One of the humbling things about this job is what you never see coming. No matter how many games you watch, how many people you talk to, and how much time you spend analyzing performances, there are players every year who emerge from nowhere and become the biggest stories in the game.

That's the beauty of baseball, but it can make prognosticating a frustrating gig.

In 2001, we had a bunch of these stories. Bret Boone parlayed a new league and an offseason training regimen into an MVP-caliber year. Albert Pujols made the Cardinals' roster as the 25th man, and then put up numbers that would have made him an MVP in some years. Joe Mays, Doug Mientkiewicz, John Burkett, Rich Aurilia ... the list of surprises and breakouts from last year is as long as a Sammy Sosa home run.

At the top of that list, though, is one name: Ichiro. The Japanese batting champion added the American League to his list of conquests in 2001, batting .350 and winning a closet full of awards, including Rookie of the Year and Most Valuable Player. His unorthodox batting style and tremendous speed won him plaudits from fans and the media, and his performance was a key part in the Mariners' record-tying 116-win season.

So if we're looking for the great breakout story of 2002, it makes sense to look in the same place that gave us Ichiro. The top Japanese import this year is the Dodgers' Kazuhisa Ishii, a power left-hander in the mold of a young Al Leiter or Chuck Finley. He is the best Japanese starter to journey east since Hideki Irabu in 1997. Fear not, though; Ishii's path is expected to be a lot more like the first great Japanese import, Hideo Nomo. Both were high-strikeout pitchers with some control issues, and neither came with the weight or attitude issues Irabu carried across the Pacific.

Ishii will step into the No. 3 spot in the Dodgers rotation behind Kevin Brown and Nomo. Like his teammate and predecessor, Ishii will benefit from a home ballpark that favors power pitchers. Unlike Nomo -- and Ichiro -- Ishii is unlikely to face the kind of overwhelming attention from media and fans that those two did. Ishiimania! isn't likely to take hold, but given what we're learning about the caliber of Japanese baseball, you can expect Ishii be a good starter for the Dodgers. If Sean Burroughs doesn't win the NL Rookie of the Year Award, Ishii will.

What other players could join Ishii in writing some big stories in 2002? What players are barely on radar now, but could show up in Milwaukee to play in the All-Star Game? Here are some of the top candidates:

Milton Bradley, Indians. Bradley, acquired from the Expos last summer for pitching suspect Zach Day, may have the center field job to himself in the wake of Alex Escobar's knee injury. Quite frankly, Bradley is the only Tribe flycatcher capable of patrolling center field, and his bat may finally be ready for the majors.

The key will be plate discipline. While Bradley has had good walk rates in two Triple-A seasons (79 walks against 592 at-bats), he hasn't yet shown those skills in the majors (35 walks, 392 AB). Bradley has speed, power and the ability to hit for a .270-.280 average right now. If he doesn't walk much, he'll be a league-average center fielder. If he does walk, he'll be one of the top four CFs in the AL.

Bradley has carried an "attitude" label for a few years, stemming from some incidents in the low minors. In recent years, though, he's had no problems, and he now deserves to be judged on his performance, not his reputation. Look for Bradley to be the Indians' center fielder, putting up good numbers and making the memory of Kenny Lofton fade quickly.

Jeremy Giambi, A's. By rule, the A's have to have a Giambi put up big numbers. (OK, but is it any less silly a rule than 60/40?)

Actually Giambi had the best year of his short career last season, hitting for average, showing some doubles power, and drawing walks. He performed reasonably well against left-handers (.250/.379/.417), and improved as the season went on. Left alone to be the DH -- Carlos Pena is at first base, and Giambi's play in the outfield is decidedly NC-17 -- he'll be within 20 runs of big brother's numbers, and come about $15 million cheaper.

Marcus Giles, Braves. He's perhaps a bit too high-profile for this list, but he's here to emphasize the idea that whatever you expect from him, he may do better. In a season that may open without Jeff Kent, Giles has the kind of power that could brand him as a heir apparent to Kent's role as the game's great slugging second baseman. Baseball Prospectus 2002 projects Giles to hit .292/.374/.451 with 16 home runs. I think he could reach that number by the trade deadline.

Alex Gonzalez, Cubs. Yes, him. Look, I know I've been beating this horse since Baseball Prospectus 1871, but Alex Gonzalez took a couple of steps forward last year, and he's moving into an environment -- the NL Central -- in which his flyball tendencies will help him. He is a superior defensive shotstop, probably the best in the NL right now, and as long as the Cubs don't ask him to do too much -- like bat second -- he'll be an important part of their run at consecutive winning seasons. A .290/.350/.460 season, with a Gold Glove, is well within his reach.

Joey Hamilton, Reds. This year's John Burkett. Hamilton, who hasn't been good since 1997, has found his way into the hands of Don Gullett. Gullett turned Elmer Dessens into a contributor last year, and has a growing reputation as one of the better pitching coaches in the game when it comes to retreads. Hamilton has pitched well in the early going this spring, enough to move him ahead in the battle for the Reds' No. 5 starter slot. If he can just make it to Opening Day, he'll put up good numbers all year long.

Other players who could make the jump from good ballplayer to superstar include Jeff Weaver, Tony Armas, Alfonso Soriano, Pat Burrell and Eric Milton.

Low-profile players with a chance to surprise? Jesus Colome, Ruben Quevedo, Roosevelt Brown and Karim Garcia.

You can check out more work from the team of writers of the Baseball Prospectus (tm) at their web site at baseballprospectus.com. Joe Sheehan can be reached at jsheehan@baseballprospectus.com.