10 Scorching MLB Starts That Will Lead to Breakout 2015 Seasons
From the stupidly powerful Jorge Soler to the dominant Miguel Castro, there is a constellation of rising MLB stars who have stormed out of the gates.
These players have enjoyed the kind of scorching starts that inspire big-time expectations. At such an early point in the season, trying to extrapolate too much from less than two awesome April weeks is always a dangerous game to play.
But after poring through minor league track records and 2014 big league stats, the 10 players who make this list all look like the real deal—the breakout stars of 2015.
"Breakout" is a difficult term to define. For the purpose of this list, only major leaguers who have yet to earn an All-Star nod were eligible for selection. The idea here is that once an All-Star trip has occurred, the breakout has already happened.
Of the 10 players who landed a spot, Castro is the only bullpen arm. However, the list is stacked with high-upside starting pitchers.
Honorable Mention
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In the process of combing through the stats, there were a lot of names that came under consideration. Here's a quick look at a few of the big leaguers who were in the mix but ultimately missed the cut:
- Anthony DeSclafani, SP, Cincinnati Reds
- Odrisamer Despaigne, SP, San Diego Padres
- Ender Inciarte, OF, Arizona Diamondbacks
- Jonathan Schoop, 2B, Baltimore Orioles
Mark Canha, OF/1B, Oakland Athletics
2 of 11Just watch Mark Canha take one swing.
There's no question about it—the 26-year-old means absolute business at the plate. Canha has a swing that borders on violent and provides tons of power. In his first eight games with the Oakland Athletics, the outfielder/first baseman has collected three doubles and a home run.
As Ken Rosenthal of Fox Sports explains, acquiring the right-handed hitter was a top priority for executive vice president and general manager Billy Beane: "When the Marlins left Canha unprotected on their 40-man roster, Beane went into full bond-trader mode, according to major-league sources."
It's easy enough to see why Beane wanted to bring in Canha. In five minor league seasons, he put up an .850 OPS, and he went yard 20 times in Triple-A in 2014.
Beane was able to get Canha in a trade with the Colorado Rockies after the National League West team selected him with the second pick in the Rule 5 draft. With Coco Crisp once again shelved with an injury, the addition of Canha is looking shrewd.
Shane Greene, SP, Detroit Tigers
3 of 11Shane Greene has been historically filthy to open up the 2015 season.
The right-hander has made a couple of eight-inning starts and has allowed just a single unearned run. According to Elias Sports Bureau, Inc., via ESPN Stats & Info, Greene is one of just three Detroit Tigers pitchers over the past 70 seasons to begin the season by throwing back-to-back eight-inning starts and not giving up an earned run.
To be fair, it's worth noting that his former teammate with the New York Yankees, Brandon McCarthy, warned us all that Greene has all sorts of potential. Back in December when Greene arrived in Motown via a trade, McCarthy tweeted that the 26-year-old "has stupid electric stuff."
McCarthy had a front-row seat for the second half of the 2014 season, as Greene reeled off a 3.78 ERA in his rookie year at Yankee Stadium.
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Miguel Castro, CL, Toronto Blue Jays
4 of 11Forget the fast track.
Miguel Castro flew right to the major leagues. The Dominican began the 2014 season starting in Low-A, and now he's closing at the Rogers Centre. In the process of zooming through the minors, the results were scary good for Castro. While pitching for three of the Toronto Blue Jays' Single-A affiliates, the pitcher put up a 2.69 ERA in 16 outings and gave up just 50 hits in 80.1 innings.
In his first five appearances of 2015, the right-hander is 2-of-2 in save opportunities and has yet to allow an earned run in 5.1 frames.
Castro's first big league save came back on April 9 against the New York Yankees. By shutting the door in the Bronx, the 20-year-old became the youngest pitcher since Jose Rijo in 1984 to record a road save, per the Sportsnet Stats Twitter account.
Jorge Soler, RF, Chicago Cubs
5 of 11Whether he's gunning down baserunners from right field or clubbing home runs at the plate, Jorge Soler is just fun to watch.
The Cuban has been busy doing both in 2015, as he's already racked up a couple of outfield assists and turned in a two-bomb game against the Cincinnati Reds on April 13.
For the 23-year-old, that marked his second such performance since arriving at Wrigley Field last summer. As Christopher Kamka of CSN Chicago notes, Soler is the first Chicago Cubs player since 1925 to accomplish that feat in his first 30 games. The unreal power has always been there for the right fielder. In parts of five seasons on the farm, Soler posted a .548 slugging percentage.
The way he's been doing damage at the plate and in the field, Soler is the early front-runner to claim the NL Rookie of the Year Award.
Trevor Bauer, SP, Cleveland Indians
6 of 11Trevor Bauer has been dismantling the AL.
On April 9, the righty turned in six hitless frames while racking up 11 punchouts. However, the Cleveland Indians starter didn't get the chance to go for a no-hitter because of an extremely elevated pitch count of 111.
But he did pitch a no-no of sorts.
In his second outing on April 15, Bauer didn't yield a hit until the fourth frame, which means he threw nine no-hit innings over two starts. The 24-year-old went on to total eight K's in that appearance and has now amassed 19 strikeouts in 12 innings. That works out to an absurd 14.3 K/9 ratio.
It's also a sign of good things to come. Bauer has posted a middling 4.27 ERA in parts of four seasons in the majors, but it's worth remembering just how young he is. The starter will be 24 throughout the entire 2015 season. The way his campaign has started off, Bauer is on the doorstep of taking off.
Xander Bogaerts, SS, Boston Red Sox
7 of 11Xander Bogaerts' stock took a major hit during an underwhelming 2014.
It's time to buy low on the shortstop.
With a .382 (13-for-34) average in eight games, Bogaerts has been raking for the Boston Red Sox. The strong showing at the plate is reminiscent of the way that the 22-year-old ended the previous campaign. Last September, the right-handed hitter swung at a clip of .313 (30-for-96) with five doubles and four homers.
Bogaerts has also been flying around in the field, flashing impressive range at shortstop.
Right now, the Aruban has the look of a player who will be a game-changer with the glove and the bat at Fenway Park.
Chris Heston, SP, San Francisco Giants
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If not for injuries to the San Francisco Giants' starting five, Chris Heston would still be pitching on the farm.
The right-hander sure has made good use of the opportunity presented to him. Heston has made two starts for the NL West squad and given up just one earned run.
Heston's Triple-A showing a season ago suggests that the right-hander will be a valuable arm for the Giants in 2015. While pitching in the notoriously hitter-friendly Pacific Coast League, the starter checked in with a 12-9 record and a 3.38 ERA in 28 outings.
Dustin Ackley, LF, Seattle Mariners
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Expectations have always been high—really high—for Dustin Ackley. That's just part of the deal when a player is a former No. 2 overall pick in the MLB draft.
Now embarking upon his fifth season in the bigs, Ackley has never met those lofty expectations. However, the 27-year-old is starting to change that narrative. In the first seven games of the season, the left fielder has connected on three home runs and posted a .316 (6-for-19) average.
The fast start for Ackley is just a continuation of how the 2014 season wrapped up for the left-handed hitter. Over his past 52 contests, Ackley has gone yard 13 times, per the Seattle Mariners' Twitter account.
Carlos Martinez, SP, St. Louis Cardinals
10 of 11Carlos Martinez is finally starting for the St. Louis Cardinals.
His first crack at pitching out of the rotation was a major success. On April 12, the righty limited the Cincinnati Reds to a couple of runs on four hits in six innings of work. The 23-year-old also recorded eight punchouts.
In the Cards' stacked rotation, Martinez is the No. 5 arm in the group. If his first outing is an indication of what is to come, Martinez definitely has the chance to climb up the hierarchy.
His farm work backs up that assessment. In parts of five seasons in the Cards minor league setup, Martinez recorded a 2.61 ERA in 70 outings. All but one of those appearances came as a starter.
Jake Odorizzi, SP, Tampa Bay Rays
11 of 11With the likes of Alex Cobb, Matt Moore, Drew Smyly and Alex Colome all on the disabled list, the Tampa Bay Rays' starting staff needs some good news.
Look no further than Jake Odorizzi.
The 25-year-old has been cruising for the Rays in his first two starts. In 14.2 innings of work, the starter has posted a 0.61 ERA and has totaled 10 K's while allowing just four hits.
After a good but not great 2014 with Tampa Bay, Odorizzi is primed to enjoy the same kind of success at Tropicana Field that he found at the highest rung of the minor league ladder. In 41 career Triple-A outings, Odorizzi put up a 3.15 ERA and an 8.2 K/9 ratio.
His teammate Chris Archer has already snagged his seat on the Odorizzi bandwagon and suggests that you do too, tweeting, "If you don't know @JakeOdorizzi I advise you to get to know him."
That's some sound advice from Archer.
Note: All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference and MLB.com. All videos courtesy of MLB.com.
If you want to talk baseball, find me on Twitter @KarlBuscheck.
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