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With each new Major League Baseball season inevitably comes a new limelight for a fresh crop of stars.
No matter when it starts, the 2022 season will be no different.
As for which players might achieve their star breakouts this year, we’ve identified one possibility for every MLB team. These include established major leaguers who are capable of more than they’ve shown so far, as well as top prospects who are high on talent and short on things left to prove in the minor leagues.
We’ll go division by division, starting in the American League East and ending in the National League West.
American League East
Baltimore Orioles: C Adley Rutschman (B/R’s No. 2 Prospect)
The Orioles have another top-five prospect in the person of right-hander Grayson Rodriguez, but he hasn’t yet ascended to the Triple-A level. Rutschman, the No. 1 pick in the 2019 draft, did that last year and kept the hype train moving by batting .312/.405/.490 in 45 games. That big bat of his makes him a candidate for an early-season promotion and potentially a run at the AL Rookie of the Year.
Boston Red Sox: RHP Tanner Houck
Houck handled 86 innings for the Red Sox between 2020 and 2021, impressing with a 2.93 ERA and 108 strikeouts. His slider is a filthy pitch, and he passed a crucial test with it last season by using it to hold left-handed batters to a .171 average. He thus might be able to survive as a two-pitch pitcher, in which case his next challenge is proving he can last more than four or five innings at a time.
New York Yankees: RHP Luis Gil (No. 92)
Speaking of young righties with nasty stuff, Gil made an impression in 2021 by dialing his fastball up to 99 mph and whiffing 38 batters in 29.1 innings for the Yankees. The catch is that the control issues he’s had in the minors were also present in the majors, where he issued 19 free passes. But if he can make the necessary strides there, his stuff could play in either a starting or relief role in 2022.
Tampa Bay Rays: RHP Shane Baz (No. 11)
As if the Chris Archer trade wasn’t already looking bad enough for the Pittsburgh Pirates, Baz had to go have an epic season in 2021. In addition to starring for Team USA at the Olympics, he posted a 2.06 ERA at Double-A and Triple-A and showed flashes of brilliance for the Rays at the end of the year. With electric stuff and sharp command, he should be another candidate for the AL Rookie of the Year.
Toronto Blue Jays: RHP Nate Pearson
Pearson used to be a top-10 prospect in his own right, but two seasons’ worth of injuries and unspectacular returns (i.e., a 5.18 ERA) for the Blue Jays have sidetracked his trajectory. And yet his fastball, which has brushed 102 mph in the majors, may yet be his ticket to stardom, even if it’s in more of a Josh Hader-like relief role if Toronto goes that route with him.