6. Mike Leake, SP, Cardinals
Mike Leake has been one of the few bright spots during a poor start to the season for the Cardinals.
The 29-year-old has made two starts and looked brilliant in both. Though he’s just 1-1 (the team was shutout in his loss), Leake has a 0.60 ERA and 0.73 WHIP this year.
He went eight innings of one-run ball during his season debut, and then he pitched seven shutout innings in his second start. He also retired 17 in a row at one point during his start against the Nats on Wednesday.
One thing that jumps out immediately about Leake is that he’s been hammering the strike zone and showing excellent control this season.
Take a look at this graphic from his first start of the season:
It's been all cutters and four-seam fastballs (most down in the zone) so far for Mike Leake, who is through two innings on 17 pitches. pic.twitter.com/jO0gsMu9Yn
— Jenifer Langosch (@LangoschMLB) April 8, 2017
Leake has only walked one while striking out 13 in 15 innings this year. Although his strikeouts to walk ratio was greater than four last year, it’s on pace to be much better this season.
The Cardinals were disappointed with what they got out of Leake in his first year of a five-year, $80 million deal, but they have to be more than satisfied with what they’ve seen so far in 2017.
7. Miguel Sano, 3B, Twins
Although he’s only 23, baseball fans have been hearing about Miguel Sano for years.
The Dominican Republic native signed with the Twins as a youngster in 2009, began playing in the minors when he was 17, and showed off incredible power for his young age at every step of the minors. He bashed 20 homers in 66 games as an 18-year-old in rookie ball; 28 as a 19-year-old in Single-A ball; and he hit 35 across two levels as a 20-year-old. When he made his debut in at age 22 in 2015, Sano smacked 18 homers in 80 games. He topped that with 25 last season, though his average slipped to .236.
But Sano may be putting it all together in 2017 and could find himself in the MVP conversation as the season goes along.
Batting cleanup for Minnesota, Sano has batted .290/.463/.742 this season. He is showing excellent patience at the plate, walking twice on Friday to give him 10 in 10 games. He has reached base in every game this season thanks in part to his good eye.
And though he only has nine hits on the year, seven have been for extra bases, including three doubles and three home runs. The Twins were not expected to compete in 2017. With the way Sano is swinging it, they could surprise.
8. Greg Holland, RP, Rockies
The Colorado Rockies took a big gamble on Greg Holland this offseason, and the move is paying off in the early going.
Holland was one of the best relievers in baseball from 2011-2014 with the Kansas City Royals. But he suffered an elbow injury in 2015 and underwent Tommy John surgery, which kept him out for all of 2016. Holland struggled in spring training but has come out of the gate strong for Colorado.
The 31-year-old leads the league with six saves and has converted each of his opportunities. He has been pretty awesome in all six of his appearances too, as he’s allowed just two hits and three walks in six innings of work, while striking out eight. He didn’t even allow a hit in his first five appearances.
Holland isn’t throwing 95-96 like he did during his best years with the Royals, but he’s averaging nearly 94 MPH on his fastball, and his slider has been sharp this season. He and the Rockies couldn’t have asked for a better start.
9. Marcell Ozuna, OF, Marlins
Hopefully the Marlins are doing messing around with Ozuna.
Two years ago, the Marlins demoted Ozuna to the minor leagues even though he was hitting respectably, reportedly at the behest of owner Jeffrey Loria. Ozuna being demoted did not sit well with many of his Marlins teammates.
This year, Ozuna has opened the season as a main performer on the big club.
The 26-year-old is batting .375/.435/.675 through the first 10 games. Furthermore, his consistency has been especially impressive. Ozuna has hit safely in all but one game for the Marlins this season. He has also knocked in 16 runs, which leads the majors. He also has five walks against seven strikeouts, which are better marks than he’s had in the past.
Ozuna hit 23 homers in both 2014 and 2016, posting a .772 and .773 OPS those seasons. He’s shown the potential to become a big hitter. Maybe this is the year that he turns the corner.
10. Adam Warren, RP, Yankees
Are we really including a middle reliever on the list of hottest players in MLB? Why yes, yes we are.
Warren has had an interesting career path. He came up with the Yankees and spent 2012-2015 with the team. They then traded him to the Chicago Cubs in the Starlin Castro deal after the 2015 season. But the Yankees liked him enough that they got him back upon trading Aroldis Chapman to the Chicago Cubs last season. Interestingly, the Yankees ended up signing Chapman back during the offseason.
Warren started 17 games for the Yanks in 2015 but has mostly been a reliever. He was contending for a spot in their rotation this season but didn’t perform well enough to win it in spring training. Instead, the Yanks have used him to eat some innings during losses this season. He’s performed admirably.
Warren has thrown six spotless innings this season. He hasn’t allowed a hit or walk this year. He’s also struck out seven in his six innings of work. Sure, he’s been pitching in some non-pressure situations, but anyone who throws six perfect innings merits our attention.
