One of Sandy Alderson’s “under the radar” signings this winter was outfielder Scott Hairston. So far this spring Hairston, brother of former Yankee Jerry, is hitting .353 with two homers and eight RBI. With the health of Carlos Beltran in question it’s possible that Hairston will be the starting right fielder on Opening Day. Last week famed statistician John Dewan listed Hairston as a potential breakout candidate.

Last season Jose Bautista had an historic breakout offensive campaign for the Toronto Blue Jays. Bautista was a part time player who never hit more than 16 homers, or drove in 54 runs before his 54 home run/124 RBI 2010. Dewan is using spring training statistics to determine who could be a potential breakout candidate ala Bautista.

There are 36 players whose Spring Training slugging percentages (minimum 40 at-bats) exceed their career totals by at least 200 points, with Hairston (.674) being one of them. The only season that Hairston has received consistent playing time was 2009, and he produced a solid 17 homers, 64 RBI, and a .265 batting average for San Diego and Oakland. His strength throughout his career has been hitting left handed pitching to the tune of a .829 OPS.

No one is suggesting Hairston will slug at the level of a Josh Hamilton, Albert Pujols, or even Bautista, but he’s the type of undervalued player that makes a team better. He hits lefties, as mentioned, gets on base, and has solid power. This is a far better Plan B to Beltran than what we saw last year in Jesus Feliciano or Jeff Francoeur. Ironically, Hairston’s potential platoon mate, Willie Harris, is on the list as well.

Other locals that are on the “breakout” list are Alex Rodriguez, Josh Thole, and former Yankee Melky Cabrera.

Mike Silva is a freelance writer and radio host since March of 2007. This website is his own personal "digest" of New York Baseball He's also hosts NYBD Radio on Blog Talk Radio and 1240 AM WGBB. Check out his sports media commentary at www.sportsmediawatchdog.com. Check out his official website, www.mikesilvamedia.com

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Tags: Alex Rodriguez, Carlos Beltran, John Dewan Stat of the Week, Jose Bautista, Josh Thole, Kansas City Royals, Melky Cabrera, New York Mets, New York Yankees, Scott Hairston, Toronto Blue Jays, Willie Harris