Possible 2020 Breakout Candidates

This article was originally uploaded to www.dodgeryard.com on 1/25/20

The Dodgers had a significant amount of breakout players in 2019, from Bellinger returning to and surpassing his 2017 form to Matt Beaty exceeding expectations. Here is a look at some players who are poised for a breakout season in 2020. Gavin Lux, obviously, deserves a spot on this list due to his incredible season across 3 levels last year, which included his homering in his first postseason plate appearance in Game 1 of the NLDS against the Nationals. He is currently ranked number two among all MLB prospects and is the clear favorite to win the 2019 Rookie of the Year Award. Another candidate is Jimmy Nelson, a former Brewers pitcher whom the Dodgers signed to a low-risk deal. Nelson, while dealing with injuries in 2018 and 2019, had a fantastic 2017 for Milwaukee. Hopefully he can regain some of his past form and pitch effectively out of the bullpen and in the rotation if there is an injury. Similarly to Nelson, both Alex Wood and Blake Treinen will look to overcome previous injuries and return to previous dominance. Wood, a fan favorite and former Dodger, will likely be a four or five starter and Treinen will likely pitch in the back end of he bullpen if he can improve his control. Ross Stripling, an All-Star in 2018 and very good last year, if he pitches in the rotation or fills in for injuries will likely look to regain the dominance he found in 2018, but he will likely pitch very effectively as a swing-man in the rotation and bullpen. Lastly, DJ Peters, an outfield prospect, has potential to become a force in the major league if he can find a way onto the Dodgers either through injuries or performance in Spring Training and/or Oklahoma City. The Dodgers are likely to have many breakouts this year, as their farm is one of the most deep in baseball and they often will bring up seemingly random or obscure players who end up becoming a staple of the team, as seen with Chris Taylor and Max Muncy.