[h=1]5 crucial bounce-back seasons[/h][h=3]These contenders are counting on big contributions from these players[/h]By Paul Swydan | ESPN Insider
The holiday season is about giving thanks to those we care about, and one of the main ways we do that these days is through the giving of gifts. With the hot stove cooling off a bit, teams are likely taking stock of where they stand, and have spots on their roster where they're hopeful of receiving gifts from players who either underperformed last year or otherwise had less-than-stellar performances in 2013.
Teams have committed to these players for better or worse, and they need the players to perform in order to excel. The 2013 Red Sox are a prime example. The team upgraded several of the spots on the roster following the disastrous 2012 campaign, but if Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz didn't step up and pitch the way the team knew they were capable, there is little chance that the season would have ended in dogpiles and champagne showers.
The players below won't have a chance to deliver their gifts to their eagerly awaiting teams until well after the holiday season ends, but in the spirit of the season, we can examine them now anyway.
Toronto Blue Jays
The gift of health: Jose Bautista
There are plenty of other players, Matt Kemp chief among them, who fit this category perfectly. Bautista, however, is a bit of an underrated choice. With an ISO greater than .230 in each of the past four seasons, Bautista has continued to rake, but he hasn't consistently been able to suit up. He finished last season with a left hip injury, and he also missed time with back and ankle ailments.
The Blue Jays are getting the band back together next season in hopes that a healthy squad can make the noise in 2014 that they were expected to in 2013, and that starts with Bautista.
Cleveland Indians
The gift of flexibility: Carlos Santana
It has been a while since the Indians had a good third baseman. The last time they had an average third baseman was 2007, when Casey Blake posted 2.8 WAR for them. Since then, it has been a string of disappointments. The latest disappointment is Lonnie Chisenhall, who has tallied only 682 plate appearances in his first three seasons in the majors, because he simply hasn't hit enough to justify more playing time.
With third-base options thin, the Indians are seeing if Carlos Santana can possibly play third base. As Mike Petriello pointed out earlier in the offseason, it's unlikely that Santana could successfully make such a transition, but if he could it would allow the team to play both him and Yan Gomes at the same time, while also minimizing further potential disappointing play from Chisenhall.
San Francisco Giants
The gift of power: Michael Morse
Last season, the Giants finished 28th in the majors in ISO, and 20th in slugging percentage. Now, power isn't ever the forte for the San Francisco offense, but it's nice to have that extra punch when you need it. As such, the Giants signed Michael Morse to come in and give the lineup a jolt. There's just one problem -- he may need to be jolted back to life himself.
Morse slugged .519 and .550 in 2010 and 2011, respectively, but in the past two seasons he slugged just .470 and .381. The power drop last season may be explained by his wrist injury, which he needed surgery to repair in October. If his power comes back, it will be a boon for the Giants -- at least in the batter's box -- but with Morse trending down and on the wrong side of 30, it's hardly a given that he returns to his 2010-11 glory.
Texas Rangers
The gift of growth: Jurickson Profar
There was a reason that Profar was the consensus No. 1 prospect in baseball heading into the 2013 season. It's rare that a player becomes a regular at Double-A at the age of 19. It's even more rare that said player excels at Double-A in the way that Profar did -- his .281/.368/.452 line was impressive. That he did it as a shortstop was remarkable.
So it was with some consternation that Profar hit so poorly in his first extended crack in the Show (.234/.308/.336). But the Rangers have not even remotely given up on him. They traded Ian Kinsler to the Tigers to make room for him at second base, and the theory is that with regular playing time (Profar only got about half a season's worth of plate appearances in 2013) at a single position (Profar shuttled between four different spots in 2013) he will blossom.
If he does, the Rangers will look like geniuses. But if, like last year, he is unable to drive the ball with authority, there may be some Rangers fans second-guessing the Kinsler deal.
Oakland Athletics
The gift of patience: Yoenis Cespedes
Once you factor out pitcher hitting, the Athletics had a fairly middling on-base percentage last season. Their .327 team OBP tied them for 12th place, but it was just as close to 28th place as it was to first. One of the main culprits was Cespedes.
In his debut 2012 season, he posted a respectable .356 OBP, but in 2013 he was one of just 16 qualified position players to post a sub-.300 OBP. Cespedes saw slightly more pitches than he did in 2012, but he still saw fewer pitches than league average. And while he made contact at the exact same rate in both seasons, he swung at more pitches in '13, both inside and outside of the strike zone.
The result was a lower walk rate and a higher strikeout rate. He tallied 23 homers, but by wRC+ (102) he was merely a league-average hitter. The A's need him to do better.
The holiday season is about giving thanks to those we care about, and one of the main ways we do that these days is through the giving of gifts. With the hot stove cooling off a bit, teams are likely taking stock of where they stand, and have spots on their roster where they're hopeful of receiving gifts from players who either underperformed last year or otherwise had less-than-stellar performances in 2013.
Teams have committed to these players for better or worse, and they need the players to perform in order to excel. The 2013 Red Sox are a prime example. The team upgraded several of the spots on the roster following the disastrous 2012 campaign, but if Jon Lester and Clay Buchholz didn't step up and pitch the way the team knew they were capable, there is little chance that the season would have ended in dogpiles and champagne showers.
The players below won't have a chance to deliver their gifts to their eagerly awaiting teams until well after the holiday season ends, but in the spirit of the season, we can examine them now anyway.
Toronto Blue Jays
The gift of health: Jose Bautista
There are plenty of other players, Matt Kemp chief among them, who fit this category perfectly. Bautista, however, is a bit of an underrated choice. With an ISO greater than .230 in each of the past four seasons, Bautista has continued to rake, but he hasn't consistently been able to suit up. He finished last season with a left hip injury, and he also missed time with back and ankle ailments.
The Blue Jays are getting the band back together next season in hopes that a healthy squad can make the noise in 2014 that they were expected to in 2013, and that starts with Bautista.
The gift of flexibility: Carlos Santana
It has been a while since the Indians had a good third baseman. The last time they had an average third baseman was 2007, when Casey Blake posted 2.8 WAR for them. Since then, it has been a string of disappointments. The latest disappointment is Lonnie Chisenhall, who has tallied only 682 plate appearances in his first three seasons in the majors, because he simply hasn't hit enough to justify more playing time.
With third-base options thin, the Indians are seeing if Carlos Santana can possibly play third base. As Mike Petriello pointed out earlier in the offseason, it's unlikely that Santana could successfully make such a transition, but if he could it would allow the team to play both him and Yan Gomes at the same time, while also minimizing further potential disappointing play from Chisenhall.
The gift of power: Michael Morse
Last season, the Giants finished 28th in the majors in ISO, and 20th in slugging percentage. Now, power isn't ever the forte for the San Francisco offense, but it's nice to have that extra punch when you need it. As such, the Giants signed Michael Morse to come in and give the lineup a jolt. There's just one problem -- he may need to be jolted back to life himself.
Morse slugged .519 and .550 in 2010 and 2011, respectively, but in the past two seasons he slugged just .470 and .381. The power drop last season may be explained by his wrist injury, which he needed surgery to repair in October. If his power comes back, it will be a boon for the Giants -- at least in the batter's box -- but with Morse trending down and on the wrong side of 30, it's hardly a given that he returns to his 2010-11 glory.
The gift of growth: Jurickson Profar
There was a reason that Profar was the consensus No. 1 prospect in baseball heading into the 2013 season. It's rare that a player becomes a regular at Double-A at the age of 19. It's even more rare that said player excels at Double-A in the way that Profar did -- his .281/.368/.452 line was impressive. That he did it as a shortstop was remarkable.
So it was with some consternation that Profar hit so poorly in his first extended crack in the Show (.234/.308/.336). But the Rangers have not even remotely given up on him. They traded Ian Kinsler to the Tigers to make room for him at second base, and the theory is that with regular playing time (Profar only got about half a season's worth of plate appearances in 2013) at a single position (Profar shuttled between four different spots in 2013) he will blossom.
If he does, the Rangers will look like geniuses. But if, like last year, he is unable to drive the ball with authority, there may be some Rangers fans second-guessing the Kinsler deal.
The gift of patience: Yoenis Cespedes
Once you factor out pitcher hitting, the Athletics had a fairly middling on-base percentage last season. Their .327 team OBP tied them for 12th place, but it was just as close to 28th place as it was to first. One of the main culprits was Cespedes.
In his debut 2012 season, he posted a respectable .356 OBP, but in 2013 he was one of just 16 qualified position players to post a sub-.300 OBP. Cespedes saw slightly more pitches than he did in 2012, but he still saw fewer pitches than league average. And while he made contact at the exact same rate in both seasons, he swung at more pitches in '13, both inside and outside of the strike zone.
The result was a lower walk rate and a higher strikeout rate. He tallied 23 homers, but by wRC+ (102) he was merely a league-average hitter. The A's need him to do better.
