Life in the MLB is an absolute grind. Playing 162 games year after year and traveling all over the country can take their toll on any player. From slumps to injuries and everything in between, the game can challenge even the most physically and mentally gifted athletes.
But perhaps nothing is more satisfying than a player that can rebound from a poor season.
We have seen the likes of Derrick Rose overcome injury and hardship to become a leading candidate for the Sixth Man of the Year Award in the NBA. Tiger Woods has done the same, winning his first professional tournament in five years with a victory at THE TOUR Championship last September.
And last season, the oft-beleaguered David Price rode a spectacular postseason performance to earn the AL Comeback Player of the Year Award.
Plenty of superstars struggled in 2018, but a select few look like candidates to bounce back this season.
Here are five potential players that could have big rebound seasons in 2019:
5. Andrew Miller
After posting consecutive sub-1.50 ERAs in 2016 and 2017, Miller just could not stay healthy last season.
He appeared in just 34 games and mustered just 34 innings on the season, including multiple trips to the disabled list. Even when Miller was healthy, he was not very effective.
Miller posted a 4.24 ERA in the regular season and his K/9 dropped from 13.6 to 11.9 in 2018. In the playoffs, Miller walked three out of the five batters he faced and recorded just a single out.
Entering his age-34 season, it is very possible that Miller's best days as a super reliever are behind him.
But he could find new life with the St. Louis Cardinals after signing a two-year $25 million deal with the team in December.
The Cardinals have an extremely deep pitching staff from the starters to the bullpen unit, so the kind of usage Miller experienced in Cleveland and New York may not be demanded of him in St. Louis.
Not to mention, the Redbirds look like a playoff team after signing Miller and trading for superstar first baseman Paul Goldschmidt.
If Miller comes into the season healthy, expect him to reestablish his dominance on the bump.
4. Gary Sanchez
The 26-year-old Yankee catcher played in just 89 games in 2018 and even hit far below the Mendoza line, finishing the season with a .186 average and putrid .697 OPS.
But for all of his struggles at the dish and a perceived lack of energy, Sanchez was actually quite good behind the plate.
According to FanGraphs, Sanchez posted six Defensive Runs Saved at the catcher position last season, which would have been the third-best number in the league if he had met the innings restriction.
“The Sanchino” is simply too talented not to recover. He hit 20 homers in just 53 games in 2016, then mashed 33 dingers with a 126 OPS+ in 2017.
The Yankees are primed to make a World Series run this season. Already facing questions about his effort and commitment, expect Sanchez to be as motivated as ever.
3. Carlos Correa
Correa was well on his way to winning the AL MVP in 2017 before a thumb injury in July sidelined him for six weeks.
After fulfilling the hype that followed him as a prospect, many in baseball expected him to have a huge year in 2018. It didn't happen.
Correa dealt with injuries all year yet again in 2018, which he called the toughest year of his career. He also hit just .239 after posting a .315 batting average in 2017 and his strikeout rate increased as well.
But Correa showed that he can still handle elite pitching in the ALCS against the Boston Red Sox. He hit .316 and drove in a few runs, although the Astros would lose the series in five games.
Houston is undoubtedly still a top dog in the American League. And with the emergence of Alex Bregman and a fantastic pitching staff, the Astros are the current odds-on favorite (along with the Yankees) to win another World Series in 2019.
Correa is the one guy who can put them over the top. Rest assured he will do everything in his power to rebound this season.
2. Josh Donaldson
Well, it's true.
The 2015 AL MVP has been one of the best players in baseball since his days with the Oakland Athletics.
But after experiencing a few physical setbacks in 2017, Donaldson was really hampered by the injury bug last season.
The 33-year-old played in just 52 games last season, ultimately finishing the year with the Cleveland Indians. While Donaldson would hit .280 with three homers in 16 games with the Tribe, he mustered just one hit in an ALDS loss to the Astros.
Despite having played in just 165 games in the past two seasons, the Atlanta Braves jumped at the chance to sign Donaldson.
Coming to Atlanta on a one-year, $23 million contract, Donaldson could prove to be one of the best bargains in baseball.
Donaldson is still an elite talent when he is healthy, and the Braves have depth in the infield with Johan Camargo and Charlie Culberson.
The Braves can afford to give him some rest days when necessary and still not lose too much, which could help Donaldson return to form as Atlanta looks to make a run deeper into October.
1. Kris Bryant
The young Cubs third baseman was third behind Trout and Donaldson on the aforementioned fWAR leaderboard, and looked like he may replicate that success again in 2018.
Bryant was hitting over .300 with seven homers when he first aggravated his left shoulder in a series against the Cincinnati Reds in late May. He was never the same.
Multiple DL stints led to the former San Diego University product play in just 102 games. He still posted a respectable .834 OPS, but this paled in comparison to his prior to seasons with at least a .930 OPS.
He also struggled mightily when the Cubs needed his bat the most in September, striking out in nearly a third of his plate appearances.
While Bryant rebuffed the notion that he was one of the key components to the firing of hitting coach Chili Davis, he did acknowledge the difference in their hitting philosophies.
New hitting instructor Anthony Iapoce is a big proponent of launch angle, which should allow Bryant to get back to basics.
With PECOTA predicting the Cubs to finish last in the NL Central and facing constant questions about the lineup's failure to perform down the stretch last season, expect Bryant to return to his 2016 NL MVP form.
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