There are some young MLBbros who are hoping for a breakout season.
The top five players on this list are specifically projected to have a break campaign, while establishing themselves as household names.
Age, draft position, and situation were considered when evaluating these athletes. Some have already played in the majors and proved themselves on huge stages, including postseason, but have only provided us with a small sample size. Others are ready to be consistent faces in the MLB dugout once called upon.
5. Taj Bradley P (Tampa Bay Rays)
Taj Bradley, a melanated mound marauder for the Tampa Bay Rays, is 22 years old and hoping to have a big season.
Bradley showed glimpses of brilliance as a rookie, jumping out to some early wins, before eventually finishing with a 5.59 ERA, 1.39 WHIP, and 23 home runs allowed in 104 2/3 innings. Bradley seemed to hit a rookie wall last year and with those trials and tribulations under his belt, he should be a force for the Rays.
Despite his final stats, Bradley had several strong outings, recording a 28% strikeout rate. He will be expected to hold down the fort as a consistent arm int he starting rotation.
The Diamondbacks 23-year-old outfielder Alek Thomas comes in at number four on the list. With his power, Thomas was taken in the second round and was able to intimidate opposing pitchers by driving in runs. He had a clutch home run and some key moments in the 2023 postseason.
Thomas hit four Bro bombs which helped charge Arizona’s unlikely trip to the World Series.
He has excellent outfield defensive skills, with an average career fielding percentage of .992.
During a “Take That” segment on MLBbro.com, Charles Nyonga discussed Thomas as a key member of the
Diamondbacks team. Thomas has all the qualities to be face of the franchise for years to come.
Lawrence Butler, an outfielder, is only 23 years old. The Oakland Athletics selected him in the sixth round of the 2018 draft. Following a season in which he hit four home runs with a batting average of 211.
Butler put in work over the off-season, and his current batting average of .421 this spring training is proof of that. When the season starts, keep an eye out for Butler.
2. Termarr Johnson INF (Pittsburgh Pirates)
Termarr Johnson, a 19-year-old who was the fourth pick in the 2022 draft, is No. 2 on the list. Johnson’s bat-to-ball skills and smooth lefty stroke make him a legitimate All-Star in the future.
On February 26, 2024, Johnson showed off his power by hitting two home runs for the Pirates against the Blue Jays. The sky is the limit for Johnson.
1. Jordan ‘Sky’ Walker OF/INF (St. Louis Cardinals)
The young, talented St. Louis Cardinals star Jordan Walker, who weighs 250 pounds and is 6 feet 5 inches tall, tops the list. He came out of the gate in his rookie season, breaking hitting records.
With his rare combination of athleticism and baseball IQ, the 21-year-old infielder turned outfielder has
been gaining notice.
He’s also well-known for his powerful bat and excellent fielding skills. The Cardinals’ lineup is more versatile because of his defense skills, particularly at third base.
Walker, who hit .276 with 16 homers and 51 RBI in 117 games as a rookie, has a smooth swing with power, but hits to contact.
He also has deceptive speed. With a package that reminds guys of MLBbro legend Dave Winfield, Walker has everything needed to establish himself as an All-Star.
Marcus Semien is one game away from being a World Series champion after saving his best game of the playoffs for when the Texas Rangers needed it most. Game 4 of the 2023 World Series.
Before Game 4 Texas found out that Adolis Garcia — their ALCS MVP and MLB record holder for most RBI in a postseason — would no longer be on the roster due to injury, which meant someone needed to step up.
That help came in the form of their All-Star second baseman who is now four at-bats away from the most ever by a player in a single season.
“I had to simplify things,” Semien told MLB network.
“I was doing too much earlier and when you do too much and the pitcher executes, there’s no way you will hit anything.
In his next plate appearance Semien would put a dagger in the snake’s back with a three-run Bro bomb in the third to make the score 10-0.
Texas is now one game away from finishing 11-0 on the road this postseason and obtaining the franchise’s first ever championship.
“We have guys in there who have one a World Series but I am one of the guys without a ring,” Semien told reporters.
“I am doing everything in my power to win one in Game 5.”
Tommy Pham Collects Another Hit
For Arizona, Tommy Pham finished 1-for-3 with an RBI single while Alek Thomas was 0-for-4.
Pham had a crucial strikeout with the bases loaded, while Thomas was unable to cause havoc on the base paths which is something the D-Backs must reestablish if they have any chance at getting the series back to Arlington for Game 6.
We aren’t going too far back, just back to August 1st when the Mets gave up on the season and started trading away pieces and journeyman Tommy Pham was shipped to the Arizona Diamondbacks who were desperate for a professional bat with some pop, who could help bolster the offense, especially in key hitting situations with men in scoring position.
By August 11th the Diamondbacks were a below .500 team at 56-59, scuffling offensively and desperately fighting to navigate a Wild Card race in one of baseball’s top three toughest divisions. Eventually Pham’s bat, energy and veteran presence started making an impact on the Diamondbacks’ lineup. He also added a legit home run threat to a team who didn’t have one player hit 30 homers.
After a dominating Wild Card series over Milwaukee, the Bros didn’t strike often in the NLCS. In fact, Tommy Pham’s hot bat got so cold midway through the NLDS and into the championship series that he was pulled from the lineup in Game 5.
To that point, Pham had posted just one extra-base hit and struck out 11 times in 36 playoff plate appearances. But championships are not won by a stat sheet of each player’s game-to- game success. It’s about who steps up in the moments when their best is most needed. Pham would redeem himself sooner rather than later.
In Game 6, Pham and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. hit back-to-back homers in the second inning to spark the scoring and set the tone, forcing a Game 7 with a 5-1 win over the Philadelphia Phillies.
Another MLBbro has played a role in the Diamondbacks basically shocking the baseball world. Alek Thomas has hit three huge bro bombs in these playoffs at the age of 23.
With his team trailing by two in the bottom of the 8th, Thomas stepped up to the plate as a pinch hitter in Game 4 and hit the biggest home run of the season for the D-Backs to date. And the biggest bro bomb of Thomas’ young career.
Thomas delivered the timely power surge into the pool enroute to a 6-5 Diamondbacks win, which evened the series at 2-2 and turned out to be a pivotal game of the series.
Not too long ago, up until mid-June, Alek Thomas was playing with the Reno Aces in the minor leagues. Slowly but surely, he started acquiring more playing time and became one of those X-factors in the lineup that propelled Arizona to a 28-19 record after Aug 11, into the playoffs and now shockingly playing in the franchise’s first World Series since 2001.
Pham and Thomas’ production wasn’t abundant, but their contributions were timely. They didn’t waste any opportunity to do some heroic sh*t. The headlines are filled with praise for Ketel Marte and he deserves the praise. The second baseman that everyone is finally getting to see on the big stage, was named 2023 NLCS MVP after hitting safely in all seven games of the series.
They scratch, claw and gut their way to victory behind the exceptional pitching of young arms, clutch hitting and the veteran savvy of guys like Pham and six-year cornerstone Lourdes Gurriel Jr, mixed with the youthful exuberance of future NL Rookie of the Year Corbin Carroll and second-year rising star Alek Thomas.
“This is amazing. The hard work we put in all …,” said Thomas following the historic Game 7 win. Sky’s the limit for us”
After sweeping the National League favorite Atlanta Braves and their robust lineup out of the National League Division Series faster than you can say “Money Mike, ” the Cinderella Arizona Diamondbacks ran into a Phillies team with, a mission to get back to the World Series, inspired pitching and veteran bats that have accepted the fact that it’s hunting season.
Tory Lovullo’s young D-Backs took two punches to the head and didn’t go down, quickly falling behind 2-0 in the best-of-seven NLCS. They got up off the mat as they have all season and engineered a masterful and clutch 2-1 win in Game 3. In the process, cooling off a band of bats that appeared unstoppable through the first two games.
Tommy Pham & Alex Thomas Make First Impact On ALCS
Earlier in the week, MLBbro.com highlighted Arizona DH Tommy Pham and second-year outfielder Alex Thomas as the offensive keys to a Diamondbacks comeback. They were a combined 0-for-13 in the first two games after a fabulous NLDS where Thomas hit a Bro bomb and Pham was tough to get out.
Of course, we were assuming that the team’s top two hitters in the lineup, Ketel Marte and Lourdes Gurriel Jr. would continue to produce good at-bats, which they did in Game 3, going a combined 5-for-8 and driving in both key RBI.
Pham finally got his first ALCS hit to help pace the offense and Thomas got an at-bat and scored one of the decisive runs.
MLBbros Will Be Key To Arizona Diamondbacks NLCS Fate
Bro influence was all over that win and more is expected and needed from both players as strong supporting pieces for a Diamondbacks lineup that needs to string consecutive hits together and be aggressive on the basepaths to last more than five games with a focused Phillies team.
After tearing up the baseball, making clutch plays and helping the Arizona Diamondbacks plow through two elite World Series contenders, MLBbros Tommy Pham (0-for-8, 3Ks) and Alek Thomas (0-5) are a combined 0-for-13 in the first two games of this NLCS, which will be extremely brief if the bats of these two igniters don’t start popping off some hits.
During the historic sweep against the LA Dodgers that catapulted the Arizona Diamondbacks to the franchise’s first NLCS in 16 seasons, Pham, who came over from the underachieving NY Mets in August, had six hits, batted .429, slugged .632 with a 1.072 OPS.
Thomas contributed three hits and a clutch homer to help lift the Diamondbacks into MLB’s final four teams.
The tandem was a combined 2-for-6 in a Wild Card series sweep of the higher-seeded Milwaukee Brewers, but those hits were timely enough to contribute to a winning outcome.
Against a Phillies team that hits tons of playoff homers and is getting lights out pitching performances, however, a lack of production from these MLBbros has definitely contributed to the Diamondbacks being outscored 15-3 in the first two games of the seven-game series.
The series is far from over, but sweeps have been the theme throughout these playoffs, so the vibe doesn’t suggest that this will last long if the Bros bats don’t wake up immediately.
Diamondbacks Lineup Scuffling In National League Championship Series
There’s been enough of an offensive funk throughout the D-Backs lineup for the blame to be spread equally. The team has a combined total of eight hits and Ketel Marte is responsible for three of them. No player has more than one hit in the series and Geraldo Perdomo has the only homer, in Game 1.
The Diamondbacks have to now approach each game like it’s a single-game elimination, attacking with a controlled desperation that elevates players in moments of truth.
Some home cooking should also help.
“We’re going back home for three games,” first baseman Christian Walker told reporters. “We’ve got to win all three.”
Definitely.
And the offensive surge needed to win three games at home and match the Phillies’ energy will have to be led by two MLBbros who played prominent roles in helping the Diamondbacks get to this point.
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