Big Seasons in 2014

Some players flat out had a terrible 2013 season, others made progress towards becoming better players, and some took a decline. Here are some names that I predict will have great 2014 seasons.

I have no idea why Belt is petting a baby Giraffe 

Brandon Belt

Brandon Belt is entering his age 26 season and has shown that he has patience at the plate. In 2012 and 2013 he had a .360 on base percentage, with his batting average rising from .275 to .289. Belt finally has a secure spot in the Giants lineup and is a much needed part of their offense. Belt showed much more power in 2013 hitting 17 home runs instead of 7 the year previous and 39 doubles instead of 27 the previous year. You can expect Belt to get on base, hit more home runs, and drive in plenty of runs, making 2014 his best year yet.

Justin Masterson

Justin Masterson is going to be a free agent at the end of 2014 season, and historically players preform pretty well in the final year of their contract. Masterson had the second best season of his career in 2013 posting a 3.45 ERA in 193 innings pitched, striking out 195. His best season was 2011 where he had a 3.21 ERA in 216 innings pitched with 158 strikeouts. In 2012 Masterson took a step back and posted a 4.93 ERA, but 2014 will be different. In 2013 we saw a significant decline in hits allowed, previous to 2013 Masterson allowed an average of 207 hits a season, in 2013 he allowed just 156. Previous to 2013 Masterson struck out just an average of 152 per season, and in 2013 he struck out 195. Masterson is a ground ball pitcher striking guys out, he is heading a very good direction and a very big pay day.

Josh Hamilton

Josh Hamilton signed a mega deal with the Los Angeles Angels and did not perform as expected in the first year of the contract. Hamilton had his worst season since 2009 posting a 108 OPS+ although he did play 151 games, hit 21 home runs, and drove in 29 RBIs. We all know the ball does not carry as well in Los Angeles as it does in Texas, but Hamilton has serious power. I think the first year in LA was just Hamilton adjusting. He came into spring training of 2013 lighter, because in Texas he would lose weight quickly throughout the season. Now that he understands what will occur throughout the season in Los Angeles and the fact that it is also very hot in LA, Hamilton will have a great 2014 season.

Coincidentally Lincecum started to do better since he
cut his hair in 2013. 

Tim Lincecum

It seems like I say this every year, but Lincecum has not performed worse than the season before. In 2012 Lincecum had the worst season of his career posting a 5.18 ERA. In 2013 Lincecum dropped his ERA to 4.37. This is similar to the 2010-2011 season drop in ERA Lincecum experienced. In 2010 Lincecum's ERA was at a career high 3.43, in 2011 his ERA dropped 69 points to 2.74. Lincecum started throwing much earlier this off season in a warehouse in Seattle, so he is ready for the season. He said he is just concentrating on getting outs, not strikeouts. You will see a drop in ERA once again. We will probably never see the Lincecum of old again, but you will see a highly effective pitcher. I'm predicting a 75 point drop in ERA and a 3.62 ERA for Lincecum in 2014.