Throughout spring training, the CBS Sports MLB experts will bring you a weekly Batting Around roundtable breaking down pretty much anything. The latest news, a historical question, thoughts about the future of baseball, all sorts of stuff. Last week we discussed our favorite moves of the offseason. This week we're going to tackle two sluggers on new teams: Shohei Ohtani of the Dodgers and Juan Soto of the Yankees.
Who would you rather have in 2024: Shohei Ohtani or Juan soto?
R.J. Anderson: This is a real toss up. Ohtani is coming off the finest offensive showing of his career, but the two are separated by a single point of OPS+ over the last three seasons. (Ohtani possesses the advantage.) I'll go with Soto just because this is going to be the friendliest offensive environment he's ever played in at the big-league level. I think he's in for a ridiculous year, and one that may even go down as his personal best full-season effort.
Dayn Perry: Tough call, but I'm going to narrowly lean Ohtani. His batted-ball quality has been off the charts over the last couple of seasons, so it's reasonable to assume he's at or near the peak of his offensive game. He'll also be amply recovered from elbow surgery, and not pitching in 2024 will reduce fatigue down the stretch and allow him to put his full focus and energy into hitting. It says here that gets to 50 homers barring injury.
Matt Snyder: There are very, very few players I'd take over Juan Soto, but Shohei Ohtani is on that short list, even just as a hitter. I can't imagine how much more physically exhausted a player has to feel over the course of a full season when he's pulling double duty. Sure, Ohtani will be rehabbing his pitching arm this season, but that kind of effort pales in comparison to being a full-timer in a rotation. In theory, he should have so much more energy, offensively, and that means more power and better results. Imagine swinging a bat in the on-deck circle with any sort of weight on it (a donut, for example) and then going to bat now without it. Ohtani at the plate is essentially shedding the donut this year.
Mike Axisa: This is obviously a "no wrong answer" situation, but since I have to pick one, I'll go Soto. As good as he's looked this spring and as otherworldly talented as he is, Ohtani is still working his way back from a major elbow surgery. I keep thinking back to Bryce Harper returning from Tommy John surgery and hitting five home runs in his first 77 games last season. Soto is healthy and he's also four-and-a-half years younger, not that Ohtani is old. At full health, I'm taking Ohtani. The recent injury is enough to bump him below Soto for 2024 though.