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MLB’s 2015 breakout hitters

By Stephen Romano

Jul 22, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder Gregory Polanco (25) celebrates in the dugout after hitting a solo home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the third inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Jul 22, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder Gregory Polanco (25) celebrates in the dugout after hitting a solo home run against the Los Angeles Dodgers during the third inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /
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Every season, there are new breakout hitters in the MLB—some you’d never expect, some you’ve anticipated for a while. They come in all different forms: power hitters, contact hitters and some that are a mix of both.

We hope to see guys like Mike Trout come out of nowhere, but we all settle for less. That hyped up prospect we’ve all been hearing about—now, when they breakout, that’s my favorite. A close second, is the guy no one would ever expect—the guy who everyone has always doubted.

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Last season, we saw Michael Brantley finally fulfil everyone’s expectations and hit .327, while posting a 7.0 WAR. Jose Altuve, who led the league in hitting, with a .341 average, joined him.

Altuve also led the league with 225, 25 above Brantley. Altuve and Brantley finally broke out, Jose Abreu, proved to the league that he’s the real deal, in his first season. He falls into the all-around category, hitting .317 and jacking 36 home runs.

The Rookie of the Year led the league in slugging percentage–.581—and had a .383 on base percentage.

One thing we can always count on in baseball is players breaking out; every year it will happen. Like last season, we hope to see a wave of new breakout hitters.

Mike Zunino- Seattle Mariners

Sep 19, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Seattle Mariners catcher Mike Zunino (3) hits a home run during the fourth inning against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 19, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Seattle Mariners catcher Mike Zunino (3) hits a home run during the fourth inning against the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /

 Zunino was always held to a high standard, that’s because of the hype circulated around his name, on his rise to the majors. In his first full season, last year, he struggled, hitting .199. He hit 22 home runs, but struggled in most other areas. Known for his power, Zunino’s contact needs to improve for him to have a breakout year.

Zunino struck out 158 times last season, sporting a K% of 33.2. He only walked 3.6 percent of the time, something he can improve by taking more pitches and jumping on fastballs. He swung at over 35 percent of pitches outside of the strike zone. It may seem hard for him to turn things around, but his power will still be there, and with good plate discipline, he’ll have a breakout year.

Travis d’Arnaud- New York Mets

The Mets picked up d’ Arnaud for his hitting. He’s been around the minor leagues for a while, and last season was his chance to prove he’s the hitter people think he is. He’s another catcher with power—power that’s much needed in Citi Field. He hit .241 last season, but started to pick up his game towards the end of the season. Maybe, he finally adjusted to major league hitting, or maybe his swing just fell into place.

He’s an important asset for the Mets to make the playoffs, which I think is highly unlikely. He has a good level swing, and needs to jump on fastballs. He’s been known to take many pitches, and that may hurt him. Playing 108 games last season, d’ Arnaud’s statistics were decent, but they will improve.

Gregory Polanco- Pittsburgh Pirates

Aug 7, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder Gregory Polanco (25) hits a two run single against the Miami Marlins during the fourth inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Aug 7, 2014; Pittsburgh, PA, USA; Pittsburgh Pirates right fielder Gregory Polanco (25) hits a two run single against the Miami Marlins during the fourth inning at PNC Park. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports /

 When he got called up last season, he was on fire. Then, he cooled off, and was almost a bucket of ice. Finishing the season with a .235 average, Polanco’s improvement needs to happen quickly in order to be an elite young superstar. He strikes out 18.9 percent of at bats, something that needs to decrease, but sees the ball well when at bat.

Being a good outfielder will help Polanco, along with the fact that Travis Snider was traded. Snider took most of his playing time last season, and now Polanco is first in line for the right field job. If he can improve his ability to get on base—last season his OBP was .307—then he’ll see more at bats. He’ll be an important part of the Pirates’ lineup if he can turn his hitting around.

With many young players in the league, anyone can have a breakout season. These three players are my pick for the top three breakout hitters. The Mike Trout type players come along every so often—not often enough, in my opinion. We love to see great hitters come along, but lately, pitching has been dominating the league. It’s a nice change, but I’m getting tired of seeing games where teams only score one or two runs.

With the end of the steroid era, seeing guys like Trout is exciting. This year, no one will probably breakout like him, but there will be exciting hitting to watch.

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