BRUTALLY NEWS: White sox key players who qualify to play 2024 season are…
The 2024 players who will have improved the most are
Each season, there are several players that have improved significantly from the year before.
Which athletes are most likely to advance from 2023 to 2024? We did this by taking every player with at least 400 plate appearances or 85 innings played in the previous season and comparing their predicted WAR for the following season with their 2023 WAR. (The projected WAR totals are provided by FanGraphs Depth Charts, which combine the ZiPS and Steamer projection algorithms and are assigned expected playing time by FanGraphs personnel.)
These players are anticipated to increase their WAR by the greatest amounts this season.
1. Blue Jays first baseman Vladimir Guerrero Jr.: +2.7 WAR; 2023 WAR: 1 Estimated War: 3.7 by 2024
Guerrero is still trying to reach the heights of his incredible 2021 breakout season, in which the 22-year-old slugger recorded 48 home runs, a 1.002 OPS, 166 wRC+, and 6.3 WAR. Guerrero’s decline continued in 2022 and 2023, as he finished the season with 26 home runs, a.788 OPS, and a 118 wRC+ over 156 games. But he might be in for a big season in 2024; according to FanGraphs Depth Charts, he should be among the top 10 hitters in MLB.
2. Twins SS Carlos Correa: +2.5 WAR; 2023 WAR: 1.1 | Estimated War: 3.6 by 2024
In 2023, the first year of a six-year, $200 million contract with the Twins, Correa compiled a.230/.312/.399 slash with a 96 wRC+ across 135 games despite dealing with plantar fasciitis in his left foot for the most of the season. Even though the 29-year-old shortstop is still in his prime, it’s not difficult to imagine him reaching higher ground if his health improves by 2024. As recently as 2022, he had a 140 wRC+ and was a 4.4-WAR player.
3. Luis Severino, SP, New York Mets: +2.2 WAR -0.6 in 2023 Estimated War: 1.6 by 2024
Severino appeared to be on the verge of reviving his once bright career when he pitched 102 innings with a 3.18 ERA and 112 strikeouts across 19 starts for the Yankees in 2022, after making just seven appearances overall between 2019 and 21 due to injuries. But all hope was dashed last season as he battled two major injuries (a left oblique strain and a right lat strain) and put up a 6.65 ERA in 19 appearances. Although Severino’s time as a front-line starter is probably over, the Mets nevertheless signed him to a $13 million, one-year contract in free agency in the hopes that he may improve their.
4. Brandon Pfaadt, SP, D-backs: +1.8 WAR; Projected WAR in 2024: 2.1; 2023 WAR: 0.3.
Entering 2023 as one of MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 prospects, Pfaadt stumbled in his big league debut but rebounded after shifting his rubber-spot and adjusting his repertoire. Pfaadt provided Arizona a tremendous boost in the postseason by starting as the team’s third starter during their unexpected run to the World Series. He had posted a 4.22 ERA over his final 13 outings of the regular season. The 25-year-old raised hopes for what he might be able to do in 2024 after posting a 3.27 ERA over 22 innings with 26 strikeouts and five walks.
5-T. Cardinals’ Lance Lynn, SP: +1.7 WAR; 2023 WAR: 0.5 | Estimated War: 2.2 by 2024
For the White Sox and Dodgers in 2023, Lynn’s ERA skyrocketed to a career-high 5.73 over 183 2/3 innings while giving up an MLB-high 44 home runs (2.16 HR/9). Projections suggest that the veteran may be able to reduce the problem by 2024. FanGraphs Depth Charts predict that he will have a 4.40 ERA and allow 26 home runs over 175 innings (1.35 HR/9) for the Cardinals, who signed him to a $11 million, one-year contract in November. Lynn, who played for the St. Louis Cardinals for the first six seasons of his big league career, had a 3.38 ERA while wearing the uniform and a 2.85 ERA with just 31 home runs allowed in 484 career innings at the plate.
