He spent just one season with the St. Louis Cardinals.
Now, Jeremy Hazelbaker is heading to the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Hazelbaker, now 29, batted .235/.295/.480 in 114 games last season, which was his first in MLB after spending years in the minor leages. At the start of the season, he was one of the hottest rookies in baseball. But as the season wore on, his performance decreased. He only garnered 76 at-bats after the All-Star break, while he had 124 beforehand. Hazelbaker hit 12 home runs and 28 RBIs in 200 at-bats during the season.
He finished the season with a .235 batting average, 12 home runs and 28 RBIs, which was notably highlighted by an April performance with a .357 OBP and 11 extra base hits, without a doubt his best month of the season. Four of his homers this season as a pinch hitter as the St. Louis Cardinals set a major league record of 17 pinch-hit home runs in a single season.
Power was the biggest strength for the Cardinals during the season, and Hazelbaker was no exception: he was one of nine players on the team to hit over 10 home runs.
Originally drafted by the Boston Red Sox in the 2009 Amateur Draft, Hazelbaker was signed on June 24th, but never appeared in a Red Sox uniform. After a short stint with the Dodgers’ organization, he was later signed by the Cardinals organization, who recently have experienced a youth movement with players such as Stephen Piscotty and Aledmys Diaz.
What is interesting to note is that Hazelbaker originally was considering quitting baseball. That is, until the Cardinals contacted him and gave him a chance. After a successful showing in Spring Training, added in with the fact there were injuries early on regarding the team, he was able to make it to the main roster and make an impact early on in the season.
Only time will tell if the Diamondbacks will use him more than he was with the Cardinals during the second half of the season.
