Five MLB players who made the leap in 2018 (and five who didn't)

Five players who took a leap in 2018

1. Blake Snell, SP, Tampa Bay Rays

In his third season, Snell has arguably taken the biggest leap of any player in the game in 2018. The young left-hander leads the major leagues with 19 wins, and while wins can be an overrated stat, a look at his peripherals shows otherwise. Snell's 2.03 ERA trails only Jacob deGrom and Chris Sale, and his 0.98 WHIP and .183 batting average against are both eye-opening. The only slight knock on the 25-year-old is that he's averaging a shade under six innings/start, and it would be nice to see him consistently go deeper into games. Regardless, with Chris Archer now in Pittsburgh, it's clear Snell is the undisputed ace and leader of the Rays pitching staff, a distinction they hope he can carry for years to come.

2. Javier Baez, IF, Chicago Cubs

Entering 2018, Baez had already been a key contributor on several strong Cubs teams, but I don't think many baseball insiders saw him becoming perhaps the leading candidate to win NL MVP this year. The Puerto Rico native is enjoying easily the best campaign of his career, hitting .294 with 31 homers and an NL high 103 RBI's. The veteran made his first All-Star team and participated in his first home run derby this season, and as the postseason nears he'll join Kris Bryant and Anthony Rizzo to give the Cubs arguably the most dangerous offensive trio in the National League.

3. Matt Chapman, 3B, Oakland Athletics

The success of the A's has been without a doubt the most surprising development in the American League this season, and the emergence of their young third baseman is one of the biggest reasons why. As a rookie last season Chapman hit only .234 with 14 homers, but he's flipped the script in 2018 and become one of the more dangerous right-handed bats in the league. In 478 at-bats, the 25-year-old has hit .282 with 23 bombs, and his .362 on-base percentage has him in the upper echelon of American League hitters.

4. Alex Bregman, 3B, Houston Astros

Bregman is perhaps a surprising name on a list of breakout players because he was already more or less a household name and one of the better players in the sport. But there's a difference between being well-above-average and a bona fide superstar, and, frankly, that's what the No. 2 overall pick back in 2015 has become. Bregman currently sits in the top 10 in the American League in batting average, homers, RBI, OBP, OPS, hits and doubles. And on an Astros team that is loaded with stars, at 24 years old he may already be the biggest one of all.

5. Aaron Nola, SP, Philadelphia Phillies

The Phillies made Nola the seventh overall pick in the 2014 draft with an eye toward the LSU product leading the rotation for many years to come. The right-hander made 60 good but not great starts for Philadelphia from 2015-17, but this season he's developed into every bit of the ace the Phillies imagined he could be. In 30 starts this year, he's pitched to a miniscule 2.42 ERA with an 0.97 WHIP and a .199 batting average against. He's struck out 201 batters in 193.2 innings, and while the pitcher win continues to be an overrated stat, his 16-5 record certainly grabs your attention. In all probability, the NL's Cy Young winner will be either New York's Jacob deGrom or Washington's Max Scherzer, but the fact that Nola has bullied his way into the conversation says a lot about how far he's come since this time last year.

Five players who failed to take a leap

1. Orlando Arcia, SS, Milwaukee Brewers

It sounds dramatic, but Arcia may well be the most disappointing player in baseball this year. After a simply awesome first full big league season a year ago that saw the 24-year-old hit .277 with 15 homers and 17 doubles, he's followed that up with a complete dud. This year the young shortstop has hit just .223 with only 15 extra base hits, and his complete lack of production even earned him not one but two demotions to AAA this summer. The Brewers currently are locked in ferocious playoff races for both the NL Central and the NL Wild Card, and thus they haven't really had the opportunity to let Arcia try to figure it out on the fly; these games are simply too important. He'll enter spring training next year under the microscope, as he'll have to prove he's deserving of another chance at the everyday gig.

2. Byron Buxton, OF, Minnesota Twins

Similar to Arcia, Buxton enjoyed a breakout season in 2017 before coming back this year and just looking completely lost. This time last year, the Georgia native was finishing up a season in which he hit .253 with 16 long balls, had 51 RBI and stole 29 bases while defensively earning himself the platinum glove, which is awarded to the best defensive player in the league. So how bad has it been this year? Four separate trips to the disabled list have hampered his ability to get it going, but in 90 big league at-bats he hit only .156 with a .183 OBP. There is even some potential developing tension between him and the Twins, as he is currently healthy but was not added to the big league team when rosters expanded this month to prevent him from accruing service time and thus gaining an extra season of control before he hits free agency.

3. Dominic Smith, 1B, New York Mets

The Mets' first round pick from the 2013 draft, Smith had a golden opportunity in 2018 and simply failed to take advantage of it. When the Amazins' called him up initially in August of 2017, the plan was to give him the keys at first base and have him run with them for years to come. But that just hasn't worked out. A poor major league showing down the stretch last year led New York to bring in veteran Adrian Gonzalez to compete with Smith for the first base job in spring training, and the situation never did develop into much of a competition. Smith showed up to the first spring game late, and he was benched. Days later, he suffered a quad injury that essentially handed Gonzalez the role. The youngster didn't handle the minor league demotion well, hitting only .258 with six homers in AAA and watched another first base prospect, Peter Alonso, leave him in the dust on the organizational depth chart.

4. Lucas Giolito, SP, Chicago White Sox

Giolito was one of the prized young players the Chi-Sox imported to the south side in their fire sale prior to last season. And while the team envisioned him becoming a rotation anchor, that has just not been the case. The 24-year-old has made regular starts for the White Sox all season, 30 of them in fact. But he's pitched to a woeful 5.77 ERA in 165.1 innings, limping to an unsightly 1.43 WHIP and allowing an eye-opening 26 long balls. The former first round pick is still obviously very young and may well turn it around as he gains more big league experience. But his first extended opportunity at the game's highest level has been a disappointment to say the least.

5. Scott Kingery, IF, Philadelphia Phillies

Kingery carried massive expectations with him into 2018 when he signed a shocking six-year contract extension that includes three option years that could keep him in the City of Brotherly Love through 2026 — despite never setting foot on a big league field. While the 24-year-old has shown flashes for the Phillies this year, it is hard to call the deal a win for them quite yet. In 135 games, the versatile defensive infielder has hit just .227 with seven homers. And for a Philadelphia squad that is struggling to stay in a pennant race, it could undoubtedly have used more from its top prospect.