10 MLB players projected to have monster seasons in 2023

8. Yordan Alvarez, Houston Astros

Projected fWAR — 5.5

Projected slash line — .283/.375/.556 with 36 home runs and 105 RBI

The 25-year-old Alvarez earned his first All-Star Game appearance last season and ended the campaign by hitting a career-high 37 homers as he helped the Astros win the World Series. He was a nightmare for the Seattle Mariners in the ALDS, hitting a pair of pivotal home runs to help the Astros escape the round.

Houston is geared for another run at the Fall Classic this season, and Alvarez will likely be a big part of the success in south Texas.

7. Wander Franco, Tampa Bay Rays

Projected fWAR — 5.5

Projected slash line — .286/.348/.453 with 16 home runs and 75 RBI

Yes, this could well be the year that we see the Franco breakout for the Rays. After playing in 83 games last season, the 21-year-old Franco is projected to be the Opening Day starter at shortstop for the Rays and FanGraphs has him playing in 144 games this season, just under the 153 he has played in the first two seasons he has suited up for Tampa Bay.

Franco missed two months last season with a hamate bone injury, keeping him from exploding onto the scene in 2022. If he stays healthy, 2023 could very well be the season we see exactly what he can bring to the present and future for the Rays.

6. Mike Trout, Los Angeles Angels

Projected fWAR — 5.6

Projected slash line — .256/.360/.520 with 39 home runs and 99 RBI

Entering his age-31 season, Trout continues to be in the prime of his career, one that will eventually lead to a spot in Cooperstown. But will it ever lead back to the postseason? This feels like potentially the best chance, knowing the uncertain future of Shohei Ohtani in an Angels uniform.

Trout put together a 40-homer, 80-RBI season in 2022, so these projections give him more RBI in 2023, meaning his teammates are giving him the chance to drive them home. It’s going to take a team effort to get the Angels out of a top-heavy AL West and into the playoffs, but Trout, provided he stays healthy, is projected once again to do everything he can to make that happen.

5. Adley Rutschman, Baltimore Orioles

Projected fWAR — 5.6

Projected slash line — .256/.357/.438 with 19 home runs and 66 RBI

Rutschman burst onto the MLB scene in 2022, and Steamer certainly doesn’t think he’s in line for a sophomore slump in 2023.

The Orioles and their youth movement leading to wins were one of the best stories in all of MLB in 2022, and Rutschman will once again be looked to for his skills behind the plate and his offensive performance in 2023 as Baltimore looks to compete in what will be another rough AL East.

Entering his second season, Rutschman is projected to be one of the top catchers in the game this season.

4. Mookie Betts, Los Angeles Dodgers

Projected fWAR — 5.9

Projected slash line — .269/.352/.492 with 31 home runs and 85 RBI

The 30-year-old Betts continues to be the gift that keeps on giving for the Dodgers, with two top-5 NL MVP finishes in his three seasons playing in Los Angeles.

Betts is coming off a season where he hit 35 homers and drove in 82 runs, his best numbers since coming over from the Boston Red Sox in a lopsided trade. After arriving in L.A., Betts inked a 12-year, $365-million extension then played a big role in the Dodgers winning the World Series in the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign.

This season, Betts will be one of the key pieces for a Dodgers team that was relatively quiet in the offseason. Los Angeles believes it has the talent on the roster to once again compete for a World Series, and Betts will be looked to as one of the leaders in that chase.

3. Julio Rodríguez, Seattle Mariners

Projected fWAR — 5.9

Projected slash line — .276/.342/.496 with 32 home runs and 85 RBI

Last year’s American League Rookie of the Year is poised for another eye-popping season in 2023, just in time for the All-Star Game (and Home Run Derby) to be in Seattle this summer.

After posting a 28-homer, 75-RBI season in 132 games last season, Rodríguez is projected to up those numbers this year. If the 22-year-old phenom can do that, the excitement that surrounded the Mariners last season will continue well into 2023.

Can Seattle get more than one home postseason game this year? The production from Rodríguez could have a lot to do with that answer.

2. Aaron Judge, New York Yankees

Projected fWAR — 6.9

Projected slash line — .275/.382/.554 with 44 home runs and 106 RBI

Judge is ranked second on the list … and the numbers that are projected for him in 2023 would actually be considered a down year for him following last season’s MVP performance. That tells you just how good Judge was in 2022 and how much he meant to the Yankees.

With the contract drama behind him, Judge can focus on mashing baseballs and helping the Yankees finally get back to the World Series in 2023. The big question is this: How much will Judge’s teammates really help him in that quest this season? The next-highest Yankees player on the Steamer projection list is Gleyber Torres (coming in at number 55, 3.4 fWAR), so Judge may have to carry the Yankees once again this season (a familiar theme from the team’s 2022 performance).

1. Juan Soto, San Diego Padres

Projected fWAR — 7.1

Projected slash line — .281/.431/.528 with 33 home runs and 95 RBI

At just 24 years old, Soto is projected to be the most dominant MLB player next season. Soto slashed just .236/.388/.390 in 52 games last season after being acquired in a trade with the Washington Nationals. This season, with Soto settled in and the Padres constructing a lineup where he is a part of it rather than the focal point, projections have Soto evolving into a monster at the dish, similar to when he finished second in the NL MVP voting in 2021.

San Diego is loaded with potential MVP candidates in 2023, but Soto leads the list not only for his own team but, according to these projections, the entire NL as well.