Next Big Thing? One Player For Each MLB Team Poised For A Breakout Season

Up-and-coming youngsters, players reaching their potential, or on-the-cusp stars who are about to hit their stride. Who is poised to make some headlines in MLB this season? Our picks for one breakout player for all 30 teams. JUMP TO: AL East | AL Central | AL West | NL East | NL Central | NL West Baltimore Orioles: Shane Baz, RHP One of the many former first-round picks in this list, Baz has yet to reach his full, true-ace potential after being limited by injuries. Finally, last year the right-hander stayed healthy and delivered a career-best 31 starts for the Rays, who traded him to Baltimore in December. Now entering his age-27 season, Baz looks primed to use his excellent stuff and control to emerge as a breakout candidate this year.  – Deesha Thosar Boston Red Sox: Wilyer Abreu, RF With Alex Cora saying a 30-plus homer season is incoming, this is the year Abreu is expected to make the jump into an All-Star caliber everyday outfielder. He turned heads in the World Baseball Classic for Venezuela, slugging a pair of clutch home runs against Japan and USA. Abreu only played in 115 games last year, but he hit 22 home runs and drove in 69. His offensive metrics indicate he’ll show off additional power this season. – Thosar New York Yankees: Cam Schlittler, RHP Schlittler is a fast-rising top-20 pitcher with grit and elite fastball velocity. This will be his second season in the majors after recording a 2.96 ERA in 14 starts for the Yankees last year. His breakout moment came against the Red Sox, the Walpole, Massachusetts native’s favorite childhood team, in the Wild Card series. Schlitter, in his first career postseason start, held Boston to eight shutout innings with 12 strikeouts, sending the Yankees to the Division Series. The Yankees are counting on Schlittler to be a key arm of the rotation, and his elite stuff points to a bright future in the league. – Thosar Tampa Bay Rays: Chandler Simpson, OF Simpson stole 44 bases and in 109 games in his first major-league stint, while slashing .295/.326/.345. He’s projected to steal 50-60 bags this season while leading off for the Rays. Simpson’s 2025 batting average is for real; the 25-year-old has elite contact ability and is considered the fastest player in baseball. He’s poised for a major breakout year in what should be his first full-season in the bigs. – Thosar Toronto Blue Jays: Cody Ponce, RHP Ponce returns to MLB for the first time since 2021 after pitching the best season ever in the KBO. He went 17-1, recorded a 1.89 ERA, 0.93 WHIP and 252 strikeouts in 29 starts and 180.2 starts. Sure, a lot of pitchers come back from overseas and struggle in the big leagues, but the Blue Jays felt so strongly about Ponce’s redefined arsenal and uptick in velocity that they gave him a three-year contract worth $30 million, which will be an enormous value if all goes as expected. – Thosar Chicago White Sox: Miguel Vargas, 3B The 26-year-old third baseman produced his best season yet last year, hitting 16 home runs while slashing .234/.316/.401 in 138 games. He hovered around league average, and this year Vargas is expected to take a big step forward in a White Sox lineup that will give him every opportunity to start at the hot corner everyday. – Thosar Cleveland Guardians: Chase DeLauter, OF DeLauter is a former first-round pick who’s been held back by injuries since his 2022 draft. The 24-year-old outfielder is finally fully healthy and projected to spend the entire year in the big leagues. Though his injury history is concerning, there’s also a lot to like. DeLauter is considered a candidate to have a high average and 20-homer potential. – Thosar Detroit Tigers: Kevin McGonigle, SS McGonigle is ranked by MLB Pipeline as Detroit’s top prospect and No. 2 overall. He improved his defense in spring training and the Tigers can deploy him on the left side of the infield, opening up playing time and allowing him to show off his high-contact rate and lengthen the Tigers lineup. McGonigle’s patient plate approach and impressive power is a boon in Detroit. – Thosar Kansas City Royals: Jac Caglianone, RF Caglianone mightily struggled to adjust to major-league pitching in his 62-game debut last year. But the power that led to him being a first-round pick and a highly-touted prospect is all still there. He’s projected for 20-plus home runs this season and his droolworthy hard-hit rate has made Caglianone everyone’s top breakout candidate of the year. – Thosar Minnesota Twins: Mick Abel, RHP Abel joined the Twins last summer as part of the trade that sent closer Jhoan Duran to the Phillies. He recorded a 2.00 ERA, 23 strikeouts and only three walks in five starts and 18 innings in spring training. The right-hander not only earned a spot in Minnesota’s rotation, but he could ascend to become a top-of-the-rotation arm. Abel refined his repertoire over the winter and looks primed to be the Twins’ second-best starter behind Joe Ryan. – Thosar Athletics: Denzel Clarke, CF Clarke is one of the best defenders in the major leagues, if not the best. He put on a show last season with multiple defensive gems in center field, but his bat wasn’t good enough for the starting lineup. This year, he’s projected to improve his offense to at least league-average, or close to it. If he can put more balls in play, Clarke’s speed will be a lethal asset, and he could end up having a three-win season. – Thosar Houston Astros: Tatsuya Imai, RHP The Astros have a ton of confidence in Imai’s ability to succeed after giving him a three-year, $54 million contract with opt-outs. His mid-90s velocity and four-pitch mix will play in Houston, even if the team will have to accommodate his routine with five days rest. If Imai can work on his control issues and develop more movement on his fastball, he could make the jump from a mid-rotation arm to a front-end starter. – Thosar Los Angeles Angels: Jose Soriano, RHP The Angels’ 2026 Opening Day starter, Soriano is the best in baseball at inducing ground balls thanks to a heavy sinker and potent knuckle curve. The 27-year-old right-hander showed flashes of dominance last season, allowing one run or fewer in 14 of his 31 starts. If he can limit his meltdowns, Soriano’s triple-digit velocity, five-pitch mix and still-increasing strikeout rate points to his future as a true front-end starter. – Thosar Seattle Mariners: Colt Emerson, INF It might take a little longer for Emerson to make his major-league debut, but he’ll likely join the Mariners at some point this year, and when he does, he’s expected to make a lot of noise. Emerson, a top-10 overall prospect, crushed 16 home runs across three minor-league levels last year. He should be a significant factor in the M’s postseason push in the second half. – Thosar Texas Rangers: MacKenzie Gore, LHP Gore showed elite swing-and-miss stuff for the Nationals last year, putting up a career-best three-win season before Texas traded for him in January. The Nats received five players from the Rangers for Gore, indicating how high the expectations are for him in Arlington. Gore, 27, will pitch behind Nathan Eovaldi and Jacob deGrom and is expected to excel under the guidance of the pitching staff. – Thosar NATIONAL LEAGUE Atlanta Braves: Michael Harris II, OF Four years ago, Harris looked like the game’s next star when he won Rookie of the Year honors with a 5.1-WAR season while producing an .853 OPS as a 21-year-old. Instead, every year since then, he has seen his OPS trend the wrong direction. The first half of last season — he had a .551 OPS at the break — might have been rock bottom. Harris still finished the year as a below league-average hitter, but he had an .845 OPS in the second half and wrapped up 2025 with his first 20-20 season. That could provide a jumping-off point for Harris to realize his 30-30 potential. – Rowan Kavner Miami Marlins: Eury Perez, SP Two years ago at just 20 years old, the top pitching prospect started his big-league career with a 3.15 ERA and a 28.9% strikeout rate in 91.1 innings, but then he needed Tommy John surgery. Pérez returned last season with the same high velocity and swing-and-miss stuff, and now he enters 2026 ready to pick up where he left off. If he can limit hard contact and keep the ball in the park, the 6-foot-8 righty has the upside to be one of the best pitchers in the sport. – Kavner New York Mets: Francisco Alvarez, C Alvarez has yet to fully take off since his first call up four years ago, and injuries have limited him to 176 games the last two seasons, but it’s worth remembering that he’s still just 24 years old. And after a hamate fracture early last season, Alvarez starred in the second half — he had an OPS over 1.000 in July and August — before a thumb sprain halted his progress. With a healthy season, the breakout we expected to already happen could finally be ahead. – Kavner Philadelphia Phillies: Justin Crawford, OF The opportunity is there for Crawford, as the Phillies have demonstrated their faith in the 2022 first-round pick by handing him the keys in center field following Harrison Bader’s departure. Crawford won the International League batting title last year with a .334 batting average and posted a .411 on-base percentage with 46 steals. He has stolen at least 40 bases in all three of his minor-league seasons. His tendency to put the ball on the ground limits his ceiling, but his bat-to-ball skills and elite speed could make him one of the game’s top base-stealers in 2026. – Kavner Washington Nationals: Cade Cavalli, SP Six years after the Nationals took him in the first round, after a long Tommy John recovery and setbacks that followed, Cavalli is about to be the Nationals’ Opening Day starter. Cavalli pitched one game in the big leagues in August 2022 and then waited three years before his next appearance in August 2025. Cavalli had a pedestrian 4.25 ERA in 10 starts last year, but the hard-throwing righty averaged a 97 mph fastball, got a lot of chase and missed barrels. This spring, he didn’t allow an earned run in four starts. – Kavner Chicago Cubs: Daniel Palencia, RP Palencia’s sensational start to the 2025 season was followed by an uneven second half that ultimately saw him lose his ninth-inning role. Now, Palencia is back as the Cubs’ primary closer coming off an electric World Baseball Classic that ended with him firing a 99.7 mph fastball by Roman Anthony to win the tournament for Venezuela. He struck out nine of the 17 batters he faced in the competition and didn’t allow a hit or a run, and he didn’t allow a run in four spring outings, either. Last year provided a taste of what Palencia could bring, but this year could be the star breakout as one of the sport’s top closers. – Kavner Cincinnati Reds: Sal Stewart, 1B The 2022 first-round pick has hit at every level, including in the big leagues after his September call-up last season, when Stewart hit 21% above league average in 18 games before knocking in four runs in two games as a middle-of-the-order bat against the Dodgers in the National League wild-card series. Stewart can knock the cover off the ball, and he does it while maintaining strong bat-to-ball skills. He could quickly put up big numbers in his first full season, especially while playing his home games at hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park. – Kavner Milwaukee Brewers: Jackson Chourio, OF Chourio’s second season in the big leagues looked almost identical to his first, as he followed up a 21-homer, 22-steal rookie season in 2024 with 21 homers and 21 steals in 2025. It was a productive year, though not the superstar jump many expected. His slash-line numbers dipped slightly as his chase rate increased and walk rate decreased, and a nagging hamstring injury in the second half didn’t help his cause. In 2026, the full breakout could be ahead for the talented 22-year-old. – Kavner Pittsburgh Pirates: Bubba Chandler, SP Konnor Griffin will be the flashy pick here, and his arrival is on the horizon. But he’s starting the year in the minor leagues and, as this spring demonstrated, might need some time before he’s the superstar he is capable of being. In terms of 2026, give me Chandler, another top MLB prospect on the Pirates who made seven appearances last year (and should have made more) with a fastball that sat in the high-90s and a whiff rate over 30%. His 98.4 mph four-seamer this spring was the hardest on average of any Pirates pitcher, starter or reliever. – Kavner St. Louis Cardinals: JJ Wetherholt, 2B One of the top prospects in baseball, Wetherholt is set to break camp with the Cardinals and will be among the favorites to contend for Rookie of the Year. Wetherholt, the No. 7 overall pick in 2024, slashed .306/.421/.510 with 17 homers and 23 steals and nearly an equal number of walks and steals between Double-A and Triple-A last year. His keen eye and advanced approach at the plate could allow him to handle the jump to the majors better than most 23-year-old rookies. – Kavner Arizona Diamondbacks: Jordan Lawlar, OF The former top shortstop prospect’s first couple tastes of the majors didn’t go to plan, but now Lawlar is healthy and has a clearer path to regular playing time after moving to the outfield. When he’s on the field, Lawlar has consistently produced at the plate in the minor leagues, amassing a .990 OPS over the past three seasons. Those results haven’t translated to his 42 career big-league games (.478 OPS), but he has excelled at the plate this spring, and this could be the year it all comes together for the 23-year-old former first-round pick. – Kavner Colorado Rockies: Ezequiel Tovar, SS Tovar has established himself as one of the most important young building blocks in Colorado primarily for his defense, but the Gold Glove Award winner starred for champion Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic (.471/.500/.647) and hit two home runs for the Rockies this spring. He was limited by multiple injuries last year, and his underlying numbers were better than his .694 OPS demonstrated. A below league average hitter to this point of his career, don’t be surprised if his best offensive season is ahead. – Kavner Los Angeles Dodgers: River Ryan, SP If it were only based on merit this spring, Ryan would already be in the Dodgers’ rotation. His four-seamer averaged over 97 mph. His slider generated 13 whiffs on 24 swings. He looks all the way back from Tommy John surgery, which cut a promising rookie season short in 2024 after he excelled in four big-league appearances. There are questions about opportunity and workload here — he’s starting the season at Triple-A, and the Dodgers will want to be careful with his innings coming back from injury — but his arm is too talented to stay in the minors for long, especially if Roki Sasaki struggles. – Kavner San Diego Padres: Jackson Merrill, OF After finishing as the runner-up to Paul Skenes for NL Rookie of the Year in 2024, last season represented a step back for Merrill. His strikeout and whiff rates jumped, he only stole one base, and he ended the year hitting just 12% better than league average. But injuries were a significant part of his 2025 story and help explain the regression. He started heating up again late in the year, registering a .946 OPS in September before recording three extra-base hits in the Padres’ wild-card series. For the Padres to do anything of note in 2026, they need Merrill to be a star. And as long as he’s healthy, I expect that jump to happen. – Kavner San Francisco Giants: Jung Hoo Lee, OF Lee looked like he was transforming into a star for the Giants early last year, producing an OPS over .900 through April before crashing back down to earth. He had a .612 OPS in June and a .551 OPS in July before settling back in late in the year, producing a .306/.351/.439 slash line from the start of August through season’s end. He finished the year hitting 10% better than league-average hitter, but his tremendous bat-to-ball skills could make him much more than that. He’ll just need to avoid another prolonged summer slump. – Kavner