Well, we believe in exit velocity, bat flips, launch angles, stealing home, the hanging curveball, Big League Chew, sausage races, and that unwritten rules of any kind are self-indulgent, overrated crap. We believe Greg Maddux was an actual wizard. We believe there ought to be a constitutional amendment protecting minor league baseball and that pitch framing is both an art and a science. We believe in the sweet spot, making WARP not war, letting your closer chase a two-inning save, and we believe love is the most important thing in the world, but baseball is pretty good, too.
Which MLB Opening Day roster decision surprised you the most and what does it mean long term?
Eric Cole: I mean, it has to be Cam Smith, right? All indications are that he will be the Astros’ starting right fielder despite never playing in the outfield before camp and being drafted just last year. Even if the Astros pivoted from that decision at the last moment, it is wild that he forced his way into the conversation so quickly. For what it is worth, I do think he is a potentially special bat that the Cubs will rue the decision to include him in a trade for one year of Kyle Tucker.
Zachary Rotman: As much as I want to pick someone else, it does have to be Cam Smith. Not only is he new to the outfield, but he has a total of 32 minor league games of experience under his belt, and only five of those came at the Double-A level. That’s quite the jump to go from virtually no Double-A experience to the majors. He’s had an awesome spring, but that doesn’t mean this move isn’t risky. It should be fascinating to see how it plays out.
Chris Landers: Cam Smith is, in fact, the obvious answer here, but in the spirit of diversity I’ll mention a couple of other roster decisions that I didn’t see coming. The first is Boston handing its second-base job to top prospect Kristian Campbell, not so much for baseball reasons – though it is worth remembering that Campbell, too, has played just 75 games above A-ball – but for what it means for Rafael Devers moving forward. The second is infielder Hyeseong Kim failing to make the Dodgers’ roster after signing a three-year deal over the winter, a helpful reminder that, even for the Dodgers, scouting is something of a crapshoot.
Robert Murray: Cam Smith. This is the obvious answer and I respect Chris for finding an alternate option, but it’s by far and away the most significant. 32 career minor league games? And he’s on the Opening Day roster? That’s almost unheard of (except for the Angels and their aggressiveness promoting prospects). I love it.
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What is your top Opening Day memory involving your favorite team?
Eric Cole: Taking my daughter to Opening Day the year SunTrust (now Truist) Park opened was really special and tops the list for me as a dad. However, Jason Heyward hitting an absolute tank the first time he took a swing in the big leagues is up there as well.
Zachary Rotman: For the first time in a long time, the Mets actually entered a season with some hope in 2015 thanks to a seemingly never-ending list of young starters on the verge of stardom. Beating the Nationals to kick off the 2015 campaign, a team that went 15-4 against them in 2014, in Max Scherzer’s debut with them felt like a big deal. Sure enough, that year did turn out to be a special one for New York.
Chris Landers: I have more memories of Yankees home openers – playing in a snow globe in 1996, Hideki Matsui’s grand slam in 2003 – than I do of Opening Day. But the one that stands out the most is probably 2018, when Giancarlo Stanton, fresh off having won NL MVP honors with the Marlins the year prior, announced his arrival in New York with not one but two homers in a win over the Blue Jays in Toronto – including a missile out to right-center in his very first at-bat that I thought might give John Sterling a coronary. Luckily for Stanton, the Yankees and myself, that was the sign of a totally great and uncomplicated Yankees tenure to come, where nothing bad would ever happen.
Robert Murray: I’ve been to six Opening Days, but only one as a fan. So I’m going with that one. It was at Miller Park in Milwaukee about 5-6 years ago. I drove to the ballpark on a bus with a big group of friends and we tailgated in one of the lots for hours. Drank beers, grilled food, played bags and hung out. Let’s just say this: I don’t even remember the game!
Award predictions! Give us one dark horse for MVP or Cy Young in either league
Eric Cole: The American League is loaded with MVP candidates, but I honestly think this is the year where the insanely consistent Jose Ramirez takes home the hardware. The Guardians might be sneaky good and if they are, J-Ram is going to play a big role in that. Also, the sheer amount of pre-season disrespect that Spencer Strider is getting in the NL Cy Young predictions is wild to me. Assuming he returns by mid-April, he should be among the favorites as long as he stays healthy.
Zachary Rotman: It might be a bit of a hot take to predict that 21-year-old Jackson Chourio will win the NL MVP award in his second MLB season, especially in a league that has the likes of Shohei Ohtani, Juan Soto, and Kyle Tucker in it, but I am all-in. After a bit of a slow start to his MLB career last season, Chourio had a 150 WRC+ in the second half (tied for sixth in the NL among qualified hitters). He then proceeded to have a monster Wild Card Series against the Mets, and is now fresh off a spring training in which he had 23 hits in 49 at-bats (.469 BA). If the Brewers make some noise in the NL Central as they always seem to do, it would not be surprising to see his name in the MVP discussion.
Chris Landers: [stuffs “Jackson Chourio for NL MVP” banner back into my bag] Since Zach swiped that one out from under me, I’ll pivot to the AL instead and snag another electric young outfielder: Wyatt Langford of the Texas Rangers. The No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 draft got fast-tracked to the Majors, and the hype around his arrival was such that a 111 OPS+ with 16 homers and 19 steals in 134 games was seen as a disappointment. I’m buying the Rangers as a bounce-back candidate overall this year, and if Langford’s blistering spring is a sign that he’s ready for the next step, 30/30 for a pennant contender is very much on the table.
Robert Murray: I would like to voice my displeasure with Zach and Chris because they stole my Jackson Chourio pick. Not fair, gentlemen, and you will be hearing from the authorities. Can I put Mike Trout here? Because the Angels really, really like what they’re seeing from Trout and are cautiously optimistic that not being in center field full-time will keep him healthy.
Pick one team that didn’t make the playoffs last season that is due for a surprise postseason run
Eric Cole: This is an easy Rangers pick for me. Texas won the World Series two years ago, return most of the same roster that won it, and have some young studs like Wyatt Langford and Evan Carter that could become All-Stars this year. Right now, I have them as the favorites in the AL West even with the Astros still doing Astros things. The Red Sox are also a pretty easy pick to make here as well, but I’m not sure that would qualify as the same level of surprise.
Zachary Rotman: I am very bullish on the Arizona Diamondbacks this season. They won 89 games in 2024 despite missing out on the postseason, and just added Corbin Burnes. They led the majors in runs scored last season, and that was with Corbin Carroll being a no-show for much of the first half. Their pitching was what held them back last season, but they have a very talented (and deep) rotation, and their bullpen, led by hard-throwing relievers Justin Martinez and AJ Puk, should surprise some people. They have the misfortune of playing in the NL West with the Dodgers and in a stacked National League, but it would not be shocking to see the Diamondbacks make a deep run as they did in 2023.
Chris Landers: I mentioned the Rangers above, but picking the 2023 World Series champs feels a bit like cheating. I will be staying in the American League, though, because its wide-open nature leaves it ripe for a party-crasher like this. And why can’t that team be the Tampa Bay Rays? Yes, losing Shane McClanahan is a blow, but there’s still pitching for days in this organization – especially with Drew Rasmussen hitting the ground running this spring. Everything that could go wrong, did go wrong for this offense last season, but Junior Caminero and Jonathan Aranda are ready to surprise people, and maybe this is finally the year Brandon Lowe stays healthy. Plus, have you seen the rest of the AL East? Sure, the Red Sox could be a wagon, but the Yankees are hobbling into Opening Day while the O’s have weathered key injuries of their own.
Robert Murray: I can’t believe I’m saying this but give me the Pittsburgh Pirates. That pitching staff is so, so good. If they can get even a league-average offense to pair with it … they have the makings of something capable of advancing to the postseason. (Robert note: I would have chosen the Rangers if they weren't chosen by Eric).
Who is one player most casual fans haven’t heard of, but will become a household name by season’s end?
Eric Cole: I’ll let my Braves bias show there here yet again. Overshadowed by Paul Skenes last year, Spencer Schwellenbach put together a hell of a first season in Atlanta. I would not be shocked whatsoever if he gets some down ballot Cy Young votes this year after looking very good this spring. The stuff has the potential to make him a frontline starter and he just keeps getting better and better.
Zachary Rotman: If you haven’t heard the name James Wood yet, it’s time to get familiar with his game. At 6-foot-7, Wood is as intimidating as he looks in the box thanks to his light-tower power. He showed flashes of brilliance down the stretch last season when he debuted for the Washington Nationals, and should only get better when he learns how to hit the ball in the air and to his pull side more often. I would not be surprised at all to see Wood hit his way to the All-Star Game and enter a discussion of being one of the best outfielders in the game by the end of the season.
Chris Landers: Andrew Painter, come on down. The righty hasn’t pitched in a competitive game since 2022, the product of a spring elbow injury that eventually required Tommy John surgery in July 2023. But he was the most electric pitching prospect in the sport when he was healthy, posting a 12 K/9 in Double-A as a 19-year-old, and the Phillies’ conservative approach to his recovery this spring clearly has an eye toward unleashing him down the stretch. He sure looked all the way back in the Arizona Fall League, and it would not surprise me at all if he was the thing that finally got the Phillies over the NL hump.
Robert Murray: Jacob Misiorowski, Milwaukee Brewers. Remember the name. Thank me later.
Robert Murray notebook: Kyle Schwarber and Kyle Harrison buzz
- The Phillies would be very smart to lock up Kyle Schwarber to a contract extension before Opening Day.
- The Giants remain optimistic about Kyle Harrison's future despite optioning him.