Perhaps not, but it is still a new situation for Morel, who had played six positions in his first two seasons with the Cubs and actually had started more games at designated hitter than anywhere else. In 2023, he’d made just four starts at the hot corner, and even this past winter,h...
But if there aren’t other playersquite like Betts, there are at least others who have temporarily held down positions other than the one (or ones) with which they are identified. So let’s go position by position, looking at active players who have made at least onestartat a surprising ...
Tovar played just five games at Triple-A and nine games in the big leagues before breaking camp with the starting shortstop job heading into the 2023 season. The 22-year-old is controllable through the 2028 season, and he was a 2.5-WAR player as a rookie, playing strong def...
Lewis comes from a family of athletes. His mother was a collegiate softball player. His father played football and baseball through junior college, then spent 30 years working in the food industry and now co-owns The Winery, an upscale restaurant with three locations in Southern Californ...
Weakness: Like most Rangers hitters, he benefited from Globe Life Field, which played as the most extreme home run park in the majors in 2023. He hit 18 of his 29 home runs at home and slugged .535 compared to .422 on the road. 38. Bryan Abreu, RHP, Astros Strength: The one relie...
When it comes to the positions on a baseball diamond, the catcher position usually gets the least amount of love. It's understandable as catchers usually don't put up big fantasy numbers and rarely play more than 140 games in a season. At the same time, the catcher position has been on...
but landing in a more hitter-friendly ballpark is demonstrating that this can still a slugger capable of hitting 25-plus home runs with a .330 OBP. A beloved presence in the clubhouse with the versatility to play three positions (1B, LF, RF), Mancini could be one of the most underrated...
All of this will lead to some interesting decisions for the Bucs. Bart isn’t great defensively but is a big bat on a club that didn’t have many this year. Rodríguez has played some other positions but a big part of his appeal is his strong work behind the plate. Davis has also ...
Some within the Dodgers organization believe Betts will continue to experience an offensive uptick manning the infield, where Betts has said he loves to play. He had a 1.039 OPS in 14 games at shortstop last season — his best OPS mark among the three positions he played — while setting a...
Neither Ryan Theriot nor Mike Fontenot etched out Hall of Fame careers. But they both had lengthy tenures, being able to do a bevy of different things that earned them a spot on World Series rosters. The 2000 CWS champion LSU Tiger teammates both played multiple infield...