USA TODAY International Edition
Five things to watch as MLB spring training starts
Baseball is back with a month of exhibitions before a planned 162- game season.
right shoulder. A boffo workout prompted the Yankees to outbid numerous suitors, guaranteeing Kluber $ 11 million.
Now he epitomizes the significant risk- reward of this roster. If Kluber is anything like the guy who struck out 1,228 batters and posted a 1.02 WHIP between 2014 and 2018, the Yankees will have a punishing, perhaps indomitable 1- 2 with him and Gerrit Cole.
But a breakdown would suddenly leave the Yankees with question marks throughout the rotation. Two- time Tommy John surgery recipient Jameson Taillon is the No. 3 starter, No. 5 starter Domingo German missed all of 2020 after violating MLB's domestic violence policy, Luis Severino returns midseason from Tommy John surgery and younger arms Clarke Schmidt and Deivi Garcia remain relatively unknown quantities.
That's not to say Kluber's spring results will matter. But plenty of eyeballs will be upon him.
Will the Mariners go to Jarred?
Can a 21- year- old prospect with just 21 games played above Class A ball make an entire organization squirm?
That's the goal for Jarred Kelenic, the Mariners outfielder who, according to now- former club CEO Kevin Mather, had no shot of making the team last summer or this spring.
Mather's many ill- advised comments resulted in his resignation, but none drew the ire of the industry like his unfiltered admission the Mariners will keep Kelenic down to harvest more years of service out of him.
Now, the consensus top- 5 prospect can try to force the Mariners' hand with blistering line drives and soaring home runs across the Arizona desert. Can he force his way on the squad with a Cactus League fusillade?
Sure, roster maneuvers and service time trickery are a part of every spring. Yet as the sport enters a pivotal year in labor relations, here's a rare case where otherwise meaningless spring plate appearances will be under heavy scrutiny.
White Sox: Loud noises
They are loaded with talent, big personalities and helmed by a 76- year- old manager eager to claim he can coexist with the cool kids.
In short, how can you not keep an eye on the White Sox in Cactus League play?
Enough has been made about how Tony La Russa, already enshrined in the Hall of Fame, will relate to a fun bunch of youngsters and an intriguing youth/ veteran mix in the clubhouse.
On the field, the noise that might matter most could be Andrew Vaughn's bat. LIke Kelenic, Vaughn is a top 15- ish prospect with an advanced hit tool and an ability to help the White Sox immediately. After he went underground with all the other top prospects in 2020, Vaughn is expected to emerge almost big- league ready.
If he tears up the Cactus League, will the White Sox start him right away in Chicago, where DH at- bats are there for the taking?
Arms races
Several teams, including the Yankees and Blue Jays, will open their exhibition slate by playing seven- inning games. It's part of a safety- first approach by almost every team to ease pitchers into action after a 60- game 2020 schedule.
While the early returns can be largely dismissed – first spring training starts aren't much more than glorified live batting practice sessions, anyway – it will bear watching how quickly pitchers stretch out and if they'll stay healthy. While teams were afforded 28- man rosters last year, this year it's back to 26, but with no limit on pitchers.
So be ready for a slew of 15- man pitching staffs and a handful of six- man rotations. For now, teams will be satisfied if they can just get their horses to the gate healthy on April 1.
William Byron picked up the second win of his NASCAR Cup Series career Sunday at Homestead- Miami Speedway and dominated along the way.
Byron led the final 58 laps and went unchallenged to the checkered flag. While his margin of victory was 2.7 seconds on Tyler Reddick, at times Byron led by over five seconds. The winning pass was made when Byron overtook Martin Truex Jr. a few laps after the final restart of the Dixie Vodka 400.
The win likely clinches Byron a playoff spot for the third consecutive season. It is the first Cup Series win for Byron with new crew chief Ryan “Rudy” Fugle, who took over for Chad Knaus this season. It is the first win at the Cup level for Fugle.
“That guy has been huge for my career,” Byron said of Fugle. “He’s the reason I’m here, and I’m glad we could get him. He’s just awesome. This whole team did a phenomenal job. Everybody. The pit crew, over the wall, we’re extremely blessed. Thanks, God, for all the things that it takes to get to this level. Great boss in Mr. Hendrick and Jeff Gordon, and Axalta. This car looks really cool. I can’t even believe it, honestly. It was just a really smooth day. And we worked hard in the winter on this track. I can’t believe it.”
Reddick came up one spot short in a spectacular charge to the front. Reddick ran eighth with 25 laps to go but began making up time by going to the top of the track. He cut down over 10 seconds on the leaders to finish second.
Truex finished third, Kyle Larson fourth and Kevin Harvick fifth.
Michael McDowell earned his third consecutive top- 10 finish after winning the Daytona 500. McDowell finished sixth. It is the first time in his career that McDowell has started the year with three top- 10s in a row. “To make a big jump like we did, I wouldn’t say that it’s a completely unbelievable shock, but it’s pretty close to it,” said McDowell. “We have definitely outperformed where we thought we’d be.”
Pole- sitter Denny Hamlin, who started at the rear of the field because of unapproved adjustments after inspection, finished 11th. Hamlin was penalized for speeding when pitting under the final caution on lap 201.
Chris Buescher won the first stage. Byron won the second stage and led a race- high 102 of 267 laps.
Christopher Bell, who won the Daytona road race last week, finished 20th.