3 Dodgers players most likely to have a breakout season in 2023

The Los Angeles Dodgers, like most other MLB teams, have had their fair share of breakout performers over the years.

2023 figures to be another season in which one (or more!) player(s) explode onto the scene in a big way. There are a handful of young studs who are right on the cusp of greatness for this club.

32-year-old Trayce Thompson is off to a hot start, but he's going to just barely miss out on this list. He had an OPS+ of 136 last season in 80 games for the Padres/Dodgers, so one could argue that his breakout came then. Plus, he is not projected to be a part of the team's everyday lineup.

Shelby Miller is another attractive option, but he is a former All-Star and has experienced success with both the Braves and Cardinals what feels like a lifetime ago.

Let's dive in. Here are the Dodgers' top 3 breakout candidates for the 2023 season.

James Outman

James Outman's big league career is only just beginning, but he's off to an incredible start for the Dodgers. He debuted for the club last year, hitting his first home run and posting a .462 average in four games, then performed well enough in spring to warrant his inclusion on the 2023 Opening Day roster.

10 games into the season, Outman had appeared in every Dodgers contest. He has emerged as a crucial piece to this offense, and even has his teammates ranting about how great he is.

Through those 10 games, the 25-year-old outfielder went 8-for-27 (.296 average) with two triples, three home runs and nine RBI. He'd also drawn seven walks while striking out 11 times, adding some impressive patience at the plate into his repertoire.

After the massive season he had in the minor leagues last year, Outman's success is not that much of a surprise for the Dodgers. He hit 31 doubles and home runs last year, with seven triples, 13 steals and a whopping 106 runs batted in. There was no way he could be kept down any longer, and the big league team is already reaping the benefits of his promotion to everyday major leaguer.

Gavin Stone

This one's a bit of a wild card, but feels like a distinct possibility. Gavin Stone, 24, is the No. 51 prospect in the game per MLB.com and sits at No. 4 in the Dodgers system.

Last year, he burst onto the scene in the minor leagues, making 26 appearances and posting a sparkling 1.48 ERA across 121.2 innings. He struck out 12.4 batters per nine innings, allowed just three home runs and did an exceptional job of limiting walks as well. The season he was able to have in the minors would've easily gotten him Cy Young consideration in the majors, which is wild to think about.

While the first few outings in Triple-A haven't gone the way Stone would've liked them to, he has still managed to strike out batters at a high rate, and overall does not merit much concern behind the slow start. In spring training, he struck out 14 batters and walked just two across four appearances and 6.2 shutout innings.

Slow start aside, Stone already feels like a better option to man the No. 5 spot in the big league starting rotation than Michael Grove. Grove, 26, has a career 6.63 ERA in 36.2 innings for the Dodgers, and has yet to show anything worth getting excited about. As of right now, his 12 earned runs in 7.1 innings of work leads the entire National League.

Sure, Stone has yet to experience an outing in a big league game, but he has shown time and time again that he has what it takes to succeed, regardless of what level he's at. Don't be surprised to see him up in The Show soon. He's not going to look back once he makes it.