Top 10 MLB bounceback candidates for 2017

Oct 13, 2016; Washington, DC, USA; Washington Nationals right fielder Bryce Harper (34) hits a sacrifice fly during the third inning against the Los Angeles Dodgers during game five of the 2016 NLDS playoff baseball game at Nationals Park. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports /

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Which MLB players coming off disappointing seasons in 2016 will bounce back in a big way in 2017?

Contrary to popular belief, professional baseball players are not perfect home-run-hitting, fastball-throwing robots. Their careers can unexpectedly rise and fall from year to year. Even the All-Stars have down years, and 2016 was no different, with more than a few established stars battling minor injuries or their psyches throughout disastrous seasons. These are not the players who dealt with serious injuries that kept them out for the entire year, but rather the players who have something to prove after a disappointing season.

The beautiful thing about baseball is that talent rarely goes away overnight. Each spring, every player has a chance to start with a clean slate and envision a bounceback season. Here are the 10 MLB stars who struggled last season that have the best chance to get that poor taste out of their mouth with a return to form in 2017.

10. Shelby Miller

Year one of the Shelby Miller Experience in Arizona was an unmitigated disaster for the Diamondbacks. Never mind that they traded a potential All-Star shortstop in Dansby Swanson and a potential All-Star center fielder in Ender Inciarte for a mid-rotation arm, Miller was flat-out awful in 2016. He finished the year 3-12 with a 6.15 ERA, and deserved every one of his losses, as opposed to when he lost 17 games in 2015 for the moribund Atlanta Braves.

The advanced metrics saw Miller’s demise coming 100 miles away. He does not possess overpowering stuff, and relies on his ability to generate weak contact. That worked well for him from 2013 to 2015, when he compiled a 3.27 ERA in over 500 innings of work. However, Miller does not strike out many hitters, and is prone to the home run. His command is good, but not great.

If there is anything to take away from Miller’s dreadful 2016 season, it is that he seemed to right the ship after a trip to the minors. He pitched well enough in August and September that he cannot be fully written off entering this season. There are positive reports out of the D’Backs camp. While Miller will never be a true ace, look for him to rebound this year.

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