huge impact in either of them.
For now, the Cardinals are hoping the same thing they were hoping this time last year: that the hard-throwing right-hander can stick in their starting rotation. If Martinez is able to do it this year, the Cardinals rotation is going to be graced with a high-upside arm.
And it could surely use one of those. With John Lackey aging and Adam Wainwright and Michael Wacha coming off injuries, the only piece of St. Louis' rotation that looks solid right now is Lance Lynn. If Martinez can make it two solid pieces, the Cardinals rotation would look a lot better for it.
Or, Martinez could do the next best thing: establish himself as a dominant reliever.
That's something Martinez has been before, but only in spurts (see the 2013 postseason and the 2014 stretch run). If he were able to put his wicked fastball-slider combination to good use consistently, he, Jordan Walden and Trevor Rosenthal could form a Kansas City Royals-like late-inning trio.
Either way, the Cardinals are going to need Martinez's talents in 2015. If he's up to the challenge, maybe they'll make it five straight trips to the National League Championship Series.
8. Clay Buchholz, SP, Boston Red Sox
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The Red Sox have remade virtually their entire roster in recent months, but nothing has gotten an overhaul quite like their rotation. Suddenly, it has everything it needs.
Except, of course, for an ace. None of the four new additions—Joe Kelly, Rick Porcello, Wade Miley, Justin Masterson—fits the bill, hence why everyone is clambering for Boston to trade for Cole Hamels.
The guy who could fill that role, however, is also the forgotten man in Boston's rotation: Clay Buchholz.
Buchholz hasn't been so good in two of the last three seasons, as he pitched to a 4.56 ERA in 2012 and a 5.34 ERA in 2014. And overall, instances of him living up to his once-massive potential have been sporadic.
But at the same time, it wasn't that long ago when Buchholz seemed to have everything figured out. He was virtually unhittable in his first 10 starts of 2013, posting a 1.73 ERA and holding opponents to a .194 average. Also, only one of those 10 starts lasted shorter than seven innings.
If Buchholz recaptures what made that hot start possible, the Red Sox's rotation suddenly won't look so ace-less. And in the end, that could result in them running away with the AL East.
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7. Pedro Alvarez, 1B, Pittsburgh Pirates
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The Pirates are coming off a 2014 season in which their offense was safely above average, as they beat the National League average of 3.95 runs per game with an average of 4.21 runs per game.
Repeating that performance could be tricky, however. Russell Martin's offense will be missed, and it's best if nobody counts on Josh Harrison being the offensive force he was in 2014. With their production likely to be lost, Pittsburgh's offense will need someone else to step up to survive as an above-average unit.
How about Pedro Alvarez?
Last season could have gone worse for Alvarez from an average and OBP standpoint, but his power took a big step in the wrong direction. After topping 30 dingers in 2012 and 2013, he only made it to 18 in 2014. Like that, Pittsburgh's lineup was robbed of its big left-handed power threat. A return to form would take care of that problem and in turn bolster Pittsburgh's lineup.
While he's at it, Alvarez could do even more good by excelling at his new position. If he can play much better defense at first base than the disastrous defense he played at third base, the Pirates' ground ball-heavy pitching staff (see FanGraphs) will be very thankful.
The Pirates should have enough firepower to contend even if Alvarez doesn't turn a corner in 2015. But if he does, they could emerge as favorites in the NL Central.
6. Brandon Belt, 1B, San Francisco Giants
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World champions though they were, the Giants weren't a particularly powerful team in 2014. They finished seventh in the National League in home runs and slugged only .388 as a team.
Over the winter, they got even less powerful. Pablo Sandoval and Mike Morse left and were replaced by Casey McGehee and Nori Aoki. That's five combined dingers replacing 32 combined dingers.
However, there is one player on the Giants who could help recoup these lost dingers: Brandon Belt.
All Belt has to do is finally put together the big breakout season he's been teasing for the last three years but has yet to fully realize. He had average and OBP covered in 2012, but not power. He didn't heat up until the end of 2013. And just when he seemed to be on the right track with nine homers in his first 35 games of 2014, injuries stepped in and ruined everything.
Somewhere in Belt is a consistent hitter with 25-homer power. If he finally realizes that potential in his age-27 season, he'll not only provide some much-needed power, but will also be the left-handed presence the Giants need to complement Buster Posey and Hunter Pence.
An addition like that isn't what the Giants need to chase the wild card in 2015, but it is something they'll need if they want to keep pace with the heavily favored Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West.
5. Kole Calhoun, RF, Los Angeles Angels
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A lot went into the Angels winning a league-leading 98 games in 2014, but what helped the most was that they scored more runs than anyone else.
The Angels may have a tough time doing that again in 2015, though. Howie Kendrick's steady bat is gone, and Albert Pujols, David Freese, Erick Aybar and Chris Iannetta will all be another year into their 30s. And according to the latest, it may be a while before the already-injured Josh Hamilton is seen again.
In other words: Mike Trout is going to need some serious help in 2015. And more than anyone else, Kole Calhoun looks like just the man for the job.
Somewhat quietly, Calhoun has put together a solid major league resume in the last two seasons. He broke out to the tune of an .808 OPS in 2013 and followed it up with a rock-solid .776 OPS in 2014.
This is not to say the Angels will be fine if Calhoun picks up where he left off, however. He didn't leave off in a good spot, as his OPS declined 180 points from the first half to the second half in 2014.
With few solid pieces outside of Trout in the Angels lineup, what they need is for Calhoun to turn back the clock to the first half of 2014. That would allow their lineup to survive on the strength of its top two hitters, and the end result should once again be them competing for the AL West title.
4. Josh Reddick, RF, Oakland A's
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You can say the A's don't have a star in their lineup, but only if you're a darn fool who has no respect for Ben Zobrist. Don't you know he's a god of WAR?
One thing is true about the A's projected lineup, though: It doesn't look very powerful. None of their projected starters hit more than 12 homers in 2014, which makes the departures of Josh Donaldson and Brandon Moss (54 combined homers) loom that much larger.
The best bets to fix this problem are Billy Butler, Ike Davis and Josh Reddick, who combined for 93 home runs as recently as 2012. But one of the three is a better bet than the others, and I'll tell you why.
As FanGraphs can show, Butler has become too much of a ground-ball hitter to be a power producer. The lefty-swinging Davis, meanwhile, has far too severe a platoon split to be an everyday player.
By comparison, Reddick's own platoon split against lefties isn't that bad. That and his outstanding right field defense are excuses to keep him in the lineup every day, and his ongoing tendency to put the ball in the air means plenty of chances to hit the ball out of the yard.
So if anybody's going to be Oakland's resident power hitter, it's going to be Reddick. And if he can do it, a lineup that only looks passable should be good enough to keep the A's in contention.
3. Juan Lagares, CF, New York Mets
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Odds are the Mets aren't going to come to mind when you think about the top National League offenses, but they're not to be overlooked. With Michael Cuddyer joining the mix, they should have decent hitters at every position except shortstop.
One area that could be problematic, however, is an area that was problematic last year: the leadoff spot. It produced the fifth-worst OBP in MLB in 2014, and it hasn't gotten a major upgrade.
That is, unless Juan Lagares has something to say about that.
Most everyone knows by now that Lagares is the real deal in center field, but he quietly had a solid season at the plate in 2014, hitting .281 with a .321 OBP. According to Marc Carig of Newsday, the Mets are hoping Lagares can build on his offensive breakout from the leadoff spot in 2015.
This is hardly a foolproof idea. Lagares doesn't specialize in working pitchers, and his 2014 success was bolstered by a .341 BABIP (batting average on balls in play) that may not be sustainable.
But if it turns out that Lagares' 2014 breakout was the real deal, the leadoff spot in the Mets lineup will go from a major weakness to a considerable strength. That would mean extra offense, and extra offense in the hands of this star-studded Mets rotation could go a long away in the NL East race.
2. Adam LaRoche, 1B, Chicago White Sox
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The White Sox added several big pieces this winter, and all of them have important roles to play in 2015.
The one seemingly nobody is talking about, however, is the signing of Adam LaRoche. That's odd given that the role he has to play might be the most important.
The first three spots in Chicago's lineup are solid. Adam Eaton and Melky Cabrera are a classic one-two combo, and Jose Abreu is among the league's best No. 3 hitters. LaRoche's role will be to back the three of them up in the cleanup spot, and his performance will make a difference one way or the other.
If LaRoche is only capable of reproducing the .764 OPS he produced in his final 99 games of 2014, there's going to be a significant drop-off after Abreu that won't quit until the lineup turns over again. On days when Chris Sale, Jeff Samardzija and Jose Quintana aren't pitching, that would be a problem.
But if LaRoche is more like the guy who authored an .853 OPS in 2012 or the .944 OPS in his first 41 games of 2014, the top four of Chicago's lineup will be as productive as any top four in the league.
That would help downplay the weakness of the back end of Chicago's rotation and allow it to stay in the thick of the AL Central race to the end.
1. Jason Vargas, SP, Kansas City Royals
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Most everyone knows all about how awesome Royals relievers were in 2014, but one luxury they had was that they weren't needed all that often. Only four teams needed fewer innings from their relievers.
But one of the big reasons for that is gone now. When James Shields left town for San Diego, he took more than just his steady run prevention with him. He also took nearly 230 innings worth of work.
Finding a way to replace those innings in 2015 could be the difference between another season of dominance from the Royals bullpen and it eventually running out of gas. And of the candidates they have, Jason Vargas is the best fit for the job.
The Royals should get around 200 innings out of Jeremy Guthrie, but Edinson Volquez, Yordano Ventura and Danny Duffy have never crossed that plateau before. Vargas, however, averaged around 210 innings between 2011 and 2012.
If he can stay healthy, Vargas' efficient pitching style should allow him to get back to that territory in 2015. And if he can make that happen, the impact of Shields' lost innings will be minimized and the bullpen would effectively be allowed to pick up where it left off.
It doesn't look like it's going to be easy for the Royals to defend their American League pennant, but repeating what worked for them last year would go a long way toward making it happen.
Note: Stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference.com unless otherwise noted/linked.
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