The most improved players of '23 will be ...

There are many factors that might have a hand in helping a player improve from one year to the next, whether it’s better health, a new approach, a natural progression of skills or simply better luck.

To find out which position players are expected to improve the most from 2022 to 2023, we took every player who had at least 450 plate appearances last season and compared their 2022 WAR to their projected 2023 WAR. (Projected WAR totals are courtesy of FanGraphs Depth Charts, which are a combination of the Steamer and ZiPS projection systems, with expected playing time allocated by FanGraphs staff.)

The result is an interesting mix of breakout candidates, bounceback players and superstar talents coming off so-so years (by their lofty standards).

1. Ronald Acuña Jr., OF, Braves.: +3.3 WAR
2022 WAR: 2.2 | Projected 2023 WAR: 5.5

Acuña hit the ground running in his return from a torn ACL last April -- literally. The outfielder stole two bases in his first game back and went on to swipe 29 over 119 games on the year. However, from a skills perspective, the player we saw last season didn’t quite look like the superstar he was before his injury. He was slower, his defense wasn’t as good and he hit with less power as his plate discipline regressed. Now more than 20 months removed from his ACL tear, the 25-year-old could find whatever he lost last season and re-establish himself as a perennial MVP candidate.

2-T. Juan Soto, OF, Padres: +3 WAR
2022 WAR: 3.8 | Projected 2023 WAR: 6.8

Soto hit 27 homers and walked 135 times with just 96 strikeouts over 664 plate appearances between the Nationals and Padres in 2022, but a career-low .249 batting average on balls in play dragged down his overall line. For many hitters, a 145 wRC+ would have been a career year, but it was actually a step down for the 24-year-old after what he did the previous two seasons (172 wRC+). Given Soto’s hitting skills, youth and track record, you probably won’t be surprised to learn that he’s projected for the second-most WAR behind Aaron Judge in 2023.

2-T. Andrew Vaughn, 1B, White Sox: +3 WAR
2022 WAR: -0.4 | Projected 2023 WAR: 2.6

The No. 3 overall pick in the 2019 MLB Draft, Vaughn has yet to have his offensive breakout, hitting .255 with a 104 wRC+ and 32 homers over his first two seasons. He was also the game’s least valuable defender across 2021-22, as he was forced to play the outfield far too often with José Abreu occupying first base for the White Sox. But after Abreu signed with the Astros as a free agent, Vaughn could get the chance to play first base full time in 2023, perhaps leading to some improvement with the glove. The projections also see a big year coming from the 24-year-old at the plate -- FanGraphs Depth Charts have him putting up 26 homers and a 127 wRC+. Vaughn did produce hard contact on 20.7% of his swings last season, tying him with Soto for the fourth-highest rate in MLB, so there’s reason to believe he can make a leap in his third season.

4-T. Jose Miranda, 1B/3B, Twins: +2.1 WAR
2022 WAR: 1.1 | Projected 2023 WAR: 3.2

Miranda took some time to find his comfort zone after debuting last May, but once he got on a roll, he was one of the AL’s best rookie hitters, recording a .292/.349/.458 slash with 14 homers and a 133 wRC+ in his final 427 PAs. Defense was … another story. Miranda mostly split his time between third and second in the Minors, but the Twins often used him at first base in 2022 and he didn’t take to the position, posting -6 defensive runs saved and -4 outs above average. He finished with 1.1 WAR. So why does FanGraphs have him as a 3.2-WAR player in 2023? For one, he’s likely to see more time at the hot corner after the Twins traded Gio Urshela to the Angels, which could lead to improved defensive metrics. FanGraphs Depth Charts also projects him for a 122 wRC+, which would be a step up from last year’s mark of 117.

4-T. Jeimer Candelario, 1B/3B, Nationals: +2.1 WAR
2022 WAR: -0.1 | Projected 2023 WAR: 2

Candelario looked like a potential building block for Detroit across 2020-21, ranking third among MLB third basemen in WAR (5.8) behind José Ramírez and Manny Machado while putting up a 125 wRC+ in that span. But after he hit .217 with an 80 wRC+ over 124 games in 2022, the rebuilding Tigers non-tendered the 29-year-old in November. Candelario landed with the Nationals on a one-year, $5 million deal, and he’ll have a chance to rejuvenate his career in the nation’s capital as Washington’s likely starting third baseman.

6-T. Nick Castellanos, OF, Phillies: +2 WAR
2022 WAR: -0.7 | Projected 2023 WAR: 1.3

Castellanos was one of the best hitters in the NL in 2021 (34 homers, 139 wRC+), after which he opted out of his contract with the Reds and signed a five-year, $100 million deal with the Phillies. The free-swinging slugger not only declined across the board during his first year in Philadelphia, he finished third-to-last among qualifying position players with -0.7 WAR. Castellanos’ projections for 2023 (109 wRC+) actually aren’t that optimistic, but 1.3 WAR would still be a 2-win jump from last season.

6-T. Ketel Marte, 2B, D-backs: +2 WAR
2022 WAR: 1.4 | Projected 2023 WAR: 3.4

After finishing fourth in the NL MVP race in 2019 (32 homers, 150 wRC+) and recording a 140 wRC+ while battling injuries in 2021, Marte combined a league-average bat (102 wRC+) with subpar defense (-6 DRS, -3 OAA) at second base in 2022. The projections see a big bounceback coming (at least on offense), with FanGraphs Depth Charts forecasting 17 homers and a 122 wRC+.

8-T. MJ Melendez, C/OF, Royals: +1.9 WAR
2022 WAR: -0.2 | Projected 2023 WAR: 1.7

Although Melendez was lauded for his defense as a catching prospect, his glove work during his rookie season was so poor that his future as a big league catcher is now in question. The youngster has a cannon for an arm, but he was one of MLB’s worst pitch framers and ranked dead last by a wide margin in Statcast’s new blocking metric. With Melendez expected to see more time in the outfield than behind the plate in 2023, it’s likely his defense won’t detract from the value his bat provides quite as much as it did last season. Speaking of his bat, Melendez’s 99 wRC+ in 2022 was unremarkable, but with his grasp of the strike zone and tremendous raw power, he’s a candidate to break out this year.

8-T. Jared Walsh, 1B, Angels: +1.9 WAR
2022 WAR: -0.6 | Projected 2023 WAR: 1.3

What was a feel-good story for Walsh -- a former 39th-round Draft pick turned All-Star who produced 29 homers, 98 RBIs and a 126 wRC+ in 2021 -- took a turn for the worse last year. The first baseman recorded a 78 wRC+, a bottom-10 mark among players with at least 450 plate appearances, before undergoing season-ending surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome in September. Now healthy, the 29-year-old will look to turn the page and get his career back on track in 2023.

10-T. Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 1B, Blue Jays: +1.8 WAR
2022 WAR: 2.8 | Projected 2023 WAR: 4.6

It's hard to call Guerrero's 2022 season a letdown considering he swatted 32 homers over 160 games and was 32% better than league average at the plate (132 wRC+). That said, the young slugger didn't match the high bar he set the previous year, when he produced 48 dingers and slashed .311/.401/.601 with a 166 wRC+, leading to a second-place finish in the AL MVP race. Still only 24 years old, Guerrero could be poised to reclaim his elite status in 2023 -- FanGraphs Depth charts project him for the sixth-highest wRC+ (154) of any hitter.

10-T. Salvador Perez, C/DH, Royals: +1.8 WAR
2022 WAR: 0.5 | Projected 2023 WAR: 2.3

Regression was always likely after Perez tied for the MLB lead in homers (48) and led the Majors outright with 121 RBIs in 2021, but his decline was more dramatic than expected due in large part to the left thumb injury he initially suffered in May and aggravated in June, leading to surgery. The veteran backstop is unlikely to approach his 2021 numbers ever again, but his performance after returning from the procedure -- he hit .297 with 12 home runs and a 131 wRC+ over his final 57 games -- is a source of optimism heading into his age-33 season.