MLB Baseball: 5 Players Who Will Rebound in 2012

This year, baseball fans have witnessed the emergence of Justin Verlander, Jacoby Ellsbury, Matt Kemp, and Clayton Kershaw as baseball superstars.  Each legitimizing themselves among baseball's elite at their respective positions.

However, many players expected to have stellar 2011 campaigns regressed.  Five players will be profiled that had awful 2011 seasons, but can be expected to rebound in 2012.

Note: Throughout the article I will use this notation .xxx/xx/xx to refer to avg/HR/RBIs.

Joe Mauer

In 82 injury-plagued games this year, Joe Mauer recorded career lows in nearly every major offensive category.

His .287 batting average, 3 home runs and 30 RBIs are career lows for Mauer.  

One typically expects a .330/10/80 campaign from Mauer.

The Minnesota Twins should consider moving Mauer to first base or designated hitter.  His body appears to be no longer capable of being the Twins' backstop.    

With a move to first base, expect Mauer to be able to stay healthy and his numbers to return to normal. Don't be surprised to see Mauer win the batting title next year.

Adam Dunn

The move to designated hitter did not go as planned for Adam Dunn.  Usually a lock for .240/40/100, Dunn was unable to produce in Chicago.

In 113 games this year, Dunn hit .165 with 11 home runs and 41 RBIs, while putting the jobs of general manager Kenny Williams and manager Ozzie Guillen in jeopardy.

However, Dunn has vowed to change his offseason training by spending more hours in the cage working on his swing.

The White Sox's home, US Cellular Field, is a home run friendly ballpark.  Expect Adam Dunn to rebound in 2012 with a .250/45/110 campaign.

Hanley Ramirez

Over the past five years, Hanley Ramirez was arguably the best shortstop in all of baseball.

Prior to 2011, Ramirez had put together four straight seasons with at least a batting average over .300, 20 home runs, 27 stolen bases and 67 RBIs.  

In 2011, Ramirez was riddled with injuries.  He played in just 92 games (before being shut down for the season) where he posted career lows with a .243 batting average, 10 home runs, 45 RBIs, and 20 stolen bases. 

The Marlins need a healthy Ramirez to compete with Atlanta and Philadelphia in the National League East.  Ramirez will rebound in 2012.  He is too good not to play at an All-Star level.  Furthermore, the offseason will give Ramirez the opportunity to get healthy. 

A .310/25/75 campaign with 35 stolen bases are reasonable expectations for Hanley in 2012.

Carl Crawford

Carl Crawford was supposed to be the spark plug at the top of Boston's order that would make the Red Sox contenders for the World Series.  Crawford has struggled and the Red Sox are fighting with the Rays just to make the playoffs. 

Before coming to Boston, Crawford had a superb run in Saint Petersburg.  As a Ray, Crawford had 7 seasons with at least 40 stolen bases, 5 seasons with at least a .300 batting average, and 5 seasons with at least 10 triples.

Crawford's production in Boston has not been good.  In 122 games, Crawford is hitting .255 with 11 home runs and 53 RBIs with just 18 stolen bases.

In 2012, Crawford should rebound.  He's a career .293 hitter and has stolen at least 25 bases in eight of his ten big league seasons.  Furthermore, with the protection of Jacoby Ellsbury, Dustin Pedroia, David Ortiz, Kevin Youkilis, and Adrian Gonzalez, Crawford should get some pitches to see.

Don't be surprised if Crawford puts up a .300/10/60 campaign with 45 stolen bases in 2012.

Ichiro Suzuki

In his first 10 seasons with Seattle, Ichiro Suzuki recorded 2244 hits while batting .331 and stealing 383 bases.

In 2011, Ichiro is having his worst big league season.  In 151 games, Suzuki is hitting .272 (career low) with 5 home runs, 43 RBIs, and 40 stolen bases.  His 173 hits are also a career low.

However, Suzuki's track record is flawless.  He was the second fastest player to reach 2000 hits.

While his batting average has declined each season since 2009, Ichiro is not a player who hits below .300.  

The days of Suzuki hitting .350 could be gone, but he is still capable of hitting .300.  In 2012, expect Suzuki to post a .310/5/45 campaign with 40 stolen bases.