Now Warming Up…Spring Training MLB!

Let's start with the Opener.

***I can still smell the wafer-thin, powdered sugar-covered piece of cardboard known as chewing gum that would accompany every wax-pack of baseball cards I bought as a kid.  I loved it. I was always seeking my favorite players, rookies and All-Stars.  Nowadays, kids can win something as valuable as the gold ticket that Charlie won for that Wonka factory.  An 11-year-old found a one-of-a-kind Paul Skenes rookie card with an actual piece of his jersey from the rookie’s MLB debut.  The young baseball fan was offered a plethora of Pirates incentives from the MLB club, including two season tickets behind home plate at PNC Park for the next 30 years. But, living as an 11-year-old in California, he turned it down. Now, the card is up for auction and currently has a bid north of $300,000.00!  And I got excited for a Mookie Wilson rookie card back in the day!

Now to the Set Up Man.

*** Learning how to throttle-back is rarely taught in professional sports.  Jacob deGrom was asked to do that, to no avail, while pitching for the Mets.  As he returns from another injury-riddled season with the Texas Rangers, deGrom can be a very effective pitcher at 80% of what he can be when goes all out, and he should try to do exactly that.  While being as untouchable as any pitcher in MLB when he plays, deGrom consistently blows hitters away but can’t stay healthy.  Similarly, Ronald Acuna Jr. is returning from injury and he is stating that his days of stealing 70 bases may be over, to protect his health.  Like deGrom, Acuna at 80% is better than almost every player on the field.  I imagine learning how to “throttle back” is as difficult as anything they have had to do as professional athletes.  What do you think?

Now the Closer.

***Fantasy football has become a staple for NFL fans.  It is weekly and relatively easy.  Fantasy baseball, however, although invented first, has yet to become as ubiquitous as its football counterpart.  Perhaps it is the sheer number of games or the unique scoring.  Regardless, is there any question that Shohei Ohtani is one of the most unique and impactful players we have ever seen in MLB history?  He hasn’t done too much pitching yet this spring, after recovering from TJ surgery, but his ability to pitch seems almost inconsequential to the Dodgers team.  Yet, make no mistake, he is an accomplished pitcher to go with his otherworldly offensive statistics.  If you play fantasy baseball, taking Shohei with the first pick is as obvious as some cold suds on a sunny day at an MLB game. 

“People who write about spring training not being necessary have never tried to throw a baseball.” – Sandy Koufax