Career 162 Game Avg Stats: .286 Avg, .799 OPS, 17 HR, 68 RBI, 82 R, 10 SB
It's been a couple of years since his breakout in 2019, with some unfortunate luck ever since. A big drop-off in efficiency during the shortened 2020 season was actually followed by a 2021 season with many signs of improvement.
The only issue was the nagging hamstring that cost him over a third of the season. His advanced metrics suggest that if he can keep the injury bug away, he has a solid shot at an elusive .300 batting average to go along with 25 dingers.
Career 162 Game Avg Stats: .281 Avg, .925 OPS, 43 HR, 101 RBI, 132 R, 32 SB
One of the best young players in the game, Acuna Jr, was having a career year in 2021. That was before an ACL tear halfway through the year stopped his campaign while he ranked fifth in homers, fourth in stolen bases, and first in runs scored.
His rare combination of strength and speed is something that's a pleasure to witness. Unfortunately, we will likely have to wait until early May to see him on the field as he works back from that season-ending injury.
Career 162 Game Avg Stats: .264 Avg, .781 OPS, 22 HR, 50 RBI, 80 R, 24 SB
Mullins emerged as an All-Star in his first full 162-game season in 2021. He slugged 30 home runs, swiped 30 bases, and hit for a .291 batting average en route to a 9th place finish in the AL MVP race.
Mullins is a true 5-tool talent and will be counted on to do it all for the rebuilding of the Orioles in 2022 as they try to find their way out of the basement of the AL East.
Career 162 Game Avg Stats: .279 Avg, .847 OPS, 33 HR, 108 RBI, 105 R, 6 SB
Devers bounced back from a so-so 2020 season in a big way last year when he won the AL Silver Slugger award as the junior circuit's best-hitting third baseman.
His team-leading 38 home runs and 113 RBI powered the Red Sox offense. Entering his age-25 season in 2022, his best years lie ahead.
Career 162 Game Avg Stats: .240 Avg, .807 OPS, 27 HR, 81 RBI, 73 R, 2 SB
Grandal enters his 11th big league season in 2022. Despite a midsummer knee injury, the veteran backstop managed to clear the 20-home-run mark for the fifth full-length season in a row in 2021.
In an era where offense is often an afterthought for catchers, Grandal's steady production at the plate stands out. The 33-year-old will also have the responsibility of handling a pitching staff that finished second in the AL with a 3.76 ERA a season ago.
Career Stats: 61 W - 60 L, 3.63 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 7.5 K/9
After a couple of seasons with the Mets (split by a season off during the pandemic in 2020), Stroman is off to the rebuilding Cubbies.
While never having been flashy, Stroman has always done a great job keeping the ball in the park, with a ground ball rate of nearly 60%. In fact, he's never allowed more than one homer per nine innings over his eight years in the league.
Career 162 Game Avg Stats: .302 Avg, .936 OPS, 28 HR, 91 RBI, 95 R, 7 SB
One of the most consistent hitters of his generation, Votto is entering his 16th season with the Reds looking to build on what was a fantastic 2021.
Since a brief demotion to the bench back in late 2020, Votto has been a man on fire by adjusting his swing to increase his launch angle. The change resulted in a career high tying 36 homers alongside a career-best flyball rate.
Career 162 Game Avg Stats: .279 Avg, .857 OPS, 27 HR, 90 RBI, 101 R, 25 SB
Ramirez turned in another stellar year in 2021 and notched his 4th top-6 finish in the AL MVP voting in the past five seasons. He led the team in nearly all offensive categories while continuing to hold down the hot corner.
The 29-year-old is something of an elder statesman on a young Guardians team, but he's one of the most reliable stars in the game.
Career 162 Game Avg Stats: .278 Avg, .880 OPS, 31 HR, 89 RBI, 102 R, 8 SB
While last year was a bit of a disappointment for Bryant, the elevation of Coors Field should do its normal wonders to increase power production.
He may not be the same versatile player he once was, but overall, his numbers have declined in a steady and predictable manner. He is still a solid offensive threat, with a decent shot to rebound for more.
Career 162 Game Avg Stats: .246 Avg, .743 OPS, 18 HR, 67 RBI, 78 R, 2 SB
Candelario followed up an exciting 2020 season with a solid 2021. The switch-hitter supplemented his 16 home runs with 42 doubles while sliding back across the diamond to his natural third base position.
He'll be counted on to grind tough at-bats in the middle of an otherwise mediocre Tigers' lineup. If a few of those doubles creep over the wall in 2022, he will be a dark horse to make his first All-Star appearance.
Career 162 Game Avg Stats: .273 Avg, .856 OPS, 29 HR, 98 RBI, 92 R, 19 SB Tucker had the best year of his young career in 2021 when he notched his first career 30 home run season. His across-the-board improvement helped the Astros score the most runs in the majors despite George Springer's offseason departure to Toronto.
He's also a capable right fielder and has done some spot duty in center field. Now entering his prime, he'll team with fellow youngster Yordan Alvarez to power the Houston offense for years to come.
Career 162 Game Avg Stats: .269 Avg, .763 OPS, 28 HR, 93 RBI, 70 R, 1 SB
Perez was an absolute monster last season, mashing an MLB-high 48 home runs and driving in 121 runs. The hack-tastic slugger did it without much in the way of lineup protection and despite the physical toll of 124 games behind the plate.
He's a six-time All-Star and a solid bet to win his 3rd straight Silver Slugger award in 2022.
Career 162 Game Avg Stats: .262 Avg, .882 OPS, 36 HR, 97 RBI, 93 R, 22 SB
Career Pitching Stats: 13-6 3.48 ERA 1.16 WHIP 11.0 K/9
If Ohtani were on any other team, we'd be talking about Mike Trout here, but Ohtani's two-way impact is too much to ignore after he put it all together to capture his first career MVP award. He finished with 46 home runs, 100 RBI, and added 26 stolen bases and a league-high eight triples for good measure.
Those numbers would've been impressive by themselves, but he was also the Angels ace going 9-2 with a 3.18 ERA and 1.09 WHIP while making a career-high 23 starts. He may ascend from a mere superstar to a baseball legend if he and Trout can get the Angels to the playoffs in 2022.
Career 162 Game Avg Stats: .295 Avg, .892 OPS, 28 HR, 97 RBI, 100 R, 5 SB
Freeman ended a 12-year tenure with the Braves after signing with the Dodgers this offseason. But not before one of the strongest and most disciplined players in the league helped deliver a title to his former team.
He has the most seasons batting above .300 over the past six years (five), as well as being top ten in homers since 2019.
Career Stats: 20 W - 34 L, 3.49 ERA, 1.22 WHIP, 8.0 K/9
At first glance, Alcantara's numbers may look pedestrian, but there are strong signs he could be one of the next to launch himself into the position's elite category as a true ace.
Virtually every part of his game improved last season, culminating in a 2.21 ERA and 8.8 strikeouts per walk over his last ten turns.
Career Stats: 23 W - 11 L, 3.42 ERA, 1.11 WHIP, 12.2 K/9
The reigning NL Cy Young winner throws his cutter faster than any starter in the game. Not only that, but his average of 95.3 mph is the fastest of any starter over at least the last 20 years.
Adding the cutter to his game in 2020 is seemingly what really launched him to another level. In fact, it already accounts for half of his career strikeouts.
Career 162 Game Avg Stats: .276 Avg, .835 OPS, 29 HR, 105 RBI, 94 R, 7 SB
In a shocker, Correa landed in Minnesota on what is expected to be a one-year deal after shaking off injuries and inconsistency to deliver an impressive body of work for the Astros in 2021.
In addition to his .279 batting average and 26 home runs, he also won his first career Gold Glove as the American League's best defensive shortstop. He has plenty of motivation to keep it up in 2022, and the Twins will need everything he can give them if they're going to rebound to claim their 3rd AL Central title in four years.
Career 162 Game Avg Stats: .276 Avg, .938 OPS, 44 HR, 103 RBI, 114 R, 7 SB
Availability has been an issue for Judge over the past few years as he's battled various nagging injuries, but he was able to play 144 games in 2021. That's his highest total since his legendary rookie season in 2017.
He clubbed 39 home runs and drove in 98 runs with his usual strong defense for a 'disappointing' 92-win Yankees team. Judge has emerged as a leader in the Yankee clubhouse in the mold of Hall of Famer Derek Jeter.
Career Stats: 191 W - 97 L, 3.16 ERA, 1.08 WHIP, 10.7 K/9
The Mets know exactly what they signed up for when they signed Scherzer to a short-but-lucrative deal.
While entering his age 37 season is always a scary prospect in terms of innings pitched and injuries, Scherzer has barely looked like he's declined from his dominant peak whenever he's healthy and on the mound. So a steep decline in skill this year seems very unlikely.
Career Stats: 31-22 3.91 ERA 1.31 WHIP 9.4 K/9
Montas turned in a career year last year for the A's. He won 13 games in 32 starts while racking up 207 strikeouts in just 187 innings.
The hard thrower has been the subject of trade rumors throughout the winter and spring as the team has been dismantled around him. He'll be looked to for stability every fifth day as the A's roster churn continues.
Career 162 Game Avg Stats: .286 Avg, .799 OPS, 17 HR, 68 RBI, 82 R, 10 SB
Harper won his second MVP award last season and has been incredibly consistent over his entire career.
He has had a WAR of 4.5 or higher in five seasons while hitting at least 34 homers in three of the last four seasons, with the shortened 2020 on track for over 34 if it had been a regular 162 docket. Look for him to continue to tear the cover off the ball in his year 29 season.
Career 162 Game Avg Stats: .289 Avg, .855 OPS, 22 HR, 82 RBI, 93 R, 4 SB
While he first broke out in 2019, it took a resurgent 2021 to get things back on track for Reynolds.
Playing for one of the weakest teams in the league, he had 90 RBIs and had 93 runs scored. He won't ever tear up the basepath, but Reynolds has all the other tools of a solid offensive player.
Career 162 Game Avg Stats: .292 Avg, .965 OPS, 48 HR, 116 RBI, 125 R, 31 SB
One of the most exciting players in the game won't be on the field for at least the first half of the season—but that doesn't mean he isn't still the best player on his incredibly talented team.
Tatis Jr. seemingly always makes great contact, with rates that are the envy of basically every other player in the league, not to mention his incredible speed.
Career Stats: 16 W - 10 L, 3.88 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 8.8 K/9
Webb had an incredible year in which he only seemed to get stronger as the year went on.
He was firmly a top-10 pitcher in the game during the second half, with an ERA of 2.63, 1.02 WHIP, and 5.47 K/BB rate, all of which ranked among the top-10 qualifiers.
Career Stats: 63-58 3.98 ERA 1.32 WHIP 11.2 K/9
Robbie Ray signed with Seattle this winter, coming off earning his first career Cy Young award. He outdueled Gerrit Cole down the stretch to win the award, pitching to a 2.52 ERA in 12 starts from August onward.
Despite the shiny new contract, Ray still has a lot to do to prove his 2021 wasn't a fluke. He'll find wins harder to come by moving to a Mariners team that has struggled to score runs in recent years.
Career 162 Game Avg Stats: .289 Avg, .882 OPS, 35 HR, 114 RBI, 96 R, 2 SB
Entering his second season with the Cardinals after his first eight in Colorado, Arenado weathered the dreaded transition from the high-altitude home park of Coors Field to produce a solid season in St Louis.
While his average and on-base percentage dropped as expected, his plate discipline and strength kept his overall slugging numbers fairly consistent.
Career 162 Game Avg Stats: .288 Avg, .810 OPS, 16 HR, 90 RBI, 123 R, 5 SB
Franco more-or-less delivered on the hype that made him the consensus number one overall prospect prior to his big-league debut in June of 2021. He did enough to finish third in the AL Rookie of the Year award voting behind teammate Randy Arozarena and Luis Garcia of the Astros, despite playing only 70 games.
The 21-year-old will continue to be the youngest player in the majors to open the season. He projects to improve on his .288 batting average and .347 on-base percentage from last season as he gets further acclimated to major league pitching.
Career 162 Game Avg Stats: .255 Avg, .766 OPS, 25 HR, 76 RBI, 92 R, 13 SB
After a down year in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season for Oakland, Semien exploded in his only season in Toronto in 2021.
He launched 45 home runs, smacked 39 doubles, scored 115 runs, and claimed both the AL Silver Slugger and AL Gold Glove at second base after spending the previous six years at shortstop. He'll team with fellow big-money free-agent acquisition Corey Seagar to anchor the Rangers' offense and defense while also providing some insurance for his co-star's injury issues.
Career 162 Game Avg Stats: .289 Avg, .884 OPS, 34 HR, 101 RBI, 99 R, 5 SB
Guerrero is best described as a hitting machine. A .311 batting average was a new career-high for him in 2021, while his .401 on-base percentage and .601 slugging percentage led the American League.
Although not known for his defense, he also improved his defensive metrics across the board after moving to first base from third in 2020. He's a big reason why the Blue Jays are betting favorites to win their first AL East title since 2015.
Career 162 Game Avg Stats: .301 Avg, .981 OPS, 34 HR, 109 RBI, 117 R, 11 SB
It's hard to argue that Soto isn't one of the absolute best hitters in the league right now, even at age 23. In fact, he's only the second player (all-time) to have more than 60 homers and 200 walks before their 23rd birthday.
Despite the historic numbers, he's still getting better. For instance, he's improved key stats like walk and contact rates in each season of his young career, with no sign of slowing yet.
