Predicting surprise Young players who co
For the Mets, they have who might be their first baseman of the future in Dominic Smith, and in Baltimore, Austin Hays could round out a quality outfield and provide an impact bat to go with Adam Jones and Manny Machado.
MORE POTENTIAL BREAKOUTS: | |
Heres a deeper look:
Mets: Dominic Smith, 1B2017 stats: .198/.262/.395, 167 AB, 9 HR, 6 2B, 49 K, 14 BB
Smiths debut with the Mets didnt come until mid-August, and he started slowly. Through the end of that month, the first baseman was hitting just .164 and looked as though his bat had not come with Trishton Jackson Jerseys him from Triple-A Las Vegas, where he was hitting .330.
But come September, Smith improved some, hitting .227 for the month and slugging .464 after just .313 in August. As Smith adjusted, he hit for greater power, connecting for six home runs in the month.
But even with that slightly improved performance, Smith did not impre s enough to earn a surefire starting spot come spring training next year. But the good news is that Smith has the right tools to win the job easily.
Why he could break out: The befuddling thing about Smith has always been his lack of in-game power. As an amateur on the showcase circuits, he could put on a show, but when the Mets drafted him out of high school in 2013, that didnt translate. It wasnt until he reached Double-A Binghamton in 2016 that he hit double digits in the home run column over a full season.
But last year, Smith hit a combined 25 long balls, nine of which came in the majors when he was otherwise struggling at the plate. Thats an encouraging sign from a hitter who can spray the ball to all fields and batted above .300 for three consecutive seasons in the Mets farm system.
Smith turned 22 in June, so while he has always had a plus hit tool, the power is just now developing, something that is relatively normal for young hitters.
Yet even if Smith never does hit for much power, he has demonstrated in the minor leagues for several seasons that he can still be a significant a set with his bat. He has always hit for extra bases with ease, and though he struck out nearly Zach Davidson Jerseys 27 percent of the time with the Mets, Smith has a much lower average strikeout rate in his minor league career, so its safe to expect that he will adjust to the majors accordingly.
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Orioles: Austin Hays, OF2017 stats: .217/.238/.317, 60 AB, 1 HR, 3 2B, 16 K, 2 BB
Its good to remember that Hays was just drafted in 2016. He joined the Orioles this year from Double-A Bowie with roster expansions on Sept. 5 after Bashaud Breeland Jerseys only 166 games in the minors. So while his numbers at the major league level in a 20-game sample were not eye-popping, Hays is still a safe bet.
During his brief tenure in the Orioles farm system, Hays decimated minor league pitching. His .330 batting average in those 166 games cro ses three levels and includes a jump straight from the short-season New York-Penn League in 2016 to High-A Frederick and eventually Double-A Bowie this year.
The question for Hays is whether hell get the opportunity to stick in Baltimore in 2018, or whether hell be relegated to the minors for more experience.
Why he could break out: Hays is admittedly somewhat of a risky pick here because his minor league experience is sparse and his best bet to stick with the Orioles is if he can stick in right field, as he is not likely to supplant Trey Mancini in left or Adam Jones in center.
But if Baltimore is willing to bet on him and allow for some Jack Del Rio Jerseys of the growing pains to happen at the major league level, it could pay dividends, even in 2018. Hays had a .946 OPS in the minor leagues, so it can hardly be expected that he will not adjust to major league pitching in the near future.
Hays is a great pure hitter who can also hit for power, as demonstrated by his 33 combined home runs in 2017. Theres plenty of room for improvement in his plate discipline too he swung at about 40 percent of pitches outside of the zone (league average was roughly 10 points lower) while with the Orioles so even a modest adjustment here could make a large difference. Hays average exit velocity of around 84 mph sat three notches below the league average too, and as he works on making contact with more pitches in the zone, his quality of contact will improve. Hays made hard contact just 31 percent of the time during his time with the Orioles this season.
Next week: A look at who has the best shot to break out for the Padres and Blue Jays.
This week in breakout prognostication features a pair of 22-year-olds loaded with potential. Both run the risk of not grabbing a starting job in 2018, but if they do, theres reason to be bullish on their chances of succe s.
For the Mets, they have who might be their first baseman of the future in Dominic Smith, and in Baltimore, Austin Hays could round out a quality outfield and provide an impact bat to go with Adam Jones and Manny Machado.
MORE POTENTIAL BREAKOUTS: | |
Heres a deeper look:
Mets: Dominic Smith, 1B
2017 stats: .198/.262/.395, 167 AB, 9 HR, 6 2B, 49 K, 14 BB
Smiths debut with the Mets didnt come until mid-August, and he started slowly. Through the end of that month, the first baseman was hitting just .164 and looked as though his bat had not come with Trishton Jackson Jerseys him from Triple-A Las Vegas, where he was hitting .330.
But come September, Smith improved some, hitting .227 for the month and slugging .464 after just .313 in August. As Smith adjusted, he hit for greater power, connecting for six home runs in the month.
But even with that slightly improved performance, Smith did not impre s enough to earn a surefire starting spot come spring training next year. But the good news is that Smith has the right tools to win the job easily.
Why he could break out: The befuddling thing about Smith has always been his lack of in-game power. As an amateur on the showcase circuits, he could put on a show, but when the Mets drafted him out of high school in 2013, that didnt translate. It wasnt until he reached Double-A Binghamton in 2016 that he hit double digits in the home run column over a full season.
But last year, Smith hit a combined 25 long balls, nine of which came in the majors when he was otherwise struggling at the plate. Thats an encouraging sign from a hitter who can spray the ball to all fields and batted above .300 for three consecutive seasons in the Mets farm system.
Smith turned 22 in June, so while he has always had a plus hit tool, the power is just now developing, something that is relatively normal for young hitters.
Yet even if Smith never does hit for much power, he has demonstrated in the minor leagues for several seasons that he can still be a significant a set with his bat. He has always hit for extra bases with ease, and though he struck out nearly Zach Davidson Jerseys 27 percent of the time with the Mets, Smith has a much lower average strikeout rate in his minor league career, so its safe to expect that he will adjust to the majors accordingly.
MORE:
Orioles: Austin Hays, OF
2017 stats: .217/.238/.317, 60 AB, 1 HR, 3 2B, 16 K, 2 BB
Its good to remember that Hays was just drafted in 2016. He joined the Orioles this year from Double-A Bowie with roster expansions on Sept. 5 after Bashaud Breeland Jerseys only 166 games in the minors. So while his numbers at the major league level in a 20-game sample were not eye-popping, Hays is still a safe bet.
During his brief tenure in the Orioles farm system, Hays decimated minor league pitching. His .330 batting average in those 166 games cro ses three levels and includes a jump straight from the short-season New York-Penn League in 2016 to High-A Frederick and eventually Double-A Bowie this year.
The question for Hays is whether hell get the opportunity to stick in Baltimore in 2018, or whether hell be relegated to the minors for more experience.
Why he could break out: Hays is admittedly somewhat of a risky pick here because his minor league experience is sparse and his best bet to stick with the Orioles is if he can stick in right field, as he is not likely to supplant Trey Mancini in left or Adam Jones in center.
But if Baltimore is willing to bet on him and allow for some Jack Del Rio Jerseys of the growing pains to happen at the major league level, it could pay dividends, even in 2018. Hays had a .946 OPS in the minor leagues, so it can hardly be expected that he will not adjust to major league pitching in the near future.
Hays is a great pure hitter who can also hit for power, as demonstrated by his 33 combined home runs in 2017. Theres plenty of room for improvement in his plate discipline too he swung at about 40 percent of pitches outside of the zone (league average was roughly 10 points lower) while with the Orioles so even a modest adjustment here could make a large difference. Hays average exit velocity of around 84 mph sat three notches below the league average too, and as he works on making contact with more pitches in the zone, his quality of contact will improve. Hays made hard contact just 31 percent of the time during his time with the Orioles this season.
Next week: A look at who has the best shot to break out for the Padres and Blue Jays.
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