One hitter and pitcher from each league who are primed for rebound seasons

Opening Day for the 2024 MLB season is Thursday, and a number of notable players aim to get back on track after underperforming in 2023. 

While some won't be fortunate enough to reshape their careers, not many expected former National League MVP Cody Bellinger to do so last season, which provides optimism for all.

With that in mind, here are four players — one hitter and one pitcher from each league — who are poised to rebound from their disappointing 2023 seasons. 

American League 

HITTER | Vladimir Guerrero Jr., first baseman, Toronto Blue Jays | 

Although he earned his third career All-Star selection, the 2023 season marked the second consecutive year of regression for the "MLB The Show 24" cover athlete. In 156 games, Guerrero hit .264/.345/.444 with 26 home runs and 94 RBI while posting a 117 OPS+, his lowest since the pandemic-shortened 2020 season. While he may never replicate his outstanding 2021 season, Guerrero's underlying metrics indicate that he was a victim of bad luck in 2023, suggesting he can turn things around.

According to Baseball Savant, Guerrero ranked in the 96th percentile in expected batting average (.299), the 94th percentile in expected wOBA (.378) and the 89th percentile in expected slugging percentage (.503). Additionally, Guerrero seemed to have improved his approach at the plate last season, as evidenced by his career-best 14.7% strikeout rate. He's still as powerful of a hitter as they come, and if that plate discipline continues into 2024, Guerrero could enjoy another MVP-caliber season. 

PITCHER | Triston McKenzie, Cleveland Guardians |

McKenzie isn't attempting to bounce back from poor performance but rather from injuries. The 26-year-old didn't make his first start in 2023 until June 4 due to a teres major muscle strain he sustained prior to Opening Day. He'd last just one more outing after that before landing back on the 60-day IL with a UCL sprain. Even though he managed to return for two starts in September, McKenzie was ineffective, finishing the 2023 season with a 5.06 ERA across 16 innings pitched.

Now fully healthy and coming off a solid 14.2 innings of work in spring training, McKenzie is well-positioned for another year similar to his breakout 2022 season. During that season, McKenzie ranked 19th in the majors in ERA (2.94) while striking out 190 batters and issuing just 44 walks across 191.1 innings pitched. 

National League 

HITTER | Jeff McNeil, second baseman, New York Mets |

The two-time All-Star, who led the majors with a .326 batting average in 2022, was lost at the plate for much of last season, posting a slash line of .270/.333/.378 with 10 homers and 55 RBI. However, after adjusting his stance late in the year, McNeil closed out the 2023 season strong. As a result, McNeil hit .297/.340/.517 with four home runs and eight RBI across 23 games in September before being shut down with a partially torn UCL that didn't require surgery.

Mets hitting coach Eric Chavez recently told the New York Post that McNeil's 2023 issues stemmed from being torn between wanting to hit for power or average. It's imperative that McNeil fully commits to being the most effective version of himself, and that's serving as a slap hitter. Should he do so, both McNeil and the Mets could bounce back in a big way this season. 

PITCHER | Dylan Cease, San Diego Padres |

After finishing as the runner-up in the 2022 AL Cy Young Award balloting, Cease struggled mightily for the Chicago White Sox last season, posting a 4.58 ERA while leading the majors in wild pitches (14). Even so, there's plenty of reason to believe the now-Padre should look more like the dominant ace he seemed to be establishing himself as before faltering in 2023.

Despite his poor results, Cease still ranked fifth in Stuff+ last season (115), trailing Corbin Burnes, Kyle Bradish, Spencer Strider and Gerrit Cole. Considering Cease has collected the fourth-most strikeouts among pitchers over the last three seasons (667), 2023 might prove to be an outlier. The right-hander’s recent change of scenery could provide an additional boost, too.