MLB Opening Day is here. (Photo by Al Bello/Getty Images)
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It’s been 148 days since Walker Buhler (then of the Los Angeles Dodgers and now of the Boston Red Sox) struck out Alex Verdugo (then of the New York Yankees and now of the Triple-A affiliate of the Atlanta Braves) to close out the 2024 World Series.
Today is Opening Day – non-Dodgers/Cubs/Japan division. As Alex Cora recently said, Opening Day is similar to a national holiday. And for 28 clubs, it is the last time they will have a clean slate (the Dodgers are already 2-0 and the Cubs are already 0-2).
Rogers Hornsby, arguably the greatest second baseman of all-time, was once asked what he does all winter when there is no baseball. His famous response: “I’ll tell you what I do. I stare out the window and wait for spring.”
Well, he and we need not stare out the window any longer. In 14 different ballparks today (the Tampa Bay Rays and Colorado Rockies will have to wait until Friday to begin), players will jog out of the dugout and lineup along the chalk that runs from home plate to the outfield poles. Starting lineups will be announced, ginormous flags will be unfurled, fighter jets will fly overhead, and pop sensations will sing the national anthem. And then an umpire will step behind the plate and say maybe the two most beautiful words in the English language: “Play Ball!”
The winter hot stove season was as robust as ever. Juan Soto signed the largest contract in major sports history (15 years, $765 million, with a chance for it to stretch to $805 million). The Boston Red Sox retooled their pitching staff (including trading for young ace Garrett Crochet) and added a Gold Glove third baseman (Alex Bregman). The Dodgers signed both Blake Snell and Japanese sensation Rōki Sasaki, as well as many other free agents. The Houston Astros, after losing Bregman to free agency, traded their best player, Kyle Tucker, to the Chicago Cubs. Corbin Burnes spurned the Baltimore Orioles to move closer to home and play for the Arizona Diamondbacks. Willy Adames left the comfort of Milwaukee to become the San Francisco Giants new shortstop. Max Fried signed an eight-year, $218 million contract with the Yankees. Devin Williams went from the Brewers to the Yankees, and got them to agree to soften the club’s stance on facial hair in the process. Jack Flaherty went right back to the Detroit Tigers. The list can go on and on.
And now, with the off-season dust settled, every baseball writer worth his or her salt has made their pre-season predictions. So, with first pitches about to be thrown, I figured I would add to the canon. Here goes:
National League Division Winners: Braves, Cubs, Dodgers
National League Wild Card Teams: Mets, Phillies, Diamondbacks
National League Pennant Winner: Dodgers
American League Division Winners: Red Sox, Tigers, Mariners
American League Wild Card Teams: Rays, Astros, Rangers
American League Pennant Winner: Red Sox
World Series: Dodgers over Red Sox in seven games (with Shohei Ohtani on the mound to start Game 7)
And since we are picking winners, here are some individual awards:
National League MVP: Shohei Ohtani (it is just too hard not to pick him)
American League MVP: Bobby Witt Jr. (he came so close last season, and I believe Aaron Judge falls off just enough this year)
National League Cy Young: Paul Skenes (how can you not vote for him?)
American League Cy Young: Logan Gilbert (in for a penny, in for a pound for the Mariners)
National League Rookie of the Year: Dylan Crews (the pedigree, the Nats’ history, the swing)
American League Rookie of the Year: Jackson Jobe (learning from Tarik Skubal will be enough to push him over the top)
There is no need to expand the above offerings. I am now on the record. Seven months from now, when the games have been played and the awards have been bestowed, we will know how close I came. But, with a baseball season, it is about the journey every bit as much as it is the destination. We will have baseball in our lives every day from now through October (and potentially early November). Enjoy the ride!!
This hunk of medal is what every team is vying for. (Photo by Mary DeCicco/MLB Photos via Getty … More Images)
MLB Photos via Getty Images
