2020 Baseball Breakout Players: Starting pitchers
So there will basically be no farm system this season and young players are going to get a chance to play, whether they are ready or not. My goal here is to take a look at some of the breakout baseball players at each position. These are players who either played in the minor leagues last season, came up to the Majors late last season and didn't make a huge impact, or have had little impact overall due to lack of playing time or injuries.
Let's begin with the top breakout starting pitchers.
1)Julio Arias, LA Dodgers
Arias is a 23-year old left-hander with great stuff. He went 4-3 with a 2.49 ERA in eight starts. He looked very good in the spring and appears to be ready to dominate this year as the fourth starter in a loaded rotation.
2)Frankie Montas, Oakland Athletics
Montas is a horse at 6-2, 255, who was 9-2 with a 2.63 ERA in 16 starts, before a PED suspension cost him the rest of the season. He was throwing very hard before the suspension. In the spring, he looked good, holding teams to no earned runs over 5.2 innings.
3)Dylan Cease, Chicago White Sox
Look out for Cease, who throws 97 mph and has a plus slider and change up. He struggled as a rookie in 2019, which happens to many young pitchers. Control issues are the biggest problem right now. At 24 and having Yasmani Grandal, one of the best defensive catchers in baseball, can't hurt.
4)Mitch Keller, Pittsburgh Steelers
Keller has great stuff, owning a 96mph fastball, but needs better command. The 24-year old struggled in his first season, going 1-5 with a 7.13 ERA in 48 innings. His last start in spring training was very good, after some struggles. This might not be the year of greatness, but he should pitch a lot better than last season.
5)Randy Dobnak, Minnesota Twins
The 25-year old right-hander showed some promise in a small sample size last season. He went 2-1 with a 1.59 ERA in 28.1 innings with a 1.13 WHIP. Batters hit just .188 against him last season. He has a strong sinker and slider combination.
6)Logan Webb, San Francisco Giants
Webb went 2-3 with a 5.22 ERA in eight starts in his first season. The 23-year old right-hander is competing for the final spot in the rotation. He owns better stuff with a mid-90s fastball and power breaking stuff.
7)Justus Sheffield, Seattle Mariners
Sheffield is a 5-10 lefty with a tremendous slider. He started seven games last season and didn't do much thanks to poor control. He was very good in the spring, allowing two runs with 12 strikeouts and no walks in eight innings. If he can get the control down, he will be a solid middle-of-the-rotation pitcher.
8)Patrick Sandoval, LA Angels
Sandoval is a 23-year old left-hander, who struggled last season. He went 0-4 with a 5.03 ERA in nine starts, but did have 42 strikeouts in 39.1 innings. Sandoval has a strong changeup but needs work on his fastball command. He did have some success in spring training before it was shut down.
(some info from Rotoworld)