Get to know Hunter Renfroe & Xavier Edwards
Renfroe & Edwards acquired from the Padres in swap
The Tampa Bay Rays have acquired outfielder Hunter Renfroe, minor league infielder Xavier Edwards and a player to be named from the San Diego Padres in exchange for outfielder Tommy Pham and infielder/right-handed pitcher Jake Cronenworth.
Renfroe, 27, hit 33 home runs last season, which tied for seventh among National League outfielders and were the most by a Padre since Adrián González (40) in 2009. This is the second time the Rays have ever made an offseason trade for a player coming off a 30-HR season, joining the acquisition of Vinny Castilla in December 1999. He tied for fifth in the majors with 27 home runs prior to the All-Star break, but endured elbow and ankle injuries in the second half to finish with a .216/.289/.489 (95-for-440) overall line in 140 games (111 starts). He hit 11 home runs in 113 at-bats against left-handed pitching, and his 10.27 AB/HR ratio against southpaws ranked second in the NL (min. 100 AB) behind teammate Manny Machado (9.77). Following the season, he underwent minor surgery to remove a bone spur from the top of his right foot.
Renfroe finished last season with 13 outfield assists, which tied Philadelphia’s Bryce Harper for most in the NL and were one shy of Leury García (Chicago White Sox) for most in the majors. According to FanGraphs, his 22 Defensive Runs Saved tied Cody Bellinger (Los Angeles Dodgers) for second among major league outfielders, behind Washington’s Victor Robles (24). He was a finalist for the Rawlings NL Gold Glove Award for right field, which was won by Arizona’s David Peralta.
https://www.mlb.com/padres/video/must-c-renfroe-hits-3-homers
https://www.mlb.com/padres/video/renfroe-s-slam-gives-padres-win
Renfroe, who hit 26 home runs in both 2017 and 2018, is one of six players in Padres history with three seasons of at least 25 home runs. Since the start of the 2017 season, Renfroe’s 85 home runs rank 14th in the NL and seventh among NL outfielders. Renfroe was selected by the Padres in the first round (13th overall) of the 2013 June Draft out of Mississippi State University. Over parts of four seasons in the majors, he is batting .235/.294/.494 (311-for-1,323) with 70 doubles, 89 home runs and 204 RBI. He was the Padres 2019 nominee for the Roberto Clemente Award, which is the annual recognition of a player from each club who best represents the game of baseball through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field.
Edwards, 20, split last season between Class-A Fort Wayne and Class-A Lake Elsinore, batting .322/.375/.396 (162-for-503) with 18 doubles, eight triples, one home run, 43 RBI and 34 stolen bases. He was named to the Midwest League midseason and postseason All-Star teams, as well as Baseball America’s Low Class-A All-Star Team. Following the season, he was ranked by Baseball America as the Best Defensive Second Baseman in the Midwest League. The switch-hitter was selected by the Padres in the first round (38th overall) of the 2018 June Draft out of North Broward Prep High School in Coconut Creek, Fla., foregoing his college commitment to Vanderbilt University to sign with the Padres. He is currently ranked as the №72 overall prospect in the minors and №5 prospect in the Padres system by MLB.com.
