3 Phillies Players Set to Break Out in 2021 MLB Season

Opening Day is quickly approaching as teams continue to play in spring training games and make crucial roster decisions. One aspect of the MLB that will always stay the same year after year is the emergence of breakout players. These kind of players are vital to to the success of any MLB team.

A breakout player is simply someone who exceeds expectations and shows a lot of improvement from past seasons. With that being said, here are three Philadelphia Phillies players set to break out in the 2021 MLB season.

1. Spencer Howard, Pitcher

Spencer Howard remains one of the Phillies' top prospects and a pitcher they hope has starter potential in the future. For now, he is fighting for a roster spot in spring training, which would likely come in the bullpen. Howards debuted in the MLB last season and was simply okay posting a 5.92 ERA across 6 starts (1-2 record). However, he could thrive in the MLB if the Phillies are able to maximize his strengths. Howard has already shown that his fastball is much better than it has been in the past and is turning some heads with his raw arm talent. Don't be shocked if Howard makes it into the rotation sometime this season and pitches well.

2. Alec Bohm, Third Base

You can argue that Alec Bohm already had his breakout season in 2020, but he can be even better moving forward. Bohm made his MLB debut last season and hit .338/..400/.481 across 44 games with the team. He also racked up 23 RBI and finished second in the National League Rookie of the Year voting. Although, that's with just a small sample size. Now Bohm has a full season to show off his skills and there is no reason to believe he cannot pick up right where he left off. At just 24 years old, Bohm looks stronger in spring training so far and could be on his way to an all-star season.

3. Zach Eflin, Starting Pitcher

Unlike his teammate Howard, Zach Eflin is set to have a starting role from the jump as the team's No. 3 option in the rotation. Eflin posted a career-best 3.97 ERA last season and struck out 70 batters in 59.0 innings pitched. This will be his sixth MLB season, but he still has shown signs that he can improve. He has a full arsenal of pitches that fool batters including a solid four-seam fastball and impressive curveball. If he can pitch how he did in 2020 over the course of a full season, Eflin could surprise a lot of people and take the Phillies starting rotation to a whole other level.

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Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. 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.