The 2020 MLB season will always have a big asterisk next to all of its stats; however, that doesn’t excuse anybody from highlighting some of this year’s breakout performers.
With many young talents and new faces flooding the highlight reels, it is easy to overlook several players who are finally breaking out of their shells after several years of experience in the bigs.
As the MLB coasts into the second half of the season, here are 5 position players who are evolving into future stars and becoming key contributors to their team’s success this season.
Randal Grichuk, OF, Toronto Blue Jays
Season stats through 25 games: .307 BA, 8 HR, 21 RBI, .940 OPS
Randal Grichuk will always be known as the player the Angels selected before Mike Trout in the 2009 MLB draft. This season, Grichuk is becoming a household name on a team that is already crowded with some of baseball’s most exciting talents. He currently leads the Blue Jays in average and runs batted in and is second in hits, home runs, and OPS.
Grichuk has arguably been the most consistent player in Toronto this season and is finding himself as one of the more talked about players on this club as well.
Again, that’s an impressive feat in itself considering that he also takes the field with Bo Bichette, Vlad Guerrero Jr., Cavan Biggio, and Lourdes Gurriel Jr.
Brandon Lowe, 2B, Tampa Bay Rays
Season stats through 31 games: .296 BA, 10 HR, 27 RBI, 1.073 OPS
The Tampa Bay talent was selected to the 2019 All-Star Game and finished third-place in 2019 for AL rookie of the year. It’s no surprise that Brandon Lowe is having a great start to 2020, but Lowe finds himself on this list because he has returned to the field stronger than expected after missing about half of 2019 due to injury.
Having Lowe in the 2-hole has certainly been a huge reason why the Rays have scored the second most runs in the American League, as Lowe also ranks second in the AL in weighted runs created with 188.
The Rays are also 12-3 in their last 15 games and are sitting at the top of the AL East division standings. In their 15-game stretch, Lowe has hit .333 with 7 home runs and 17 runs batted in.
Mike Yastrzemski, OF, San Francisco Giants
Season stats through 33 games: .289 BA, 7 HR, 23 RBI, 1.002 OPS
Even though it took Yaz a bit longer to get called up to the major league, Mike Yastrzemski is establishing himself as the Giant’s go-to guy in what looks like a non-contending season for San Francisco.
At 30 years old, the sophomore slugger is head and shoulders above his teammates and almost every single offensive category this season. Yastrzemski is third in the NL in runs scored, second in doubles, and has the most triples and bases on balls in the National League in 2020.
The grandson of an all-time great is making up for his later start to his MLB career by following in his grandfather’s footsteps and establishing a bright future for himself in the Bay Area.
Pedro Severino, C, Baltimore Orioles
Season stats through 24 games: .333 BA, 5 HR, 20 RBI, .981 OPS
The backstop in Baltimore has separated himself as one of the best offensive catchers this season. In fact, his 2020 campaign has tagged him as one of baseball’s hottest commodities to be traded before the season’s deadline on August 31.
Pedro Severino can get on base more often than just about any hitter in the AL this season. He’s the most exciting thing in Baltimore right now but he could earn his ticket to a playoff-contending team if the Orioles decide to trade him off and then call up Adley Rutschman to catch.
Regardless of what happens to him, Severino’s future is going to be better than it is right now. He is swinging his way to a solid career behind the dish.
Dominic Smith, 1B and OF, New York Mets
Season stats through 24 games: .320 AVG, 7 HR, 23 RBI, 1.144 OPS
A leader on and off the field, Dominic Smith is already just a few home runs away from matching his career high of 11 long balls in 2019.
Smith is striking out less and is getting on base more while using his powerful frame to drive the ball to all parts of the field. Not to mention, the listed first basemen has also showcased his defensive abilities in the outfield.
The Mets have the perfect example of an evolving young star that is going to do incredible things for the Mets and for Major League Baseball.
(Of course, we know who Fernando Tatis Jr. is. He is not on this list because I think we all have a good idea of how his season is going.)
