The first two weeks of the MLB season have already given fans plenty to talk about. Some teams are showing they could be dominant, while others are surprising everyone with unexpected performances.
Pitchers who struggled in past seasons are suddenly looking like Cy Young contenders and rotations that seemed shaky are starting to click. The big question now is which of these early trends will stick and which are just noise?
FOX Sports MLB analyst Dontrelle Willis weighs in on the storylines already shaping the season.
The Yankees have a historically great rotation: Overreaction
Cam Schlittler has a 1.62 ERA through three starts. (Photo by Steph Chambers/Getty Images)
Willis’ take: “It’s an overreaction, but they will be good. I love what I’ve seen from Max Fried being in a Yankees uniform. He’s been outstanding… 19 wins last year, 2-0 this year. Will Warren has a two ERA pitching today, and Cam Schittler is one of the best young arms in all of baseball. He’s truly fun to watch ever since he rolled over the Red Sox in that postseason start last year. You see the confidence bleed in. Also, they get [Carlos] Rodon and Gerrit Cole again into the fold. Watch out. Nobody goes to need to see that Yankee rotation.”
The Yankees are off to a powerful 8–3 begin, pushed largely by how locked within the rotation has been to begin the 12 months. As a gaggle, it holds a 2.47 ERA—tied for second-best in baseball as of Thursday. Fried and Schittler have led the best way, combining for 36.2 innings whereas permitting simply six whole runs.
Sandy Alcántara is again to Cy Young type: Not an overreaction
Sandy Alcántara owns a 0.74 ERA to date this season.(Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
Willis’ take: “Breaking all my records one start at a time. He is fun to watch. The 30-year-old is finally healthy. The efficiency and command is there, not only with that sinker but the secondary pitches as well. The only thing that’s going to be unfortunate is that the Fighting Fish are not in the race. He’s going to be a big trade piece once again.”
Alcántara has struggled to remain on the sphere in latest seasons on account of a number of accidents, however he’s opened this 12 months trying absolutely rejuvenated. Through 24.1 innings, he owns a 0.74 ERA. He’s additionally recorded 18 strikeouts, reestablishing himself as one of the crucial dominant arms within the league.
Even with the Marlins not seen as a severe contender this season, he stays firmly within the combine for a Cy Young-caliber season.
Alcántara can also be closing in on a franchise milestone in full video games, sitting at 13 — simply two behind Willis, who holds the document at 15. Willis even joked on the published that Alcantara may surpass that mark inside just a few weeks and at this tempo, it’s onerous to argue in any other case.
The Angels are a playoff staff: Overreaction
Is this the 12 months that Mike Trout and the Angels get again to the playoffs for the primary time since 2014. (Photo by Ryan Sun/Getty Images)
Willis’ take: “It’s early, but I do love how Mike Trout is playing every single day. Zach Neto is going to take that next step. We talked about (Jorge) Soler in the power department, but a little shaky in that rotation. [José] Soriano has been outstanding, but [Yusei] Kikuchi and company have struggled. They need to play better, but also the AL’s kinda shaky, so maybe they could stumble in there.”
Not solely have the Angels been one of many early surprises this season, however their rotation is off to a powerful begin and Trout seems to be as wholesome as he has in latest reminiscence. They might have been neglected coming into the 12 months, however Soriano is rapidly turning into unattainable to disregard as a authentic menace on the prime of the rotation.
Soriano is 3–0 with a 0.45 ERA and 21 strikeouts by 20 innings this season. If the Angels are going to contend in a aggressive AL West, they’ll want a real ace — and Soriano is making a powerful case to be precisely that.