3 Red Sox players most likely to have a breakout season in 2023
Expectations for the Boston Red Sox this season aren’t substantial, but the team does have a good group of players capable of making some noise. A couple of breakout seasons from certain players can make a huge difference.
A newcomer to MLB, Masakata Yoshida, is certainly in contention to have what we’d consider a “breakout year” in North America. Those who watched him in Japan know what to expect. Even he may blow past those projections.
Three other Red Sox are more fitting to have true breakout years. Who are they and what should we expect from them?
1) Why Red Sox pitcher Garrett Whitlock will have a breakout season
Garrett Whitlock hasn’t quite “broken out” despite two strong seasons in the big leagues. He was electric as a rookie out of the bullpen in 2021. He followed it up with a strong 2022 campaign where he participated as a starter and reliever. Now in the rotation for a more permanent role, Whitlock is all set to have a fantastic 2023 season.
Whitlock does have just 9 MLB starts. In those opportunities last year, Whitlock was 1-1 with a 4.15 ERA. He has been a much better pitcher in relief. But that’s not anything unusual for a young pitcher. Many start off pitching well in the bullpen only to face some adversity as a starter. Two years into his major league career, the 2023 season is his chance to officially arrive as a no-doubter starter for Boston.
Whitlock will have a leash on him. He can lengthen it with a strong start to the year. Expected to miss maybe only one start, getting back into the rotation as quickly as possible and performing well is his goal.
2) Why Red Sox first baseman Triston Casas will have a breakout season
If you’re waiting for Bobby Dalbec to start hitting, turn your attention to Triston Casas instead. The Red Sox have cleared the way for him to play as much as possible. The 23-year-old received only 95 plate appearances with the team last season. This is the year where he sees much more and firmly implants himself as an everyday player in the club’s lineup.
Casas didn’t hit well in the big leagues for Boston in 2022. A .197/.358/.408 slash line shows off a bit of his patience but highlights something many rookies struggle with: getting hits.
Casas has spent his entire professional career in the minors as a good OBP guy. The man can draw walks and even in his struggles last season didn’t strike out a whole lot. He’ll need to do much more than draw walks to have a breakout year. We should have faith he will.
How good of a year can we expect from him? He probably won’t contend too seriously for the American League Rookie of the year, but he can become a reliable top-of-the-order bat for the Red Sox. As part of the new core the Red Sox are building, a successful year from Casas is a ray of sunshine for a team in need of good news.
3) Why Red Sox pitcher Tanner Houck will have a breakout season
Tanner Houck has pitched really well through his first 146 innings with the Red Sox. The owner of a 9-9 record and 3.02 ERA, Houck has the makings of becoming a very important part of this ball club if you don’t already consider him one. Like Whitlock, he has floated between the rotation and bullpen. Finding some permanency in one of those spots should be a future mission of the ball club. Is 2023 the year?
Houck is a realistic candidate to make the Opening Day rotation with several injured pitchers sidelined. Shifting him to the bullpen once a guy like Whitlock returns is a possibility although it’s likely that Kutter Crawford is the first to fall out of the rotation instead.
The career numbers for Houck have been better in relief, but not by a large enough margin to put him there and call it a day. He is 4-6 with a 3.22 ERA in 20 starts. Out of the bullpen, Houck is 5-3 with a 2.68 ERA.
A breakout season for him would have to include a few more innings than we’ve seen from him in the past. The 69 from 2021 is the most he has pitched. Results similar or better than the 3.15 ERA he had last season would be another requirement.
Houck will begin this season as a starting pitcher option the team could move to the bullpen at any point. If he pitches well, Houck could move up the depth chart and become a permanent fixture. All signs point toward him achieving this.
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