Top 10 MLB breakout candidates in 2017

3. Gregory Polanco

The Pittsburgh Pirates have one of the best, most athletic outfields in baseball with Starling Marte, Andrew McCutchen, and Gregory Polanco. Last year was supposed to be the year that Marte stepped up and produced like McCutchem, with Polanco stepping up to produce like Marte. Mission accomplished for Marte, who made his first All-Star team. Polanco came close, but still has some room to improve.

In his second full season in the big leagues, Polanco made big strides in the power department, slugging .463 with 22 home runs. He had slugged only .369 with 16 home runs in 964 plate appearances in 2014 and 2015. His batting average, however, still hovered below .260.

Standing 6’5″, there is a lot of untapped power in Polanco’s 230-pound frame. He made big strides last year against left-handed pitching. Polanco posted an anemic OPS of .528 against southpaws in 2015, but raised it to a very respectable .781 last year. Polanco was still very raw when the Pirates called him up, and was still growing into his power stroke. He batted over .300 in his last three seasons in the minor leagues, and is still looking to match that in the majors.

The Pirates are going to be a sneaky contender in 2017, but they need more out of Polanco to get over the hump and back into the playoffs. He hasn’t experienced the immediate success expected, but has shown improvement each season. In his fourth year in the big leagues, look for Polanco to showcase all five tools and make the All-Star Game for the first time.