Philadelphia, PA (SportsNetwork.com) – Major League Baseball’s Opening Day is
in the books and we are already dealing with some knee-jerk reactions from the
first few days of action.
It’s amazing. No other sport offers up these types of reactions after one game
the way baseball does. Football kind of does, but you can almost accept it
because the NFL only plays 16 games.
But there are 162 games in baseball.
I actually heard a certain football writer from The Sports Network utter on
Monday that he had already given up on the New York Yankees and that he
couldn’t sit through another mediocre season.
After one game!
How about we let the season settle in a bit before we proclaim Kyle Kendrick
the National League’s Cy Young Award winner or before we make room in
Cooperstown for Jake Lamb.
It is a long, long season. And I’m going to go out on a limb here and say that
nothing that happened on Monday, or Sunday for that matter, will have any
bearing on who is playing in October.
Actually that might not be the case because there was a monster trade on Sunday
that saw the Atlanta Braves trade Craig Kimbrel and Melvin Upton to the San
Diego Padres.
It’s a good deal for both teams. Atlanta is clearly in a rebuild mode and
would have been wasting Kimbrel. So if that’s what it took to rid itself of the
nearly $47 million left on Upton’s deal, so be it.
Plus they got a few decent prospects back.
As for San Diego, well, Kimbrel is just another piece to the puzzle. The
Padres have left themselves no wiggle room. They have to win or this season is
a complete bust. There is a buzz around the Padres, though, and it’s been a
long time since we’ve said that.
It’s good to have a crazy general manager every now and then. And make no
mistake, A.J. Preller is crazy. He’s going to do whatever it takes to win. You
have to admire that, but it could all blow up in his face, too.
Anyway, let’s give some thoughts of our own to what has transpired in the
first few days. And what better way to do it than in a format that is the
ultimate in knee-jerk reactions. Twitter, of course.
So, in 140 characters or less. Give or take, of course. Here we go:
@Angels: There may not be a team more unlikable than the Angels given how
they’ve carried themselves during this whole Josh Hamilton saga.
@Astros: So maybe Dallas Keuchel is the real deal after all.
@Athletics: As far as Billy Beane-type players go, Ben Zobrist has to be near
the top of the list.
@BlueJays: Reliever Miguel Castro is going to be the American League’s
breakout star this season. He is Toronto’s Dellin Betances.
@Braves: If anyone thought the Braves weren’t rebuilding, well, Sunday’s deal
certainly sealed it.
@Brewers: Ryan Braun almost went one game without getting hurt.
@Cardinals: My NL MVP pick of Jason Heyward is looking pretty good after one
game.
@Cubs: The renovations at Wrigley seem to be going well. PSA: Make sure you go
to the bathroom before getting to the ballpark this season.
@Dbacks: Going out on a limb here, but Jake Lamb won’t be able to sustain the
567 RBI pace he is on. FYI it would be a record if he does.
@Dodgers: Jimmy Rollins might be the best addition any team in the NL made
this offseason. And that’s a fact.
@Indians: Is anyone 100 percent sure that Carlos Carrasco is not the best
pitcher on the Indians?
@Mariners: Felix Hernandez made my Mariners World Series pick look real good
… for one game anyway.
@Marlins: Mat Latos’ Marlins debut probably could have gone a little better,
no?
@Mets: Mets catch a break with Jenrry Mejia elbow; Jeurys Familia now gets a
shot to shine.
@Nationals: Loss to Mets on Opening Day meant they wouldn’t finish 162-0.
@Orioles: Chris Tillman is the most overlooked ace on the most overlooked team
in the league.
@Padres: Boom or bust. I guess we will find out.
@Phillies: If the Phillies get beat like that on days Cole Hamels pitches,
what will it be like on Jerome Williams days?
@Pirates: There are few players in the league I’d pay to see right now. Andrew
McCutchen is one. Ideal dude on and off the field.
@Rangers: Rangers will likely field a lot of calls on Adrian Beltre as season
goes on.
@RaysBaseball: Player to watch as a potential breakout star: right-hander Jake
Odorizzi. Will be high strikeout guy if he stays healthy.
@Reds: Johnny Cueto is going to help a team make the playoffs this season.
It’s just not going to be the #Reds
@RedSox: Am I the only one who thinks $80 million for Rick Porcello is a bit
much?
@Rockies: If the Rockies average close to eight runs a game the rest of the
season they will win a lot of games. That’s not going to happen.
@Royals: What was your reaction when you found out Yordano Ventura had a thumb
cramp after watching him writhe around in pain on the mound?
@SFGiants: It’s not a good sign when you are already dipping into the Triple-A
well for a starting pitcher two days into the season.
@Tigers: Fantasy writing-award winner Steve Schwarz is a huge fan of J.D.
Martinez. He may not be the only one by the end of the season.
@Twins: If Phil Hughes didn’t give up so many home runs, he may have a sub-1.00
ERA
@WhiteSox: A rivalry with the Royals may have been born when Jeff Samardzija
hit Lorenzo Cain following the Mike Moustakas blast.
@Yankees: How about we let Masahiro Tanaka make a few more starts before we
put him on the operating table?
