Bound to Rebound: Players Poised to Return to Form in '21 Season

The following players are who I think will return to form after having a off year in the 2020 60 game season.

Christian Yelich: Brewers-OF

One of the most obvious bounce back candidates for the upcoming season, Yelich, did not look like himself in the 2020 season. Hitting only .205, the 2018 NL MVP got off to a slow start and seemed like he could never get going until late August and early September. He showed power surges at times, hitting seven home runs in August, but he could never get his batting average up to his standards. Starting off the season hitting .037 in the month of July did not help matters either. Expect him to be back to his usual self, hitting around .290 to .310 with 30 or more home runs. It will definitely be interesting to see how he performs in Spring Training before the season officially begins on April 1st.

My Projection: 98 R, 32 HR, 95 RBI, .295 BA

Gleyber Torres: Yankees-2B/SS

After having a career year in '19, Torres was only able to manage to hit .243 and three home runs in 42 games last season. Torres was not even able to double the damage he did against Orioles pitching alone in 2019, which tells you how bad the pitching is in Baltimore. I expect Torres to hit 25 to 30 home runs, with a batting average in the .270 to .280 range. At only 24 years old, there's no need to worry about the Yankee shortstop, as I expect he will return to form among the Bronx Bombers lineup.

My Projection: 85 R, 28 HR, 80 RBI, .278 BA

Jose Altuve: Astros-2B

Sure Altuve did not have the help of trash cans last season, but his numbers were still down more than usual, particularly batting average. Altuve hit a career low .219, while only hitting 5 home runs and driving in 18 runs. I expect Altuve to hit around .270 to .280 with 20 or so home runs. His days of hitting for batting titles are likely over, but expect some sort of bounce back for the 2017 AL MVP.

My 2021 Projection: 82 R, 18 HR, 73 RBI, .283 BA

Javier Baez: Cubs-SS

Last season, the Cubs lineup as a whole struggled and was not what anyone thought it would be, but Baez stood out as the one who surprised me the most. Although a player who strikes out often and swings extremely hard at every pitch he swings at, his batting average was a mediocre .203. His power numbers were not awful (8 HR) for a 60 game season, but expect his batting average to improve by 60 to 75 points this season.

My 2021 Projection: 91 R, 27 HR, 83 RBI, .273 BA

Jack Flaherty: Cardinals-SP

The young ace in St. Louis was not able to get it going in 2020, pitching to a 4.91 ERA in 40.1 IP. He was spectacular in July and August, pitching to the tune of a 2.54 and 1.57 ERA respectively in the two months. When the calendar turned to September and October, the wheels came off as Flaherty pitched to a bloated 7.48 ERA over 5 starts. I see this as a small hurdle in the shortened season and see Flaherty being a top 10 to 15 pitcher this upcoming season.

My 2021 Projection: 11-7, 3.42 ERA, 212 SO, 1.05 WHIP in 183 IP.

Tyler Glasnow: Rays-SP

Glasnow is a tricky pitcher to figure out, because his ERA in 2020 was 4.08 in 57.1 IP, but his strikeout rate per 9 was excellent (14.3) and he went 5-1 last season in 11 starts. His walk rate was also his highest since 2018 (3.45), which also led to a WHIP of 1.13. His size is a pitcher's dream, standing at 6'8 and 225 lbs. If he can cut down the walks and improve his ERA, I believe he can be a workhorse as the number one starter of the Rays rotation. He showed flashes of a young ace in the 2019 season (1.78 ERA, 76 SO, 0.89 WHIP) in 60.2 IP, before a forearm strain kept him out until late 2019. Now that Blake Snell and Charlie Morton are gone, someone will have to step up in the Rays rotation and it will likely have to be Glasnow. If it all comes together, expect Glasnow to rise as one of the best young arms in the game.

My 2021 Projection: 10-6, 3.73 ERA, 196 SO, 1.10 WHIP in 168 IP

Other Notable Bounce Back Candidates:

Andrew Benintendi: Royals OF- Do not lose faith in a player who could put up a .280 or higher BA.

Chris Paddack: Padres SP- Expect Paddack to be a force in the Padres rotation with close to 150 or more SO and an ERA below 4.

Aaron Civale: Indians SP- Still young, shows potential as a solid number 2 or 3 starter behind Shane Bieber .

Patrick Corbin: Nationals SP- Has one of the best sliders in the game, expect his 4.66 ERA from 2020 to improve drastically.

Kirby Yates: Blue Jays RP- One of the best closers in '19, expect solid closer numbers, but not elite.

Final Thoughts: Making these projections were a challenge, as I tried to give my best estimate on how the players above will perform this season. A 60 game season is also a small sample size to judge a player's performance compared to 162 games. It will be interesting to see if they all improve, or if some still struggle.

See you at the ballpark!!!

Adam