MLB Preview: The X-Factor for each American League East team
Welcome back to a tour of each team’s X-Factor, underappreciated (potential) superstars that make or break the performance of a team. This is a weekly installment where we give these players their due time in the spotlight.
As a quick reminder, this list contains no players returning from serious injury or any players who have a strong possibility of being traded.
This week, we look at the American League East. See the AL West X-factors here.
Tampa Bay Rays X-Factor: Second baseman Brandon Lowe
In typical Rays fashion, Brandon Lowe has quietly emerged as a top second baseman not only in the AL but in the whole league. Lowe has hit 70(!) home run over the past three years, which is equivalent to about two full seasons of games. For a second baseman, that is already the cream of the crop and it’s difficult to remember that he is only 27 years old.
There is one Achilles heel, however. In 29 postseason games across three seasons, Lowe is 13-for-113. That’s a .110 batting average to go along with a .144 OBP and .232 SLG with 47 strikeouts.
If Lowe can translate the offensive regular-season success to when it matters most, it will alleviate so much pressure off Kevin Cash and help Tampa Bay get its elusive title. Lowe has been the X-Factor for the Rays in the regular season, but can he do it when the lights are just a little bit brighter?
Boston Red Sox X-Factor: Starting pitcher Rich Hill
Man, these lists are tough to do during a lockout where the offseason was frozen halfway through. The Red Sox offseason more than likely isn’t complete, especially in the starting pitching department. Still, Rich Hill will be a crucial back-of-the-rotation piece for the Red Sox. Never doubt Chaim Bloom, especially with his Rays pedigree.
The baseball world has waited for the better half of a decade for Rich Hill to begin showing signs of declining, but Dick Mountain isn’t having any of it. With the Mets and the Rays last year, Hill turned in a 3.86 ERA/1.210 WHIP across 150+ innings (all of which fall in line with his career average).
With the Red Sox already losing to Eduardo Rodriguez to free agency, Bloom’s one-year team-friendly deal laden with incentives worth only $8 million has the chance to pay huge dividends.
New York Yankees X-Factor: Starting pitcher Jameson Taillon
Well, let us start by saying that Taillon is an X-Factor because, without him and the rest of the MLBPA player reps, there is no baseball season and all these rumors and lists are in vain.
Outside of his work with the players union, Taillon is one the best feel-good stories in the MLB and the latest example of the untapped potential that lies in the doldrums of Pittsburgh (Clay Holmes anyone?). After a stellar 2018 where Taillon pitched 191 innings of 3.20 ERA/1.178 WHIP baseball, Taillon’s injuries resurfaced again. He is one of the few MLB pitchers with the distinction of having had Tommy John twice. This will be only Taillon’s sixth season in the bigs but, boy, has he been through the ringer. His injury list is already longer than a CVS receipt.
- 2014-First Tommy John
- 2015-Sports Hernia
- 2016-Hit in the head by a comebacker
- 2017-Testicular Cancer
- 2019-Hit in the head by a comebacker (again)
- 2020-Second Tommy John
However, after joining the Yankees in 2021, Taillon pitched well under the bright lights of the Bronx. He compiled a 4.30 ERA/1.306 WHIP across 144.1 Innings. If Taillon can build on a serviceable 2021 to becoming the budding number two in the rotation behind Gerrit Cole (like the scouts thought he would be way back when he was the second overall pick back in 2010), while New York waits on their young pitching to develop, then the Yanks will be primed for a real late-season run.
Toronto Blue Jays X-Factor: Starting/Relief pitcher Nate Pearson
Cavan Biggio was a tempting X-Factor choice but, if you haven’t seen the AL West list, you’ll know that I love young starting pitching. That’s mostly because the depth and availability of the starting pitching are always thin.
The best way to solve rotation problems is not with some expensive splash, but with internal young guns who can anchor a rotation for up to a decade. If you need any evidence, look no further than the 2021 Blue Jays. Everyone talks about Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and, make no mistake, the season he had was historic, but Alek Manoah was electric and was a huge part of why the Blue Jays even stood a chance coming down the stretch.
As the old adage goes, you can never have enough starting pitching. Pearson was supposed to be ready for the show in 2021 but injury limited him to just 15.0 innings pitched. I know I’m breaking my own rule here a little bit, but Pearson really can be that good with his wipeout slider to go along with a 98-plus mph fastball.
Baltimore Orioles X-Factor: Left fielder Austin Hays
Where do you even start with this one? How do you pick an X-Factor for a team clearly with no intentions of competing next year? I mean it’s not exactly the most inspiring thing in the world to pick a player that will take the O’s from 65 to 75 wins in 2022 as they continue what seems to be their eternal rebuild.
Cedric Mullins is really good, but Austin Hays is pretty good too. No one knows quite yet because he plays for the Orioles but, in his first full season in the show, he put together a triple-slash line of .256/.308/.461 with 22 home runs across 131 games.
Milestones to watch out for during the 2022 season. dark. Next
Will Hays take a Mullins-esque leap from above average to superstar? Only time will tell but, if he does, there may be light at the end of the tunnel of the never-ending O’s mediocrity.