We have one more division to cover. We now examine potential 2020 NL West breakout candidates. Picking two players from each team in the division, we try to predict which guys will take that leap. You know the drill. Here are your 2020 NL West Breakout Candidates!
Arizona Diamondbacks
Luke Weaver
Carson Kelly
I’m going to combine them into one paragraph. Both of these guys were acquired in the Paul Goldschmidt deal. Weaver actually had a nice year but got hurt. 2.94 ERA in 12 games. Now it’s about doing it over a full season. Carson Kelly now gets the lion share opportunity he should have gotten. No More Blake Swihart or John Ryan Murphy. Kelly was a 1.9 WAR player despite the crazy catching situation going on.
Colorado Rockies
German Marquez
Coors Field is just a killer. If someone will overcome it, German Marquez is the guy. For as bad as Marquez was last year, his FIP number of 4.06 isn’t terrible. Just a year ago, that number was 3.40. Marquez has nasty stuff with an array of pitches to use. Marquez is still a young pup that has time to figure it out.
Raimel Tapia
Last year was the first year that Tapia had consistent at bats. His .275 average isn’t terrible. Drawing walks and hitting for any sort of power is another topic. Tapia has great speed but didn’t steal bags the way he should have either. Are those things fixable or is that what he is?
Los Angeles Dodgers
Brusdar Graterol
Give Andrew Friedman credit. Don’t ask me how he snaked Brusdar Graterol for Kenta Maeda. It was nothing short of insane. There are guys with velocity. Then there is Brusdar Graterol. 103 MPH with sink coming to buckle you. He will be a weapon coming out of the bullpen.
Keibert Ruiz / Will Smith
One of the Dodgers talented young catchers has to pop, right? Will Smith had an OPS+ of 134 in limited action. We haven’t seen Keibert Ruiz yet but he is one of the highest regarded catchers in the sport. Nobody has a better young tandem in the sport behind the dish.
San Diego Padres
Michel Baez
Michel Baez is a 6-foot-8 monster. Baez features a fastball, changeup, and curveball. Anybody that big has an advantage. That ball comes in quick. His curveball doesn’t have a ton of spin on it and can sit flat sometimes. If he can tweak that pitch a bit, this is a power arm for San Diego.
Fernando Tatis Jr
The best player on the Padres is Fernando Tatis Jr. It’s not arguable. Tatis Jr put up an OPS of .969 at Petco. That’s basically impossible. It takes about 2 seconds to watch Tatis and not be blown away. This is a generational talent. Just wait.
San Francisco Giants
Shaun Anderson
This one is tough. The Giants pitching staff is, well, rough. Let’s go with Shaun Anderson who is a finesse pitcher. He’s never going to strike out a ton of guy. It’s not his DNA. If he can do a better job of commanding the zone, he can be a reliable 4th starter.
Mauricio Dubon
The Brewers will regret this one. Milwaukee gave up Dubon at the deadline for Drew Pomeranz in a highway robbery. The Giants got someone who will turn into one of the better utility players in baseball. Think Brock Holt. Dubon will hit for a high average and play all over the diamond. The Giants have someone to build with.
