All That You Can't Leave Behind

Cedric Mullins still being on the Orioles, and still being valued, is fascinating to me. He dodged three different opportunities to be traded: as a prospect during the 2015-16 competitive runs, as a crucial piece of the team in the dark era from 2018 to early 2020s, and as a player on a team with so many other viable options from 2024 til now. So many players did not survive those specific points. So many players were either sold for parts or a part that was sold for someone big. That Means and Santander made it long enough to leave in free agency is pretty phenomenal too, but Mullins could have left at numerous points, and he's survived long enough to help this team still be great.

Right now, in his age 30 season, Mullins is hitting .300 through a week of play with 11 RBIs and 3 home runs. He could very easily let Rutschman, Westburg and Holliday run things but he's still an active, and important, part of this lineup. The fans still love him, the team still loves him, and even if there's this probability that he'll leave in free agency after the season, I think it's fantastic that he's persisted for long enough that he'll leave when he's no longer desperately needed. Or 'the Nanny McPhee tract', as it's called professionally. 

But at the same time, it's wild that Mullins is such a crucial figure, still, for the Orioles during a period of overflow for the team. There are multiple positions where there's a somewhat long line to get playing time. Coby Mayo is on the 40-man, but is behind both Jorge Mateo and Ramon Urias, as well as Jackson Holliday, on the depth chart. Getting Connor Norby out of the way helped, but now Holliday and Westburg are viable MLB IF options, and Henderson covering SS again will make the O's even less likely to consider bringing him in. It's similar for Heston Kjerstad, who's routinely done well in the minors but barely has any room to play in Baltimore. He's DHed mainly, and it hasn't gone very well for him because you get the sense he's being put into wherever there's room, and he feels he's above that. Dylan Carlson seems to getting more OF time than Kjerstad, and it says a lot when the Orioles have more spots for former Cardinals prospects than their own. 

It's not a problem for pitching prospects though. Rodriguez, Bradish, Wells, Suarez and Rogers are all hurt, Gibby and Poteet aren't ready yet, so you have Cade Povich and Tomoyuki Sugano starting games. It...could be going better for both of them. Honestly, with apologies to Charlie Morton and his 10 strikeouts today, really only Zach Eflin is doing what he's supposed to be doing in that rotation right now. So it's a double edged sword, either you're ready for the opportunity and there's no room, or there is room and it keeps getting exploited that you're not ready yet. 

Getting out, however, has its own plusses and minuses, as Kyle Stowers is finding out. The O's trading Stowers was...nearsighted but inevitable. Of all the prospects in the cards last year, Stowers had the biggest power upsides. But there was never any time to play him in the outfield, and he'd always struggle in the majors. You send him back down he'd hit .300 with 30 homers or whatever. So the Orioles sent him to Miami, which...basically that's a minor league team anyway. His clutch numbers have exploded. So far this season for the Marlins, he's responsible for a game-winning RBI, in addition to 3 others and a homer. With Jesus Sanchez hurt and Jonah Bride struggling, Stowers is the most trusted power hitter in Miami, which has got to be great.

Unfortunately, the downside of getting traded to a market where there are lots of opportunities to play is that...there are lots of opportunities to play. The best guys are elsewhere. You get to play everyday, but the team isn't great. People like Jonah Bride, Derek Hill, Nick Fortes and Dane Myers are playing everyday, because it beats sitting in a good team's triple-A. The hope is that Stowers, and Norby and all the others, can stick around long enough that they can be the stars, a lot like Brent Rooker in Oakland or Anthony Rizzo for the 2010s Cubs. 

And so far...the Marlins could be doing a lot worse. Runs are getting scored. The contact game is excellent, which is what happens when you start Otto Lopez, Dane Myers and Xavier Edwards every day. The pitching is surprisingly decent, even behind Sandy Alcantara, who you knew would be back in a big way. Max Meyer, Conor Gillispie and Valente Bellozo are making the most of their opportunities, and there's a chance Tyler Phillips could graduate back to starter and dethrone somebody like Cal Quantrill. People are gonna start coming back soon, Weathers and Cabrera and that ilk, and if they can make a good impression now and potentially keep a spot, that'll be a great opportunity. 

I don't think the Marlins' strong start will amount to full season greatness, but if enough people starting everyday can grow into something trustworthy it'll be a lot better than whatever the hell last year was. Maybe soon enough they'll be where the Orioles are now. Maybe then they'll pay. 

Coming Tomorrow- SPEAKING OF PLACES WITH LOTS OF PLAYING OPPORTUNITY...this guy lucked into a starting rotation spot, and instead of just taking the time he decided to make MLB history.

Exactly As Good As You'd Expect

 I'm writing this post as the Dodgers are in danger of losing their first game of the season, to the Braves...a team that has yet to win a game this season. The Dodgers starter getting clobbered is Blake Snell, one of their many multimillion dollar signees from this offseason. The Braves starter getting by is Bryce Elder, who struggled mightily last season and wasn't even factored into the team's 2025 rotation. So far he's only given up a Tommy Edman home run. 

This, ultimately, would be the first thing this season for the Dodgers to go wrong. Everything else at least had airbags worked in. Roki Sasaki's first few starts were unspectacular, the pen can still salvage it. Max Muncy isn't hitting, alright, well basically everyone else is. Gonsolin's still hurt- fine, but Dustin May is healthy and surging. And even a loss to the struggling Braves, if it happens, would be buttressed by the preceding success, and the knowledge that more success will follow. 

Because ultimately, this is still the Dodgers. They're still going to win a lot of games this year.

Having Tyler Glasnow back, and healthy, will certainly help this. I found out recently that a friend of mine's dad is an old friend of Glasnow's dad. They're Yankee fans as well, and the remark was 'I always used to hate him cause he killed the Yankees til I found out'. Having him in the NL takes the sting out of it a little. Glasnow's first start of the season went as well as it could possibly go, going 5 innings but striking out 8 of 20 batters and only allowing 2 hits. And considering that Glasnow is FOURTH in this rotation, behind Yamamoto, Snell and Sasaki, and he's that dominant...that's a very good sign. My hope is that he's steadier than ever and can stay consistent and healthy, or perhaps that's wishful thinking for a Dodgers pitcher. 

Right now the Dodgers are getting peak offensive production out of Shohei Ohtani, Mookie Betts, Will Smith and Tommy Edman, picking up directly where last season left off. They have Yamamoto, Glasnow and May in excellent shape. Tanner Scott is shaky but can close games. Treinen and Yates are excellent bullpen pieces. The Freeman loss is temporary and not a dealbreaker, as Kiké Hernandez has been fine covering first. The eyes, understandably, are on Sasaki to come into his own but even if he doesn't there are other options. This is all looking...very good.

However, now that everyone knows, rightfully, that the Dodgers are the ones to beat, it's going to be a much tougher road repeating. The tape will be studied, the weaknesses could be exploited, and everyone's gonna try to get the leverage in October if given the opportunity. The Padres got so close last time, and now that they're similarly running an undefeated first week [and succeeding!], they may look to get their revenge, much like in 2022. The Dodgers must be ready for that, because if not the hubris will eat them alive, like everyone was expecting it to last year. 

UPDATE: They didn't lose the game. They came back, by the strength of Muncy, Conforto, and, inevitably, Shohei Ohtani. They're still undefeated, as are the Padres. This is gonna be one hell of a season.

Coming Tonight: He emerged after one of the last 2014-6 Orioles left the team as a future star in the making. Now he's the elder statesman of a team destined for greatness. 

Hello Nasty

 

Ten years it's been since the 'Nasty Nate' season in New York, where, in a rotation featuring C.C. Sabathia, Masahiro Tanaka, Michael Pineda and eventually Luis Severino, arguably the most consistent, dominant guy there was Nathan Eovaldi, who led the team in wins despite a 4.20 ERA and a 1.450 WHIP. 2015 had a lot of guys rack up plenty of wins without having the dominance behind them, that's what happened with Drew Hutchison in Toronto as well. But Eovaldi put everything on the line in 2015, which led to an injury-shortened 2016 and a completely missed 2017. 

What I'm saying is that given that novelty, and that response, it's very impressive that Eo's 30s have been so dominant, and so consistent. His Red Sox and Rangers numbers have been excellent, resulting in 2 World Series rings and 2 ASG nods. The issue has ultimately been sustained health, but the idea is he maybe misses a month or so and still manages to make an impact. Last season he missed maybe 4 starts and still was one of the best starters in Texas, with a 3.80 ERA and 168 Ks, his second highest career total. In 2023 he missed even more time but made it back for the postseason, and...went 5-0 with a 2.95 ERA and 41 Ks in 6 starts. Eovaldi's strong performance helps them get the ring, and ensures they can keep building 2 years later. 

So given that Eo is 35, and one of many Rangers starters that have struggled with injuries recently, it was definitely promising that Eovaldi's second start was a complete game shutout against the Cincinnati Reds. In an era where the CGSO is less and less prevalent [due to people burning out their arms by inning 5], Eovaldi feels like he comes from the grand tradition of the long-game hurler who can still be reliable by pitch 100. The Rangers have seen a few of those. Kevin Brown, Nolan Ryan, Charlie Hough. But Eo, even surrounded by Jacob deGrom, Jack Leiter and Kumar Rocker, may be the most reliable one they have.

Something really interesting, by the way, is the fact that both yesterday's win over the Reds and today's, led by a terrific Jack Leiter start, were 1-0 victories. Today you can at least acknowledge that they had to face Hunter Greene, on pace for another career year, and that's hard to get runs off of. But yesterday that had Carson Spiers, a career depth option for the Reds. Only Wyatt Langford was able to score a run off him, and none could do any off the bullpen. 

Not sure if you remember this, but way back in 2023, the Rangers were the '10 runs or more' team for the first half of the season. This team isn't that different power-wise than that one. If anything, it's better refined. Now Joc Pederson, Kyle Higashioka, Jake Burger and Kevin Pillar are a part of this offense, and...they're winning games by one run. That is the flaw so far, that as well stocked as this team is, there are still a few people who are taking longer to truly wake up. Seager's not there yet, Pederson's not there yet, Semien's not there but to be fair it regularly takes him a month or two to heat him up anyway. Adolis Garcia and Wyatt Langford have been doing well, and Josh Smith had the RBI today, but it's not going much deeper than that. All the while deGrom, Eo and Leiter have all been fantastic.

If the Rangers want to finally dethrone the Astros and shift the balance of the AL West, they need everybody to sync up and stay hot. Having the pitching lead the way is a nice start, but 1-0 victories don't win World Series's, at least not in August. 

Coming Tomorrow- He missed the playoffs but got the ring. Knowing him, the work's far from over. 

Pinpointing the Mirage

 

After three games against the Twins, the St. Louis Cardinals were undefeated. After two games against the Angels they're closer to .500. I'm trying to figure out how this makes sense.

So. Alright, we've established the Twins aren't very good this year. They're not hitting, they're not doing anything. They just won a game last night by attacking the White Sox's bullpen but Carlos Correa hasn't gotten a hit yet. So the Cardinals, in that three game sweep, matched up well against them. Both catchers had great series's, Gray and Fedde had great starts, Arenado's going off on a tear purely out of revenge. So from that, you can make the argument, oh, okay, the Cardinals are back. They'll be a factor this year.

...and so the 'dropping two to the Angels' thing is where I'm having trouble following.

The Angels, regardless of what their current record might tell you, aren't very good this year either. The offensive production they're getting this year is in spite of droughts from Mike Trout and Jorge Soler. All of their starters have given up some runs [save for the impenetrable Jose Soriano]. Their bullpen, however, might be the real deal. Jansen's been excellent in the ninth, Detmers and Anderson have no trouble in relief jobs, and there's guys like Brock Burke, Ben Joyce and Ryan 'never played a day in the minors' Johnson, who's snagged a save and a win already despite some run leakage. 

But all their wins have been close, and led by clutch hitting and contact work. Kyren Paris is the team's best hitter. The wins, as close as they are, are deserved, because the right people are coming through at the right time.

So...where does that leave the Cardinals? They're better than a bad team, but worse than an okay team with good parts? Are they...still in the bottom half of the standings?

If anything, the Cardinals should be proud that the things they were struggling to activate last year are working now. Jordan Walker, Victor Scott and Lars Nootbaar are all hitting. For Walker it's a welcome development after years of just not hitting at MLB levels. He's hitting .429 with 6 hits, 2 RBIs and a homer. Scott, meanwhile, is hitting .350 with 5 RBIs and 4 stolen bases. And even if Winn and Contreras haven't done anything yet, there's enough in this lineup that has me convinced they're gonna be better this year. I still think Matthew Liberatore getting a rotation spot over Steven Matz isn't a great idea, but perhaps this is finally the year Liberatore clicks as well. 

Like a lot of records in the first week, the Cardinals' decent record will be tested by their next series against a proven, good team. And ultimately that might be coming very soon, with the Sox coming to town. It'll be interesting to see how they do there, and if the trends continue.

Coming Tonight: The first complete game shutout of the season was thanks to this guy. 

A Cycle?? In March???

 

So many wild circumstances came together for the first Cubs cycle in over 30 years. The background of the rise of torpedo bats, which now more and more hitters are beginning to use for their own baseball-mashing purposes. The beginning of the A's hopefully-not-permanent residence in Sacramento, already scorned by longtime A's fans. The emerging power from everyone on the Cubs roster except for the one guy I have on my fantasy team. And the theme of 'is anyone going to be able to stop the A's starting pitching'.

Well...it appears so. Joey Estes gave up 6 runs against the Cubs, and the bullpen didn't do much better. And the star of the game was the Cubs' backup catcher, former Diamondbacks, Cardinals and Tigers favorite Carson Kelly. Keep in mind, this team has Seiya Suzuki, Dansby Swanson, Nico Hoerner, an overwhelmingly great Kyle Tucker start, and Pete Crow Armstrong on it. And Carson Kelly, the guy who fell under the category of 'it'll be nice to have him around', is the one who hits for the cycle.

The coolest moment was when Kelly was down to needing a triple, hit one that got him to second, and you could hear the very excited announcers yelling 'GO! GO FOR IT!' as he made it, safely, into third. Guy's played three games with the Cubs and already the announcers are cheering 'im on. I also love how pumped he was when he got the triple. Soaking it all in. 

I think it's genuinely awesome that nobody has ever hit a cycle in march before, and that means Carson Kelly's got a place in the records books now. You hit for the cycle, there you go. But hitting one in March, in the first week of the season, that's extra special. Not everyone can do that. And even if Kelly hasn't had THE most memorable career, he was still able to do this, in Sacramento, against a team with pretty strong pitching. 

The Cubs have already tracked a ton of highlights. Who knows what'll come next?

Brush It Off, Kid

 

It takes a certain kind of person to get a ball thrown at upwards of 90 mph to the face, then get back up the next day and go right back into the line of fire. You have to be tough, resilient, determined and, ultimately, you have to have a sense of humor about yourself. Jonathan India was on the 2020 Reds, so we certainly can tell he can have a laugh at himself, but he's also extremely tough. So him going 3 for 5 with 2 RBIs against the Brewers a day after getting decked by an Emmanuel Clase pitch shouldn't shock you. This might be only the beginning. 

I initially questioned the Royals' motive in trading for Jonathan India, especially giving up Brady Singer for him. The Royals had a perfectly fine infield, Massey and Witt at the center, Garcia and Pasquantino at the corners. Complicating things with India seemed excessive. But India can also play left field, which he's been doing more and more this season, and to be honest defensively it may be the better place for him. I stand firm in my belief that they shouldn't have given up Singer, and seeing how well he did yesterday I think that goes without saying. But considering that the Royals still had several OF spots up in the air, and filled by passable defenders like M.J. Melendez and Hunter Renfroe, getting a surefire guy like India definitely works, and his offensive production has only vindicated this decision. 

So that already defines the Royals. One of their best hitters right now is a guy who literally refuses to back down, even from injury. They're 2-2, losing two against a tough division rival but absolutely crushing the Brewers, themselves still reeling from being embarrassed by the Yankees. This is a team where Pasquantino, Perez, Witt and even Michael Massey can be responsible for crucial RBIs. Yes, Pasquantino is DHing predominantly at the moment after the injury, and the starts at 1st have been going to Mark Canha and Cavan Biggio, but this is why you have depth guys like that. 

But again...so far the starting pitching is the worrying detail. Seth Lugo and Cole Ragans, two of their horses from last year, gave up 3 runs each, Michael Wacha allowed less runs but still got the loss, and Kris Bubic, the guy who came back from an injury and conserved his innings as a bullpen piece last year, looked incredible, and seems to be the only starter doing so thus far. Which goes to show you, if you want to be a great starter, try to avoid doing really well for 33 games the previous year. It'll even out, especially with starters this talented, but it, again, points towards the idea that maybe trading Singer was a bad call. At least the 'pen looks better.

The Royals have a lot of pros so far, but against some truly great teams they've been mostly passable. I have a feeling this team will eventually break even, and considering the presence of peak Bobby Witt it's really a matter of when, but without Jonathan 'unsinkable' India I don't know if they'd have as many highlights. 

Coming Tonight: Probably a member of the [sigh] first place St. Louis Cardinals. 

Kyle of Plenty

 

Well. Less than a week into the season and Kyle Schwarber already has 3 home runs. Business as usual in Philly.

I've gone on record that the second the Phillies signed Schwarber, I took a good, long look at him and went 'this man is going to hit a billion home runs in a Phillies uniform'. Cause this was the same offseason we signed Nick Castellanos, who I thought was a shaky pick even then, but Schwarber I just saw the upsides. Yes, hurt a lot, yes, occasionally one-dimensional, but look at those homers. And I was right. Thus far, Kyle Schwarber has hit 134 home runs as a member of the Phillies, eclipsing what he did as a Cub in more games. Schwarber had his lowest HR total as a Phillie last year, with 38. That's low for him. It's high for most other people, and before he had his 40+ seasons in 22-23, it was his own career high. 

What has changed, thankfully, since Schwarber's all-homer back-to-back years, has been his well-roundedness. Last year he finally started hitting singles again, and finished the year with 142 hits, a career high. Hitting .248 may not be wholly impressive, but considering that it followed a .219 year and a .197 year, it was welcome. If Schwarber can be relied upon for contact in addition to power, that raises his value, and last season he finished with a 3.5 WAR, tied for a career high with his blistering 2021. Schwarber has also hit 104 RBIs in 2 straight seasons, equally impressive considering he'd never reached 100 RBIs before then.

So what I'm saying is...the extension chatter makes sense. Four years ago if you told me Schwarber would be chasing an extension with this team I'd be surprised. But he's become a more complex, and more versatile, hitter, and even as the Phillies age, Schwarber in the lineup is still a very good thing. Obviously Harper and Wheeler are the true crowdpleasers, but Schwarber seems like the one guy on these Phils teams that it seems impossible to truly hate. Even in his .197 season he was still hitting 47 homers, and 5 more in the playoffs. You can't hate that. 

So far, the Phils are looking extremely good, despite having games against fairly unspectacular teams. The big exclamation point was being dominated by MacKenzie Gore for the majority of the opener and still striking back against the bullpen for the win. Wheeler, Sanchez and Luzardo look good, Nola...homers notwithstanding can strike people out, and hopefully the Taijuan Walker experiment will be short-lived before anybody gets hurt. I worry about Trea Turner's health, and JT's long term health, but enough things about this team, like Max Kepler, Jordan Romano, the degree Edmundo Sosa's murdering the ball so far, and the fact that the bullpen can hold down a lead again...really excite me.

It's early. Of course it's early. But Schwarber's off to a good start, and so are the Phils. Who knows who we'll end up.

Coming Tomorrow- Not everybody can get hit in the face with a pitch and come back from it like it's just a scratch. This guy ain't everybody.

An Even Start

 

The way the schedule works now, with every team playing each other and less weight put on divisional matchups, there's far less that feels deliberate about matchups at certain points, but I found it fascinating that the Rockies and Rays got to play each other in the first series of the year. Two teams that did the least of anybody in their division, with huge battles towards the top of each. The way things are being projected, both of these guys are predicted to finish in last place. And here they are, playing each other to begin the season. Get a firm grip early on, cause you may lose it soon after.

Have we learned much about either team? Nothing foundational. I mean, personally, I learned that Rays home games do look a little more majestic without the ugly dome lighting of the Trop. Getting them in an open air stadium with stands that fans can reasonably fill does wonders for them, it actually feels like a normal MLB experience. I do think some of the jabs at this clearly being a Yankee park are funny, like the retired numbers outside the stadium being for clearly not Rays [wow, they retired B.J. Upton's #2??], but the Rays do feel at home there. It's still Tampa. It's still nice a lot of the time. 

The Rays themselves came off well during the opening season. Junior Caminero finally feels MLB-ready, with 5 hits in 10 at-ats. Kameron Misner looks to factor in well, hitting a walk-off home run in Game 1. Pepiot, Littell and Bradley can all hold down opposing teams and stay sharp, which is a nice feeling in a Rays year without McClanahan, Springs or Glasnow. Three guys that can go 6 and not worry people. Last couple years the rotation's been an issue, seems fine so far. Even with Lowe ailing and Kim and Lowe out, you're seeing definite answers in multiple positions. Danny Jansen works as an everyday catcher. Jonathan Aranda could be an answer at a corner spot. Jonny DeLuca's certainly stealing enough bases to qualify for an everyday job. 

Logically, a team that is simply 'efficient' and 'good' isn't going to do much when compared to the top 3 teams in the division, but the Rays could still surprise people and be ahead of where they were last year.

As for the Rockies...there are answers, but they may not be the ones the Rockies are looking for. Their sole win thus far, they started Antonio Senzatela, who's been out for a year or so. Senza went four and a third, gave up 9 hits, but no runs. Struck out no one. Senza, if his first start is to be believed, is now a conservative, keep-it-in-the-infield type pitcher, who's aided by the team's defense [Tovar, McMahon, Farmer and Doyle help this] but can't really show off as much. Kyle Freeland, meanwhile, can still strike people out and keep runs down but gets let down by the bullpen, even away from home. 

Zac Veen, Adael Amador and Drew Romo, the three biggest foundational position players, did not make the team out of camp. In a surprise move, the Rockies went with Hunter Goodman as starting catcher, a position I literally had no idea he even played. I was thinking Stallings would start, but they apparently have faith in Goodman, and so far he has 4 hits and an RBI. Amador's position is currently being filled by Kyle Farmer, who's actually been responsible for 2 RBIs thus far. And Veen's RF is being filled by Nick Martini, who miraculously has 4 hits and an RBI. So this ploy to control service time worked out for the Rockies after all, just...not really in the wins column. 

The Rox do have Ezequiel Tovar, Ryan McMahon and Brenton Doyle to anchor the lineup, but Doyle is the one who 2025 could make or break. McMahon is a veteran standout, Tovar's for real, and Doyle's coming off a great season. So was Nolan Jones, and now he's back in Cleveland. Doyle so far only has a couple hits and hasn't been responsible for much, but it's early. Something could happen. 

Also, the team's only home run so far has come from Mickey Moniak, who was a late roster addition. Yes, they're on the road, but they have Michael Toglia and Kris Bryant. Oh, by the way, Bryant's yet to get a hit. Thrilling.

Both of these teams have a lot to prove, and at the moment one seems more determined to prove it than the other. But it's a long season, and a lot could happen. 

Coming Tonight: He's big, strong, and hits home runs. And that seems to be enough for some fans around here.

Living Like Larry

 

I know people are acting like this isn't strange, but this is strange to me. After years of letting numerous building block players leave in trades and free agency, John Fisher signed Lawrence Butler to a deal that will last until 2031, solely after a breakthrough season of Butler's where he hit 22 home runs and 57 RBIs, most towards the second half of the season. Butler will be a marquee star for the A's over the next several years, which include multiple seasons playing without a stated location in a minor league park in Sacramento, and eventually in a massive dome in Las Vegas, assuming it actually gets made. 

And I'm not disparaging Butler. I'm not. Dude's a great player, could be terrific in a full career. But if you have the opportunity to extend Matt Chapman, Matt Olson, Marcus Semien, Sean Murphy, Sonny Gray, Sean Manaea, Liam Hendriks and Mark Canha...and you don't take it, and then you give an extension to the first guy that does more than 'mediocre' for your club...that's not gonna look great for you. That just means you're trying to learn but you're not actually learning. That's George Steinbrenner seeing Hideo Nomo succeeding in LA and getting Hideki Irabu. That's Aaron Boone hearing the calls for Dominguez and calling up Duke Ellis. That's Ross Atkins losing out on Sasaki and Soto and getting Anthony Santander. Now you're just trying to catch up, but are you really making the best decisions?

What I will not fault Fisher for is his tenacity in signing free agents and trading for big pieces. This offseason, the A's had holes in their rotation, so they signed Luis Severino and traded for Jeffrey Springs. Both starters have been excellent in their opening starts, going 6 innings, giving up 0 runs, 3 hits each and striking out 6 [Sevvy] and 9 [Springs] batters. Even if the A's are starting people like Osvaldo Bido and Joey Estes while their opponents sport better rotations, they have more efficiency than they have in a while. If Springs stays healthy, which is a tall order, that's an All-Star right there. Granted, I suppose he's a little relieved to be out of the bay area given his well-reported stance against frivolity, but he's still a very good guy to have around. We're coming off several seasons where their big standout was J.P. Sears, and now the pressure's off of him a bit.

You're also seeing, in addition to Butler, young guys coming into their own and dominating. Max Muncy was an Opening Day callup, he's already got a home run. Tyler Soderstrom already has 2 homers and 3 RBIs, determined to finally achieve a full MLB campaign. Jacob Wilson's already hitting well. JJ Bleday had a great outfield catch the other day. And there in the corner is Brent Rooker, also the recipient of a very nice extension, still hitting enough to earn it. This team is closer to good than it's been in a while, and they're very close to 'underdog competitor' difference. It won't be clear for 4 months how they match up against Detroit and Cleveland, but they might have something this year, which would be a relief for the fans if Fisher hadn't alienated them all last year. 

Somebody online posted something to the effect of 'imagine if the A's make the playoffs and to accommodate fans they're forced to play home playoff games at the Oakland Coliseum'. I want that to happen. Make Fisher sweat. 

Coming Tonight: 2024 proved he had staying power, but can 2025 prove he's a trusted Rockies battery member going forward?

Empty Nestor

 

That was a good 36 or so hours where the Brewers, between Caleb Durbin's strides in the spring and Devin Williams struggling in the ninth on game one, thought they'd gotten the better end of the deal.

I don't like that all of this happened to Nestor Cortes. He's a great guy that deserves all the best things to happen to him. Every time I've seen him pitch in the Bronx, while it's not exactly a Gerrit Cole start, you never exactly leave his good side. I collect the guy, I want him to succeed wherever he goes. If this had happened to, like...Jose Quintana or D.L. Hall or whoever, my conscience would be clean. But...Nestor Cortes's return to Yankee Stadium resulted in one of the biggest home run games in Yankee history, three of them happening on Nestor's first three pitches of the game. To say the Yanks clobbered him is an understatement: he had two innings of giving up 8 runs, and 5 homers, and that was it. 

There's obviously the worry that something's up with Nestor, even after he got back last year from the injury. Just immediately gives up unfortunate homers. This is the kind of thing where they do some tests and it turns out he has to have surgery or something. OR he just...snaps to it the next start, and Yankee Stadium was the problem. Which is likely. Nestor has every right to be mad at the Yankees, they rushed him, made him try and close a must win game, and let him be the goat. And then they trade him, and immediately have rotation depth issues. Which ironically the Brewers are also having, with Woodruff, Hall, Ashby and Myers all hurt. So Cortes goes 'I'll show them', and...gets lit up. As does the bullpen.

It's undeniable that the Brewers are a great team, and they were able to make Thursday's game close and today's game not a runaway with 9 runs, but...the rotation depth issue is gonna make it difficult for a little while. Even if Cortes doesn't need to miss time, he's capable of innings like these. As are the once-strong bullpen guys. So Chourio, Ortiz, Frelick, Turang and Capra getting off to great starts is very helpful, but they're still, like...giving up 20 runs. Most teams, most good teams, aren't doing that.

I still want the Brewers to succeed this year, and they likely will given the amount of talent, but today's game was a massive ego blow. And Nestor I still feel so bad for. It's nice that he's not a Yankee anymore while getting lit up, but...I hate that I'm saying that. Cause I LIKE Nestor Cortes. He's a great pitcher. But I'm not gonna say I didn't enjoy seeing my team score 20 runs against him and his compatriots. I'd prefer this be the norm for us than the norm for them. 

Coming Tomorrow- He's gonna make a lot of money this year playing in a sweltering minor league stadium. 

Signs of Life in Chicago

 

"Alright, let's try that again, this time good." - David Lynch, on set of Twin Peaks: The Return circa 2016.

There's a couple of possibilities as to what led to the outcome of the White Sox annihilating the Angels 8 to 1 on Opening Day. One possibility is that, after a miserable year last year, the White Sox may in fact have learned something, and are improving slightly. Another possibility is that the Angels are just that terrible. Or, it could be completely incongruent to the rest of the season, a mirage of hope in a desert. 

But here's what was clear from that game: this is a team that has people that can give you an eight run game, people like Andrew Benintendi, Lenyn Sosa, Austin Slater and Miguel Vargas, even if they might not all be 100 RBI guys. This is a team that has young starters that can go six innings without giving up earned runs, even if they have like only a month's MLB service time to their name like Sean Burke. This is a team that, despite being gutted entirely, still has Luis Robert Jr., who's looking to rebound from his upsetting 2024. And this is a team where the bullpen can hold a team down to just 1 run. These are steps forward from last year. I don't think this makes the White Sox a GOOD team, but they're definitely not as awful as before. 

And again, having a more confident, surging season from Luis Robert will help this team even more. He's 27, coming off a spring where he hit 4 homers and 8 RBIs, he's fully healthy and he's fully ready to attack. I'm sensing we get another classic season from this guy. The depressing part of that is, seeing as this is the last year of his contract, it is very likely that he'll be pawned off to the highest bidder in July, but considering that similar trades last year brought them Miguel Vargas, Drew Thorpe and eventually Braden Montgomery and Kyle Teel, there's a high possibility that this would be better for them in the long run. Remember, trading Chris Sale brought them Yoan Moncada, and trading Jose Quintana brought them Dylan Cease and Eloy Jimenez. There's a chance that even if Luis Robert gets dealt it still helps this team. 

As for Robert himself, I think he's firmly in the Randy Arozarena category of 'excellent producer, not the most consistent'. He's good to have on your team, has some amazing months, but he's not as reliable as some of the elite guys. Maybe he turns over a new leaf this year, but there's limits to his excellence. 

The White Sox have a chance to reclaim the narrative slightly and finally come off as a somewhat competent, fairly unspectacular team this year. There will be embarrassing losses, of course, but hopefully there will be far less of them. And Thursday's win was a good start to that.

Coming Tonight[?]: I saw him pitch 3 times at Yankee Stadium last year. Today he's pitching there again, against a guy I also saw pitch there last year. The uniforms are a little different. 

How It's Going to Be

 

The whole offseason, the New York Mets have been doing the 'we're better than the Yankees' thing. Like, 'oh they think they're so special but they didn't give Juan Soto his own box and now we've got him', or 'there's no disparity, we're all on the same page', trying to distance themselves from the Yankees. And yesterday, to be entirely fair, they did something that the Yankees have only done once since the 2023 All Star Break, out of ten opportunities: they lost to the Houston Astros.

And that is gonna be the thing that kills the argument for the Mets. The Yankees' whole thing is they can beat the Astros, especially when it doesn't matter. Last year they began the season with a 4 game sweep of the Astros, which made the Astros so mad that Ronel Blanco immediately no-hit the Blue Jays. I honestly saw this as the turning point of the Astros' dominance: now that the Yankees can beat them, they may not be as mighty as they were. But yesterday, with help from Cam Smith, a guy they literally drafted last year, and Framber Valdez, who may be one of the least flashy aces in baseball, the Astros shut down the Mets and won the first game of the season. 

As it was later discussed, the game came down to the heart of the Mets order with Josh Hader on the mound. This was the kind of thing that the Mets had prepared for all offseason. Getting the right people in position to succeed when it counted. It happened last year against the Phillies. And now they had Juan Soto. Two outs, men on first and third. If you'll recall, last year's first game in Houston had some true heroics from Soto, albeit in another uniform. But now the stage was set for him to potentially tie, or win, the game...and Juan Soto struck out. More money than God and he can't do what he was doing last year under similar circumstances.

And look, it wasn't just Soto that didn't rise to the occasion. Vientos went 0 for 3. Luisangel went 0 for 3. Lindor had the team's only RBI and still went 0 for 4. Jesse Winker was a late sub that did nothing. Clay Holmes, given the start on a similar revenge mission against the Yankees, was dealt with sufficiently by the Astros' lineup. With more money put in, more eyes on them, and more pressure, the Mets couldn't do what they'd done with far less.

Logically, there are 161 games left. They're not all gonna go this way. The goal is to ensure that this isn't the lasting impression of the Mets, the team that had all the tools and couldn't do anything with them. They were already that team a couple years ago, and they can't go back. Alonso, Soto, Lindor, and Vientos need to deliver. The rotation doesn't look intimidating on paper [Megill, Canning, Peterson...I mean, compared to what the Phils are working with it's not too enthralling], but they're capable of a lot. Edwin Diaz needs to be immovable. Everything that didn't come together in Game 1 needs to. 

The pressure is on. And if these guys aren't up to the task, it's gonna be a long year.

Coming Tomorrow- He withstood an excruciating season, and he's gonna ensure it never happens again.

2025: Revenge of the Little Guys

 

I wrote a post at the onset of last season that basically said that anyone expecting a monopoly season would be mistaken, and that there would be enough smaller teams to subdue the Titanics. And I was sort of right. Last year was defined by huge booms from unassuming teams like the Tigers, Guardians and Royals. But ultimately, three of the biggest payrolls in the league made it to the Championship Series round, and two of them fought in the World Series. So, all this about how the Dodgers aren't going to waltz to the end in 2024, and that's exactly what they did. I, for the latest of several times on this blog, was wrong about something. 

However, the success by the big teams in 2024 means that 2025 can potentially be something pretty exciting: a response year. Oh, you thought it could be so predictable. You thought the Dodgers could buy their way to a dynasty? Well watch this.

The seeds of some really cool future MLB stories were sowed last year without anyone noticing. During a series against the Yankees, a team that would soon make the World Series, the Nationals brought up Dylan Crews, their top prospect. He didn't do a ton last season, but he, as well as fellow 2024 call-up James Wood, is primed for greatness in 2025. His spring stats match up well, with 15 hits, 5 RBIs and 3 steals. Meanwhile, James Wood had 4 home runs and 11 RBIs. And let's not forget that at some point, the Nats are going to call up Robert Hassell, another Soto return, and he was hitting .370 this spring. Those three outfielders could last a while in Washington, and 20 years into the team's residence in DC there's never been a better time to buy stock. 

Meanwhile, Jackson Jobe played a very minor role in the Tigers' 2024 postseason run, being brought up as a reliever and making occasional appearances for an inning. He did give up 3 postseason runs, but given that these were Jobe's first four MLB games, it is somewhat understandable. In camp this spring, Jobe proved he was finally ready, with 5 glorious starts, and a 3.68 ERA, 13 Ks and a .980 WHIP. The Tigers will be fine rotation-wise this year, they have Tarik Skubal, Jack Flaherty, Reese Olson and, surprisingly, Casey Mize all looking really good. But Jobe becoming an MLB success will be the best thing for them, because that's a starter that can guide them through this period where even their marquee guys are a little older and the next rookie sensations are still waiting to come up. If Jobe can light the way, they might be fine for the rest of the decade.

A lot of stories like that in smaller markets. The A's have a ton of young guys ready to dominate this year. The Pirates are fired up after last season and Skenes wants to take them higher. The Sox are bringing up Kristian Campbell to start the year and Marcelo Mayer might be a little further down the road. There's a lot that could happen from players, and teams, you're not thinking about. And as predictable as the end of 2024 might have been, 2025 might be a wilder, more thrilling ride. 

May all your favorite players stay healthy. Let's go!

Ross of Control

 
I think one of the biggest themes of the offseason was infuriating ownership. You know, what John Fisher was unable to do, what Bob Nutting is unable to do, what the Rays can't figure out. And there are enough people that don't put money into the team that Ross Atkins can hide behind them. Because Atkins DOES put money into the team, but he does it enough that it distracts from the times he doesn't. Like when he had not quite enough to net Shohei Ohtani, or not quite enough to net Juan Soto, but enough to net Anthony Santander. 

Already, one of the big stories of 2025 is going to be the fate of the remains of the 2019 rookie crew in Toronto. Bo Bichette, Vladimir Guerrero Jr. and Alejandro Kirk represent the homegrown core of a team that should have had more postseason success than this. They were able to bring in people like George Springer, Chris Bassitt, Kevin Gausman, Jose Berrios and now Andres Gimenez, AND KEEP THEM. And yet they still haven't won a postseason series, something the John Gibbons teams could do easily despite having far less homegrown talent. A combination of a tough division, unforeseen circumstances and the occasional piece that DOES leave has done them in. And 2025 could be the last chance for them to do anything, as Guerrero wants a bigger payday and Bichette may be similarly on the way out.

And that's why a singular Jays move from this postseason continues to vex me. Trading Spencer Horwitz, who was supposed to be an integral young infield piece for them going forward, for Andres Gimenez, who is a year younger and an all-around better player. And fundamentally that is a smart move. Upgrade the infield, pair Gimenez with Bichette. This is a move that could strengthen the Jays defensively going forward, even if 2025 doesn't happen.

But the thing about it, which is a weird thing to sound out, is that the Cleveland Guardians, in trading their all-star, three time gold-glover that they'd signed for the remainder of the decade, is that the Guardians had the leverage. They nearly got to a World Series last year. Their farm system has made them competent for the next several years. They can trade Gimenez because they have Gabriel Arias for the moment and both Juan Brito and Travis Bazzana in the plan for later. They can afford to give up a second baseman. 

And more proof that Cleveland had the leverage lies in what they did with Horwitz. Before the ink was too dry on the Gimenez deal, the Guardians swapped Horwitz to Pittsburgh in exchange for, amongst other pieces, Luis Ortiz, who'd immediately factor into the rotation and allow for slightly more stability in an injury recovery year for multiple starters. The Jays needed all the infielders they could grasp [a far cry from 'sure, have Kevin Smith'], and the Guardians were givin' em away. The Guardians are playing from first, and the Jays are playing to stay out of last. So even if they potentially got the best player out of all of this, Gimenez may have walked into a less prosperous situation than Cleveland. Him and Bichette will be a good DP combo, but who knows how long that'll last.

Meanwhile, the Guardians aren't sweating about lessening the defensive impact of their infield because they still have Brayan Rocchio. Rocchio had an incredible defensive season last year, despite coming up short at the plate. He's crossed that threshold where the team can trust him with the infield, and give Arias or eventually Brito over as a DP partner. He's not Lindor caliber, but he's been hitting well this spring, so maybe things turn around. It happened for J-Ram, let's be clear.

The Guardians are good enough now that they don't need Andres Gimenez, whereas the Blue Jays are desperate enough now that they really need him. And that should tell you how both their seasons are probably going to go.

Responding to Anticlimax

 
For Carlos Correa and Randy Arozarena specifically, 2024 was an embarrassing year.

These are two of the biggest playoff performers of the last ten years. Correa was a perennial machine with the Astros during their postseason runs, Arozarena made a name for himself as a destroyer in 2020 with the Rays, they wouldn't be as legendary without those postseason numbers. Last year, both were on teams with clear shots at October. Correa, as he had been, was a star for the Twins, who had been thick in the wild card race all year. Randy Arozarena was traded midyear to the Mariners, who revitalized his ailing swing and were still close enough to Houston to look to compete. Neither team made the playoffs. The Twins were lapped by both Kansas City and Detroit, and the Mariners couldn't compete with any of them despite the best rotation in the bigs. 

It must have been a little nice for them that the Astros were eliminated immediately and the Rays didn't even make it. But it still hurt.

Correa honestly has become a fascinating MLB figure. He hasn't had a full career drop-off, like somebody like Javier Baez or Anthony Rendon, but his Twins years have been less overwhelmingly dominant. Last year Correa was on top of his game again, hitting .300 and leading his team...and then he got injured. This is his 11th season in the bigs, which is wild considering I was in Chicago for one of Correa's first games for the Astros. The man has compiled 63 postseason RBIs, and has a 44.3 career WAR, so clearly he's accomplished a lot. But my worry is that, like a lot of great players, his stats will continue to peter off during his 30s. This is his age 30 season after all, the true test. I picked Correa up for my fantasy team, mostly because I was surprised he was still there. He's still capable of great things absolutely, but we're in the hazard zone in a sense. 

Correa does seem to have a decent enough Twins team this year, with basically every position prepared with viable backups like Harrison Bader, Jose Miranda and Brooks Lee. Already this has come in handy, as Royce Lewis, once again, will be missing time. There's also the possibility that Byron Buxton could as well. If enough things go according to plan this team could make a deep run, as...these things tend to happen every other year in the Baldelli era, but it will take a lot of people, Correa included, staying healthy.

Arozarena is slightly more complex. He came in as a multifaceted hitter with power perks and postseason readiness, but since his ROY season his dimensions have lessened. It may shock you to learn that Randy Arozarena has never hit more than 23 home runs in a season, and still has yet to attain a 100 RBI year. This will be HIS age 30 season, and 2024 was already seen as a step down for him. He hit .211 and struck out 101 times. And I think, after the trade to Seattle, he accomplished more in less time, yet still only hit .231. The perks with Arozarena are outrageous, and the Mariners traded for him to ensure they had people in their lineup that could hit, which were becoming more and more rare last year. But I think even he struggled to do so. 

The #1 goal for the Mariners this year will be to avoid the lineup black hole that conquered the team. The rotation isn't currently much of an issue- George Kirby will be out for a bit, but Emerson Hancock can step in for a spell, and the other four look good. But if any offensive production can come from people like Julio Rodriguez, Jorge Polanco, Mitch Garver, J.P. Crawford and Mitch Haniger, that would quiet the critics of this team. And to their credit, Garver, Polanco, Ryan Bliss, Donovan Solano, Victor Robles, Luke Raley and, yes, Arozarena himself, have looked a ton better this spring. But against teams that didn't have as much issues hitting last year in that same division, it only looks so impressive. 

Now, both the Twins and Mariners look to rebound and compete again, but it won't be easy for either team. In the AL Central, the Guardians, Royals and Tigers still look intimidating and competitive. In the AL West, the Rangers and Astros at least made palpable moves. I'd love for both of these teams to be competitive this year, and fall on good luck, but it won't be easy, and a lot has to fall into line. 

Adventures in Massive Gaping Holes

 

Once again this year, some of the biggest division battles will be fought in the East. In the AL East, the Orioles and Red Sox will both be trying to dethrone the Yankees at the top, while in the NL East, the Phillies and Mets will be battling it out against the Braves. The key is tracking progression. The Phillies didn't do much this offseason and are getting older, while the Mets did everything and have so many young stars taking over. The Red Sox went all in on a rebuild, and the O's still have young guys ready to go. 

So it helps, in order to keep up, to not have massive vacancies in comparison to previous years. Injury-related or not. And so while they haven't been downgraded completely, this might be a tougher year for both the Yankees and the Braves. Even if one of the Braves' big vacancies is kinda the Yanks' fault.

The Yankees made a World Series last year. They talk about it a lot. But two of the reasons why they made it there, Gerrit Cole and Juan Soto, will not be playing for the Yankees this year. Cole is injured, Soto's in Queens. And Giancarlo Stanton, additionally, will be out for a while. And so this team has to convince the league it's still a force even if they proved last year that Soto was one of the few people actually improving things last fall. Getting Cody Bellinger, Paul Goldschmidt and Devin Williams does help. Bellinger's been amazing in camp, Williams is a surefire closer, Goldy is steady and also leaves the door open for Rice at some point. But the values have shifted. It's no longer 'Judge and Soto at everyone's throats', it's a little more spread out. I think this could work, ultimately, but the whole team needs to step up if it wants to get anywhere close to where they got last year.

And the biggest factor is going to be the rotation. Carlos Rodon and Max Fried have both been quoted in saying they'll step up in Cole's absence, and I believe them. Rodon is a fantastic big game pitcher who's thrived in the 2 spot in New York and has been ramping up for another excellent year. Fried thrived at the top of the rotation in Atlanta but was also used better behind bigger names. I think he can ultimately be an ace-type for us, especially if he continues his excellent run, but it's gonna be a matter of if the specter of Cole, and Cortes, chases us. Beyond those two, there's Schmidt, who's hurt, Gil, who's probably missing some time, and Stroman, who's still not a fit for Yankee Stadium. And beyond them, you may have to go with Will Warren or potentially Clayton Beeter. It could all fall into place but there's some worrying details.

The Braves, meanwhile, are without Fried, they've lost Charlie Morton and Travis d'Arnaud in free agency, they're still without Ronald Acuna, and they may be without Jurickson Profar and Sean Murphy for a bit. You look around and despite the presence of Riley, Albies, Sale and Ozuna on this team, you're seeing a drop-off. The outfield going into the season will be Michael Harris, Bryan de la Cruz and Jarred Kelenic. Harris is the one I'm not worried about, he's still a very trustworthy outfield bat with a lot of perks. But Kelenic still hasn't had the overpowering season prospectors raved about, and de la Cruz was brought on to essentially back up Profar. The Pirates expected a lot from de la Cruz at the deadline, and he did not deliver. Hence feeling like a downgrade here. This could still work, but without the excellence across the board guys like Orlando Arcia are standing out more. The team is also going to have to start Drake Baldwin at catcher to open the season, which is a risk that could go either way. 

And like the Yankees, the Braves are working with a strong core at the top of the rotation, namely Chris Sale, Reynaldo Lopez and Spencer Schwellenbach. Both Sale and Lopez do not have luck on their side, and will need to work hard to continue their 2024 successes, but Schwellenbach looks like the real deal. But beyond him, there's only question marks. Ian Anderson's back from surgery it seems, but will he provide anything? Same with Spencer Strider--is he still capable of his 2022-3 dominance? And will anything come of Grant Holmes, the AAA-lifer who the Braves still haven't figured out a solid use for? I wanna say there's more definite pieces than the Yankees' rotation right now, but will all these pieces stay healthy?

Both of these teams could compete without an issue, but there's enough question marks and potential issues that people aren't completely sold. I'd love for the Yankees to repeat, but it takes a lot more coming into line than, arguably, what got them to the World Series last year. 

No Pressure

 

And so here we are again. 2022 the Phillies make the leap, 2023 the Phillies prove it's not a fluke, 2024 the Phillies are unstoppable but aren't used to a first round bye. We're speedrunning the Charlie Manuel years. The difference is they had a World Series trophy to show for themselves by this point. The Phillies don't have that. 

In fact, the Eagles winning a Super Bowl may have made things trickier for them, because now this fanbase is gonna expect similar results. And if Philadelphia sports fans are anything, they're easily disappointed. And impatient, that's important too. So now that one of their teams can succeed, the ones that aren't are going to stick out even more. This city has already abandoned the Sixers, which wasn't difficult. And now we're gonna see how they do with this Phillies season, which could go a number of ways depending on A.) how the Phillies fare, and B.) how their competition fares.

The Phillies, as discussed, reached their peak last season. The fear is that now a lot of these guys are gonna be slowly heading off their peak, the same thing that doomed this team in 2012. I am very worried about the prospect of Zack Wheeler, after an incredible start to the decade, being less than perfect this year. I'm also worried about Trea Turner after a subpar defensive effort in 2024. And I'm worried about Bryson Stott and Johan Rojas still playing background roles in this team instead of truly blossoming. This has all the makings of diminishing returns, and while so many of these guys have the talent to power through, I'm still very worried. 

Cristopher Sanchez is eyeing a much larger role this year. Last season was proof he could be a big game starter, and he was very trustworthy down the stretch. This year, even with Nola and Wheeler back, and Jesus Luzardo onboard, the question marks surrounding Ranger Suarez could be a mar in a perfect rotation, and if that's the case, a great season from Sanchez would be even more valuable. In 5 spring starts so far, Sanchez has a 1.62 ERA and 19 Ks. That's the best stretch from a Phils starter in camp so far, as Wheeler and Luzardo have been shaky, Walker got lit up today and Nola and Seth Johnson have been slightly below. Ranger Suarez has also been sharp, but he's not striking as many people out, so that's interesting. This team will have Max Kepler, Jordan Romano and Joe Ross in key roles this year, and they've all been fantastic in camp.

However, the obvious factor into their season is that they still have the Braves and Mets to contend with. The Braves will get Ronald Acuna back at some point, and are still very much in their peak period. The Mets bulked up and got even stronger, and they're gonna want the division. Both of those teams are trending up, and the Phillies need to stay ahead of them. I worry that'll be too difficult for them, but I'd really like to be proven wrong. 

You Probably Should Call it a Comeback

 

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. 

Marlins: Not only is Sandy Alcantara back in camp for the Marlins, and thriving, but he'll likely be the Opening Day Starter. Before the injury the Cy Young winner was one of the most consistent and dominant Marlins pitchers in years, and his Spring material has made people extremely excited, as they should be. Hopefully he'll ensure this team finishes with their dignity intact this year.

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.

Together We Once Wore Grey

 

I was thinking about the 2018 Padres the other day. There's the joke that men think about the Roman Empire constantly, but I can bet you nobody thinks about the 2018 Padres. There are names on that team that just shouldn't be spoken. Christian Villanueva. Joey Lucchesi. Carlos Asuaje. They had a guy play in all 162, but he only hit .250 and most of you probably don't remember who even did that. It was dire. Positively dire. 

And yet a youth movement was beginning to brew. The people that don't remember those dreary-ass end of the 2010s Padres teams remember that there were a ton of prospects that popped up around then and looked to take over, and...most of them were dealt before the Seidler runs. People like Nick Margevicius, Cal Quantrill, Chris Paddack, Manuel Margot, Franmil Reyes, Ty France  and Luis Urias. They were even more prominent in 2019, when the biggest prize of the farm system, Fernando Tatis Jr., took to the majors like a fish to water and, despite an injury costing him a chunk of the season, almost singlehandedly revitalizing the team. 

And now you look at the Padres and they're almost unrecognizable from that scrappy, homegrown 2019 squad. First of all they took back the brown and gold, that was a great move heading into 2020, I'm glad Machado and Tatis only had one seeing wearing those unmemorable navy and greys. But, as I alluded to, pretty much every youth piece the Padres had in that 2018-19 era got dealt. It's really just Tatis and Adrian Morejon, a guy who's evaded trades by just not being healthy til now, left. It's rare for a team to sell almost the entirety of the farm system and still make it deep into the playoffs, but the Padres have done this, and are still competitors.

Tatis, though, still feels like an odd figure in the development of this team. This will be his sixth season, and his age 26 season, and while he already has a cumulative 21.7 WAR, the stardom that Tatis was promised still seems slightly distant. It's not that he hasn't performed well, but he's never gone a season without missing at least some time, he was out for the Padres' 2022 NLCS run, and he was never exactly exonerated after testing positive for PEDs. Moving Tatis to the outfield in 2023 did boost his star power, and his power numbers last year were welcome, but he hasn't hit .300 since his rookie season, he's hovering around the .276 zone as a career average, and the injury last season robbed him of finally making an impact. He's still one of the best in the league, yeah, but I don't know if Tatis has delivered anything as powerful as his pre-suspension material. 

I do think Tatis will have a good season, but I get the clearest Juan Gonzalez vibes from him. Talented, capable of high highs, but the drawbacks are also unmistakably there. 

Meanwhile, let's have a look at where some of the other late 2010s Padres prospects have ended up, and if they're in any way comparable to Tatis right now.

A's: Luis Urias had a couple of years as an infield starter with the Brewers, then when that didn't pan out he bounced around as an extra piece. With Sacramento, he has a chance to be a depth infielder, and if his bat shows up the A's would greatly appreciate another power piece.

Blue Jays: Eric Lauer, a couple years removed from an injury, is still kicking around the league. He was decent enough in an appearance for the Jays. No clue if they have room for him though. They definitely don't have any in the rotation. 

Brewers: Manuel Margot's 2024 with Minnesota was not the greatest step forward, especially after years of being a reliable utility bat in Tampa. The Brewers plan to start Margot, but several of the outfield options have more versatility and more recent success. Odds are he wriggles his way through, but is he anything close to where he was?

Cardinals: Phil Maton has bounced around recently, but enjoyed postseason success with Houston and New York. The Cardinals took a flier on him a couple days ago, they could use established bullpen guys. Not sure if he makes the team, but if he does he could be a decent piece still. 

Diamondbacks: Josh Naylor just capped off a run of excellent seasons as an 1B/DH piece in Cleveland, cementing his status not only as a great power hitter but also a dangerous contact bat. The Guardians parting ways with him seems like a dumb move, as is putting him in Phoenix, where he fits right into the vacant 1B position that Christian Walker left. The D-Backs need guys like him, and if they seek to compete again this year I see Naylor factoring highly into things. Very satisfying to see Naylor find his full potential after his early days in San Diego scraping the surface of it.

Giants: Joey Lucchesi's comeback with the Mets was halted by the continued presence of injury luck. The Giants are seeing if he has anything in the tank. If anything he'll be a minor league depth option. Kinda sad to say he peaked with the 2018 Padres.

Guardians: Austin Hedges continues to be one of the most beloved defensive catchers in the game despite not doing a damned thing on defense. He will continue to platoon with Bo Naylor until Bo learns to hit more consistently. 

Mariners: Andres Muñoz was an all-star last season, proved he could work the ninth as well as provide consistent relief, and is very high on the M's relief depth chart going into 2025. Of everyone here, Munoz might have the highest chance for exceptional output, despite probably not getting the credit if he does so.

Marlins: Cal Quantrill had a great start with the Rockies last year but fell off hard. The Marlins could give him a shot if enough of their starting options aren't ready for April, but Alcantara, Weathers and Cabrera rank ahead of him, and Max Meyer and Valente Bellozo factor heavily for rotation spots as well. 

Mets: Luis Torrens was a backup catcher with the Mets last season, and thanks to Francisco Alvarez's injury looks to get playing time again this season. As a matter of fact, he might be the starting catcher going into the opener. As endearing as the Mariners fans were towards him in the early 2020s, the Mets fans could potentially welcome him even more. 

Pirates: David Bednar has been one of the best relief pieces in Pittsburgh this decade. Last year he had a down season. Either he recovers what he had in the early part of the decade or the Bucs dump him and go with Holderman in the ninth. 

Royals: Hunter Renfroe, after being on a different team every year for the past 5 years, has finally settled in Kansas City. He lacks the real pop he had in San Diego, but he's steady, reliable, and gets the job done. He looks to start this season in the outfield, at least until the Royals build up enough that he doesn't have to.

Twins: Chris Paddack is looking like a probable Opening Day rotation pick. The last few years he's gotten injured at some point, but last year was a relatively full picture of his skills, and while he hasn't touched his 2019 peak. Ty France, meanwhile, is coming off a weaker year after being the go-to 1B guy in Seattle for years. He looks to start at 1st in Minnesota, filling in for a gold glove campaign from Carlos Santana. The Twins have Jose Miranda ready to go if things don't work out though.

White Sox: Travis Jankowski won a World Series with the Rangers, and this is the thanks they give him? And the worrying detail is I'm not even sure if Janko will make the team out of camp for the White Sox. 

Whatever Yusei..

 I really don't know if Angels fans are gonna fall for it anymore. A fresh start, new free agents, the promise of a full season of Mike Trout, the possibility that this is finally the year something clicks. They've been here. Pretty much every year for the past decade, 'oh that didn't work last year but THIS is the team that does it'. It's literally the Charlie Brown football bit, cause the second they get too invested Mike Trout will get hurt and they'll fall to like fourth. 

And so this year I'm not really blaming Angels fans if they're hesitant to get their hopes up. Yusei Kikuchi went from being an average, middle-of-the-pack guy for Toronto to being one of the best things about the Astros in their last two months. Getting him to head the rotation while Tyler Anderson, Jose Soriano, Kyle Hendricks and Reid Detmers follow behind is a definite upgrade. There are proven backups in multiple positions this year, including Travis d'Arnaud, Kevin Newman and Yoan Moncada, to ensure that the injury frenzy that slowed the progress last year doesn't happen again. We already know that Zach Neto will be missing some time, and we of course know that Anthony Rendon will be missing the majority of the season [for old time's sake really], but this team is finally building depth options to prevent caving in. And even in a season where Mike Trout is far and away the best player on the team, and could sink the team if he gets hurt early again, that makes me a little more optimistic than usual.

Now, the downside is this team skews older now. Y'know, bringing in Hendricks, Kikuchi, Kenley Jansen and Jorge Soler will do that. There are little crevices for younger players like Caden Dana, Jack Kochanowicz and Sam Aldegheri to squeeze into, but Wash and co. have packed this team with veterans. For right now, as we're waiting for this team to really grow, that is fine. It could hold the Angels back from really holding a candle to Texas, which does have a fully formed, younger team, but it's better than throwing out Trey Cabbage and Michael Stefanic due to lack of options.

The most promising factor the Angels have seen this spring is Mike Trout's continued peak hitting. So far, in 7 games, he's hitting .308 with 2 home runs and 3 RBIs. He's still very much himself, and all he needs is a consistent campaign to really prove himself. Hopefully that is still possible. The Griffey comparisons are still very real, and Trout can outweigh them by having a year that eclipses anything Griffey put together in the 2000s. 

The Angels could surprise people this season, but the alternative to that is more predictability, and after so many seasons of the same thing happening, the fanbase could use something different.