Just as there are every season, there will be a handful of players who surprise the hell out of everyone. Think Chris Davis two years ago — a post-hype sleeper who belted 53 home runs seemingly out of nowhere.
You’ll notice a common bond between most of my breakout picks below, however — four out of five of them are Cuban.
Cigars are no longer the best import from the Caribbean nation, ya’ll. It’s baseball talent.
Related: 5 Fantasy Baseball Sleepers For 2015
Josh Helmuth is the editor of CraveOnline Sports
Photo Credit: Getty
5 BREAKOUT HITTERS
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Jorge Soler - Chicago Cubs
After destroying minor league pitching last year to the tune of .340/.432/.700, the Cuban slugger is ready to take the baseball world by storm. Okay, that sounds incredibly, cliche. But what can I say? This 6-foot-4 behemoth is the next Joe Abreu.
Soler is only 23-years-old, so there's going to be a learning curve, but this is likely the last year you'll get him on a discount. He needs to learn to walk more in the Bigs, but in his brief stint with the Cubs last year, Soler hit .292 with 5 HRs. Just about any projection out there has him knocking around 25 bombs this season -- that's being modest.
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Kris Bryant - Chicago Cubs
Bryant has been the talk of baseball since he was drafted 2nd overall in 2013.
He hit 43 HRs last year, leading the minors, just one year after leading all of the NCAA in HRs (31).
His playing time will greatly determine his fantasy impact, but many believe he will be called up to start regularly for the Cubbies by May.
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Marcell Ozuna - Miami Marlins
I wasn't a believer at first, but this is a guy who is younger than you think (24) and snuck up on everyone last year, hitting 23 home runs -- this after an ankle injury ended his season slightly early.
This ESPN.com writer thinks he's the next big star -- go ahead and read if you want more of the saber-metrics. In short, however, this kid was signed at 17 years-old and has mashed everywhere he's been, and it would have been sooner if not for a thumb injury in 2013. He's going in the 12th round right now; you'll likely get 4th round production.
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Rusney Castillo - Boston Red Sox
At 27-years-old, is this Cuban another Jose Abreu type? Kind of.
He won't produce 30-plus home runs, but he will give you quality production in all categories. After signing the richest contract by a Cuban in history, Castillo made a brief 40-plate appearance with the club last September. In that time he hit 333/.400/.528 with two home runs and three steals.
A 20/20 season is well in rich with this developed talent.
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Yasmany Tomas - Arizona Diamondbacks
Projections say this Cuban star will likely strike out ... a lot. However, at 24-years-old, this bruising home-run hitter still has his best days ahead of him.
The D'backs plan on starting him at third base, despite questions surrounding his defense. Why does this matter for fantasy? Poor performance could mean a position change or cut into his playing time.
Tread carefully here regarding all of the question marks, but many projections -- including the very conservative PECOTA -- have Tomas hitting at least 25 home runs this year. Just don't expect a high average.
