Ten players who will take the next step in 2007

	Howie Kendrick hit .285 in 72 games last season and will become the Angels' full-time second baseman in 2007. Stephen Dunn/Getty Images
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At this time a year ago, who ever saw Freddy Sanchez emerging as a batting champion and Cla Meredith as one of the best lockdown relievers in baseball? Surely not the Red Sox, who traded both away, but just about nobody else, either. The 2006 season may be remembered as the Year of the Rookie, but the breakout seasons were not limited to those with the official rookie classification.

Among the other breakout stars of last season were Michael Cuddyer of Minnesota, Alex Rios of Toronto, Adrian Gonzalez of San Diego and J.J. Putz of Seattle. As the calender turns to 2007, here is one look at the next class of Sanchezes and Merediths, the possible breakout players of '07.

1. Daisuke Matsuzaka, 26, RHP, Red Sox. Go ahead and scrounge for all the reasons why Matsuzaka might struggle in his first year in the majors: longer season, one fewer day off in between starts, better hitters, language and cultural transitions, etc. I'll take his stuff any day. Matsuzaka is a young version of David Cone, a superb blend of power and guile who cannot be defined by one go-to pitch. He will be a nightmare for teams to face the first time around and not much easier thereafter. And at 26, he's just entering his prime. Over his last two seasons, for instance, his strikeout-to-walk ratio was 5.1:1. He's good for a minimum of 15 wins and a 3.50 ERA.

2. Howie Kendrick, 23, 2B, Angels. Poor Kendrick. The guy really struggled when Los Angeles gave him 290 at-bats last season while asking him to play mostly first base, a position he never had played before. The guy hit only .285. Only? Well, how about this run of averages up the minor league ladder: .318, .368, .367, .384, .342, .369. Kendrick can flat out mash in the style of Bill Madlock, and don't be surprised if, like Madlock, he winds up winning multiple batting titles. His first could happen as soon as next season when, back at his natural second base, he could be battling Robinson Cano of the Yankees for All-Star Game starting assignments and batting titles for years to come.

3. Brandon McCarthy, 23, RHP, Rangers. Chicago GM Kenny Williams has stockpiled young pitchers, but why trade McCarthy without seeing what he can do as a starter? McCarthy took the old-school route to the rotation with a year and a half apprenticeship in the Chicago bullpen. Now he gets the chance to live up to those early comparisons to fellow lanky hard throwers Jack McDowell and Bret Saberhagen, though McCarthy's changeup is the pitch that will set him apart. Left-handers hit just .197 against him last season, the seventh-lowest mark in the AL.