3 Giants Players Set to Break Out in the 2020 MLB Season

Once in the NL Wild Card hunt, the San Francisco Giants faltered down the stretch and failed to meet expectations in 2019, finishing the year with a 77-85 record — 12 games back of a Wild Card spot. However, despite losing franchise icon Madison Bumgarner in free agency, the Giants find themselves in a good position to improve in 2020 — as long as a few young players can make some strides in the upcoming season.

With that in mind, here are three San Francisco Giants players poised to breakout during the 2020 MLB season.

3. Tyler Rogers

Tyler Rogers throws a pitch against the Brewers. / Norm Hall/Getty Images

Tyler Rogers pitched just 17 2/3 innings in 2019, but he showed a lot of promise in that limited action. In 17 appearances, the 29-year-old submariner baffled the hitters he faced with his funky delivery, finishing the year with an impressive 1.02 ERA, 0.85 WHIP and five holds. Rogers looks to be on track for another strong season out of the pen based on his Spring Training performance so far (0.00 ERA, 0.46 WHIP in 4 1/3 innings). And with a strong start to the 2020 season, Rogers could follow in his twin brother's footsteps and become one of the league's more reliable closers if Tony Watson — the Giants' current projected closer who sports 46.9 career save percentage — falters early on.

2. Mauricio Dubon

Mauricio Dubon during a 2019 game against the Dodgers. / Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images

Traded to the Giants in the Drew Pomeranz deal, Mauricio Dubon didn't see much action in 2019 (109 plate appearances). However, the 25-year-old infielder showed promise in the limited playing time he did receive. Dubon was a strong contributor down the stretch for San Francisco, slashing .279/.312/.442 with 4 home runs and 12 runs scored in 28 games played. Currently expected to be the Giants' starting second baseman, the 25-year-old Honduran still has to prove that he'll have staying power in 2020 with his new role with the club. However, early returns from Spring Training (1.108 OPS) are a strong indicator that a breakout season could be in the cards.

1. Mike Yastrzemski

Mike Yastrzemski during a 2019 Spring Training game. / Norm Hall/Getty Images

Grandson of Hall-of-Famer Carl Yastrzemski, Mike Yastrzemski had some pretty big shoes to fill when he made his MLB debut in 2019. However, if his strong year for the Giants is any indication, he could come close to doing so in 2020. The 29-year-old was a pleasant surprise for Giants fans in 2019, slashing .272/.334/.518 with a team-high 21 homers and 55 RBI in just 411 plate appearances. Yastrzemski's numbers last season are nothing to sneeze at — especially since 2019 was his first taste of Major League action. However, his post All-Star Break numbers are a strong indicator that he's bound to improve on his fine rookie year. In 70 games after the Midsummer Classic, he put up some particularly great numbers, slashing an impressive .287/.354/.562 with 16 long balls and a .915 OPS.

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Mike Esposito is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Mike Esposito also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username espo6891. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.