FanSided

1 breakout player on each Yankees AL East rival

By Stephen Nixon |
Baltimore Orioles v New York Yankees
Baltimore Orioles v New York Yankees / Elsa/GettyImages
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The Yankees should lead the pack in the AL East this year, but they should still keep their eyes on these four breakout players spread throughout the division.

Players projected to have breakout seasons don't always pan out. The added pressure can make it tough for that individual to live up to expectations, but sometimes it magically all goes right. Although it feels like forever ago, as trade rumors linger his name, it wasn't that long ago that Gleyber Torres broke out in a major way in 2019.

Although he's now rumored to be traded to upgrade the position with younger talent, he did live up to expectations with his two All-Star nods. As for this year's club, there's nobody in the organization more hyped than Anthony Volpe. It doesn't look like he'll make the Opening Day roster, but if all things go as planned, he could be a breakout player for the Yankees this season.

As for the rest of the AL East, the Baltimore Orioles and Boston Red Sox are in a rebuilding phase, while the Tampa Bay Rays and Toronto Blue Jays will be competitive with the Yankees. Despite it being a lopsided division, there is still a candidate from each organization that is primed for a breakout campaign this year.

1 Breakout player for each Yankees rival

Gunnar Henderson, Baltimore Orioles

With a name like Gunnar Henderson, there's no doubt that he's going to have a fantastic season and long career in MLB. Ranked as the No. 1 prospect in baseball, Henderson should be a very fun player to watch this year and should compete for the AL Rookie of the Year award.

Henderson actually made his debut last season, but only appeared in 34 games, finishing the 2022 season with a .259 BA, .348 OBP, .440 SLG, 4 HR and 18 RBI. It was a very promising chunk of games for Henderson and should give him a ton of confidence this season.

His offensive ability should make Orioles fans very excited, but his athleticism could be something that's even stronger. Henderson's speed is very noticeable, but his arm could be his best attribute and it will be tested right away, as it looks like Henderson will be Baltimore's starting third baseman. He'll be able to rotate between third and shortstop, but whichever position he sticks to, he could turn into a Gold Glove defender sooner rather than later.

Henderson is a great chip to build around for an Orioles team that might be making the leap in 2023.

Triston Casas, Boston Red Sox

I know we're about to talk glowingly about a Red Sox player, but isn't it great to know that the Red Sox are in a rebuilding phase? Even if they do have a young and exciting prospect ready for a breakout year, it should bring a smile on every Yankees' fans face knowing the odds are not in their favor this season.

Casas only appeared in 27 games last year, so this will be his first full major league season, but he could be expected to make an impact right away. It's currently looking like Casas will be the Red Sox' leadoff man, according to manager Alex Cora. Although he's viewed more as a powerful hitter, his 20.0 percent walk rate last year would indicate that he could be a good fit for that role.

That walk rate obviously won't continue through an entire 162 game season, but even if he regresses, his OBP should be very impressive this season. Similarly to how we spoke about Henderson before, Casas should be a great candidate for AL Rookie of the Year this season, as he's projected to be the Red Sox first baseman all season.

With a ton of confidence from his manager and limited expectations from the team to win, Casas will have all of the time he needs to develop and, as a result, he should primed for a breakout year this season with the Red Sox.

Wander Franco, Tampa Bay Rays

The 2023 season should be a breakout campaign for 22-year-old shortstop Wander Franco, as long as he can stay healthy. After a great start to the 2022 season, Franco suffered a quad injury which limited him to only 83 games played. Somehow, the budding superstar hasn't had a longer stretch of dominance yet.

By all accounts, Franco is healthy and ready to go to start this campaign, so he should be primed for a big season. The left-handed hitter is someone who can hit for average, but could be also be a 30/30 type of player if he hits his ceiling. That type of production should be very exciting for any Rays fan out there.

Franco is entering his third season in the majors and has been highly touted throughout his entire journey, finishing third in AL Rookie of the Year voting in 2021. As previously mentioned, we've yet to see a full 162-game sample size from Franco, but if it happens this year, it could be a very special season for the youngster.

Although the Rays are projected to finish third in the AL East, a big campaign from Franco could push them into a Wild Card spot or, optimistically, they could win the division. The Rays have always been great at drafting, signing and developing young talent, and Franco is no different. It's tough for someone who's already been so vaunted to break out again, but the full-season version of Franco could be an entirely different type of beast.

Yusei Kukuchi, Toronto Blue Jays

When you're signed to a three-year deal worth $36M, you may should know the type of player you're acquiring, but for Yusei Kukuchi, his first season with the Blue Jays was nothing short of a disaster. At 31 years old, Kukuchi is much older than the other three players I spoke of, but there's a reason why he's on this list.

Just because you're in your 30s doesn't mean you can't be ready for a breakout campaign, especially after the terrible year he had last season. One of the biggest reasons I think he's going to be great is because of expectations. Coming is as the projected No. 5 starter, nobody is expecting much from Kukuchi, which should hopefully help him relax on the mound.

After spending three seasons in Seattle, the new environment of Toronto could have been too much for Kukuchi last season. However, now that he's been able to adjust, I'd expect him to loosen up and break out. His spring training numbers have been solid, and he's looking like he's ready for a great season, showing Blue Jays fans why he was signed in the first place.

Kukuchi isn't going to compete for a Cy Young Award or anything like that, but he should be much better than the 6-7 record and 5.19 ERA that he displayed last year. He's a very competitive pitcher, so look for his spring training numbers to continue into the regular season and for Kukuchi to be a bright spot in the Jays pitching staff.

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