10 Things We Learned from MLB’s Opening Weekend
Starting in 2016, I’ve been publishing posts titled 10 Things We Learned About the XX on Opening Day. Like a fine wine, that 2016 post aged well. Included in it are observations that Daniel Murphy could be a good addition to the Nationals (He went on to finish 2nd in 2016’s MVP voting), and that the Diamondbacks train could be derailed by a thoroughly average Zack Greinke (He was 1% better than MLB average according to ERA+).
The 2017 version of the same post had a few insightful points buried in the 800 words, including that the Brewers would be better than most expected (They nearly made the playoffs) and that Masahiro Tanaka did not look great (He finished the season with a 4.74 ERA, a full run higher than any previous season). Here are the top 10 things I picked up during MLB’s Opening Weekend:
1. Chase Anderson got the Opening Day nod for the Brewers and looked great while holding a moribund Padres lineup to 1 hit and no runs over 6 innings. He quietly posted a 2.74 ERA last year while striking out nearly a batter per innings. He’s 30 now so I should temper expectations of a true breakthrough, but the Brewers rotation may be in better shape than I had originally thought. Many of their starters are unproven, but that doesn’t mean they are bad.
2. Part of my optimism around the Brewers is due to the bullpen that they’ve assembled. While watching Jacob Barnes blow hitters away on Opening Day, I did some googling and found that they also have Corey Knebel (sub 2.00 ERA last year), Jeremy Jeffress (3.31 career ERA), Matt Albers (sub 2.00 ERA last year), and Josh Hader (2.08 ERA last year/ former top prospect). The bullpen posted a 1.77 ERA over the weekend set against the Padres. That pace is likely too good to maintain, but I like their pieces.
3. Managers still can’t manage bullpens. The Tigers blew their opener in extras by overextending Alex Wilson. On Wilson’s 57th pitch (his previous career high was 56), he gave up a homerun to Gregory Polanco. This was with another bullpen arm still available. Other bullpen malpractices:
- Gabe Kapler tried to bring Hoby Milner in without any warm-up pitches to face Freddie Freeman for the third time in three days. Matchups are great, but Milner has pitched 7 plate appearances in three games this year and 6 of them were Freddie Freeman/Nick Markakis.
- Aaron Boone left David Robertson in to face Justin Smoak with the bases loaded despite the fact that he had thrown just under half of his pitches in the strike zone to that point. Smoak hit a game-winning grand slam.
4. David Price is back. He never really left us, he was just hurt for most of last year. He nibbled a bit against a Rays lineup that isn’t great and he was down ~0.5 mph from 2016, his last year as a healthy starter, but he looked good and will be a key piece as the Red Sox look to stay in front of the Yankees.
5. Chris Davis is a leadoff hitter and Jose Altuve is a 3-hitter. Baseball is awesome and backwards.
6. The Braves’ Shane Carle threw a couple of 90 mph sliders, but he was not as impressive as a pair of Angels hurlers. One, Garrett Richards, is a widely known starting pitcher, while the other, Keynan Middleton, is a young reliever with red hair. Both combine 96 mph fastballs with 90 mph sliders, a combination that reminds me why I am not a Major League hitter.
7. Though they don’t throw 96, I was impressed with a pair of left-handed starters over the weekend: Mike Minor and Caleb Smith. Minor, the former Braves starter, was a reliever last year for the Royals after spending two years battling through arm troubles. He only got through 4.2 innings but he struck out 5 batters with a fastball that was somewhere between the 95 mph heat he sported out of the bullpen last year, and the 90.3 mph he averaged in his last year as a Braves starter (2014). Caleb Smith got through the Cubs lineup a few times in his 5.1 innings Friday. He came to the Marlins in a small trade with the Yankees in November and he’s never been a big time prospect. However, his 3.19 career minor league ERA combined with his fastball that averages 93 have me ready to watch his next start.
8. Miguel Cabrera worked out with Lebron James’ trainer over the offseason and is looking svelte. The right-handed slugger has started hot and looks poised to capitalize on the combination of a (A) regression to the norm (he was unlucky last year) and (B) an improved body as he enters his age 34 seasons.
9. The Cardinals bullpen is a bit of a mess, and they’re relying on 21 year old rookie Jordan Hicks for help. Greg Holland, Luke Gregerson, and Brett Cecil are all proven bullpen pieces out in the first few weeks of the year, which has freed space for Hicks to light up the radar guns with his 101+ mph fastball. Hicks has looked good and could team with those proven arms to create a stable bullpen. It’s still unclear what the strength of the Cardinals’ roster truly is, which is never a good sign. But the fact that they can call upon a pitcher as talented as Hicks is good sign.
10. Number ten is always that baseball is awesome. Extra innings, walk-offs, and splitfinger are all words that are back in the everyday vocabulary.
-Sean Morash
