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Where are they now? A look at batters in different places ahead of the MLB season
Opening Day for the 2024 MLB season is Thursday, and it will feature plenty of familiar faces in different places.
We all know about Shohei Ohtani's move from the Angels to the Dodgers, but several others changed scenery, too.
Here's a look at 10 hitters who were on the move this offseason and what it means for their 2024 team.
Matt Chapman, 3B
2023 team: Toronto Blue Jays | 2024 team: San Francisco Giants
The 2019 All-Star won his fourth Gold Glove in 2023, his second season with the Blue Jays after five years with the A's (2017-21). At the plate, Chapman posted a 56.9% hard-hit rate and had 58 extra-base hits, his most since 2019. He takes over at third base for J.D. Davis, who joined the Oakland A's in free agency.
Brandon Crawford, SS
2023 team: San Francisco Giants | 2024 team: St. Louis Cardinals
Crawford spent his first 13 seasons (2011-23) in San Francisco. where he ranks 16th in franchise history in total hits (1,392). He'll be an upgrade in St. Louis over primary 2023 starting shortstop Paul DeJong, who left for the White Sox and only had a .297 on-base percentage with over four times as many strikeouts (87) as walks (21).
Santiago Espinal, 2B
2023 team: Toronto Blue Jays | 2024 team: Cincinnati Reds
Espinal made the 2022 All-Star team one season after compiling a .311 batting average. A career .273 hitter, Espinal has a good eye at the plate, which has led him to post a below-league-average strike-out rate. He can also play multiple infield positions, including third base and shortstop, where his career fielding rate is higher than the league average.
Mitch Haniger, RF
2023 team: San Francisco Giants | 2024 team: Seattle Mariners
Haniger is back in Seattle like he never left. The former Mariner from 2017-22 struggled in 61 games with the Giants in 2023, posting a .209 batting average with only six home runs. He had his best seasons in 2018 and 2020 with the Mariners, and based on his strong spring, that could be the version Seattle gets in 2024. In 16 games this spring training, Haniger batted .385 with five home runs.
Rhys Hoskins, 1B
2023 team: Philadelphia Phillies* | 2024 team: Milwaukee Brewers
We put an asterisk next to the Phillies because Hoskins missed last season after suffering a torn ACL in spring training. In six seasons with the franchise (2017-22), Hoskins hit 27 or more home runs four times. He could provide a meaningful power boost to a Brewers team that only hit 165 home runs last season, tied for the sixth-fewest in the league.
Joc Pederson, DH
2023 team: San Francisco Giants | 2024 team: Arizona Diamondbacks
After spending his first seven seasons with the Dodgers, Pederson has floated around since the start of the 2021 season, playing for the Cubs, Braves and Giants. He hasn't been as much of a power hitter since leaving L.A., but what he's lost in that area he's gained in overall contact. The lefty has solid power with a career hard-hit rate of 49.6%, well above league-average (38.8%). He should fit in seamlessly as the projected No. 5 hitter on the reigning NL champs.
Jorge Polanco, 2B
2023 team: Minnesota Twins | 2024 team: Seattle Mariners
Like Crawford, it's going to be weird to see Polanco in a different jersey after he spent his first 10 seasons with the Twins. He made the All-Star team in 2019 and hit a career-high 33 home runs in 2021. While he has some durability issues after playing in at least 100 games in only four seasons, Polanco is good at making contact and enters the season hot after an excellent spring. In 17 games, Polanco had a .419 batting average.
Juan Soto, RF
2023 team: San Diego Padres | 2024 team: New York Yankees
The Yankees made a huge splash when they traded for Soto, 25. The three-time All-Star is one of the league's best young players. He played in all 162 games last season and had 35 home runs and 109 runs batted in with a .275 average. Soto joins an already potent Yankees lineup that includes center fielder Aaron Judge, first baseman Anthony Rizzo and Giancarlo Stanton.
Justin Turner, 3B
2023 team: Boston Red Sox | 2024 team: Toronto Blue Jays
The Blue Jays were able to let Chapman walk because they previously signed Turner to a one-year deal. The 15-year vet is a career .288 hitter and showed no signs of slowing down in his age-38 season last year. He had career-highs in hits (154) and runs batted in (96) while recording 54 extra-base hits.
Alex Verdugo, LF
2023 team: Boston Red Sox | 2024 team: New York Yankees
Soto wasn't the only big name the Yankees added. They added another left-handed bat to their lineup after a surprising deal with the arch-nemesis Red Sox for Verdugo. He joined Boston in 2020 and had a .281 batting average in four seasons with the franchise. While his career-high in home runs is only 13 in 2021, Verdugo has at least 32 doubles in each of his last three seasons, which could put him a position to drive in a bunch of runners as the projected No. 6 batter in New York's lineup.
More must-reads:
- One hitter and pitcher from each league who are primed for rebound seasons
- What can the Angels expect from Mike Trout in 2024?
- The 'Active MLB strikeout leaders' quiz
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