There’s good and bad news if you’re a baseball fan affected by winter weather.
Let’s start with the bad: winter’s not going anywhere just yet.
The good: spring training opens this week, allowing fans to not only read fresh stories about their favourite teams and players, but also giving them a chance to live vicariously through the onslaught of sunny photos and videos from Florida and Arizona.
To mark the occasion here’s a list of 10 players who will surely be worth watching on the road to opening day.
Yasiel Puig hit four homers, drove in 11 RBIs and posted a .982 OPS in 21 September games.(Nam Y. Huh/AP)
10. Yasiel Puig, RF, Los Angeles Dodgers
After a dominant year and a half to open his MLB career, the enigmatic Cuban regressed severely over the past two campaigns, raising concerns about his character as well as on-field play. He hit his nadir midway through 2016, when the Dodgers banished him to the minors, but to his credit, Puig returned with a strong September showing. He’s got the tools to be true X-factor for L.A. in the National League West.
9. Yoan Moncada, 2B, Chicago White Sox
One of baseball’s elite prospects, Moncada was an integral piece heading to the White Sox from Boston in the blockbuster Chris Sale trade. The Red Sox promoted the 21-year-old for a brief stint in the majors last season and he looked flat-out overwhelmed at the plate, particularly by breaking balls. The question this spring will be how close is Moncada — potentially MLB’s next superstar — to cracking the big-league roster in Chicago?
8. Bryce Harper, RF, Washington Nationals
Bryce Harper is always a great quote, and we bet he’ll say something noteworthy this spring considering he’s quickly approaching a free agency that could net a record-setting deal (he’s eligible after the 2018 season). Reports surfaced over the winter that the Nationals were disconcerted by his contract demands — said to be in the area of 10-years, $400 million — so the subject will likely be a talking point around the former MVP.
Jake Arrieta is 40-14 over the past two seasons for the Cubs. (Charles Rex Arbogast/AP)
7. Jake Arrieta, SP, Chicago Cubs
The Cubs’ Mesa, Ariz., spring home will already be a media circus because they’re the defending World Series champs. But perhaps no player on the team will get more attention than ace Jake Arrieta, who’s a pending free agent. Like Harper, Arrieta is represented by Scott Boras and has been vocal about plans to test free agent waters if he can’t agree to an extension with Chicago.
6. Jung Ho Kang, 3B, Pittsburgh Pirates
We were going to list Pirates outfielder Andrew McCutchen because of his positional switch and the trade rumours swirling around him. But we just can’t ignore Pittsburgh teammate Kang, who in December was arrested in his native South Korea for driving under the influence and fleeing the scene. It was his third DUI arrest in the country and he’s since agreed to enter a treatment program for alcohol abuse.
Kang won’t report to spring training on schedule because he has a trial in Korea on Feb. 22, so it’ll be interesting to see exactly where his head is once he arrives. When on the field, he’s an important cog for the Pirates, after generating 3.9 wins above replacement in his rookie season and following that with 2.2 WAR in 2016.
5. Jose Bautista, RF, Toronto Blue Jays
Joey Bats has a ton to prove this season after an injury-filled 2016 and subsequent stumble in the free agent market. He’s on a one-year deal with options, which means he’s potentially in a walk year again. Expect Bautista’s health, along with his words, to be heavily scrutinized at every turn this month — remember what happened after the Blue Jays’ first official workout for pitchers and catchers last year?
4. Dallas Keuchel, SP, Houston Astros
The Astros are keen on winning right now, as evidenced by their off-season acquisitions of Carlos Beltran, Brian McCann and Josh Reddick. But nothing that trio accomplishes in 2017 will be more important to Houston than the contributions of the starting rotation, which looks like a potential weakness.
Keuchel won the Cy Young award in 2015 but took a step back last year, struggling mightily before being shut down in late August with a shoulder injury. He said recently he’s now in the best shape of his life and the Astros desperately hope that turns out to be true. We’ll find out soon.
3. Michael Brantley, OF, Cleveland Indians
Here’s a scary thought: Edwin Encarnacion might not be the best player the Indians add in 2017. Cleveland went all the way to Game 7 of the World Series in a year where they got just 11 games out of Brantley, whose 2016 ended in May due to right shoulder problems. He’s progressing well and is now at the point where he’s even hitting off a tee every day. Brantley will be watched closely in spring training because, if healthy, he can take the Indians’ American League-champion lineup from great to excellent. And in case you forgot just how talented the 29-year-old is, there’s this: Brantley’s total WAR in 2014 and ’15, his last two healthy seasons, is 9.7 compared to Encarnacion’s total of 8.1 for the same period.
Matt Harvey, 27, has a career 2.49 ERA. (Lynne Sladky/AP)
2. Matt Harvey, SP, New York Mets
Harvey was limited to just 17 starts in 2016 due to season-ending surgery to correct symptoms of Thoracic Outlet Syndrome. The absence opened the door for Noah Syndergaard to supplant Harvey as staff ace, but if the two right-handers are healthy and productive this year, they give the Mets one of the most formidable rotation duos in baseball. It’s unclear if Harvey will be ready by opening day but don’t worry about digging to find news about him. The New York media will be holding a microscope to every bullpen the ‘Dark Knight’ throws.
1. Pablo Sandoval, 3B, Boston Red Sox
Sandoval famously showed up to Red Sox camp overweight last year and then suffered more embarrassment in the season-opening series when his belt buckle exploded mid-swing. A few days later he was shut down for the rest of the year with a shoulder injury.
He’s been working out hard during his time away, however, with pictures surfacing this off-season of a noticeably fitter “Panda.” His new physique was said to be enough to convince Red Sox brass to trade third baseman Travis Shaw and not pursue a big bopper to replace the retired David Ortiz. When he was going right, Sandoval was an integral contributor to three World Series-winning Giants teams. The Red Sox hope he can add another ring to his slimmed-down finger before long.
