The young 2013 season has had quite a few surprises thus far and breakout performances are no exception. Here’s a look at five of the most surprising players thus far.
5. Jose Altuve Houston Astros
The Astros second baseman has been the highlight of their season so far as he is off to a great start. He’s batting .338 with two homeruns and 17 RBI. For being on a struggling team such as the Astros, his performance is even more impressive. Houston was expected to struggle this season and their players were expected to be mediocre, but Altuve is proving otherwise and having a breakout season thus far.
4. Hisashi Iwakuma, Seattle Mariners
The Mariners are an improved team this year with the help of some pitching. Felix Hernandez is always an ace on the mound, but Iwakuma has been a nice surprise for Seattle. He’s 3-1 with a 1.61 ERA and 42 strikeouts. It’s only his second year with the club and he’s been very impressive so far this season.
3. Jed Lowrie, Oakland Athletics
As the A’s entered the 2013 season, Hiroyuki Nakajima was expected to be the starting shortstop, but due to injury, Lowrie was given the starting job on opening day. The A’s didn’t know what they would get from Lowrie, as he has a history of injuries that have sidelined him in the past and the A’s weren’t sure if he could play everyday. Well, with over a month of the season gone, Lowrie has proven to be a great asset to the green and gold. The shortstop is batting .303 with three homeruns and 15 RBI. He also has stellar defense and is swinging a hot bat proving to be a surprise player this season and he is a big part of their early success.
2. Ryan Raburn, Cleveland Indians
Raburn has seven years experience and has had some up and down seasons. Last year he didn’t have a lot of success, but this season is different. He is batting .343 with 4 homeruns and 11 RBI. The Indians have been doing well as of late and Raburn is a big factor in their success.
1. John Buck, New York Mets
The Mets catcher has had quite the surprising start this season. He’s batting only .245, but has 10 homeruns and 29 RBI. Such numbers weren’t expected of Buck when the season began and it’s unknown how long the success will last due to his stats in the past. It’s only May and he already has 10 homeruns, last season he hit 12 all season. Safe to say, Buck has been a great surprise this season, and a great addition to the Mets.