A look at trends to start the season, like Mike Trout is back. The fans who fought back against the A’s. And other news from MLB.
Good morning. No big stories today, but lots of little ones.
- Dan Moore has a strong piece on the fan groups that have fought against the Athletics leaving Oakland (and some historical precedents elsewhere) and the dilemma of what to do when an ownership group is intentionally trying to drive fans away.
- Mike Trout is off to a great start this year—you might even say it’s a “Mike Trout-like” start, and he wants to win this year. But as Alden Gonzalez explains, Trout wants to win with the Angels. He does not want to be traded.
- Buster Olney looks at some early-season trends. (ESPN+ sub. req.) That includes Trout’s hot start.
- Thomas Harrington has nine young stars who have carried over their strong end to 2023 into this year.
- Brian Murphy has nine teams that have gotten much better at one position this year. Yes, first base for the Cubs is included.
- Brendan Tuma has four young hitters who have shown some encouraging signs so far this year. You many not like his results, but Christopher Morel is on the list.
- Gabe Lacques looks at the .400-average hot start to the season that Orioles rookie outfielder Colton Cowser is off to.
- R.J. Anderson lays out why there is no need to panic over the slow start that fellow Orioles rookie Jackson Holliday is having.
- Ben Clemens thinks Cardinals outfielder Victor Scott II isn’t ready for prime time yet.
- Will Leitch puts odds on how likely teams that are off to hot starts will continue to play that well.
- Leo Morgenstern notes that the Padres are still pretty good.
- Jorge Castillo examines how the new Yankees have given the team a hot start and their new identity as the “Bronx Dawgs.”
- A round table discussion on what is the worst team in baseball. It’s unanimous. It’s the White Sox.
- Jake Mintz looks at what in the world has gone wrong with the Marlins this season.
- Davy Andrews examines what a mess the Dodgers outfield is at the moment.
- Jordan Schusterman reports on what we’ve learned about Dodgers rookie Yoshinobu Yamamoto after four starts.
- One potential minor league call-up for each team who could make a difference this year.
- Pirates top prospect Paul Skenes had another dominating start in Triple-A yesterday. The Pirates are probably just waiting until they gain an extra year of control before Skenes becomes arb-eligible. The man’s fastball sits at 100-101.
- Might as well pay the butcher’s bill now. Angels reliever Robert Stephenson’s season is over before it started as Stephenson will miss all of this season after undergoing elbow surgery.
- The Padres put Yu Darvish on the injured list with neck tightness.
- Rockies outfielder Kris Bryant went on the IL with a lower back strain. Bad week to be an ex-Cub, I guess.
- Red Sox outfielder Tyler O’Neill went on the IL and third baseman Rafael Devers is dealing with a bone bruise after the two players collided in Monday’s game.
- Diamondbacks right-handed starter Ryne Nelson took a line drive off his right elbow in yesterday’s game in San Francisco. X-rays were negative, but they’re waiting to see if Nelson has to go on the IL.
- Pirates reliever Aroldis Chapman was suspended for two games for “inappropriate actions.”
- Evan Drellich reports on Diamond Sports Groups’ attempts at restructuring under bankruptcy protection and how MLB is skeptical of DSG’s efforts. (The Athletic sub. req.)
- Shwetha Surendran has a list of professional athletes who have been scammed and how it happens.
- The story of Shohei Ohtani’s former interpreter Ippei Mizuhara’s gambling was all-too-familiar to those who have struggled with gambling addiction. (The Athletic sub. req.) Stephen J. Nesbitt with the story.
- Rangers rookie Jack Leiter might not have had the best career debut yesterday, but the Leiter family made history with the first pair of brothers (Mark and Al) both having sons (Mark Jr. and Jack) in MLB.
- Cardinals legends pay tribute to former manager Whitey Herzog who died this week.
- Keith Law has an early list of the top 50 prospects for the upcoming draft. (The Athletic sub. req.)
this game took AN HOUR AND 49 MINUTES
shortest 9-inning game in MLB since DET beat CLE 3-0 in 1:44 on 6/2/10…the Armando Galarraga game https://t.co/O0OjFGac6b
— Sarah Langs (@SlangsOnSports) April 18, 2024
- Michael Clair reports on some interaction between MLB and Wrexham AFC in anticipation of the Mets/Phillies game in London this summer. The mascots of the Mets, Phillies and Wrexham had a race at Wrexham’s home grounds.
- And finally, Davy Andrews attempts to the question that we’ve always been been asking: How many times has the average major leaguer heard the John Fogerty song “Centerfield”?
And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster.