Look for these players to make bids for history in '24

It’s almost baseball season, which means we are well into projection season. Until we get to see it all play out on the field, we can take a look at how next season may unfold.

Sometimes certain projected stat lines really stand out and get us thinking about how remarkable the season might be for that player. Looking at FanGraphs’ Steamer projections, there are batters whose numbers would set or tie records.

Here’s a look at seven players who are projected to do something historic.

Juan Soto: 171 wRC+, 19.4% walk rate
Soto is projected to lead the Majors with a 171 wRC+, signifying the best pure hitter in baseball. He’s already had five qualified seasons with at least a 140 wRC+, and Soto just turned 25 in October. A sixth such year through his age-25 season would tie Soto for the most, with Mike Trout, Mickey Mantle, Mel Ott and Ty Cobb. In other words, Hall of Fame company. And of course, Soto would be doing so in a Yankees uniform. He would join a select group of Yankees to lead all qualified hitters in wRC+ in a season, with Babe Ruth (nine times), Mantle (five times), Alex Rodriguez (twice), Lou Gehrig, Aaron Judge and Don Mattingly. Soto is also projected to lead MLB with a 19.4% walk rate. That would be his fifth qualified season with at least an 18% walk rate, three more than anyone else through his age-25 season.

Soto and Judge: second and third in WAR
We already know the duo of Soto and Judge will be fun to watch, but it’s projected to be historic, too. Soto is projected to be second among position players with 6.7 WAR, with Judge right behind him in third with 6.2. We’ve seen teammates finish in the top three in FanGraphs WAR recently, as Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman did in 2023, but it’s still rare. Betts and Freeman were the sixth such duo in the last 50 seasons, so Soto and Judge would still be joining a select group. But this is Yankees history, which is vaunted in its own right. The last time two Yankees position players placed in the top three in WAR in a season was 1942, when Charlie Keller and Joe Gordon did it. The only other Yankees duos to accomplish the feat are, of course, Gehrig and Ruth in 1926-28, ‘30-’32 and Gehrig and Joe DiMaggio in ‘37. Talk about good company.

Ronald Acuña Jr.: 38 home runs, 56 stolen bases
Last season, Acuña created the 40-70 club, with 41 home runs and 73 stolen bases. Projection systems are notoriously conservative, so don’t be surprised that this projection doesn’t include another 70-plus bags. There have been just three individual seasons in MLB history with at least 30 homers and 50 stolen bases, with 1987 Eric Davis and 1990 Barry Bonds on that list with Acuña. With his projected numbers, Acuña would be the first player with multiple 30-50 seasons. He’d also be the first player with three 30-30 seasons through his age-26 season. And, if he were to manage two more homers than this projection, Acuña could be the first player with multiple 40-40 seasons as well.

Bobby Witt Jr.: 30 homers, 42 stolen bases
After recording 20 home runs and 30 stolen bases as a rookie in 2022, Witt reached 30 and 49, respectively, last season. This year, he’s projected for 30 and 42, which would be quite historic. Witt is the only player in MLB history to have at least 20 home runs and 30 stolen bases in each of the first two seasons of his career, so he’d be the first to do so in each of his first three, as well. But this isn’t just 20 and 30, it’s another 30-30 season. Last year, Witt became one of just six shortstops with such a season, along with 2023 Francisco Lindor, 2008 Hanley Ramirez, 2007 Jimmy Rollins, 1998 Alex Rodriguez and 1996 Barry Larkin. The thing about that list? Nobody’s on it twice, which means Witt would be the first shortstop in baseball history with multiple 30-30 seasons.

Julio Rodríguez: 33 homers, 31 stolen bases
Rodríguez had 32 homers and 37 stolen bases last year, after recording 28 and 25, respectively, in his first season, 2022. He’s the only player in MLB history with at least 25 homers and 25 stolen bases in each of the first two seasons of his career, and with 33 and 31 projected for 2024, he would extend that streak to his first three seasons. A second 30-30 season would make Rodríguez the first player with two such performances through his age-23 season. He’d also be the first Mariners player with multiple such seasons – at any age.

• Here is why J-Rod’s 2024 outlook is so bright

Adley Rutschman: 5.8 WAR
Rutschman is projected to rank fifth among position players in WAR, with a career-high 5.8, behind only Acuña, Soto, Judge and Betts. He had 5.1 WAR last season after posting 5.4 in his rookie year, 2022. And keep in mind, this isn’t any young player putting up impressive numbers in his first few seasons -- he’s doing all of this as a catcher, managing his team’s pitching staff and defending behind the plate. To that end, Rutschman is the only catcher since 1900 with at least 5 WAR in each of his first two big league seasons. A third such season would extend that streak.

Kyle Schwarber: 42 home runs
Schwarber is projected to lead the NL with 42 homers and rank second in the Majors, behind only Judge’s 46. Schwarber is no stranger to 40-homer seasons. In fact, he had 46 in 2022, his first year in Philadelphia, then crushed 47 last year. A third straight season with at least 40 home runs to start his Phillies career would put Schwarber in select company. Only two players have hit at least 40 home runs in each of their first three seasons with a team: Khris Davis from 2016-18 with the A’s and Alex Rodriguez from 2001-03 with the Rangers. As for Phillies history, only Ryan Howard has had at least three straight 40-homer seasons with the club, posting four straight from 2006-09. The only other Phillies player with three 40-homer seasons at all is Mike Schmidt.