For every Mark McGwire, who hit 49 home runs as a rookie, there's a Barry Bonds, who hit .223 in his first year. I suppose I should do a similar thing for pitchers. And there are a few that definitely qualify as major-leaguers poised for greatness. I'd start by picking Javier Vazquez, Glendon Rusch, Bruce Chen, Eric Milton and Jeff Weaver. But I don't dare.
Pitchers are much more volatile and unpredictable than hitters.
Just look at Matt Morris and Kerry Wood. Nope, predicting pitcher performance is a fool's game, and momma didn't raise no fool. So besides pitchers, I've picked one breakout candidate per position, from either league. I've also picked one honorable mention, who deserves to mentioned, honorably. If every one of these guys doesn't end up on a few All-Star teams, I hereby make a solemn vow to eat my hat.