Power Ranking the 12 Best Breakout Stars of Baseball

With the 2011 regular season winding down, fans and players alike have seen the emergence of baseball's future superstars. Whether those players are minor league veterans finally getting their chance in the majors, or young players who barely even played at the Double and Triple-A levels, these players are likely here to stay.

So as we finish 2011, here is a list, in no particular order, of some of the year's breakout superstars and players who will make their teams better for years to come.

Freddie Freeman

The Atlanta Braves have signed free agent after free agent with the hope of finding a full-time first baseman. Last year they brought in former World Series MVP Troy Glaus and former NL Batting Champ Derrek Lee to help the team down the stretch, but neither were consistent enough to retain come 2011.

With the arrival of Freddie Freeman, the Braves may have found their first baseman of the future. After a slow start, Freeman is currently batting .293 with 17 home runs and 62 RBI. Last month, Freeman even had a 20-game hit streak to coincide with teammate Dan Uggla's MLB-leading 33 game hit streak. Entering the Braves' game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Sunday, Freeman's has a .355 OBP, is slugging .467 and has even stolen four bases.

Dillon Gee

New York Mets starting pitcher Dillon Gee has stepped up in the team's starting rotation after they lost ace Johan Santana for the bulk, if not the entire, 2011 season.

After appearing in five games for the Mets last season, games in which he went 2-2 with a 2.18 ERA, Gee has been nearly unbeatable in 2011. Currently, Gee is 11-4 with a 3.92 ERA in 20 starts with the team this season. He's recorded 82 strikeouts and walked 51 batters, all while holding opponents to a .225 batting average against.

Daniel Hudson

Daniel Hudson, now in his second season with the NL West leading Arizona Diamondbacks, has emerged as one of the team's best starters alongside the club's ace, Ian Kennedy, who has also had a breakout 2011.

Hudson is currently 12-9 and has a 3.83 ERA through 26 starts with the Diamondbacks this season. He's also notched 130 strikeouts and walked only 37 batters in his 171.1 innings pitched this year. Batters are currently batting .270 against Hudson, who has already pitched a career-high two complete games in 2011 as well.

Michael Pineda

Seattle Mariners rookie starting pitcher Michael Pineda got off to a torrid start this season, winning four of his first five career starts. Although he's cooled down a bit as of late, Pineda is still in the midst of a major breakout season.

Prior to his start on Sunday against the Rays, Pineda was 9-7 with a 3.77 ERA in 23 starts for the Mariners in his rookie campaign. He's also struck out 143 batters and walked only 49 through 141 innings pitched in 2011. Despite his near-.500 record, Pineda has baffled opposing batters all season, as opponents are only hitting .209 against him.

Peter Bourjos

In 51 games with the Los Angeles Angels last season, center fielder Peter Bourjos batted a mere .204 with six home runs and 15 RBI. He also struck out 40 times in only 181 at-bats.

This season, however, Bourjos seems to have rediscovered his swing, as he is currently batting .282 with seven home runs and 28 RBI through 113 games with Angels. Bourjos has a .336 on-base percentage, is slugging .444 and has even stolen 17 bases this year. Bourjos' power numbers have been increasing as of late, as he had homered in two straight games prior to the Angels' game against the Orioles on Sunday.

Drew Storen

Drew Storen, now in his second season with the Washington Nationals, has embraced the closer's role after winning it during the team's Spring Training. This season, Storen has converted 33 of 37 saves, and he is holding opponents to a .206 batting average against.

In the 57 games Storen has appeared in this season, he has also posted a 6-2 record, recorded 51 strikeouts and walked only 14 batters. Currently, his ERA also sits at 2.72, a career-low for Storen. Although he was rumored to be on his way out of Washington at the trade deadline, Storen stayed put and will be a vital piece to the Nationals' bullpen for years to come.

Andrew McCutchen

Although Pittsburgh Pirates center fielder Andrew McCutchen has posted numbers similar to those from his previous two seasons, a more complete Pirates squad has helped propel him to stardom and even earned him an All-Star selection.

After recording two hits in the Pirates' win against the Cincinnati Reds on Saturday, McCutchen raised his batting average to .274. McCutchen's power numbers are up this season as well, as he has already notched 17 home runs and recorded 72 RBI through 122 games with the Pirates. The 2011 All-Star also has a .376 on-base percentage, scored 69 runs and stolen 20 bases. Look for McCutchen to be a staple in the Pirates' ever-improving lineup for years to come.

Craig Kimbrel

When Billy Wagner, the Braves' 2010 closer, announced he would be retiring at the end of last season, nearly everyone associated with the team was caught a bit off-guard. At season's end, Wagner was 7-2 with a 1.43 ERA and 37 saves.

But rookie Craig Kimbrel has picked up right where Wagner left off, and, in doing so, has become the front runner for the NL Rookie of the Year award. As of last Saturday, Kimbrel had recorded a National League rookie record 38 saves and not blown a save since June 8, a game in which he picked up the win. Kimbrel last allowed a run, earned or unearned, 30 appearances ago on June 11.

He's also struck out batters at an unprecedented pace, as Kimbrel has fanned 98 batters in 61.2 innings pitched.

Mike Stanton

Last season, Mike Stanton played in 100 games with the Florida Marlins, in which he hit 22 home runs but struck out 123 times. Some would argue that in that short time, Stanton became a breakout star. Others, however, wanted to see how Stanton would fair over the course of an entire season before calling Stanton a future MLB All-Star.

This season, Stanton hasn't disappointed. As of last Saturday, Stanton was hitting .261 with 29 home runs and 76 RBI through 120 games with the Marlins in 2011. With Hanley Ramirez struggling as much as he has this year, in addition to all of the injuries that have plagued the Marlins, Stanton has been the face of the organization and all but carried the team's offense. Look for Stanton to be a thorn in the side of all National League organizations until the Marlins can compete with the Phillies and Braves in the NL East.

Eric Hosmer

Upon being called up on May 6, Kansas City Royals rookie first baseman Eric Hosmer has been one of the team's best hitters. Hosmer recorded his first and second career home runs in his fifth and sixth games in the majors, games which saw the Royals defeat the New York Yankees by a large margin.

As of the team's August 20 win against the Boston Red Sox, Hosmer was batting .271 with 10 home runs and 53 RBI through 93 games with the Royals this season. The team's front office expects big things out of Hosmer and top prospect Mike Moustakas for years to come, and both are showing those expectations can be met in a short amount of time.

Michael Morse

When Adam LaRoche, the Washington Nationals' everyday first baseman, landed on the Disabled List in late-May, Michael Morse was asked to fill in for him on a daily basis, something Morse has done extremely well with. In fact, in first four games playing first base, Morse hit three home runs and drove in eight runs.

After the team's 5-0 loss to the Phillies last Saturday, Morse was batting a torrid .319 and had hit 21 home runs and driven in 71 runs. The Nationals have gotten much more from Morse than they expected, as his .319 batting average is half a point larger than the average batting average posted by first basemen in the league, which currently rests at .269. When LaRoche returns in 2012, the Nationals will likely shift Morse back to left field, a position he is more accustomed to playing.

Ryan Vogelsong

The World Champion San Francisco Giants gave MLB journeyman Ryan Vogelsong a chance to be their No. 5 starter this season once Barry Zito landed on the DL, and he has no looked back since.

Vogelsong, who is currently 10-3 with a 2.47 ERA, was even named to the 2011 NL All-Star team by his manager, Bruce Bochy. This season, Vogelsong has struck out 105 and walked 48 batters while holding opponents to a .238 batting average against. His 2.47 ERA is more than two points lower than his career ERA of 4.84, and Vogelsong, who has even spent time playing baseball in Japan, will likely continue to be a staple in the Giants' starting rotation for years to come.