A brief look into the life of the bloke who writes these: I recently joined a local strat-o-matic baseball league. It's basically D&D for people who prefer light beer to IPAs. I'm not the youngest one in it but I'm close. I inherited a team that did poorly and the idea is to turn it around, maybe do a little better than the last guy did.
Anyway, a very telling factor of the modern baseball scene is that you come to expect players having uncarded seasons out of the blue, or seasons where you know they'll be partial/barely there the next season so you sell to a competitor so they can get the good innings before they run out. My team had Matt McLain, but since he didn't play at all in 2024, I can't use him this year, but I can definitely hang onto him to ensure I get the results of his 2025 season. McLain so far is looking great in Cincinnati, and having him in the infield ensures the Reds can hopefully make a push this year. So I'll hopefully get a good card for him next year.
The 'gap year' that many players are forced to take due to injuries is basically expected now. And moves are made to account for them. Plenty of great players didn't play at all last year. I already know Joe Musgrove and Gerrit Cole are out this whole season. But the feeling of getting somebody back after they've been gone for a while is a very good feeling, and this spring alone we've seen some returns, in full condition, that have made some fans very excited for the year to come.
Angels: Well, Mike Trout is back, and so far he's been playing as well as usual. Still has the power bat, still has the swing of a generation. Hopefully moving him out of center will keep him healthy for longer than a month.
Blue Jays: Alek Manoah has been in camp, and has been throwing. It's not certain he'll be ready for Opening Day, and anything he's done post-2023 has been scaring people anyhow. The Jays have a rotation enough without him, but the hope is that he eventually makes an appearance and can start games again.
Braves: Well, Ian Anderson's high on the depth chart, and he's been strong in Spring Training. So he'll be back this year. I think Anderson is the poster child for young pitchers cooking their arms too early, cause that twisting motion ensured the surgery was inevitable. Spencer Strider should be back a little later this season, which will also help.
Brewers: After a year or rehabbing, Brandon Woodruff finally seems like he's nearly back on the mound. He's thrown sim games, and I assume later down the road he'll get either a spring training or a Triple-A start to ensure he's good. The Brewers would love this guy back, as he'd bring their already strong rotation [Peralta-Cortes-Myers-Civale-Quintana is pretty damn good] to the next level.
Dodgers: Both Dustin May and Tony Gonsolin are expected to be back this year, and at the very least May is looking good. The Dodgers thankfully have enough backup rotation options that they'll be good if they get hurt again.
Giants: Jung Hoo Lee is back, looking to make the first-year impression he was supposed to make in his rookie year last year, before the injury. I really would like Lee to become somebody big for the Giants, he seems like he could be a fun hitting machine that they kinda need right now.
Guardians: Shane Bieber made the decision to return to Cleveland, even as Boston tried to swoop him up. He clearly loves pitching for the Guards, and even if he may not be Opening Day ready, he wants to help this team compete. It'll be cool to see him back helping Bibee, Williams and Ortiz out with the starting effort.
Mets: Ronny Mauricio missed all of 2024 with an injury before he could truly 'break out' with the Mets, but then the team ensured they could make an NLCS without him. By the time he rejoins the action, probably in late April or so, the Mets will be going with McNeil as the primary 2B and Baty behind him. Meaning Mauricio might need to toil in Syracuse for a bit before he gets his next shot, a feeling it's looking like Luisangel Acuna will share.
Orioles: Felix Bautista is back, healthy, and taking the ninth right back from Yennier Cano. O's fans are very excited for this.
Pirates: Endy Rodriguez lost his shot at a relatively open catching spot in Pittsburgh by getting injured and missing all of 2024. He now enters camp, hitting well by the way, third in line for the position, behind Henry Davis [still trying to find MLB luck] and Joey Bart [who will likely get the job]. He may need to wait a bit to get another shot.
Rangers: Jacob deGrom looks extremely good this spring, and is expecting his fullest campaign yet with the Rangers. Tyler Mahle has had good starts but missed one or two, and so the injury concern returns. Evan Carter seems to have gotten over his back issue and looks to favor heavily into the team's offensive output.
Rays: In two starts in camp, Shane McClanahan has allowed no runs. It's looking like he's back, and a rotation led by him will no doubt ensure the Rays are better this year. Now if only they had some place to play.
Reds: Brandon Williamson looks to be back this year, and will likely be a bullpen arm, mostly to ensure he doesn't blow his arm out again, and also because the rotation looks pretty full this year for the Reds.
Red Sox: Lucas Giolito, Liam Hendriks and Trevor Story are all healthy and thriving for this team, and that, along with the many young players the Sox have in abundance, is very much scaring me.
Rockies: German Marquez and Antonio Senzatela are both back this year, and both plugged back into the rotation. At the very least that'll be up from last year if they stay healthy. Then Ryan Feltner giving up 14 runs to the Phillies won't stand out as much. Also, more Kris Bryant this year, and hopefully more Nolan Jones. Very promising.
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