Every year, there always seems to be a set group of MLB players that chose that season to break out of the expectations placed on them and force that bar even higher than it already was. In the sport of baseball, being a streaky player, even for just one month of the season, can dictate where you end up playing, how much playing time you earn, and just how much money you are deserving to be paid.
Players like Mike Soroka, Pete Alonso, Fernando Tatis Jr., and others all put together stellar 2019 seasons that saw them gain nods to the All-Star game, win countless awards and overall just open the eyes of fans all across the world that they are here for good and they are here to stay.
Rookies and veterans alike, all players dream of the day that they can finally say that they made it, and for these five following players, the 2020 MLB season is primed and ready for them to fulfill that role and become the next best form of themselves.
Dakota Hudson
Starting Pitcher, St. Louis Cardinals
2019 stats – 16-7, 3.35 ERA, 136 SO, 174.2 IP
While it is safe to ask the question of why Dakota Hudson’s beautiful 2019 season is not considered to be his breakout year, 2020 is one that is going to throw all kinds of things his way, and with St. Louis being looked at as one of the better teams in the National League, the pressure now seemingly falls onto his shoulders moving forward.
Forming a lethal 1-2 punch at the top of the team’s starting rotation with Jack Flaherty, Hudson is still not a fully-polished pitched, which he should be asked to be quite yet, especially since he debuted back in July of 2018 only. The 25-year-old Mississippi State draftee by the Cardinals has torn his way through the Redbirds’ minor league system, and it is no surprise that he already made his MLB debut after only having been drafted two years prior in 2016.
Flaherty is seen as the team’s next Chris Carpenter or Adam Wainwright of sorts, which is a fair comparison considering that he is a year younger than Hudson and may already be better than him. But for Hudson, that little shade within his own rotation should be enough fuel to the fire for him to put together his best season yet.
Hudson last pitched in Game 4 of the NL Championship Series against the eventual champions, the Washington Nationals, giving up seven runs in the first inning alone, taking the loss for St. Louis in a game that was over from the start. With the Nats being on a seemingly unstoppable course for destiny and that trophy, it is hard to fault Hudson entirely for that dreadful performance that led to the Cardinals’ season ending.
For 2020, a breakout season for Hudson should represent 20 wins, 7 or fewer losses, an ERA of 3.20, and 30+ starts, similar to the numbers that he put up this past season. With the Cardinals having a target on their backs to repeat as the champ of the NL Central division, Hudson’s development as he goes into his second full season at the MLB level will be the deciding factor of seeing how far St. Louis can make it in yet another tough year in the NL.
Tucker Barnhart
Catcher, Cincinnati Reds
2019 stats – .231, 11 HR, 40 RBI, .708 OPS, 22.6% CS
As one of the better catchers in the loaded player grouping in the NL Central, Tucker Barnhart’s 2019 season was marred with inconsistency, which was likely due to injuries that kept popping up. Having played in his fewest amount of games since 2015, Barnhart’s (hopefully) healthy return to the revamped and restocked Cincinnati Reds’ roster for 2020 means trouble for their Central foes.
Along with the Chicago White Sox, the Reds seemed to be the most active franchise out in free agency this year, bringing in players like Mike Moustakas, Wade Miley, Nick Castellanos, and Shogo Akiyama, as well as having Trevor Bauer on the team for his first full season after having been acquired at last year’s trade deadline. For Barnhart, his injury concerns did not make the team want to go out and look for some backstop help, which means that his return from his unfortunate ‘19 season looks to be unimpeded, provided he remains healthy.
The expectations are high for the Reds in 2020, which is absolutely commonplace for any team that adds a lot of high-price, fresh faces to their roster. While the expectations are not necessarily accurate, Barnhart’s role in the team putting together a better 2020 season than last year is very important.
Defensively, Barnhart is among the best in the business, as his 2017 Gold Glove is a testament to that notion. His offensive abilities need to improve, especially his walk totals and his power numbers.
For Barnhart to fulfill becoming a breakout player this year, he needs to up his long ball total to at least 20, while earning at least 60 walks and appear in at least 135 games.
Christian Walker
First Baseman, Arizona Diamondbacks
2019 stats – .259, 29 HR, 73 RBI, .825 OPS, 99.1 Fielding %
Going from a 2012 fourth-round draft pick to being designated for assignment in five years, Christian Walker has come a long way since he started his MLB career with the Baltimore Orioles. Having made stops with the Orioles, Atlanta Braves, Cincinnati Reds, and finally the Arizona Diamondbacks, Walker looks to have found his home in the desert.
An afterthought for a good chunk of his career, Walker’s 2019 season represented a huge step forward for him, as his 29 long balls and 73 runs driven in were easy career highs that were set last year. On a team devoid of a true superstar (after Paul Goldschmidt was traded to the St. Louis Cardinals last offseason), Walker looks to be fully capable of fulfilling that role for this team moving forward.
After having finished with the second-best record in the NL West last year, the D-Backs have a lot at stake in 2020, including hopes of winning the division. With the Los Angeles Dodgers seemingly in the driver’s seat every year to repeat as divisional champs, the San Diego Padres putting a really intriguing roster together full of young talent, the San Francisco Giants working through a few veteran pieces that are surrounded by upstart youth, and the Colorado Rockies struggling to determine if trading Nolan Arenado is in their best interest, the D-Backs could be the runner-up in that division yet again.
If Walker gets the same amount of opportunities that he was given last year, then 35 home runs, 100+ RBIs, and a .900+ OPS, along with 70 walks should all be within the realm of possibilities for Walker in 2020.
Bo Bichette
Shortstop, Toronto Blue Jays
2019 stats – .311, 11 HR, 21 RBI, .930 OPS, 95.9 Fielding %
Living in the shadows of Vladimir Guerrero Jr., rookie shortstop Bo Bichette was one of the three members that are tied to the sport of baseball by their bloodlines that helped fuel the influx of youth for the Toronto Blue Jays in 2019. Besides Bichette and Guerrero, second baseman Cavan Biggio was brought up as well, welcoming in the youth movement north of the border.
42 games in the majors and Bichette’s future is quite bright, something that can be said about his father too, as Dante Bichette debuted back in 1988 with the California Angels, only playing in 21 games.
After Guerrero Jr., Bichette is probably looked at as the team’s second-best youngster in Toronto, helping build towards getting the Blue Jays back on track to their days of dome domination. The team made a good step towards improving their starting pitching this offseason, as Hyun-Jin Ryu was signed to a four-year, $80 million deal, leaving the dominant Dodgers to go north.
As he gets hopefully a full season of playing time under his belt in 2020, his skills should get the chance to be on full display. Hitting above .300 for Bichette may be a bit of a difficult expectation, especially with him acclimating to the speed of the big leagues, but his hitting skills will earn him the full-time role moving forward on this team.
Hitting .285, 20 home runs and 65+ RBIs, as well as 20 steals and 170 hits, should be goals for Bichette in 2020, and if accomplished, it would show that he is ready for the big leagues.
Danny Duffy
Starting Pitcher (LHP), Kansas City Royals
2019 stats – 7-6. 4.34 ERA, 115 SO, 130.2 IP
The value of Danny Duffy was the highest it has ever been back in 2016, which is a shame because that was the year of seeing how good of a player he truly could be. And with how bad the Kansas City Royals have been over the last three years, it makes sense that Duffy’s record has dipped over that time as well.
It would not represent a shock or surprise to most anyone if Duffy were to be wearing the jersey of a different team at some point in 2020, as the Royals do need to try their best to become younger and shape their roster and farm system for the future. Duffy would be one of the more intriguing pieces on their roster, hence why they would be smart to see how beneficial a trade of him would be.
For Duffy, his 2019 season represents the first season since 2016 and only the fourth in his nine-year MLB career that he finished the season with a .500-or-above season, which is more of a testament of the team that surrounds him and less about the type of player that he has become. But if the team is looking to vastly improve his value for a trade before this year’s deadline, then his stats should see a considerable uptick.
12 victories, a 3.45 ERA, 25 starts and 130+ strikeouts would represent career bests in some categories and overall just career highlights in others, something that KC would love to see, whether to justify them moving Duffy or justify them having held onto Duffy for as long as they did.
Having fought through the rest of the league to win the World Series in 2015, the Royals tore the team down and have not seen a sliver of positivity since they hoisted up that trophy. As they are trying to somehow rebuild their way back to relevance, shipping Duffy out of town after producing a superb season may be all that they need to do.
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