Major League Baseball’s Opening Week

On March 29, baseball had sprung again. Despite the harsh, cold weather that remained in the east, baseball fans were relieved to see their favorite teams once again. Throughout the course of the first few days, there were many surprises from certain teams and players, surely making it a wild opening season. Here are a few things to note following the first week of the 2018 season.

First off, the Chicago White Sox, who are in a rebuilding year after losing 95 games last season, have shown great offensive strengths. Although they have the youngest team in the league, they have displayed tremendous power: they lead the league in home runs, slugging percentage, and even in exit velocity. With this continued success throughout the season, the team might make a deep run into the postseason with a young, healthy group of players.

Secondly, the Angels’ Shohei Ohtani, who was predicted to be a “bust” by many scouts, has proved to be capable of handling the majors both on the mound and at the plate. Many people said he would not be able to perform up to the standards of Major League Baseball, but he has proved them wrong (so far). For the first time since the Babe Ruth-era, professional baseball saw one player with a strong, dual-role capability. The Japanese-sensation already has 3 home runs with a .368 average as a hitter while keeping a 2.08 ERA as a starting pitcher. If Ohtani keeps this up, he can expect to earn many awards while ultimately changing the game of baseball for the future.

Another thing to note is the American League East division, more specifically, the Yankees and the Red Sox. After acquiring Giancarlo Stanton, the Yanks were loaded and favored to win the division. However, strikeouts and a unreliable bullpen have led to a few poor performances. On the other hand, the Red Sox are off to a 9-1 start with one of the most dominant starting rotations thus far. With a possible close race, this division will be one to look out for in the future.

Finally, the Houston Astros continue to dominate all of baseball and are expected to do so for the time being. The group of stars, including Jose Altuve, Carlos Correa, George Springer, Justin Verlander, Gerrit Cole, Evan Gattis, and many more are doing what a great baseball team is supposed to do. The pitchers have not been allowing runs while the hitters have been putting up runs on the board. With their loaded roster, the team, as long as they remain healthy, can very likely thrive in the season and eventually find their way into the world series.

It has only been a few days since the start of baseball but there are many things to take note of. However, as most fans know, absolutely anything can happen throughout a baseball season and could be drastically different from predictions earlier in the season. For the upcoming weeks and months, there will be more twists and turns in the game which could possibly produce a wild end to the season.

Photo Credit: MLB