2022 Opening Day is finally here as we forget about the CBA negotiations and finally get back to becoming experts in adding and subtracting based on every hit or home run our pitchers give up. With two games postponed due to weather, we have seven games on the docket with the Cubs and Brewers kicking things off at 11:20am PST.
Burnes Repeat
In our freshly posted Bold Predictions for the 2022 Season, we declared Corbin Burnes as the 2022 Pitcher of the Year and he will start his path towards that feat on Thursday morning against the Cubs. Burnes enters his first start with some added pressure as he takes over as the ace of the Hammerheads with Jacob deGrom sidelined.
Seiya Suzuki Debut
It's hard to draw a tougher debut than Suzuki's against Burnes, but when you are handed the largest contract for a Japanese hitter in MLB History, there are no excuses. The Stacks handed Suzuki a $22 contract with expectations for at least a 375 point season in 2022. We'll see how his skillset translates against one of the best arms in baseball today.
Ohtani-Time
The Hops handed Shohei Ohtani a RDBL-Record $88 contract, $15 more than any player in League History. He will pursue his chase to fulfill those expectations on Thursday as he gets the Opening Day nod on the mound against the Astros in what feels like a pressure-packed season for the Angels as fellow Hops teammate Mike Trout continues to age.
Rebuilt Jokers Rotation
The Jokers tied for a league-worst 4.30 ERA in 2021 and went to the trade market to try and patch things up by landing Yu Darvish and Jon Gray as well as Kyle Hendricks in Auction. All three will get the ball on Opening Day with Gray set for his debut Friday.
Top Prospect Bonanza
15 of the Top 100 Prospects in Baseball are set for their big league debuts which is headlined by Grapes shortstop Bobby Witt, Jr. Fringe shortstop Jeremy Pena will be another young player to watch as he takes over in Houston for Carlos Correa.
30 is not old.