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The National League has seen plenty of young players blossom into stars over the past couple of years. Corey Seager, Cody Bellinger, Ronald Acuna Jr., Pete Alonso, and Devin Williams all won NL Rookie of the Year from 2016 to 2020. Those five players are now regarded as some of the best in the game.
Even in the last two years, we have seen players like Michael Harris II (2022) and Corbin Carroll (2023) win the award. Those two players are surely up-and-coming stars. Harris hit .297 with 19 home runs and 64 RBI in his rookie campaign, while Carroll was a unanimous winner after hitting .285 with 25 HRs, 76 RBI, and 54 stolen bases.
In 2024, there should be more rookies who make an immediate impact in the big leagues. So, here are three players -- and one honorable mention -- who are set for a strong campaign in Year 1.
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Honorable Mention: Jung Hoo Lee, San Francisco Giants
The San Francisco Giants made a splash this offseason by signing outfielder Jung Hoo Lee to a six-year, $113 million deal. Lee comes over from the Korean Baseball Organization (KBO), where he was teammates with San Diego Padres infielder Ha-Seong Kim for four seasons. The new Giants outfielder played seven total years in Korea (2017 to 2023) before making his way to the majors this offseason.
Many people might not be familiar with Lee's game since he came from overseas, but all the lefty does is hit. In all seven seasons in the KBO, he finished with over a .300 batting average. He also has a great eye at the plate and walked more (383) than he struck out (304) over his Korean career.
Lee is the prototypical leadoff hitter who gets on base at a high rate. This spring, the 25-year-old hit .414 (12-for-29) with one home run, five RBI, and two doubles. It remains to be seen if the outfielder will be able to drive the ball, especially since he hit just six HRs in 2023. However, he is just two years removed from hitting 23 HRs in 2022 with the Kiwoom Heroes.
Jackson Merrill, San Diego Padres
It was somewhat of a surprise to see Jackson Merrill make the Padres' Opening Day roster for the Seoul Series. Nonetheless, he did and showed his potential right away. Despite going 0-for-3 in the first game of the year, he followed that up by going 2-for-5 with one double in San Diego's 15-11 win over the Los Angeles Dodgers.
There are going to be some growing pains with Merrill -- who also struck out three times in the 2-for-5 game -- but he has all the talent to exceed expectations in his first year. He was ranked as the 12th prospect in baseball, per MLB Pipeline, before the season started and can hold his own against major league pitching. The 20-year-old batted .351 with two HRs and six RBI in 13 spring games.
1st career hit: ✅
Welcome to the show, Jackson Merrill! #SeoulSeries pic.twitter.com/YEagHTFuzO
— MLB (@MLB) March 21, 2024
Merrill has already made an impact for the Padres in just two games, which should continue throughout the year. He is the team's starting center fielder, and no one will likely take that job away from him in 2024. The outfielder should see plenty of plate appearances this season.
Jackson Chourio, Milwaukee Brewers
This offseason, the Milwaukee Brewers signed their top prospect, Jackson Chourio, to an eight-year deal worth $82 million. It was an interesting move by the Brewers, considering Chourio hasn't even appeared in a major league game yet. However, that's how valuable the young outfielder is to this organization.
Fast forward three months later, and now Chourio will finally get his opportunity to play in the majors. The 20-year-old officially made the Brewers' Opening Day roster and should be the team's everyday center fielder. The Venezuelan native has a strong chance to win NL Rookie of the Year -- thanks to his power and speed combo.
Speed & Power 💥@Brewers top prospect Jackson Chourio puts his tools on display in a three-hit game in preparation for Opening Day. pic.twitter.com/Kx5SegXkDp
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) March 24, 2024
Chourio has been impressive in Milwaukee's minor league system since he signed with them in 2021. In 2022, he hit 20 HRs, 75 RBI, and 30 doubles while stealing 16 bases behind a .288 average. Then, last year, the outfielder had 22 HRs, 91 RBI, 26 doubles, and 44 stolen bases across Double-A and Triple-A. He is MLB Pipeline's No. 2 overall prospect and could reach over 20 HRs and 20 SBs as a rookie.
Yoshinobu Yamamoto, Los Angeles Dodgers
There's no sugarcoating it: Yoshinobu Yamamoto got rocked in his first MLB start against the Padres in the Seoul Series. Yamamoto lasted just one inning after giving up five runs on four hits with one walk. The right-hander will be fine, though. It takes time for players to adjust to the MLB game, and that should be no different for the 25-year-old.
Yamamoto is a talented pitcher, and there's a reason why the Dodgers decided to pay him $325 million over 12 years. He finished with a 1.16 ERA and 176 strikeouts in 24 starts in the Japan League last season. Those stats were on par with the right-hander's averages across his seven seasons in Japan. He averaged a 1.72 ERA and 140 strikeouts per season with a 0.915 WHIP.
Jackson Chourio is the No. 2 prospect in ALL of MLB, per @MLBPipeline 👀
Will he take home NL Rookie of the Year? 🏆#MLB | #ThisIsMyCrew pic.twitter.com/xOr8Z2DiyC
— FanDuel Sportsbook (@FDSportsbook) March 26, 2024
Despite the rough outing in Seoul, Yamamoto is still the favorite to win the NL Rookie of the Year. It might take some time for him to get accustomed to MLB style of play, but by the end of the year, he'll be a strong rotation arm for the Dodgers.
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