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Throughout the past couple of seasons, we have seen second-year players explode in the majors. Last year, players like Julio Rodriguez, Adley Rutschman, and Bobby Witt Jr. really took that leap in their second years.
Last year, Rodriguez hit .274 at the plate with 32 home runs, 103 RBI, 37 doubles, and 37 stolen bases. Rutschman also saw a big boost at the plate, as he hit .277 with 20 home runs, 80 RBI, and 31 doubles. However, the biggest sophomore leap came from Witt Jr. He hit .276 with 30 home runs, 96 RBI, 28 doubles, 11 triples, and 49 stolen bases.
Those three players are now looked at as the future of the league. So, which players could join them in 2024 after a strong rookie campaign in 2023? Let's dive in and find out which three sophomores will break out this upcoming season.
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Honorable Mention: Eury Perez, Miami Marlins
Eury Perez didn't quite make the cut into the top three, but a strong sophomore year should be in store for the 20-year-old pitcher. Perez showed plenty of glimpses of his potential in his rookie season in just 19 starts. The right-hander finished with a 3.15 ERA and 108 strikeouts across 91.1 innings pitched.
It's very rare for a 20-year-old pitcher to step into the majors and immediately find success. However, that's exactly what Perez did. Through the first nine starts of his career, he had a 1.34 ERA and three quality starts. During that span, the flame-throwing right-hander also had seven outings where he allowed one run or less.
The only thing holding back Perez from fully shining in 2024 could be a potential innings limit. Last year, we saw him get sent down to the minors in July because of that exact same thing. Since the Marlins pitcher will be just 21 years old this upcoming season, Miami could choose to limit him down the stretch once again. He threw only 128 innings between all levels in 2023.
Jordan Walker, St. Louis Cardinals
With any rookie, there are going to be some growing pains. However, if Jordan Walker's 2024 season is anything like the end of last year, Walker should be in for a strong campaign. Over the final 30 games, the Cardinals outfielder hit .339 at the plate with five home runs, 16 RBI, six doubles, and one triple.
That last 30-game sample size should give everyone hope that Walker will shine in 2024 with now one full season under his belt. The 21-year-old outfielder struggled at the plate at times last season, but it wasn't all bad for him. He finished with a .276 average, 16 home runs, 51 RBI, 19 doubles, and seven stolen bases.
Here is a video of #STLCards rising star Jordan Walker reaching out and hitting an 80.4 mph changeup on the outside corner to left-center from #Mets RHP Blake Tidwell for a triple.
The 6-foot-6, 259-pound Walker hit a top speed of 27.4 feet per second on his sprint to third. pic.twitter.com/Ld89VKeNKb
— John Denton (@JohnDenton555) March 1, 2024
Cardinals fans might have expected more from the highly rated prospect in his first season, though there's a lot to like about his game. He has the speed and power to contribute in the middle of St. Louis' order for years to come. While he might have had a slow start in 2023, his end-of-season surge is hard to ignore. Walker totaled a hit in 25 of those 30 games, including 14 of the last 16 contests.
Elly De La Cruz, Cincinnati Reds
A lot of people will point to Elly De La Cruz's end of the season as a reason why he won't shine in 2024. In the final 52 games of his rookie campaign, De La Cruz hit .195 at the plate with six home runs, 24 RBI, five doubles, and a whopping 79 strikeouts across 225 plate appearances. Nevertheless, we should dig deeper into the electric shortstop because a breakout is fully possible for him in his second season.
First off, it was great to see that the potential is there for the Reds infielder. There are always going to be struggles with rookies. There's a certain adjustment period that many MLB players have to go through. However, De La Cruz showed that he could one day be an elite-caliber player in the league.
Baseball is officially back with an Elly De La Cruz single!
We've missed this! ⚡#RedsST | @Reds pic.twitter.com/6NkYaMesLZ
— Bally Sports Cincinnati (@BallySportsCIN) February 24, 2024
In his first 28 games, he was hitting .328 with four home runs, 16 RBI, nine doubles, two triples, and 16 stolen bases. The hype did eventually die down, but De La Cruz continued to hit the ball hard. His 91.2 mph average exit velocity and 45.9% hard-hit rate ranked in the top-25 percent in baseball last season. If the shortstop can work on being more disciplined at the plate, he could shine in 2024.
Grayson Rodriguez, Baltimore Orioles
Baltimore Orioles starting pitcher Grayson Rodriguez really struggled to begin the season. He had a 7.35 ERA through 10 starts and gave up four earned runs or more in half of those outings. Then, the Orioles decided to send Rodriguez back down to the minors to work on things. When he returned, the rookie was a brand-new pitcher.
Over his final 12 starts of the regular season from July 22 to September 27, Rodriguez had a 2.26 ERA and 69 strikeouts across 71.2 IP. Despite struggling in the American League Division Series against the Texas Rangers -- where he gave up five earned runs in 1.2 IP -- the right-hander showed a lot of potential in the second half of the year.
Grayson Rodriguez's last 12 starts in 2023:
5-2 Record
2.26 ERA
.217 BAAThe @Orioles right-hander joined @LaurenShehadi at #SpringTraining to discuss his mindset entering the new season. pic.twitter.com/1Kbtadkors
— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) February 29, 2024
Rodriguez's strong second half should have him surely trending up in 2024. His 2.26 ERA over his final 12 starts was something very few people saw coming, especially after a poor start to the year. The 24-year-old pitcher still has to work on plenty of things, but he could surely take his game to the next level this upcoming season.
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