Photo courtesy: Keith Allison
A month through the season, there have been some big breakout players. Breakouts always happen, and it looks like these five guys should be able to keep it going throughout the season.
Eric Thames
After showing power at times from 2011-2012 with the Mariners and Blue Jays, the now-30-year-old Thames played in Korea and smashed 124 home runs in three seasons. Back in the U.S. with the Milwaukee Brewers, Thames has looked just as he did in Korea. Thames has 11 home runs in 26 games and is delivering a major spark to the Brewers lineup.
In his three seasons abroad, Thames hit .343, .381, and .321. Facing stiffer competition in the MLB, Thames is hitting .326 so far this season. With a change in his swing while putting less pressure on himself, Thames is putting it all together now. Baseball, perhaps more than any other game, requires a clear and positive mind to have success. Thames’ mind at peace and it shows with his .446 on base percentage (7th in the MLB). He’s not pressing and chasing bad pitches.
Aaron Judge
Standing 6’7”, 282 pounds, Judge looks like he belongs in the WWE, not the MLB. Really, Judge looks like he’s straight out of a superhero comic book. He had been doing OK, but Judge has really turned it on as of late, having two two-home-run games in his last five games, while raising his average from .269 to .313. If he keeps this going, with the benefit of playing with a short porch in Yankee Stadium, he could help take the Yanks back to the playoffs.
Cesar Hernandez
Batting atop the Phillies’ lineup, Hernandez has been racking up hits. He hit .294 last season, but this season has took his game to another level. Through the first 25 games, Hernandez is hitting .324, but his power numbers have also taken a jump. He has four home runs so far this season, after hitting only six (career-high) last season. Hernandez’s slugging percentage has increased from .393 last season to .524 this season. Hernandez also gives a major speed element to his game—if he hits a ball in the gap, outfielders better get to it quick or Hernandez will be standing on third base.
Miguel Sano
As a top prospect, this might have been the most expected breakout on the list. Last season, Sano hit only .236 with an on base percentage of .319 in 116 games. This season, Sano’s batting average (.317) is close to his OBP from last season. Sano leads the American League with 27 RBI, and he’s a big reason the Twins are off to a good start, with a 13-11 record. At just 23-years-old, Sano is looking to assert himself as one of the best third basemen in the MLB.
Mitch Haniger
Unfortunately for Haniger, he has a strained oblique that will keep him out for a few weeks. But he’s been doing damage when on the field for the Mariners. At 26, Haniger is getting his chance and taking full advantage. He’s hitting .342 with four home runs and 16 RBI and a .447 on base percentage. The Mariners acquired Haniger in a trade with the Diamondbacks last November, and he’s turned out to be a key member of the lineup making a push for the playoffs.