Predicting Players Who Will Break Out into Stardom in 2015 Playoffs
October has a way of defining careers. Over the next few slides, we'll identify a handful of MLB players who seem poised for a breakout during postseason play.
The definition of what constitutes a breakout star will vary, but each player on this list has at least flashed some sort of top-tier quality in his career. More than a few are hurt by the shadow of more talented teammates, while some are still too young to have made much of an impact.
Can Travis d'Arnaud stay healthy and put together a quality month for the New York Mets? Starling Marte and Addison Russell are often overlooked in favor of their teammates, but each is capable of changing a postseason series. Elsewhere, Luis Severino and Marcus Stroman can use October to make their cases as future aces.
What do you think of the players that we picked? Who are some other under-the-radar players ready to bust out in the postseason? Let us know in the comments section below.
October will always be MLB's proving ground. Fortunately for baseball fans, there is no shortage of talented players who appear ready to take the next step.
Travis d'Arnaud
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If Travis d'Arnaud can stay healthy, the New York Mets have a franchise catcher on their hands.
The 26-year-old backstop proved what he could do last season with 13 homers in 103 games. He's missed a majority of 2015 due to injury, but d'Arnaud has raked when he's been in the lineup. In 66 games, he's slashing .270/.339/.491 with 12 homers and 41 RBI.
D'Arnaud may not be the name on the tip of the baseball world's collective tongue, but he's one of the top young catchers in the game. If he qualified for enough games, he would rank second in slugging percentage and third in wRC+ among catchers this season despite playing in significantly fewer games.
Now that he's healthy, d'Arnaud has flashed the game-changing offensive ability that he showed as a minor leaguer.
"We know he's got big-time power, and his confidence right now offensively is off the charts," Mets manager Terry Collins told Maria Guardado of NJ.com. "There's nobody he walks up there that he doesn't think he can hit, and he's dangerous."
Yoenis Cespedes and an excellent rotation often steal headlines away from d'Arnaud. But if he can put together a quality October, the New York media will turn him into a star.
Starling Marte
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Starling Marte's unique blend of speed, power and defensive ability makes him a viable candidate to break out under the bright lights of October.
Marte's versatile skill set allows him to impact the game in more ways than one. The 26-year-old will flirt with a 20-20 campaign over the last week of the season, as he's gone deep 18 times and swiped 29 bases. Marte is capable of driving runs in or creating them on his own, which makes him dangerous.
Defensively, Marte has proved to be one of the game's elite outfielders over the course of his career. He's recorded a whopping 57 defensive runs saved since 2012, and his 20 DRS this season are tied for fifth among all major leaguers.
The Pittsburgh Pirates are underrated as it is, but it's hard for Marte to get his shine playing alongside Andrew McCutchen. But few players in October can impact a playoff game as much as he can.
Lance McCullers
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The Houston Astros still have work to do to return to the postseason for the first time since 2005, but Lance McCullers will turn heads if the club can advance out of the AL Wild Card Game.
In his rookie season, McCullers has exceeded all expectations. The 21-year-old has posted a 3.21 ERA in 21 starts, striking out nearly 25 percent of the batters he's faced. McCullers ranks third among first-year hurlers in WAR and is fifth in ERA, strikeouts per nine innings and average against.
As if those numbers aren't enough, McCullers has the jaw-dropping stuff to impress many of the casual fans who will be seeing him for the first time. His fastball sits in the mid-90s and often flirts with triple digits, while his power curve gives him a deceptive off-speed pitch to fool opposing hitters.
More importantly, McCullers hasn't shied away from the big-game stage down the stretch. He's posted a 3.13 ERA in September while Houston's playoff fate has hung in the balance.
"He adjusted well and went to breaking balls and got his swagger in the middle innings," Astros manager A.J. Hinch told David Barron of the Houston Chronicle regarding a recent McCullers start. "The effort from Lance adjusting on the fly in a big game like this, he did very, very well, and I'm proud of him."
McCullers has been pushed to the side in favor of other outstanding rookies, but he's an elite arm talent. If he pitches well in October, he will establish himself as one of MLB's top young pitching talents.
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Rougned Odor
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When Jurickson Profar was lost for the entire 2015 season earlier this year, the Texas Rangers figured to have a hole at second base. But a relatively unknown commodity in Rougned Odor emerged to become one of the most important pieces of the 2015 roster.
2015 hasn't been a smooth journey for Odor. The 21-year-old took over second base out of spring training but was eventually demoted to Triple-A in May. After he ironed out the kinks over the summer, Texas gave him another opportunity to prove himself at the big league level.
Odor made good on his second chance. In the second half, he's slashing .286/.327/.538 and has hit 11 of his 15 homers. He also dropped his strikeout rate to 15.8 percent and improved his hard-contact rate to an impressive 32.2 percent.
Outside of Prince Fielder, Shin-Soo Choo and Mitch Moreland, the Rangers lack consistent pop in the lineup. If the back half of 2015 is any indication, Odor can be a major weapon in a playoff series for a Rangers team that needs offensive help.
At just 21, Odor is well ahead of the curve in terms of his development. The Rangers will ask him to take on a big role if they make it to October, which will give him the platform to catapult into stardom.
Addison Russell
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The Chicago Cubs are loaded with young talent. Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo, Kyle Schwarber and Jorge Soler will all play important roles in October.
While those players are all capable of breakout performances, it's Addison Russell who is in position to take the biggest step. The talented shortstop hasn't had overwhelming offensive success this season, but he's capable of being one of the most important players on the Cubs' postseason roster.
Russell is hitting only .237 with 13 homers on the season, but he has been better in the second half. Eight of those long balls have come after the All-Star break, and he's hitting nearly .250 over that time.
Despite the offensive struggles, Russell has managed to post a WAR of 2.4 because of impeccable defense. After recording nine defensive runs saved at second base, Russell has saved 10 runs for the Cubs at shortstop. It's no coincidence that the Cubs took off in the second half once Russell moved over to short.
Cubs bench coach Dave Martinez told Mark Gonzales of the Chicago Tribune:
"He's been unbelievable. To be 21 and do the things he's done and helped us the way he's helped us, it's been incredible. We think he's going to have an unbelievable future and will only get better. You're starting to see the power he has. He has the ability to hit 20 home runs, steal 25 bases, drive in 70-80 runs and play the shortstop he's capable of playing.
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Russell won't be a .240 hitter forever. Great players find a way to contribute even when they aren't clicking offensively, which he's done in 2015. If Russell can put together a hot month at the dish in October, the baseball world will fall in love with his all-around game.
Luis Severino
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The New York Yankees were patient with top pitching prospect Luis Severino for most of 2015, but the 21-year-old phenom may wind up being the best starter on the playoff roster.
Severino earned a promotion to Triple-A earlier in 2015 and dominated in 10 starts. The right-hander posted a 1.91 ERA and held hitters to a .183 average.
He hasn't skipped a beat since being called up to the Bronx in August. In 10 starts, he's recorded a 2.77 ERA. More importantly, the strikeout stuff has remained. Severino has fanned over 21 percent of the hitters he's faced in the majors.
Because of his good work with the Yankees, manager Joe Girardi hasn't ruled out giving the ball to Severino in a do-or-die AL Wild Card Game next week.
"That's a hypothetical," Girardi told Wallace Matthews of ESPN.com when asked if he would be comfortable starting Severino in the AL Wild Card Game. "I think (Masahiro) Tanaka is going to be fine, so that is not too much of a concern of mine. But [Severino] has pitched extremely well, and we have a ton of confidence in him."
While it's unlikely Girardi will ask that of a 21-year-old, Severino has made it impossible to be left out of a potential New York postseason rotation. Special things happen for the Yankees in October, and we could look back at 2015 as the crowning of baseball's next big thing.
Marcus Stroman
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Marcus Stroman has already proved there is something special about him in 2015.
The Toronto Blue Jays right-hander tore his ACL in spring training only to return to the rotation in September. Since his first start on September 12, Stroman has recorded a 1.89 ERA in three victorious games, including two wins over the New York Yankees.
Last season, Stroman enjoyed a standout rookie season. In 130 innings, he recorded a 3.65 ERA and walked less than 6 percent of the batters he faced. The signs were there regarding Stroman's ability, but playing an integral part in Toronto's World Series chase would take his budding stardom to the next level.
"We've spent the whole season thinking of the Blue Jays as simply an offensive powerhouse, and we've debated what that will mean in October," wrote Bleacher Report's own Danny Knobler last week. "But with David Price atop their rotation and Stroman right behind him, the Jays have the kind of one-two rotation punch that plays in the playoffs."
The Blue Jays didn't expect anything from Stroman after he tore his ACL in March and had surgery. Seven months later, the 24-year-old has the opportunity to announce himself to the baseball world on the game's biggest stage.
Stats courtesy of FanGraphs and accurate as of September 30.
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