Leading Off: What to watch for in the 2019 MLB season
After staring out the window and waiting for spring, as Rogers Hornsby did, for exactly five months – from October 28, 2018 when the World Series ended to March 28, 2019 – Opening Day is finally here.
With each spring comes a renewed sense of hope and optimism. Even if just for one day, every team (well, except for the Orioles) has hope, and every fan can daydream of what could be, even if just temporarily.
Each baseball season is a story waiting to unfold. A marathon waiting to be run. For the next seven months – more than half the calendar year – baseball will consume our lives on a nightly basis, often beginning at 7:05 pm local time.
Predictions and projection write-ups are plentiful this time of year, but they all mean about as much as the scoring system on Whose Line Is It Anyway? Rather than offering empty predictions of final standings and award winners, I’ll highlight key storylines of interest to keep on your radar as another 162-game marathon begins.
The Bryce Is Right?
A 13-year, $330 million contract, no matter your opinion of the length or amount, puts massive expectations square on the shoulders of Bryce Harper’s new Phillies uniform.
Harper will be under a microscope this season to live up to his $330 million contract. Photo courtesy of PhillyVoice.
The new face of the Phillies franchise – and perhaps eventually the city of Philadelphia – will be under a microscope this season to match or exceed his 2015 MVP season. However, Harper’s proven inconsistencies over the course of his career have painted a blurry picture of who Bryce Harper actually is. Consider Harper’s last four rollercoaster years from a statistical perspective:
2015: .330 BA, 42 HR, 1.109 OPS (Won NL MVP)
2016: .243 BA, 24 HR, .814 OPS
2017: .319 BA, 29 HR, 1.008 OPS (only played 111 games due to injury)
2018: .249 BA, 34 HR, .889 OPS
After posting an embarrassing .214 BA in the first half of 2018, Bryce caught fire after winning the Home Run Derby and hit .300 with a .972 OPS in the second half of the season. But that’s in the past, with a different team in a different home ballpark.
If, in 2019, Bryce stays in second-half-of-2018 form, Philly fans will be his greatest supporters. If he hits like he did in the first 93 games of last season, don’t expect any free cheesesteaks for the $330 million man.
Youth Movement
Ronald Acuña Jr (21 years old). Gleyber Torres (22). Juan Soto (20). Shoehei Ohtani (24). Miguel Andújar (24). Walker Buehler (24). Fernando Tatís Jr (20). Vladimir Guerrero Jr (20). Eloy Jimenez (22). Victor Robles (21). Pete Alonso (24). Nick Senzel (23). Kyle Tucker (22). Keston Hiura (22). Alex Verdugo (22). Luis Urías (21). Forrest Whitley (21). Chris Paddack (23).
Gleyber Torres, 22, was an All-Star as a rookie in 2018. Photo courtesy of New York Post.
The fountains of youth are flowing like never before in baseball, with superb young talent littered across the sport. The list of names above represents a mix of young studs who have already made an impact at the Major League level or are expected to do so this season.
This off-season and free agency period made it clear that front offices don’t value veteran players like they used to (which is a problem worth addressing another day), and part of that is due to the massive youth movement taking place across MLB.
Familiarize yourself with these names now before they’re all on the 2022 All-Star team or, eventually, even the Hall of Fame. That’s how chock-full of talent that list it.
Last Year Took Miguel, Can Cabrera Bounce Back?
Cabrera enters his age-36 season with 465 careers home runs. Photo courtesy of Detroit Free Press.
Miguel Cabrera had his 2018 season cut short after rupturing his left bicep tendon in June, necessitating season-ending surgery.
So can Cabrera, who enters his age 36 season, return to form in 2019?
“They say, like, ‘You’re old. You don’t hit the ball the same.’ … There’s a lot of expectations that I can’t do it anymore. So I’ve got to show people,” Cabrera told The Athletic’s Jayson Stark recently. “I’ve got to show them it’s not about what some people say I can’t do anymore. So I’ve got to show people. I’ve got to show them it’s not about what some people say I can’t do anymore. It’s about going out in that stadium and do it. Show people this is what I love, this is what I do.”
Yes, the Tigers will be a mess this year. No, Detroit will not be vying for postseason contention. But if there’s one reason to tune in to Tigers broadcasts this year, it’s to appreciate perhaps the best hitter of his generation as he aims to stave off Father Time and prove doubters wrong.
I don’t know about you, but I’m not betting against the future surefire Hall of Famer.
The Battle for American League Supremacy
The top-heavy American League features arguably the three best teams in baseball in the Astros, Red Sox and Yankees. Rank those teams in whatever order you like, but keep in mind that group includes the last two World Series champions and the Yankees, who won 100 games in 2018.
The Astros (Verlander, Cole) and Red Sox (Sale, Price) boast Cy Young caliber pitchers at the top of their rotations. The Yankees, with a solid but not as impressive rotation as Houston or Boston, have the best bullpen of the three teams.
Alex Bregman and the Astros are arguably the most complete team in baseball. Photo courtesy of Houston Chronicle.
Each team’s lineup is star-studded with reigning AL MVP Mookie Betts and J.D. Martinez spearheading Boston’s offense, Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton leading New York, and the uber-talented core of George Springer, Jose Altuve, Alex Bregman, Carlos Correa and new addition Michael Brantley the top five in Houston’s lineup.
Sure, the Indians will likely(?) win the putrid AL Central for the fourth straight season, and the Rays, A’s, Twins and perhaps the Trouts, err, Angels will compete for essentially one playoff spot.
But make no mistake: the Astros, Red Sox and Yankees are the cream of the crop in the American League by a fairly wide margin. Whichever of those three teams makes it through the gauntlet of the postseason to win the AL pennant will have undoubtedly earned it.
Wide Open National League
Nearly all of the notable offseason action took place in the National League.
Can Machado and the Padres arrive ahead of schedule and contend for the NL West in 2019? Photo courtesy of New York Daily News.
Bryce Harper signed with the Phillies, Manny Machado with the Padres, Patrick Corbin with the Nationals. Paul Goldschmidt, one of the most underrated players in the sport, was traded to St. Louis. Robinson Cano and Edwin Diaz were traded to the Mets. Josh Donaldson signed with the Braves. Philly traded for J.T. Realmuto and Jean Segura while also signing Andrew McCutchen and David Robertson. The Reds acquired Yasiel Puig, Matt Kemp and Sonny Gray via trade. The Nationals upgraded at catcher by acquiring Kurt Suzuki and Yan Gomes.
That’s a lot of talent with new scenery in 2019.
The NL East is an unpredictable four-team race including everyone except the rebuilding Marlins. The NL Central figures to be a three-team race between Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Louis, with Cincinnati a dark horse to make some noise. The NL West seems like the Dodgers’ to lose, but the Rockies can’t be discounted and perhaps San Diego rides the Machado-Tatis Jr. wave to early success.
The Marlins, Pirates, Diamondbacks and Giants seem to be the only team with no real shot of contending. The other 11 teams will be competing for five playoff spots, which should equate to a boatload of excitement.
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