Hated Evil Empire returns; versatile rookie an enigma
BASEBALL returns from its sleep-inducing offseason early next week with a wake-up jolt. Thirty major-league camps will open in Florida and Arizona for the start of spring training, vying for attention with a rogue camp in Bradenton, Florida.
Financed by the players union in response to the owners’ scarcity of interest in the current crop of free agents, the island of misfit millionaires adds another intriguing storyline to what looks to be a wild spring.
Despite their best intentions, baseball’s owners somehow find themselves in great shape heading into 2018.
The constant carping about pace of play, the increasing number of tanking teams and the antagonistic attitude toward its own players haven’t dulled interest in the national pastime.
The past two World Series were seven-game classics won by teams executing near-perfect teardowns and rebuilds. Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton are now in the same lineup with the Yankees, and 23-year-old Japanese star Shohei Ohtani brings his high-wire act to the Angels.
Home runs are back in vogue after a record-setting 6,105 balls cleared fences in 2017, presumably without an assist from modern chemistry. Extended netting should make all 30 ballparks safer for fans.
And the possible return of bullpen carts has piqued the curiosity of even the most jaded curmudgeons.
With baseball back in business, here are some of the storylines we’ll be following this spring and onward.
All over the diamond
Ohtani, the best young player in Japan, is a pitcher/slugger hoping in his rookie season to become the reincarnation of Babe Ruth. It all starts in Tempe, Arizona, where the national media will converge, leaving the Cubs to train in relative peace for once.
Just relax, Shohei. No pressure at all.
Ohtani will likely start out in the Angels’ rotation and figures to play in the outfield or at designated hitter when he’s not on the mound. The Angels ultimately may go with a six-man rotation, as Ohtani pitched only about once a week in Japan.
It was revealed after the much-hyped signing that Ohtani had a small, first-degree UCL tear in his right elbow, which could lead to a more conservative game plan. Either way, everyone in the U.S. and Japan will be watching his every move.
Under-the-radar windfall
Owners have been united so far, saying no to longterm contracts. What’s seldom mentioned in discussions of greedy players is the fact every team received around $50 million for the sale of BAMTECH to Disney. That’s in addition to all their other revenue streams.
No wonder the owners closed off a ritzy hotel bar from the prying media in November at the general managers meetings in Orlando, Florida. They had a lot of celebrating to do.
Some agents have hinted at collusion, but there’s no smoking gun. The freezeout will remain a big story until the last of the big squirrels is signed.
Who will surprise?
With so many teams in the same rebuilding mode, one is bound to surprise everyone and compete for a wild-card berth. Remember a half-dozen mediocre teams were in contention last August for the second American League wild-card playoff spot. It’s not that hard if a team hangs around .500.
Perhaps the White Sox can be the chosen one, assuming Michael Kopech and Eloy Jimenez come up and all the prospects click as the Cubs’ did in 2015. The Brewers fast-forwarded their rebuild last year and are now a team with which to reckon.
The Pirates insist they’re not tanking despite trading ace Gerrit Cole and center fielder Andrew Mccutchen.
“In our minds, a rebuild implies you’re looking five years down the road,” general manager Neal Huntington said. “This team is going to show up ready to go in spring training, ready to compete, ready to defy odds, just like that 2013 Pirates team did.”
Rockies retool bullpen
“Bullpenning” has become the norm in the postseason, with managers going to the pen early to avoid having starters face hitters the third time around. “Bridge” pitchers to get from starter to closer are now a hot commodity, and the Dodgers’ Brandon Morrow went that route to nab a closer’s job this year with the Cubs.
The Rockies, meanwhile, signed former Cubs closer Wade Davis. They spent a hefty $106 million on their bullpen in the offseason, also adding Bryan Shaw and re-signing Jake Mcgee.
Along with Mike Dunn and Adam Ottavino, the Rockies bullpen arguably is much more important than their rotation.
It’s a bold experiment to say the least. But nothing else has worked at Coors Field over the years, so why not give it a shot?
Yankees flex muscles
The Yankees’ surprising acquisition of Stanton must have been a dream come true for Commissioner Rob Manfred.
Love them or hate them, the game is simply better when the Yankees are the Yankees. With two mammoth, pinstriped sluggers hitting back-to-back, the Bombers should revert to their former role as baseball’s Evil Empire, the way it oughta be.
Judge last year became the first rookie in history to hit 50 home runs. Stanton took a shot at Roger Maris’ oldschool record of 61 homers before winding up with 59. It’s similar to Kevin Durant joining Steph Curry, where every game is a happening.