Selecting the 2015 MLB 1st-Quarter All-Breakout Team
From Bryce Harper to Joc Pederson, there are certain big leaguers who simply can't be ignored in the process of building the 2015 MLB first quarter all-breakout team.
This squad is stacked with players like the Washington Nationals' right fielder and the Los Angeles Dodgers' center fielder. They are players who have suddenly become extremely successful or who have wildly surpassed their previous accomplishments.
After all, that's exactly what a breakout is.
While the team consists almost exclusively of players with extremely limited big league track records, there is room for a player who is taking part in his fifth MLB campaign.
Catcher
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In the Mix: N/A
The Breakout Catcher: Stephen Vogt, Oakland Athletics
The rise of Stephen Vogt has been one of the few positive developments in the Oakland Athletics' dumpster fire of a season.
The 30-year-old backstop has been a force at the plate for Oakland, clocking in with a 1.071 OPS. That's the sixth-best mark in the bigs. With nine bombs, he's already tied his output from a season ago. The difference is that last year it took him 287 plate appearances to get there. This year, Vogt's needed just 126 trips to the dish.
1st Base
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In the Mix: N/A
The Breakout First Baseman: Eric Hosmer, Kansas City Royals
Eric Hosmer has been around.
The lefty hitter first broke into the big leagues with the Kansas City Royals back in 2011. And the 25-year-old has certainly enjoyed success. He's a two-time Gold Glover and he posted an .801 OPS back in 2013 as a 23-year-old.
Still. he's never put up the kind of numbers that he's posting right now. Hosmer checks in with a .324 average and a .956 OPS. The most impressive part of the campaign has been his monster power surge. The first baseman has already connected on seven home runs, and his .554 slugging percentage is 127 points higher than his career average (.427).
Alex Rodriguez, who has known Hosmer since 2012, believes the pop is here to stay.
"I think he’s going to be a guy that can consistently hit 30 home runs," explained Rodriguez, via Andy McCullough of the Kansas City Star. "It wouldn’t surprise me if he hit 40."
Seeing a Royal hit 30 jacks would definitely be a surprise. The last Kansas City player to reach that plateau was Jermaine Dye, who went yard 33 times in 2000.
2nd Base
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In the Mix: Devon Travis, Toronto Blue Jays; Danny Espinosa, Washington Nationals
The Breakout Second Baseman: Logan Forsythe, Tampa Bay Rays
Logan Forsythe is a microcosm of the Tampa Bay Rays.
The 28-year-old was completely overlooked heading into the season, but on the field all he does is get results. Forsythe has been one of the best all-around second basemen in the game in the opening quarter of the season. His .862 OPS is the third-highest mark among all players at that spot, and his 11 doubles put him in a tie for second only to Robinson Cano.
It's still awfully early, but right now Forsythe is putting together an All-Star-worthy campaign. And nobody saw that coming this spring.
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Shortstop
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In the Mix: Freddy Galvis, Philadelphia Phillies
The Breakout Shortstop: Zack Cozart, Cincinnati Reds
Zack Cozart has always been a glove-first shortstop.
In 2015, the 29-year-old is doing everything he can to change that narrative. Cozart is swinging at a clip of .300 for the Cincinnati Reds, and with six home runs the right-handed hitter was already surpassed his output (four) from a season ago.
His six bombs are tied for the most among shortstops and that's not the only category where he's right at the top of the leaderboard. Cozart is first in slugging percentage (.525) and second in OPS (.883). It's been a remarkable turnaround for a player who wobbled through the 2014 season with a .221 average.
As he told Tom Groeschen of the Cincinnati Enquirer, the breakthrough is easy enough to explain: "I'm just more aggressive ... Last year I felt like I got 0-1 and 0-2 a lot without even swinging the bat. This year I'm on the attack. I'm actually seeing a lot better pitches to hit, for that reason."
Thanks to his new approach, Cozart has been a whole new player at the plate. Now, he's becoming a true game-changer both with the glove and the bat.
3rd Base
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In the Mix: Mike Moustakas, Kansas City Royals
The Breakout: Kris Bryant, Chicago Cubs
With apologies to Mike Moustakas, there's just no way not to give this spot to Kris Bryant.
The Chicago Cubs' rookie third baseman has been the most hyped prospect of recent memory, and he's starting to prove that he's worthy of all the buzz. The 23-year-old has been en fuego in his last 10 games. Over that stretch, Bryant has hit .333 with four homers and 12 RBI.
The only blemish on Bryant's resume continues to be his nasty habit of swinging and missing. In 103 at-bats, the right-handed hitter has already punched out 39 times.
Left Field
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In the Mix: Scott Van Slyke, Los Angeles Dodgers; Mark Canha, Oakland Athletics; Delino DeShields, Texas Rangers
The Breakout Left Fielder: Alex Guerrero, Los Angeles Dodgers
It took a little bit of creativity to find an opening in the lineup for Alex Guerrero. That's fitting, as it's required plenty of creativity for his skipper Don Mattingly to find a place for him in the Los Angeles Dodgers' loaded batting order.
The Cuban has been shuttling between left field and third base, but when he's been at the plate he's done one thing: yard work. Guerrero has connected on six blasts in just 63 at-bats. That works out to a stupid-good .698 slugging percentage.
The key for Guerrero is that when he gets a strike, he doesn't miss. Per the Ace of MLB Stats' Twitter account, the 28-year-old leads baseball with a .533 average (16-for-33) on pitches in the zone.
Center Field
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In the Mix: Mookie Betts, Boston Red Sox; Jake Marisnick, Houston Astros
The Breakout Center Fielder: Joc Pederson
As Vin Scully would call him, Young Joc sure has been impressive in his rookie campaign.
Joc Pederson has demonstrated big-time pop, as the 23-year-old is tied for fifth in the bigs with 10 homers. That figure is also tied for the most among all major league center fielders.
While his major power has drawn most of the headlines, his discerning eye at the plate has been equally spectacular. With 28 free passes, Pederson has nine more walks than any other center fielder and is third in MLB in that category. As a result of all those free passes, Pederson is reaching base at a clip of .388 even though his average has dropped to .233.
Right Field
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In the Mix: Avisail Garcia, Chicago White Sox; Gregory Polanco, Pittsburgh Pirates
The Breakout Right Fielder: Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals
So much for the overrated talk.
In 2015, Bryce Harper has been the best offensive player in the game. Just look at the numbers. The 22-year-old leads the league in OPS (1.206), OBP (.476) and slugging percentage (.729) and is second in home runs (14).
The fan are starting to take notice. As you can watch in this MLB.com video, Harper drew "MVP" chants from the crowd after going yard on the road at Petco Park. There's still plenty of time for the field to catch up, but right now Harper has a monster lead in the MVP race.
Starting Pitcher
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In the Mix: Hector Santiago, Los Angeles Angels; Chris Heston, San Francisco Giants; Jake Odorizzi, Tampa Bay Rays
The Breakout Starting Pitcher: Michael Pineda, New York Yankees
Michael Pineda hasn't been perfect in 2015, but he's shown that he's capable of stepping up and pitching like an ace. That makes Pineda a highly valuable chip for the New York Yankees as Masahiro Tanaka works his way back from wrist and forearm issues.
Pineda has also demonstrated that he's downright untouchable when he's at the top of his game. The starter, who is 5-1 with a 3.31 ERA, was absolutely lights-out on May 10 when he racked up 16 Ks against the Baltimore Orioles.
As ESPN Stats & Info notes, Pineda's 16 strikeouts were the most that any Yankee pitcher has ever recorded in a single game without issuing a walk. Tremendous command has been central to Pineda's success in 2015. In 51.2 frames, the righty has dished out just three free passes while K'ing 55.
Relief Pitcher
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In the Mix: Yimi Garcia, Los Angeles Dodgers; Juan Nicasio, Los Angeles Dodgers; Carson Smith, Seattle Mariners
The Breakout Relief Pitcher: Roberto Osuna, Toronto Blue Jays
Roberto Osuna was just too good for the minor leagues.
Last year, the Mexican made eight appearances for the Toronto Blue Jays' Rookie League and High-A affiliates. This year, the 20-year-old is a lockdown reliever at the Rogers Centre. Osuna has been dealing for the Blue Jays, reeling off a 0.93 ERA and limiting the opposition to a .159 average.
For a team that had one of the most combustible pens in the bigs in 2014, the rookie relief ace is just what the American League East squad needed.
The Starting Lineup
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Joc Pederson, CF, Los Angeles Dodgers
- Alex Guerrero, LF, Los Angeles Dodgers
- Bryce Harper, RF, Washington Nationals
- Kris Bryant, 3B, Chicago Cubs
- Eric Hosmer, 1B, Kansas City Royals
- Logan Forsythe, 2B, Tampa Bay Rays
- Stephen Vogt, C, Oakland Athletics
- Zack Cozart, SS, Cincinnati Reds
- Michael Pineda, SP, New York Yankees
- Roberto Osuna, RP, Toronto Blue Jays
Note: All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference and MLB.com.
If you want to talk baseball, find me on Twitter @KarlBuscheck.
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