MLB Opening Day: 3 Rising Stars Poised for Breakout Seasons
Every year, young stars rise and become part of baseball's elite core.
Young hurlers come up from Triple-A and shut down the best lineups in baseball. Young bats rise from Triple-A to pick apart major-league hitting. Every MLB star went through that cycle.
Now, we recognize those up-and-coming players who have either spent a couple years or have only played two games in the MLB. However, all three of them are ready to dominate the MLB in 2012.
Future MVPs? Maybe. Future Cy Young winners? Possibly. NLCS and World Series MVPs? Sure.
Here are three rising stars poised for great seasons.
David Freese
Even though he won NLCS and World Series MVP, David Freese isn't a star yet—but that'll change by season's end.
Freese was a hero during the 2011 World Series, hitting a walk-off home run in a wild Game 6. He wasn't the star then, though; Albert Pujols was. Now, Freese, Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman are taking over.
In the Cardinals opener, Freese went 3-for-5 with two RBI and a run. The Cards won 4-1, starting their season the way they ended last year's.
It'll be much harder for St. Louis to win the World Series now that King Albert plays for the Angels, but Freese is ready to take over. As he proved during the World Series, he's clutch and is ready to take over as the new star of the defending champs.
Freese has a .298 career batting average, and he hits the ball to all fields. He hits singles, doubles, triples and homers, making him a constant threat to all pitchers.
The new star of the St Louis Cardinals is going to wreak havoc on the league, lead the Cardinals to a successful regular season and playoff berth and win NL MVP—just to add another trophy to his rapidly growing collection.
Freese will be dominating MLB for years to come, and he's just kicking everything off.
Yoenis Cespedes
During the winter, a temporary frenzy went on involving Yoenis Cespedes and who would sign him. Now, this was no Peyton Manning or Albert Pujols sweepstakes, but the A's, the team that landed Cespedes, could greatly benefit.
Oakland played two games in Japan against the Mariners, and Cespedes went 1-for-3 each time. During the first game he hit a double, and during the second game he hit a two-run home run.
Cespedes has shown little restraint at swinging at pitches outside the strike zone, but that's an easy fix. Once Cespedes gets used to major-league pitching, he'll be able to secure the third or fourth spot in the batting order and get hits, knock in runs and score runs.
Cespedes hit seventh and sixth in Oakland's first two games while getting settled in, but he'll move up in the order. His power will likely land him in the clean-up spot if he keeps up the good work he has displayed during spring training and against Seattle.
Home runs will come. Singles, doubles and triples will come. Success will come for Cespedes, and some awards may be coming in too. All Cespedes has to do is hit the ball well.
If he does, fans will pack O.co Coliseum to watch the new sensation drive in runs. A new era is starting in Oakland, and while it may take some time to get into full swing, expect an improvement from the A's.
Madison Bumgarner
Just like David Freese, Bumgarner has a World Series title. In fact, he pitched eight innings and surrendered just three hits while picking up a win during the Fall Classic. But, just like Freese, he's not a star yet.
Last year, the Giants offense failed to support Bumgarner, which led to his mediocre win-loss record. This year, though, Angel Pagan and Melky Cabrera are members of the Giants, and Buster Posey is back.
If Bumgarner gets run support, he'll be able to have a great season. Bumgarner lets runners get on base, but holds them there. He has a great ERA, and while he can have bad outings, MadBum can be lights-out at times.
His funky delivery didn't intimidate many when he was called up in June 2010, and he didn't start off well. Bumgarner pitched well during the 2010 playoffs, finishing 2-0 and helping the Giants win the World Series.
Bumgarner never seems to be intimidated by any situation, and he's probably the most clutch pitcher on the Giants. If Bumgarner does break out, I wouldn't be surprised if he lands the Cy Young award.
All it takes is some good run support, and Madison will do his thing. And what is his thing? Shutting down batters and winning games for the Giants.
He's clutch, he strikes batters out, he doesn't give up runs and he wins games (if he gets run support). So watch out, MLB.
Young hurlers come up from Triple-A and shut down the best lineups in baseball. Young bats rise from Triple-A to pick apart major-league hitting. Every MLB star went through that cycle.
Now, we recognize those up-and-coming players who have either spent a couple years or have only played two games in the MLB. However, all three of them are ready to dominate the MLB in 2012.
Future MVPs? Maybe. Future Cy Young winners? Possibly. NLCS and World Series MVPs? Sure.
Here are three rising stars poised for great seasons.
David Freese
Even though he won NLCS and World Series MVP, David Freese isn't a star yet—but that'll change by season's end.
Freese was a hero during the 2011 World Series, hitting a walk-off home run in a wild Game 6. He wasn't the star then, though; Albert Pujols was. Now, Freese, Matt Holliday and Lance Berkman are taking over.
In the Cardinals opener, Freese went 3-for-5 with two RBI and a run. The Cards won 4-1, starting their season the way they ended last year's.
It'll be much harder for St. Louis to win the World Series now that King Albert plays for the Angels, but Freese is ready to take over. As he proved during the World Series, he's clutch and is ready to take over as the new star of the defending champs.
Freese has a .298 career batting average, and he hits the ball to all fields. He hits singles, doubles, triples and homers, making him a constant threat to all pitchers.
The new star of the St Louis Cardinals is going to wreak havoc on the league, lead the Cardinals to a successful regular season and playoff berth and win NL MVP—just to add another trophy to his rapidly growing collection.
Freese will be dominating MLB for years to come, and he's just kicking everything off.
Yoenis Cespedes
During the winter, a temporary frenzy went on involving Yoenis Cespedes and who would sign him. Now, this was no Peyton Manning or Albert Pujols sweepstakes, but the A's, the team that landed Cespedes, could greatly benefit.
Oakland played two games in Japan against the Mariners, and Cespedes went 1-for-3 each time. During the first game he hit a double, and during the second game he hit a two-run home run.
Cespedes has shown little restraint at swinging at pitches outside the strike zone, but that's an easy fix. Once Cespedes gets used to major-league pitching, he'll be able to secure the third or fourth spot in the batting order and get hits, knock in runs and score runs.
Cespedes hit seventh and sixth in Oakland's first two games while getting settled in, but he'll move up in the order. His power will likely land him in the clean-up spot if he keeps up the good work he has displayed during spring training and against Seattle.
Home runs will come. Singles, doubles and triples will come. Success will come for Cespedes, and some awards may be coming in too. All Cespedes has to do is hit the ball well.
If he does, fans will pack O.co Coliseum to watch the new sensation drive in runs. A new era is starting in Oakland, and while it may take some time to get into full swing, expect an improvement from the A's.
Madison Bumgarner
Just like David Freese, Bumgarner has a World Series title. In fact, he pitched eight innings and surrendered just three hits while picking up a win during the Fall Classic. But, just like Freese, he's not a star yet.
Last year, the Giants offense failed to support Bumgarner, which led to his mediocre win-loss record. This year, though, Angel Pagan and Melky Cabrera are members of the Giants, and Buster Posey is back.
If Bumgarner gets run support, he'll be able to have a great season. Bumgarner lets runners get on base, but holds them there. He has a great ERA, and while he can have bad outings, MadBum can be lights-out at times.
His funky delivery didn't intimidate many when he was called up in June 2010, and he didn't start off well. Bumgarner pitched well during the 2010 playoffs, finishing 2-0 and helping the Giants win the World Series.
Bumgarner never seems to be intimidated by any situation, and he's probably the most clutch pitcher on the Giants. If Bumgarner does break out, I wouldn't be surprised if he lands the Cy Young award.
All it takes is some good run support, and Madison will do his thing. And what is his thing? Shutting down batters and winning games for the Giants.
He's clutch, he strikes batters out, he doesn't give up runs and he wins games (if he gets run support). So watch out, MLB.
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