It's amazing how quickly the MLB season establishes its flow. Opening Day comes, every team throws a big party at the stadium, the game starts and all of a sudden, we're chugging along steadily towards the All-Star break. So even though most teams have only played one or two games, the action is already heating up as we head into the first MLB weekend of the new season.
So as we head into baseball's first weekend of the calendar year, let's examine the most meaningful storylines floating around the baseball atmosphere. Consider this your weekend guide to all things Major League Baseball—and for the very first MLB weekend, it's already a packed agenda.
When will Shohei Ohtani hit his first Dodger dinger?
We all know it's coming; it's just a question of how soon. With all that has transpired since Shohei Ohtani announced he was signing with the Los Angeles Dodgers, the moment a ball leaves his bat at lightning speed and is deposited several rows deep in the bleachers is sure to make all feel right in the baseball world once more.
It certainly isn't as if Ohtani has struggled at the plate so far, but there's something about that first home run in a new uniform that really solidifies a player's status as a fixture of that team. Until he does it, the entire ballpark will have their cell phone cameras pointed at home plate for all of his at-bats. And although the Dodgers still have three more home games with the San Francisco Giants after the St. Louis Cardinals leave town, the pressure will mount with each passing game to get that first homer in front of the home faithful in Chavez Ravine.
Braves looking to assert dominance in NL East over first MLB weekend
It's a familiar story for the Atlanta Braves: one game into the season, they found themselves all alone in first place in the National League East. Of course, the past two seasons have proven that it hardly matters how many more wins Atlanta has than the Philadelphia Phillies once the postseason rolls around. But at the very least, taking the series on Philly's home field to open the new campaign would send a sharp message: this year's gonna be different, boys.
In addition, we'll get a potential first look at the other two pitching matchups, should these two somehow meet up for the third straight year in the playoffs. Aaron Nola faces Max Fried Saturday, while Chris Sale makes his Braves debut against Ranger Suarez on Sunday. Everything these two teams do nowadays feels like a move in a giant game of chess against each other, so both games ought to tell us at least something about the tone this matchup will take this season.
Padres, Giants rotation experiments take shape
Both of these teams were trendy playoff picks coming into the season, and both made huge acquisitions late in the offseason to bolster their starting rotations. Beyond that, there's an experimental element to both of those rotations, and this weekend ought to give us a glimpse into the potential they have for success.
Saturday, Dylan Cease will make his San Diego Padres debut against Jordan Hicks, who isn't just new to the Giants, but effectively to starting pitching as a whole. Then on Sunday, we'll see Michael King, a reliever for most of his career with the New York Yankees, make his first start with the Padres. The Giants' starter, meanwhile? That's yet to be formally announced (probably Keaton Winn), but we know it's all a warm-up until Blake Snell enters the picture.
Pitching means everything
It's a huge weekend all around for first impressions, and nowhere is the spotlight brighter than on the mound. In addition to the starting pitching debuts mentioned above, we'll also get to see Marcus Stroman pitch for the Yankees, DL Hall with the Milwaukee Brewers, Luis Severino with the New York Mets, and of course, Yoshinobu Yamamoto's home debut with L.A. after his disastrous first outing in Korea.
It's often said that in this league, you're nothing without pitching. All of these teams and many more have playoff aspirations that hinge heavily on the ability of their starters to not only keep runs off the board, but to save their respective bullpens by eating innings like they're starving for more. These are the outings to watch closely over the weekend, because they'll give us early insight into how confident these teams should be feeling with their new pitching acquisitions.
Will any rookie phenoms get on the board first this MLB weekend?
Jackson Chourio. Wyatt Langford. Jackson Merrill. Those are the three brand-new top prospects taking the stage thus far, and as of yet, none has yet to leave the yard. Whenever it does happen for each of the three, fans will be able to bask in the glory of having a young ballplayer 29 other teams are jealous about.
The future couldn't be brighter for all three—Chourio is a walking power-speed threat, Langford a hitting savant, and Merrill a versatile, sweet-swinging lefty. But these guys are assuredly aware of how their rookie competition is doing, and whichever one launches the opening salvo will get a very early start on making their Rookie of the Year case.
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