Baseball is finally back.
While some people feel the MLB season is too long as it is and that spring training is pointless, February – and March – baseball provides fans an opportunity to see the next wave of their favorite team’s stars before they head to their respective MiLB teams at the beginning of April.
Spring training also offers fans an opportunity to see their favorite team’s new players suit up for the first time.
Or in the case of the New York Mets, Tim Tebow’s first glimpse as a major leaguer. What a time to be alive.
With that being said, here are some fresh Ebs’ Hot Takes.
Enjoy.
Tyler Wade will win the New York Yankees’ second base job. This is two fold. First off, what Yankees fans saw from Tyler Wade in pinstripes last season, isn’t the true Wade. His potential is not what he showed with the Yankees but is much closer to what it was with the Scranton/Wilkes-Barre RailRiders.
In fact, he got my vote for International League Batter of the Year.
Wade provides a ton of flexibility, being able to play second, shortstop, third and the outfield. So when the time comes for Gleyber Torres to make his burst onto the scene in the Bronx, Wade will be able to take over a Ben Zobrist-like role for the Bronx Bombers, which is a role they think is perfect for him.
While Torres will have a shot to win the Opening Day job, the likeliest outcome from this spring is that he starts the season in Triple-A.
The Yankees get an extra year of control out of the move and Torres gets more time to develop. He did miss significant time last season and was only in Triple-A for a month.
The Houston Astros will repeat. While the Yankees made the most noise this offseason when they traded for Giancarlo Stanton, the Astros countered with a trade for Gerrit Cole.
The Yankees will sport a lineup unmatched league-wide, but the Astros’ rotation should be just as dominant. You could make an argument that Houston has three, if not four, aces in their rotation to pair with a talented bullpen.
They’re going to be tough to beat.
The Astros and Yankees should be the best two teams in the league this year, and if both Aaron Judge and Luis Severino don’t take steps back, New York could play its way into the World Series.
We’ll see.
This is the year for the Washington Nationals. This could be the Nationals’ last chance. With Bryce Harper set to become a free agent in the offseason, it’s now or never for the Nationals.
And believe it or not, they have a very good chance to secure the top seed heading into the playoffs. Remember, Trea Turner missed significant time last year and Adam Eaton’s season was cut short.
The Nationals have two studs in their rotation to propel them and enough offense to play with anyone. But can they put it all together?
And you know that the Los Angeles Dodgers and Chicago Cubs won’t go down without a fight. The San Diego Padres could be a dark horse too.
Feel free to comment below, check out Ben Whitney and please follow us on Twitter at @ByDJEberle, @MeetTheMatts and @Matt_McCarthy00, Instagram at @meetthematts and like our Facebook page, Meet The Matts.
