Picking MLB's 2015 All-Breakout Team Entering June Baseball
The 2015 MLB season is now two months old, and we've reached a point where a surprising hot start has to be viewed as something more than a fluke.
With that in mind, what follows is a look at the all-breakout team entering the month of June, a full lineup of players who have taken their game to another level this season.
A few specifications before we get started:
- No Rookies: While some would consider players like Joc Pederson and Kris Bryant to be breakout stars here in their rookie seasons, I wanted to focus on guys who have taken their game to the next level based on prior big league performance. With that in mind, rookies were not eligible for this list.
- Performance over Projection: The following article makes mention of stats like FIP and BABIP and points out that some players may be headed for regression. However, all that counted is what a player has accomplished through the first two months when assembling this team.
Hopefully that paints a clearer picture of what we were looking for here, so let's kick things off with the catcher position.
Catcher: Stephen Vogt, Oakland Athletics
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2015 Stats
| .313/.413/.595 | 180 | 41 | 5 | 10 | 33 | 22 | 0 | 2.2 |
Player Overview
After bouncing around the field last season and seeing time at catcher, first base, left field, right field and designated hitter, Stephen Vogt finally has an everyday position to call his own this season for the Oakland Athletics.
As a result, the 30-year-old has emerged as the most productive catcher in all of baseball, as he leads the position in on-base percentage (.413), slugging (.595), OPS (1.008), home runs (10), RBI (33), total bases (78) and walks (24).
On top of that, he's been a plus defender behind the plate (0.3 dWAR) and above average at pitch framing (via StatCorner).
There figures to be some regression, at least in the power department, where a 21.7 percent HR/FB rate (via FanGraphs) will be tough to sustain. There's no reason to think he can't continue to be one of the more productive backstops in the league, though.
First Baseman: Eric Hosmer, Kansas City Royals
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2015 Stats
| .305/.378/.511 | 144 | 53 | 11 | 7 | 30 | 29 | 3 | 1.4 |
Player Overview
Eric Hosmer looked like a star in the making when he broke into the league as a 21-year-old in 2011 and hit .293/.334/.465 with 19 home runs and 78 RBI to finish third in AL Rookie of the Year voting.
While he's certainly had his moments in the years since his debut, he had yet to take that big step forward into legitimate stardom.
That is, until last October.
Hosmer hit .351/.439/.544 with six extra-base hits and 12 RBI in 15 postseason games, playing a major role in the Kansas City Royals' surprising run to the World Series. That has seemingly carried over to this season, as Hosmer has led the way for a Royals team that has boasted one of the most productive offenses in all of baseball.
The first base position is incredibly deep right now, but Hosmer is laying his claim to being one of the best in the business with a legitimate breakout year.
Second Baseman: Kolten Wong, St. Louis Cardinals
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2015 Stats
| .320/.378/.473 | 132 | 54 | 9 | 5 | 22 | 27 | 3 | 1.8 |
Player Overview
The St. Louis Cardinals handed rookie Kolten Wong the starting second base job out of spring training last season. At the end of an up-and-down season, one that included a brief demotion to the minors, Wong was hitting .249/.292/.388 with 12 home runs and 20 stolen bases to earn a third-place finish in NL Rookie of the Year voting.
With a good mix of power and speed, the tools were certainly there for Wong to emerge as one of the most productive second basemen in the league, and he's done just that this season.
He's hit first, second, sixth, seventh and eighth in the lineup this season, and in the process, he ranks second on the team in batting average (.320) and runs scored (27) and fourth in RBI (22). In fact, his average is currently good for seventh in all of the National League.
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Third Baseman: Mike Moustakas, Kansas City Royals
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2015 Stats
| .331/.385/.482 | 139 | 55 | 11 | 4 | 15 | 26 | 1 | 2.4 |
Player Overview
The No. 2 overall pick in 2007, Mike Moustakas announced himself as one of the game's elite prospects in 2010 when he hit .322/.369/.630 with 41 doubles and 36 home runs between Double-A and Triple-A.
He made his big league debut the following season, but the transition has not been a smooth one. Entering the 2015 season, Moustakas was still trying to establish himself as a productive everyday big leaguer.
Over the past three seasons, Moose has hit .230/.285/.381 and averaged 27 doubles, 16 home runs and 56 RBI—and he was actually demoted to the minors at one point last year. However, much like his teammate, Eric Hosmer, he seemed to turn a corner in the playoffs, posting an .817 OPS with five home runs and seven RBI in 15 games.
That performance has carried over into what's been a terrific 2015 to this point. On top of his offensive production, he's also been stellar with the glove, with seven Defensive Runs Saved and a 16.3 UZR/150 (via FanGraphs).
Shortstop: Brandon Crawford, San Francisco Giants
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2015 Stats
| .299/.379/.506 | 148 | 46 | 10 | 6 | 31 | 25 | 2 | 2.6 |
Player Overview
A plus defender throughout his time as the San Francisco Giants' starting shortstop, Brandon Crawford showed signs of stepping up his offensive game last season.
With a .713 OPS, 20 doubles, 10 triples, 10 home runs and 69 RBI, he checked in as an above-average producer with a 106 OPS+, and coupled with his solid defense, he ranked ninth among shortstops with a 3.3 WAR.
However, he's taken that to the next level this season, as he leads all shortstops in slugging (.506), OPS (.886), RBI (31) and WAR (2.6). He joins Brandon Belt, Joe Panik and Matt Duffy to form an up-and-coming infield for the Giants, as that group has helped the team turn things around after a slow start.
Honorable mention to Freddy Galvis (.311 BA, .726 OPS, 1.3 WAR), who has done a terrific job producing despite little help around him in the Philadelphia Phillies lineup.
Left Fielder: Brandon Guyer, Tampa Bay Rays
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2015 Stats
| .276/.353/.390 | 111 | 29 | 6 | 2 | 12 | 15 | 5 | 0.7 |
Player Overview
The options for a breakout performer in left field are relatively sparse, but let's give some love to an unexpected contributor for the Tampa Bay Rays by the name of Brandon Guyer.
Acquired from the Chicago Cubs as part of the five-player return for Matt Garza that also included current ace Chris Archer, the 29-year-old has struggled to carve out a role at the big league level. He saw his first extended action last season, posting a .701 OPS with 26 RBI and 37 runs scored in 294 plate appearances for a 1.6 WAR while serving as the team's fourth outfielder and occasional DH.
He was out of options entering spring training, so this year was a last chance of sorts for Guyer, and he's made the most of it by emerging as a key contributor for a Rays team that has made a surprising push to contention in the AL East.
Not only is he getting it done with the bat, but he's also been a positive on the defensive side of things, posting a 20.5 UZR/150 and 2 DRS (per FanGraphs) while spending time at all three outfield positions.
Center Fielder: Anthony Gose, Detroit Tigers
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2015 Stats
| .338/.374/.475 | 134 | 47 | 10 | 1 | 11 | 20 | 8 | 1.8 |
Player Overview
With Ian Kinsler entrenched at second base, the Detroit Tigers pulled the trigger on dealing prospect Devon Travis to the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for Anthony Gose.
Gose was a highly regarded prospect in his own right a few years back, checking in at No. 39 on the Baseball America Top 100 heading into the 2012 season. While he had been a plus defender in parts of three big league seasons, Gose never really got a shot at everyday playing time in Toronto, hitting .234/.301/.332 and averaging 205 plate appearances per season.
With Austin Jackson gone, the hope heading into spring training was that Gose could emerge as a viable platoon option alongside Rajai Davis in center field, and he's been that and more so far this season. The 24-year-old currently checks in at fifth in the AL batting race with a .338 average, and he's shown some decent extra-base pop with 10 doubles and three triples.
Right Fielder: Bryce Harper, Washington Nationals
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2015 Stats
| .331/.467/.734 | 223 | 51 | 9 | 17 | 42 | 40 | 2 | 4.1 |
Player Overview
For all the attention he has received since breaking into the league as a 19-year-old back in 2012, Bryce Harper entered the 2015 season still searching for the big breakout season everyone has been expecting. Injuries have curtailed his production the past two seasons, as he missed a total of 101 games with various ailments, including knee bursitis (31 games) in 2013 and thumb surgery (57 games) last year.
He's stayed healthy this season, and with a more patient approach at the plate, he's been the most dangerous hitter in the game through the first two months. His 4.1 WAR is the best in baseball by a sizable margin (Houston Astros ace Dallas Keuchel is second with a 3.2 WAR), and his name can be found all over the MLB statistical leaderboard.
The 22-year-old currently leads all of baseball in on-base percentage (.467), slugging (.734), OPS (1.200), and walks (40) and is tops in the National League in home runs (16), runs scored (40) and total bases (113).
On top of all of that, he's also made a smooth transition from left field to right field defensively, and he currently leads the position with 10 Defensive Runs Saved (per FanGraphs).
Designated Hitter: Jimmy Paredes, Baltimore Orioles
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2015 Stats
| .348/.374/.576 | 161 | 46 | 8 | 6 | 25 | 20 | 2 | 1.5 |
Player Overview
Jimmy Paredes entered the 2015 season as a career .242/.279/.330 hitter over parts of four big league seasons, but he showed some flashes down the stretch last year that proved to be a preview of bigger things to come.
Claimed off waivers from the Kansas City Royals in July, Paredes hit .302/.327/.491 with four doubles and two home runs in 53 at-bats with Baltimore to close out the season.
Despite that performance, the 26-year-old entered spring training battling for a roster spot, and he responded with a sense of urgency to go 20-for-55 with 10 extra-base hits and earn his place on the club.
From there, Paredes quickly played his way into regular playing time with a hot start, and he is now seeing everyday at-bats for the first time in his career.
A .408 BABIP and 23.1 percent HR/FB rate (via FanGraphs) are good indicators of some regression ahead, but it looks like the Orioles have found this year's version of Steve Pearce in Paredes.
Starting Pitcher: Shelby Miller, Atlanta Braves
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2015 Stats
| 9 | 5-1 | 1.50 | 259 | 0.900 | 18 | 48 | 60.0 | 2.5 |
Player Overview
An argument can be made that Shelby Miller already broke out when he went 15-9 with a 3.06 ERA to finish third in NL Rookie of the Year voting in 2013. However, what he's done so far this season has been on a different level entirely.
Miller was traded to the Atlanta Braves in the first big deal of a busy offseason, with Jason Heyward going the other way to join the St. Louis Cardinals.
The 24-year-old joined Julio Teheran and Alex Wood to form an impressive trio of young arms, and he's outpitched his new teammates to this point, as well as most of the National League for that matter.
On the strength of a pair of complete-game shutouts, Miller currently ranks in the top five in the NL in ERA (1.50, third) and WHIP (0.900, third), and he's held opponents to an MLB-low .172 average through 60 innings of work.
An improved cut fastball has been perhaps the biggest difference this season for Miller, as illustrated by his usage stats from Brooks Baseball:
- 2013: 4.16%, .231 BAA, .333 SLG, 9 H, 1 HR
- 2014: 6.38%, .250 BAA, .500 SLG, 10 H, 3 HR
- 2015: 20.35%, .109 BAA, .130 SLG, 5 H, 0 HR
Starting Pitcher: Jake Odorizzi, Tampa Bay Rays
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2015 Stats
| 10 | 3-5 | 2.31 | 169 | 0.965 | 12 | 53 | 66.1 | 2.2 |
Player Overview
Jake Odorizzi was acquired along with Wil Myers in the seven-player deal that sent James Shields and Wade Davis to the Kansas City Royals, and he's been asked to step up in an injury-plagued Tampa Bay rotation this season.
The Rays are without Alex Cobb, Drew Smyly and Matt Moore, leaving the duo of Chris Archer and Odorizzi to front the staff. But that pair has stepped up big to help vault the team into contention in the AL East race.
While Archer dominated over the first month of the season (3-2, 0.84 ERA) before falling off a bit in May, Odorizzi has been as consistent as any pitcher in baseball. He's pitched at least six innings in all 10 of his outings this season and has tallied nine quality starts, tying him with Zack Greinke and Aaron Harang for the MLB lead in that category.
Odorizzi has cut his walk rate in half (3.2 BB/9 to 1.6 BB/9), he ranks eighth in the majors with a 0.965 WHIP, and there is no reason to fear regression, as his 2.52 FIP ranks third in the American League.
Starting Pitcher: Mike Bolsinger, Los Angeles Dodgers
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2015 Stats
| 4 | 3-0 | 0.71 | 530 | 0.789 | 6 | 22 | 25.1 | 1.4 |
Player Overview
The Los Angeles Dodgers cast a wide net this past offseason in an effort to add some much-needed pitching depth, and among their additions was right-hander Mike Bolsinger.
Bolsinger was designated by the Arizona Diamondbacks during the offseason, and the Dodgers moved in to acquire him off waivers in exchange for cash considerations.
The 27-year-old split last season between Triple-A Reno (91.2 IP, 8-3, 3.93 ERA, 8.6 K/9) and the majors (52.1 IP, 1-6, 5.50 ERA, 8.3 K/9), making nine starts and one relief appearance in his first taste of big league action.
Bolsinger was back in Triple-A to begin the 2015 season, but injuries to Hyun-Jin Ryu and Brandon McCarthy left the Dodgers scrambling to fill out their rotation.
After making a spot start on April 23 (5.2 IP, 5 H, 1 ER), he returned to the minors, but he was recalled on May 12 and has now made three starts and earned his spot in the rotation.
Over those three starts, Bolsinger has allowed just nine hits and one earned run in 19.2 innings, and the best start of his career came last time out against the San Diego Padres. He allowed just one hit and no walks in eight scoreless innings, striking out eight for an 88 Game Score that ranks as the fourth-best pitching performance of the season.
Starting Pitcher: Chase Anderson, Arizona Diamondbacks
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2015 Stats
| 9 | 1-1 | 2.59 | 156 | 1.114 | 14 | 38 | 55.2 | 1.7 |
Player Overview
The Arizona Diamondbacks entered spring training with as many as 10 pitchers in the running for a spot in the rotation, and Chase Anderson has emerged as the star of that group over the first two months of the season.
A ninth-round pick in 2009, Anderson made his debut last season at the age of 26, going 9-7 with a 4.01 ERA, 1.373 WHIP and 105 strikeouts in 114.1 innings to finish 10th in NL Rookie of the Year voting.
The right-hander has a solid three-pitch repertoire, including a low-90s fastball and a big curveball, but the key to his success is one of the best changeups in baseball.
He throws the pitch roughly 20 percent of the time, and opponents have hit just .179 with a .295 slugging percentage against it over the course of his career. That includes a lofty 36.72 percent whiff/swing rate, according to Brooks Baseball.
Archie Bradley remains the future ace of the Diamondbacks, and 2013 All-Star Patrick Corbin should return at some point this season from Tommy John surgery, but Anderson looks like he can be a key piece of the staff moving forward as well.
Starting Pitcher: Nick Martinez, Texas Rangers
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2015 Stats
| 9 | 4-0 | 1.96 | 205 | 1.218 | 17 | 30 | 55.0 | 2.2 |
Player Overview
Injuries decimated the Texas Rangers last season, especially on the pitching side of things, and a team that was expected to contend wound up losing 95 games.
A total of 15 different pitchers started a game in 2014 for the Rangers, with only Colby Lewis (170.1 IP) eclipsing the 150-inning mark, and the result was a 4.75 starter's ERA that ranked 28th in the majors.
The Rangers looked to be headed for more of the same this year when Yu Darvish was lost for the season and Derek Holland landed on the disabled list, but they've managed to piece things together in their absence, thanks in large part to Nick Martinez.
Martinez made 24 starts and five relief appearances as a rookie last season, going 5-12 with a 4.55 ERA and 1.461 WHIP in 140.1 innings of work. The 24-year-old has been a different pitcher so far this year, as he went 2-0 with a 0.35 ERA in four April starts, and he's continued pitching at a high level here in May.
An 18th-round pick in 2011, Martinez was never viewed as much more than a fringe starter during his time in the minors. His 4.01 FIP is a decent indication that he's in for some significant regression moving forward, but that doesn't take away from what he's done to this point.
Setup Reliever: Will Harris, Houston Astros
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2015 Stats
| 18 | 1-0 | 2 | 0.40 | 0.529 | 6 | 29 | 22.2 | 1.2 |
Player Overview
The Houston Astros have been one of the best stories of the 2015 season so far, and one of the biggest reasons for their dramatic turnaround is a significantly improved bullpen.
Last season, the Astros relief corps converted just 31 of 56 save chances and posted an MLB-worst 4.80 ERA, undermining what was a better-than-expected starting rotation. That sparked the big-money signings of Luke Gregerson and Pat Neshek during the winter meetings, but it's a waiver claim in Will Harris who has emerged as the team's best reliever in the early going.
The 30-year-old Harris had a subpar 4.34 ERA in 29 appearances for the Diamondbacks last season, but he was one of the team's best relievers in 2013. That season, he made 61 appearances and posted a 2.91 ERA, 1.234 WHIP and 53 strikeouts in 52.2 innings, and he's seemingly regained that form to rank as one of the best bargain additions of the offseason.
Closer: Brad Boxberger, Tampa Bay Rays
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2015 Stats
| 19 | 2-2 | 13/13 | 1.56 | 1.038 | 6 | 25 | 17.1 | 0.7 |
Player Overview
Brad Boxberger broke out for the Tampa Bay Rays last season in a setup role, posting a 2.37 ERA and 0.835 WHIP in 63 appearances while tallying 18 holds and 104 strikeouts in 64.2 innings of work. With that performance under his belt, he was asked to step into the closer's role this season with Jake McGee on the disabled list following surgery to remove bone chips from his elbow.
McGee made his season debut on May 17, and he's already recorded a pair of holds pitching in the eighth-inning role, but for the time being, Boxberger remains the closer.
Manager Kevin Cash wouldn't name either pitcher as the closer when McGee was first activated, talking to Troy Provost-Heron of MLB.com.
"I wouldn't label anything, other than to say we'll manage the situation kind of how the game dictates the guys and how fresh they are and the matchups. I understand it's a sensitive situation, but for the time being going forward, we think it's best for the club to have the flexibility with those guys.
"
For his part, Boxberger recognized that regardless of roles, the team is better with McGee in the mix.
"It's going to shorten the game even more. The back of our 'pen now without McGee has been pretty lockdown. Bringing him back is another inning you don't have to have your starter go out and face the order again.
"
It's a good problem to have for a Rays team built on the strength of its pitching.
Props to Jeurys Familia (14/15 SV, 1.54 ERA) as well, as he's also done a terrific job stepping into the closer's role for the New York Mets after a standout season in a setup role last year.
All stats courtesy of Baseball-Reference, unless otherwise noted.
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