The 2024 baseball season is not too far away now. There has been a lot of movement in the off-season, with huge names moving between leagues and teams getting stronger and stronger. Young stars are emerging, and proven talent are looking to sustain their recent success. Here are five players fans should watch out for and who will be expecting to have a big campaign.
Ronald Acuna Jr, Atlanta Braves
Last season’s National League MVP will be hoping to repeat the achievement this year, but hopefully whilst adding another World Series to his resume. Ronald Acuna Jr led a historic Atlanta Braves offense in 2023, as he became the first player in MLB history to join the 40/70 club, recording 41 home runs and 73 stolen bases. He is a part of an extremely dangerous line-up, including last year’s home run leader in Matt Olson, and two-time Silver Slugger award winner Austin Riley. The 2022 NL Rookie of the Year Michael Harris and two-time all-star Marcell Ozuna are also excellent hitters in the offense. Acuna Jr’s offensive stats placed him in the top five for the majority of categories. His incredible season is certainly one that can be replicated by his standards, meaning he is certainly one to watch for this upcoming campaign.
Shohei Ohtani, Los Angeles Dodgers
Shohei Ohtani is a must-watch for any sports fan, let alone baseball fans. The reigning American League MVP has made the switch to the National League as he signed with the Los Angeles Dodgers in free agency. Unfortunately, he will not be pitching this season, as he recovers from surgery to repair a torn UCL in his right elbow. However, he is still able to hit in a star-studded line-up alongside former MVP and seven-time all-star Freddie Freeman and two-time World Series champion Mookie Betts. The move to acquire Ohtani has made the Dodgers favourites to win it all, and the trio of him, Freeman and Betts will be extremely exciting to watch. Last season, Ohtani hit 44 home runs for the Los Angeles Angels with a batting average of .304, before his season ended in early September due to injury. He also pitched a 3.14 ERA, which ranked him seventh in the league. Throughout his time with the Angels, he earnt a number of accolades, including three all-star appearances, two MVPs, and he has also made the All-MLB first team on four occasions.
Matt Olson, Atlanta Braves
The second Braves player in this list is Matt Olson, who hit 54 home runs last season to lead all players. In what was the best campaign of his career, Olson was named an all-star for the second time, given a place in the All-MLB second team for the first time as well as winning the Silver Slugger award. In hitting his 52nd home run last September, he broke the Braves’ single season record. The side’s season ended in disappointing fashion in the playoffs, as they lost 3-1 to the Philadelphia Phillies in the NL Division Series. After recording just one post-season win, Olson and the Braves will be desperate to put things right this year. Having been traded to his current team in 2022 from the Oakland Athletics, the first baseman is still waiting for his first World Series win. It will be an intriguing watch to see if the offense can hit the historic heights as they did in 2023. They definitely have the tools to do so, and if Olson can continue to hit homers at the rate he has been doing, then it would be hard to bet against them.
Corbin Carroll, Arizona Diamondbacks
Arizona Diamondbacks’ Corbin Carroll is one of the most exciting, young players in the league. He is entering just his second full season in the big leagues, but has already made an appearance in the World Series. Whilst it ultimately ended in defeat to the Texas Rangers, Carroll emerged as a real star throughout the campaign and is destined for stardom in 2024 and beyond. He was promoted to the major leagues in August 2022, in which he made his debut and subsequently appeared in 32 games. However, in his first full season he played in 155 games, hitting .285/.362/.506 with 25 home runs. As a result, he was named the NL Rookie of the Year. He also excelled in his first post-season run, hitting .273/.364/.409 with two homers. In doing so, he had three multi-hit games in the first series against the Milwaukee Brewers, which preceded an incredible three-game sweep of the Dodgers. At just 23-years old, Carroll will be an exciting watch as his career progresses. Having had such an impactful rookie season, there are no limits on what heights he could reach in 2024.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Los Angeles Dodgers
If it were not for Ohtani, Yoshinobu Yamamoto would have been the biggest free agent acquisition of the off-season. However, they both ended up on the same team, with the Dodgers flexing their financial muscle to sign the pair. Their first season on the team will not see them both occupy places in the pitching rotation due to Ohtani’s injury, so all eyes will be on Yamamoto in that regard. He will be the team’s ace, and will be part of a revamped rotation which places the Dodgers amongst the league’s best. Alongside adding him, the Dodgers traded for Tyler Glasnow from the Tampa Bay Rays, as well as welcoming back two-time all-star Walker Buehler, who will make a return from injury at some point in the season. Add that to the dangerous offensive line-up they can put out, this will definitely be a team fans must watch. Yamamoto was highly coveted by a number of big teams, despite having never thrown a pitch in the big leagues. With a 12-year $325m contract, he became the highest paid pitcher in MLB history in terms of guaranteed money. His performances in Japan have elevated him to stardom status, so he will be certainly one to watch as he acclimatises to life in Major League Baseball.
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