The opening day is finally here. Find out which players, themes and teams define the fantasy baseball season.
How seriously will the Dodgers take the regular season?
The Dodgers are the most automatic playoff team. They have won 11 NL West titles in 12 years and have not missed the playoffs since 2012. Last year, they only allowed two pitchers after 90 innings. How much is Shohei ohtani? Will he sell at all? Will Dave Roberts pull back heavy workloads for the people in his daily lineup this year? How quickly do Mookie Betts feel right again?
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Los Angeles is the most fun team in baseball. It’s a travel circus. But it will also be a source of constant fantasy concern.
Can Paul Skens handle six months of heavy workloads?
Skenes was the video game that debuted in 2024. ERA 1.96, 0.947 WHIP, 170 strikeouts in 133 innings. Those are the stats of the backyard wiffleball. Will the Pirates relax the sken for six months if the team is not in the playoff hunt?
Another Pittsburgh player I’m interested in is Wanil Cruz. His ball page is delight. He was 15-15 in the second half of the steal. He stepped into his age 26 seasons where career years often pop. He is worth the daily admission fee.
Can the reinvented Jacob DeGrom stay on the mound?
A way to cry at DeGrom’s memory with the Mets, the most dominant pitcher I’ve seen in at least 20 years. Black ink throughout his baseball reference page. How can you see what he did in 15 in 2021 and go back to ERA, 0.554 WHIP. All of these statistics are read like typos.
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Of course, he also had two Tommy John surgeries. He is in the 37-year-old season. DeGrom hopes he dials a little speed and is still effective. I throw the coin into the fountain and recite my wish. I want to believe it.
Does the Yankees have enough around Judge Aaron?
I believe in Austin Wells, but I can even admit that he is an unorthodox leadoff man. Cody Bellinger is another player I want to draft, but his recent career form jumps around like a crazy stock chart. Anthony Volpe is an angel-like fielder, but he has yet to provide offensive metrics across the league average. If the Yankees return to the playoffs, the judge will need some running buddies.
Can Clay Holmes reform himself as a starter?
In recent years, this shift click has been seen. See what Michael King has done in San Diego. Holmes had multiple plus pitches and landed in the Mets’ opening day slot. I’ve always loved pitchers eligible for RP, and I do rotations, especially in direct leagues where they add extra value.
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Winning can easily flow if Holmes stays in the rotation for a year. The New York lineup looks like an explosion.
Will the new park make athletics a true fantasy party?
Brent Rooker came out of Monster Year, and Lawrence Butler was five years old in the second half of 2024. Despite the background to the horrifying batting in Auckland, those benefits have come. It’s not easy to predict how Sacramento Park will play, but it won’t be any worse than its previous home stadium. We were able to see this year’s version of Tigers, a challenging track and field.
Can Kyle Tucker beat Wrigley Field?
Houston’s parks were a dream of left-handed power. Wrigley Field is a scary place for left-handed sluggers to attack. Tucker is a true five category player so he may be able to overcome any environment, but this was not his favorite landing point. He is also a year removed from free agency, adding more intrigue to his 28-year-old season.
Is Raphael Devers ready for the season, both mentally and physically?
I think the Red Sox are a plausible Al East favorite as the season opens. Garrett Clostrade looked like a stolen, and cleverly added Alex Bregman to his creative contract. But Boston needs evacuees to be healthy and happy. His shoulder was a problem and he moved to DH. He was passionately opposed. MVPs are turned upside down at healthy, engaged shelters. However, this can also be seasonal emotional resistance.
How healthy is the Atlanta roster?
In 2023, the Braves were too good to be true. The perfect lineup. Cy Young Award winner. However, it quickly fell apart in 2024 when injuries destroyed the lineup, and Spencer Strider didn’t put it out since April. Ronald Acuña Jr. said he didn’t want to run much this year and I faded him on the draft table. However, most of the lineup felt affordable to me this spring. It appears Spencer Schwenbach is ready to take off.
Other players and themes can’t wait to track them this year: Hunter Brown, Seattle Carroll, Jackson Merrill, Bryce Harper, Wyatt Langford, Byron Buxton (Can you get 130 games?), Hunter Green, George Kirby and Pete Crow Armston’s defense top three prospects in the Boston organization.
