March 26, 2018 Page 1 of 54

Press Clips

(March 26, 2018)

March 26, 2018 Page 2 of 54

CLIPS CONTENT

FROM THE OC REGISTER (PAGE 3)

Dodgers beat Angels in Freeway Series opener

Angels outfielders Kole Calhoun, Mike Trout get first looks at lower right-field fence

Alexander: A Freeway World Series this fall? Why not?

FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES (PAGE 9)

Dodgers take first game of exhibition Freeway Series, beating Angels 4-2

Lower right-field fence in Angel Stadium could yield more home runs

FROM ANGELS.COM (PAGE 12)

Halos take wait-and-see approach to closer role

Ian Kinsler accidentally stole third base after forgetting the number of outs

FROM ESPN.COM (PAGE 14)

Taylor, Puig homer to push Dodgers past Angels 4-2

FROM THE ATHLETIC (PAGE 16)

Rosenthal: Why Altuve’s deal makes sense; Boras gives his side; stop worrying about Ohtani;

more notes

FROM MLB.COM (PAGE 21)

Awards predictions: Experts make their picks

10 storylines to monitor before Opening Day

Projected 2018 lineups, rotations for every team**

FROM FANRAG SPORTS NETWORK (PAGE 28)

Ian Kinsler pulls off bizarre stolen base

FROM USA TODAY (PAGE 28)

MLB bold predictions: 6 scenarios for the 2018 season as Opening Day looms

FROM THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE (PAGE 34)

Top MLB storylines for 2018

FROM YAHOO! SPORTS (PAGE 37)

10 Degrees: The upbeat treatment of Shohei Ohtani’s spring is a joke – and entirely

unnecessary

FROM THE NEW YORK TIMES (PAGE 42)

A.L. Preview: Watch Out, the Houston Astros Got Better

FROM FORBES.COM (PAGE 46)

What Business Executives Can Learn from Mike Trout

FROM ATHLON SPORTS & LIFE (PAGE 47)

25 Best Baseball Players 25 and Under**

FROM CBS SPORTS (PAGE 48)

MLB Power Rankings: Seven power teams head and shoulders are above the rest

March 26, 2018 Page 3 of 54

FROM THE OC REGISTER

Dodgers beat Angels in Freeway Series opener

By J.P. Hoornstra

ANAHEIM – Shohei Ohtani stood alone in the lobby between the two clubhouses at Angel Stadium on

Sunday. First pitch between the Angels and Dodgers was a couple hours away. The usual throng of

reporters tracking Ohtani’s every move was curiously absent. So was his interpreter. It was almost eerie.

Soon, a familiar face emerged from the Dodgers’ clubhouse: Kenta Maeda.

The two men had met before in Japan, Maeda would say later through his interpreter. Ohtani sent

Maeda a text-message at one point during the winter to say “I’m looking forward to seeing you in the

States,” but this was their first exchange of bows and pleasantries on American soil. The meeting was

brief.

“I’m sure he’ll be fine,” Maeda said of Ohtani. “He’ll make those adjustments that he needs and he’ll be

OK.”

With that out of the way, the Dodgers beat the Angels 4-2 before an announced crowd of 36,149.

Maeda allowed two runs in five innings, the result of solo home runs by Mike Trout and Zack Cozart.

Other than running up his pitch count, the Dodgers did nothing against Angels starter Parker Bridwell,

who is soon bound for Triple-A. But they cashed in against the Angels’ bullpen by scoring four runs.

No one who started for the Dodgers remained on the field beyond the seventh inning. The Angels

removed four of their starters by the eighth. There were other reminders that spring training isn’t quite

over.

With two outs in the sixth inning, Ian Kinsler was on second base with Justin Upton batting. Upton

swung and missed at J.T. Chargois’ 1-1 pitch. Kinsler, apparently thinking the inning was over, jogged

leisurely toward third base. Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal didn’t attempt to throw him out. Kinsler

soon realized his mistake and grinned sheepishly, having stolen third base in the truest sense of the

word.

“I thought everyone else had it wrong,” Kinsler said. “What are these guys doing? It wasn’t strike three.

(Grandal) was pump faking. I don’t what he was doing. I don’t know if he thought (Dodgers third

baseman Logan) Forsythe wasn’t ready for the ball or what was going on.”

The game was tied 2-2 in the seventh inning when the Dodgers took the lead. Chris Taylor led off the

inning with a solo home run against pitcher Osmer Morales. Two batters later, Yasiel Puig thought he hit

a double when his fly ball bounced off the new digital scoreboard in right field and landed on the

outfield grass. He slid into second base safely.

March 26, 2018 Page 4 of 54

However, the Angels drew a yellow line beneath that scoreboard in the off-season. That effectively

shortened the height of the fence from 18 feet to 8, dropping the threshold for a home run by 10 feet.

Mark Ripperger, the second-base umpire, promptly twirled his finger to signal a home run. The umpires

conferred to review the call anyway, and Puig was allowed to trot around the bases after his third

homer of the spring.

Morales allowed two runs in 2 ⅓ innings. Noe Ramirez and Felix Pena each threw a scoreless inning for

the Angels. Bridwell labored through three innings, throwing 67 pitches, but did not allow a run.

Angels pitcher Jim Johnson was touched for two runs by his former team. Johnson walked Kiké

Hernandez to begin the fifth inning. Chris Taylor and Corey Seager hit back-to-back singles to load the

bases. Hernandez scored on a groundout by Puig, and Taylor scored on a groundout by Cody Bellinger.

That tied the game 2-2.

Cozart opened the scoring with a home run in the second inning.

Albert Pujols singled to lead off the inning. With Kole Calhoun at the plate, Pujols was caught between

first and second base and thrown out easily, perhaps on a failed hit and run. Maeda then struck out

Calhoun. Two pitches later, Cozart planted a fly ball on the short porch in left field, 346 feet from home

plate. The Angels led 1-0.

In the fourth inning, Trout whacked a curveball at his knees out to the rocky expanse in center field. His

third home run of spring training gave the Angels a 2-0 lead.

Pujols played seven errorless innings at first base. He played only one home game at first base all last

season, on May 11, and committed one error. Sunday he was tested four batters into the game,

sprawling to his right to field a 100-mph grounder off the bat of Bellinger.

Taylor finished 3-for-4 and Grandal went 2-for-4 for the Dodgers. Chargois, Scott Alexander, Kenley

Jansen and Josh Fields did not allow a run in relief of Maeda.

Maeda, the projected third starter in the Dodgers’ rotation, finished his spring training well. He didn’t

walk a batter in five innings and struck out five. He threw 67 pitches and faced only two batters above

the minimum.

Roberts credited Maeda’s time in the bullpen last October for encouraging him to attack opposing

hitters early and often.

“I think that’s given him the confidence that he can dominate,” Roberts said, “and he’s translated that to

the starting role.”

March 26, 2018 Page 5 of 54

Angels outfielders Kole Calhoun, Mike Trout get first looks at lower right-field

fence

By Elliott Teaford

ANAHEIM — There was no ribbon-cutting ceremony or red-white-and-blue bunting or marching band

Sunday. The Angels unveiled their new right fence at Angel Stadium without any fanfare before their

Freeway Series opening against the Dodgers.

It didn’t not go without notice for Angels right fielder Kole Calhoun and center fielder Mike Trout, the

two players most impacted by the change. They got a sneak peek at how the lowered fence plays during

a batting practice session Saturday before they tried it for real in Sunday’s exhibition.

As part of the Big A’s offseason scoreboard and sound system renovations, the Angels installed a new

out-of-town scoreboard on the right-field wall and lowered the height for a home run from 18 feet to 8,

making it a standard height from the old bullpen gate in right to the one in left.

A yellow line now serves as a home-run line of demarcation.

It means there are likely to be a good many more home runs that used to go for extra base hits in past

seasons. It could mean video replays might be needed more often than in the past in order to determine

whether a ball cleared the yellow line or not.

Pitchers might come to loathe it.

Calhoun, a left-handed hitter, and Trout, a prolific chaser of balls at the top of the fence in center and

left-center, each said it would benefit them at the plate and in the field. They agreed it would take some

getting used to, though, starting Sunday.

“Learning as we go, really,” said a shrugging Calhoun, who along with designated hitter Luis Valbuena

were the only left-handed hitters in the Angels’ starting lineup Sunday against Dodgers starter Kenta

Maeda, a right-hander.

Trout said the change was “going to be weird, but it’s going to be pretty cool.”

Neither planned to change his approach at the plate. The biggest change for them will be in the field,

where they can try more leaping and catching at the fence than before, when they played balls hit off

the high wall more conservatively. New padding on the fence will aid their attempts, too.

“It’s way different,” Trout said of the makeup of the fence, which is made of a different material than

the high wall. “You can run full speed into it. You run full speed into it last year and you were going to

hurting. I’ll definitely try to get after a few more balls year.”

Said Calhoun: “I’m going to go try and catch it. It’ll change the way some games end up. We’ll just have

to see how it plays out, really. I have no idea (why there was a change in the height of the fence). It

wasn’t my decision.”

March 26, 2018 Page 6 of 54

UNANSWERED QUESTIONS

Manager Mike Scioscia wouldn’t name his opening-day starter, although it’s assumed Garrett Richards

and Tyler Skaggs will take the mound for the first two regular-season games Thursday and Friday at

Oakland. There was no firm date for Shohei Ohtani’s major league debut.

Scioscia was equally vague about the makeup of the Angels’ bullpen. He declined to name a closer, for

instance. Bud Norris led the Angels with 19 saves last season, and Blake Parker had eight after inheriting

the closer’s role last in 2017. Norris joined the St. Louis Cardinals in the offseason.

Parker could get the job again to start this season.

“There are some things we’re fine-tuning the last couple of days,” Scioscia said. “Much like last year,

these guys understand what their job is when they get the ball and that’s to get outs. If roles develop,

great. We definitely need a group of guys who can pitch and hold leads.”

Asked specifically if he had a closer in mind, Scioscia said, “You mean a closer, like, one guy designated

for the whole year? We have a number of guys we feel can pitch in the ninth inning with a lead. We’ll

wait to see how the game plays out on the back end.”

Alexander: A Freeway World Series this fall? Why not?

By Jim Alexander

It is the beauty of spring training. When it ends, everyone is still undefeated.

So, in that spirit of optimism, why not indulge that wild dream that Southern California baseball fans

have harbored for the better part of six decades.

The Dodgers and Angels, playing in October. Playing each other in October. SoCal as the epicenter of the

baseball world.

Why not?

Sure, the experts will scoff, and probably with good reason.

We don’t know how Justin Turner’s absence with a broken wrist will affect the Dodgers (though there is

a template, as we’ll explain). Nor do we know how an Angels staff that currently seems short on aces

will hang in the AL West with a Houston staff that added Justin Verlander late last season and Gerrit Cole

over the winter … and won 101 games and a Commissioner’s Trophy last year.

Oh, about that:

March 26, 2018 Page 7 of 54

Even though last Nov. 1 was a letdown for Dodgers fans, remember how much fun the month of

October was? It was such a blast, even a 103-degree temperature reading for Clayton Kershaw’s first

pitch of the World Series didn’t feel that uncomfortable.

Among other positives, all of Southern California got to see the Dodgers on TV for a full month. We don’t

intend to belabor that subject, but as long as the standoff between the Dodgers and Charter Spectrum

on one side and DirecTV and the rest of the cable industry on the other continues, nobody wins.

Except maybe the Angels, whose games are accessible nightly – even for cord-cutters, through the

miracle of streaming video. (Sarcasm intended.)

The point is, what if we took that excitement and energy of last October and multiplied it by two?

Imagine a true Freeway World Series, Los Angeles vs. Anaheim. (Sorry, Arte, but I refuse to call them the

Los Angeles Angels, or even the LAA of A.)

Where would the dividing line for regional loyalties land? Norwalk, perhaps? And which team would

own the affection of the Inland Empire?

It isn’t expected. The cognoscenti save most of their breath these days for the Astros and Yankees in the

American League and the Cubs and Nationals in the NL. The Dodgers at least are picked to win their sixth

straight divisional title. The Angels are considered a wild-card contender, though the “isn’t it too bad

Mike Trout can’t get more postseason exposure” thread usually dominates that conversation.

But hear me out. There is a path.

The Angels last won their division in 2014 with 98 wins. Their regular infield then: Albert Pujols, Howie

Kendrick, Erick Aybar, David Frees. Josh Hamilton and Collin Cowgill pretty much shared left field, with

Trout in center and Kole Calhoun in right. Chris Iannetta caught 108 games and Hank Conger appeared in

80.

Their regular infield today: Pujols (when he doesn’t DH), Ian Kinsler, Andrelton Simmons and Zack

Cozart. Even given Pujols’ physical limitations at age 38, tell me that’s not a much better infield.

Their regular left fielder is Justin Upton; enough said. Trout and Calhoun are still around. Martin

Maldonado will catch; again, an improvement.

The Angels will score runs. They will be a superior defensive team, especially with Cozart and Kinsler

flanking Simmons even as Cozart switches positions from shortstop, where he was an All-Star in

Cincinnati.

Will they pitch? That’s the primary concern, and Andrew Heaney’s elbow ouchiness in the spring has

revived some concerns.

But if they get healthy, productive seasons out of Garrett Richards, Tyler Skaggs, Matt Shoemaker and

Heaney, and if they can settle on a dependable tag team out of their bullpen, this could be an intriguing

summer in Anaheim.

March 26, 2018 Page 8 of 54

You’ll notice we haven’t mentioned Shohei Ohtani. Given how much we don’t yet know about Ohtani

against major league hitters and pitchers, right now consider anything he gives the Angels a bonus.

If the experts are sleeping on the Angels, Skaggs said, “let ’em sleep. If they don’t want to hype us, that’s

completely fine with me. I like flying under the radar.

“When October starts, we’re going to surprise a lot of people.”

There’s less uncertainty one county over, but there is some.

The Andrew Friedman/Farhan Zaidi Dodgers have developed a reputation for turning spare parts into

gems (i.e., Chris Taylor and Brandon Morrow last year, Joe Blanton in 2016, etc.). There is some mystery

in the composition of their bullpen this spring, just as there was last year when it was uncertain who

would replace Blanton as the bridge to Kenley Jansen.

That should be the Dodgers’ motto: Someone always emerges.

It is what has kept them sane this past week even after Turner was plunked by a Kendall Graveman pitch

last Monday against the A’s. They know Turner will likely be out through April and into May (though the

Dodgers, characteristically, refuse to estimate). They know he doesn’t need surgery, which is a positive.

And they feel they have enough depth to withstand his absence.

Remember how we said there was a template?

Turner missed 20 games early last season with a hamstring injury. The Dodgers were 23-18 when he left

May 19, 36-25 when he returned June 9 and 68-33 the rest of the way. Meanwhile, Taylor and Cody

Bellinger stepped in, and you know the rest.

“You don’t want to lose any of your players, let alone a marquee player,” Dodgers manager Dave

Roberts said last week at Camelback Ranch. “But I think the No. 1 thing is, yeah, he has missed time, so

we’ve kind of filled that void before.

“We’ve lost guys over the last few years. And we’ve been fine.”

Consider: The Dodgers lose a key player, and the expectation – not hope, expectation – is that someone

will step up. Their division rivals in San Francisco lose a key player, staff ace Madison Bumgarner, and

the sense of gloom (if not doom) in their clubhouse is palpable.

The drama begins for everybody this week. In Los Angeles and Anaheim, may it last all the way to

Halloween, the projected date of a World Series Game 7.

March 26, 2018 Page 9 of 54

FROM THE LOS ANGELES TIMES

Dodgers take first game of exhibition Freeway Series, beating Angels 4-2

By Mike Digiovanna

AT THE PLATE: Chris Taylor singled twice and ended a 2-2 tie in the seventh inning with a leadoff home

run to center field against Angels reliever Osmer Morales. Two batters later, Yasiel Puig hit a home run

to right-center field for a 4-2 Dodgers lead.

Zack Cozart hit his team-leading fourth homer of the spring, a laser over the short left-field wall, in the

second, and Mike Trout crushed his third homer, a solo shot to center, in the fourth for the Angels.

Cozart is batting .579 (11 for 19) in his last eight games, and Trout is batting .371 (13 for 35) in his last 14

games.

Catcher Yasmani Grandal had a single and a double for the Dodgers, who scored twice in the fifth on RBI

groundouts by Puig and Cody Bellinger. Ian Kinsler of the Angels stole — or, rather, jogged into — third

base without a throw in the sixth when he took off on what he thought was a Justin Upton inning-ending

strikeout. It was only strike two. Grandal pumped three times but couldn't throw to third because Logan

Forsythe did not cover the bag. The comedic moment didn't hurt the Dodgers, as Upton eventually

struck out.

ON THE MOUND: Dodgers right-hander Kenta Maeda gave up the homers to Cozart and Trout but

finished strong, closing his five-inning, four-hit, five-strikeout, no-walk start by retiring the last five

batters, two by strikeout and one on a double-play grounder. Reliever J.T. Chargois gave up a one-out

double to Kinsler in the sixth before striking out Trout looking and Upton swinging. Dodgers left-hander

Scott Alexander struck out two in a perfect seventh, and closer Kenley Jansen struck out two in a

scoreless eighth in which he struck out two and threw two wild pitches. Josh Fields retired the side in

order in the ninth for the save. Angels starter Parker Bridwell, who will open at triple-A Salt Lake,

pitched out of a two-on, one-out jam in the first and a two-on, no-out jam in the second. Felix Pena's

fastball hit 96 mph during a 1-2-3 fourth, but Jim Johnson gave up two hits and two runs in the fifth.

EXTRA BASES: Angels slugger Albert Pujols, who needs to play more first base for Shohei Ohtani to start

at DH, made a nice diving, backhand stop of Bellinger's first-inning grounder with two on and flipped to

first for the out. …

Dodgers second baseman Enrique Hernandez made a superb diving backhand stop of Andrelton

Simmons' fifth-inning grounder and threw to first for the out. …

Angels left-hander Andrew Heaney, sidelined for a week by elbow inflammation, played catch for the

fourth day Sunday. He could open on the disabled list because the Angels won't need a sixth starter until

April 12, but Heaney, who had elbow ligament-replacement surgery in July 2016, remains "confident"

the injury is "pretty minor." …

March 26, 2018 Page 10 of 54

Maeda greeted Ohtani in an Angel Stadium hallway before the game. Was he disappointed he didn't get

to pitch against the Angels' two-way player? "Not really," Maeda said. "I'm sure I'll have a lot of

opportunities to face him during the regular season."

UP NEXT: Angels (Matt Shoemaker) vs. Dodgers (Rich Hill) on Monday at 7 p.m. at Dodger Stadium. TV:

SportsNet LA, Prime Ticket; Radio: 570, 1020, 830.

Lower right-field fence in Angel Stadium could yield more home runs

By Mike Digiovanna

When the Angels announced in February that they were lowering the right-field home run boundary in

their stadium to eight feet, they said the 18-foot wall would remain the same but with an eight-foot-

high yellow line painted across it to mark the new home run height.

That is not the case. The new eight-foot wall, with a yellow line painted across the top, is actually about

a foot in front of the new out-of-town scoreboard, leaving a small gap for home run balls to be

deposited.

That should eliminate some confusion over home run balls that carom off the scoreboard and onto the

field and reduce the number of replay reviews that a solid fence with an eight-foot-high yellow line

might have necessitated.

"There will be some questions and reviews, but for the most part, anything that's close might actually

slip behind the wall," Angels right fielder Kole Calhoun said before Sunday night's Freeway Series opener

against the Dodgers. "You can still leap and rob a home run above the wall."

Center fielder Mike Trout is excited about the new wall, which runs from slightly to the right of

straightaway center field to the outfield gate in right, but not just because it will allow the athletic and

acrobatic defender to make a few more spectacular catches above the fence.

The new, softer padding on the wall should allow Trout to be more aggressive going back on balls in the

gap.

"I don't have to worry about colliding with the wall," Trout said. "I don't know what kind of material it

was last year, but it was hard. You run full speed into that wall last year, you're gonna be hurt. I'm

definitely gonna try to get after a couple more balls this year, so it's definitely a bonus."

Trout did just that in the seventh inning Sunday night, racing toward the right-center-field gap and

leaping above the wall for a Yasiel Puig drive, which caromed off the out-of-town scoreboard and onto

the field. Calhoun retrieved the ball and threw to second base.

March 26, 2018 Page 11 of 54

Second base umpire Mark Ripperger immediately ruled the ball a homer, a call that was upheld after a

brief replay review.

When the change was announced, general manager Billy Eppler said the Angels "ran through some

analyses internally" that indicated the new height could aid the team's home-field advantage.

It will certainly help left-handed hitters and right-handed hitters with opposite-field power more than

pitchers. Based on three-dimensional trajectories provided by Statcast, there would have been 17 more

homers hit in Angel Stadium in 2017 and 16 more in 2016.

The Statcast numbers suggest the left-handed-hitting Calhoun would have hit as many as six more

homers the last two seasons. Calhoun is coming off a season in which he hit a career-low .244 with a

.725 on-base-plus-slugging percentage.

"I won't adjust my swing at all, I'll go out and play the same way," Calhoun said. "It changed the ballpark

a little bit, but look, it's a home run for everybody. Games are gonna be a little different, but you adjust

to your surroundings, and hopefully it plays into our favor more often than not."

Shohei Ohtani at the bat

The Dodgers and Angels will use the designated hitter for games in Los Angeles on Monday and Tuesday,

and Angels manager Mike Scioscia said Shohei Ohtani, who did not play Sunday, "will get some at-bats"

in those games.

Ohtani, the aspiring two-way player from Japan, gave up eight earned runs and nine hits, including three

homers, in 2 2/3 innings of two Cactus League starts and struggled at the plate, batting .107 (three for

28) in 12 games. But Ohtani is poised to open the season in the rotation and DH two or three times per

week.

"I don't know," Calhoun said, when asked what he expects from Ohtani. "He has all eyes on him right

now, and he's obviously completely talented and fun to watch play. I'm excited to see how it turns out, I

really am. He definitely has all the talent in the world."

How would Calhoun respond to the media attention Ohtani gets?

"When I was 23? Not as well as he has," Calhoun said. "He is humble and down to earth. Just getting to

know him these last six weeks, he's really impressive."

Calhoun was asked where he was when he was 23.

"I was in high-A ball in San Bernardino, California," he said, "and not one of you knew who I was."

March 26, 2018 Page 12 of 54

FROM ANGELS.COM

Halos take wait-and-see approach to closer role

Bullpen among final roster decisions as Opening Day nears

By Doug Padilla

ANAHEIM -- The Angels still have some decisions remaining for their Opening Day bullpen, but settling

on a closer does not seem to be one of them.

Asked if a set closer is one of his objectives with the season opener looming on Thursday in Oakland,

manager Mike Scioscia sounded like his ninth-inning guy would be a work in progress

"We have a number of guys we think are going to be able to pitch in the ninth inning if we have a lead,"

Scioscia said. "But let's wait and see how the game plays out."

Scioscia also didn't say who would be his Opening Day starter, although the honor is believed to be lined

up for Garrett Richards.

The Angels seem set on a group of relievers that includes right-handers Blake Parker, Cam Bedrosian,

Jim Johnson, Blake Wood and Keynan Middleton, as well as left-hander Jose Alvarez. Right-handers Noe

Ramirez and Felix Pena remain in camp, as does Rule 5 Draft pick Luke Bard.

If Bard does not make the roster, he must be offered back to his original club, the Minnesota Twins.

"There are some things we're finetuning going into the last couple of days," Scioscia said Sunday. "Much

like last year, I think these guys understand that when they get the ball their job is to go get outs. If roles

develop, great. We definitely need a group of guys who can pitch and hold leads."

Of the pitchers lined up for a spot in the Angels' bullpen, Parker had the most saves in 2017 with eight,

while Bedrosian had six.

Bring down the fences

The Angels got their first look at the new dimensions during Sunday's 4-2 loss to the Dodgers at Angel

Stadium, with a lower wall in right field. The wall is now a more uniform eight feet tall, aside from the

short wall by the foul poles in each corner. It had been as high as 18 feet in right field.

"It changes the ballpark a little bit, but it's a home run for everybody," said Angels outfielder Kole

Calhoun, a left-handed hitter who could end up benefiting from the change. "Games are going to be a

little bit different, but you adjust to your surroundings."

March 26, 2018 Page 13 of 54

The shorter right-field wall also has some give to it, unlike the older one that was more of a solid mass.

Center fielder Mike Trout tested that softer wall while trying to rob Yasiel Puig of a home run in the

seventh inning, but the drive was just out of his reach.

Despite the wall changes, Calhoun seemed more interested in the stadium's new vibrant scoreboards,

with a large square one in left field and a new horizontal one towering over the field in right.

"I think just visually it looks awesome out there with the new scoreboards," he said.

Taking the DH to LA

The Freeway Series will move across town to Dodger Stadium on Monday and Tuesday, with the Angels

still planning to use a designated hitter.

"We'll have a DH and anticipate Shohei [Ohtani] getting some at-bats," Scioscia said.

Ohtani has just three hits in 28 at-bats this spring (.107), with a 27.00 ERA on the mound in two Cactus

League games. But the Angels were pleased by his outing in an intrasquad game Saturday.

Before Sunday's game, Ohtani waited in the lobby between the teams' clubhouses to say hello to

Dodgers pitcher Kenta Maeda, a fellow native of Japan. Both players offered a cordial greeting to each

other with big smiles before Maeda retreated back to the Dodgers' clubhouse to prepare for his start.

Cozart, Trout locked in

Angels infielder Zack Cozart hit a home run in the second inning Sunday, his second in three days, with

both coming against the Dodgers. It gave him four home runs during the spring. Trout also hit a home

run in the fourth inning, his third of the spring.

Up next

With the Freeway Series shifting to Dodger Stadium on Monday, the Angels will send right-hander Matt

Shoemaker to the mound opposite Dodgers left-hander Rich Hill. First pitch is scheduled for 7:10 p.m.

PT. The game will be available on MLB.TV.

Ian Kinsler accidentally stole third base after forgetting the number of outs

By Adrian Garro

On Sunday, the Dodgers and Angels played an exhibition game at Angel Stadium. As a reminder, an

exhibition game is exactly that: a practice game, of sorts, until the season officially gets under way on

Thursday.

March 26, 2018 Page 14 of 54

That said, things can happen in exhibition games that would ordinarily be a bigger deal in a regular-

season game. Things such as forgetting the number of outs as a runner on second base and somehow

ending up walking/stealing third base.

This amusing scenario happened in the sixth inning involving Ian Kinsler on second, Dodgers catcher

Yasmani Grandal and third baseman Logan Forsythe -- who was unable to rush over to third in time to

get Kinsler:

It's a stolen base in the box score, so well done, Ian!

FROM ESPN.COM

Taylor, Puig homer to push Dodgers past Angels 4-2

ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Kenta Maeda finished last season pitching aggressively and effectively out of the

Dodgers' bullpen.

Los Angeles hoped that might carry over in 2018. With the regular season quickly approaching, the club

might get its wish.

Maeda went five strong innings in the Dodgers' 4-2 win over the Los Angeles Angels, giving up two solo

home runs but allowing only two other hits while striking out five.

"I think with Kenta the first couple of years, he was just pacing himself," Dodgers manager Dave Roberts

said. "But out of the 'pen where he can really attack, I think that's given him the confidence that he can

dominate and that's really translated to the starting role."

Chris Taylor and Yasiel Puig each hit a solo home run to support Maeda. Taylor had three hits, including

his shot that put the Dodgers up 3-2 in the seventh inning. Puig followed one out later with his third

home run in four games.

Both of the Angels' runs also came on solo shots, with Zack Cozart and Mike Trout giving them an early

2-0 lead.

Cozart's home run was a team-leading fourth of the spring. He is batting .348.

"We expect him to hit with a lot of men on base," Scioscia said. "He's swung the bat well probably the

last 20 at-bats this spring."

STRANGEST STEAL

It may be only spring, but Angels second baseman Ian Kinsler had a stolen base he's likely to remember.

March 26, 2018 Page 15 of 54

He was at second with two outs after a double in the sixth inning when he looked at the scoreboard and

saw Justin Upton had two strikes on him. When Upton swung and missed, Kinsler started walking off,

thinking the inning was over.

Only the scoreboard had credited Upton with one strike too many.

Kinsler jogged toward the dugout in the direction of third base. The Dodgers were so stunned, they

weren't sure how to react. Catcher Yasmani Grandal pumped fake a couple throws to third, but Logan

Forsythe was too far off the base. Grandal never threw the ball, and a dumfounded Kinsler took his

helmet off and looked around confused when he reached third.

"I thought everybody else had it wrong," he said.

He was credited with a stolen base.

STADIUM CHANGE

Sunday was the Angels' first game at home since redesigning the outfield.

The Angels have added larger, brighter scoreboards behind both outfield stands. In the process of

significantly increasing the size of their out-of-town scoreboard behind right field wall, they lowered the

wall from 18 feet to 8 feet, potentially leading to more homers to right.

"I think just visually it looks awesome out there with the new scoreboards," right fielder Kole Calhoun

said. "It's going to be pretty cool.

"It's going to be interesting to see how the ballpark plays now. It's definitely going to be different, but

you adjust and make it your own."

Puig's home run would have gone off the wall in the stadium's previous makeup.

PUIG BATS THIRD

Puig hit at the bottom of the order last season, but with Justin Turner lost to a fractured wrist, he batted

third Sunday and could be finding a new temporary home.

"Can I say right now that he is going to hit third every day? Absolutely not," Dodgers manager Dave

Roberts said. "But I think that I will give him a little bit of a runway to show that he deserves that

opportunity."

UP NEXT

Dodgers: LHP Rich Hill is scheduled to start Monday when the Freeway Series switches to Dodger

Stadium.

March 26, 2018 Page 16 of 54

Angels: RHP Matt Shoemaker is set to make his final spring start Monday.

FROM THE ATHLETIC

Rosenthal: Why Altuve’s deal makes sense; Boras gives his side; stop worrying

about Ohtani; more notes

By Ken Rosenthal

So, you think all I did while recovering from back surgery was binge-watch the Winter Olympics and

March Madness?

Well, there was a little of that—no, a lot of it. But naturally, I thought often about baseball as well. And

as I tried to keep up with the news, questions kept popping into my head.

About a week ago, I began searching for answers, texting and calling baseball people again. Here are a

few things I learned, along with some additional notes.

Warning! The information below is not intended to be comprehensive. Do not—repeat, do not—start

with the Twitter “what-abouts.” And what is a Twitter “what-about” you ask?

It goes like this: I report something like, “Yu Darvish is signing with the Cubs.” To which people on

Twitter respond, “What about the Dodgers?” Or, “What about Greg Holland?” Or, “What about the

Cubs’ accompanying 40-man roster move?”

Stop! It’s not like we’re in the business of withholding facts around here.

Ah, I don’t mean to be cranky. I missed even the nuttiest Tweeps. Thanks to everyone for your kindness,

support and patience. It’s great to be back.

Here we go…

*Why did a team run by the analytically driven Jeff Luhnow award a five-year, $151 million extension to

a player who will be in his age 30 to 34 seasons?

The player, of course, is a special case—Houston Astros second baseman Jose Altuve. Still, “don’t trust

anyone over 30,” is practically baseball’s new motto. And the Astros did not need to act—they had

Altuve under control for two more years at the bargain rates of $6 million and $6.5 million.

Give Astros owner Jim Crane credit for being fair to Altuve, who was ridiculously under-valued in his

previous deal. The Astros had vowed that Crane would spend once the team was competitive. Many in

the industry were skeptical, but the signing of free-agent outfielder Josh Reddick last off-season

March 26, 2018 Page 17 of 54

supported the team’s claim, as did the trade for pitcher Justin Verlander last August. The signing of

Altuve, particularly in the current climate, is the strongest example yet of Crane’s commitment.

The Astros announced Altuve’s deal as a seven-year, $163.5 million contract, folding in the two

remaining years on his current deal. The $21 million signing bonus addresses Altuve’s low salaries in

2018-19. The average annual value on his extension—$26 million—is not unreasonable from the Astros’

perspective.

Here is another question on Altuve: Should he have waited to become a free agent, allowed Bryce

Harper and Manny Machado to re-set the market next off-season and then sought perhaps a six- or

seven-year deal at higher AAVs after the 2019 season?

Altuve’s agent, Scott Boras, generally prefers such strategies, but multiple sources say Altuve wanted to

get a deal done—and his $151 million in new money amounts to the biggest deal of the off-season.

Besides, how much higher was Altuve going to go? His 24 homers were the fewest by an American

League position-player MVP since Dustin Pedroia had 17 in 2008. His 81 RBIs were the fewest since

Ichiro had 69 in 2001. As good as Altuve is, as hard as he works, his stature in the game might never be

higher than it is right now.

Altuve will be a free agent again at the problematic age of 34, but in a perfect world he will finish his

career with Houston, get his number retired and enter the Hall of Fame as an Astro. His new deal

enhances the chances of all of that happening.

*What are the odds Jake Arrieta’s three-year, $75 million free-agent contract with the Philadelphia

Phillies will turn into a five-year deal between $115 million and $135 million?

My guess is slim and none, considering that the Phillies—to prevent the right-handed Arrieta from

opting out after his second year—will need to exercise a two-year extension valued at between $40

million and $60 million entering his age 34 season. For that to happen, Arrieta will need to perform

more like the pitcher he was in 2015 than ‘17. Not the kind of thing you would bet on.

My initial reaction to the unusual contract language was that it was merely eyewash to satisfy Boras,

who can point to the possibility of Arrieta exceeding Darvish’s $126 million guarantee (Arrieta has the

higher AAV, $25 million to $21 million, but his deal is half as long). The reality, though, is more complex.

Arrieta wanted the chance to stay with the rebuilding Phillies for a longer term, while the Phils wanted

the ability to trigger an extension, according to major league sources.

The way the Phillies see it, they did not give Arrieta a straight opt-out; they preserved a measure of

control, knowing they must decide on the extension first, according to the contract. They also did not

give Arrieta or first baseman Carlos Santana a no-trade clause (Arrieta gets a $1 million assignment

bonus if traded).

Might the Phillies award a straight opt-out and/or full no-trade clause to Harper or Machado next off-

season in free agency? Of course. But those free agents will carry greater stature than Arrieta and

March 26, 2018 Page 18 of 54

Santana did. The Phillies arguably overpaid for both newcomers. But at least they maintained a measure

of roster flexibility.

*Will Boras adjust his frequent strategy of waiting out the market in future off-seasons after the practice

appeared to backfire with some of his 2017-18 free agents?

I had not even finished the question when Boras started to answer.

“Everyone talks to me about waiting. I’m talking about offers. We didn’t get any offers on these players

until February. There was no waiting. There were no offers made. The clubs all waited to begin this

process until mid-February.”

Is that because clubs perceived Boras’ “asks” to be high?

“We never ever said anything about $200 million for Jake Arrieta or J.D. Martinez. Go find the quote,”

Boras said. “There were all these things being put out there and they were all media-generated and all

false. We never asked anywhere near that for any of those players, never even discussed it.”

Often in these matters, we are talking semantics. For example, one executive said a club would not have

offered Mike Moustakas say, $40 million, if it believed Boras’ expectation for the free-agent third

baseman was $80 million to $90 million, regardless of whether the agent explicitly communicated those

numbers. Clubs do not want to waste their time and energy pursuing exercises in futility, and thus Boras

is left without offers, the way the executive described it.

Moustakas, 29, signed with the Kansas City Royals for a $6.5 million guarantee while two older third

basemen who were not attached to qualifying offers—Zack Cozart and Todd Frazier, both 32—received

guarantees of $38 million and $17 million, respectively. Moustakas is not a perfect player—see his

career .305 on-base percentage—and even the more modest draft-pick compensation in the new CBA

proved a burden on certain free agents. Still, it seems fairly obvious that Moustakas should have fared

better in free agency coming off 38 homers and an .835 OPS last season.

Three other Boras clients—Arrieta, first baseman Eric Hosmer and closer Greg Holland—also rejected

the one-year, $17.4 million qualifying offer. Hosmer did well, landing the largest free-agent deal of the

off-season, eight years, $144 million from the San Diego Padres. Arrieta secured the highest AAV for a

starting pitcher, if for fewer guaranteed years than he desired. Holland, on the other hand, lingers on

the market after his previous team, the Colorado Rockies, spent a combined $106 million on three other

free-agent relievers—Wade Davis, who received a qualifying offer, and Bryan Shaw and Jake McGee,

who did not.

Boras denies reports that Holland rejected a three-year offer from the Rockies in addition to the QO.

Whatever happened, the proverbial seats at the table disappeared, just as they did with Moustakas.

Boras was not the only agent to get less than expected for certain free agents; other representatives

also suffered the same fate. A large number of trades involving high-quality players changed the market,

March 26, 2018 Page 19 of 54

as did the reluctance of certain high-revenue clubs to exceed the luxury-tax threshold and the refusal of

many rebuilding teams to spend in a meaningful way. The environment was challenging, to say the least.

Still, name a free agent who signed early and regretted it. If a player had the opportunity—and not all

did—the right move was to jump.

*Should we be worried about Shohei Ohtani?

Stop. Just stop. If I could include my spoken voice in this article, I would say “spring training,” 10 times as

disdainfully as Allen Iverson said “practice” back in the day.

No player should be judged on his performance in spring training, and Ohtani’s transition from Nippon

Professional Baseball (NPB) to the majors will continue into the regular season. Ohtani must adjust to

the size and dirt of new mounds, not to mention the differences in baseballs, workloads and travel. Oh,

and he’s attempting to pitch as well as hit. And, ahem, he’s only 23.

Few reserve judgment on players in this age of instant analysis. But here’s the reality: It will be unfair to

evaluate Ohtani until he settles in as a major leaguer, and that process likely will take a while. The

Angels’ players seem to have the right idea. According to club officials, they are treating Ohtani not as

an accomplished professional, but as a prospect. Teaching him. Mentoring him. Helping integrate him

into the organization.

As one executive said, “Always go with big tools.” Ohtani has big tools. Every team wanted him,

remember?

*Why didn’t the Tampa Bay Rays wait until closer to the July 31 non-waiver deadline to move right-

hander Jake Odorizzi?

Few in the industry thought highly of the Rays’ trade of Odorizzi to the Minnesota Twins for minor-

league shortstop Jermaine Palacios on Feb. 17. Odorizzi, who averaged 30 starts the past four seasons, is

under control through 2019. Palacios, meanwhile, did not even crack the Rays’ top 30 prospects

according to MLBPipeline.com.

The move, at first glance, appeared to be a salary dump, considering that Odorizzi is earning $6.3 million

this season. Money, for sure, was a factor in the Rays’ decision. But another factor was the club’s desire

to clear the way for younger pitchers, knowing that it was about to try a four-man rotation, sources say.

Chris Archer, Blake Snell and Nathan Eovaldi loomed from the start as the Rays’ top three starting

pitchers. Right-hander Jake Faria, in particular, would have been blocked if the Rays had kept Odorizzi.

And even after the losses of Brent Honeywell and Jose De Leon to Tommy John surgery, the Rays

remained fairly deep in young pitching. Two of their youngsters, right-handers Ryan Yarbrough and

Yonny Chirinos, made the club as multi-inning relievers, according to the Tampa Bay Times. Another,

righty Austin Pruitt, was optioned to Triple A.

March 26, 2018 Page 20 of 54

The Rays admittedly are higher on Palacios than the rest of the industry but the Odorizzi deal is not the

only recent move that might backfire on them. The trade of outfielder Corey Dickerson to the Pittsburgh

Pirates took a turn for the worse on Sunday when the Times reported that reliever Daniel Hudson—one

of two players the Rays acquired in the deal—would not make the club. The other player who went to

Tampa Bay was minor-league infielder Tristan Gray.

Around the horn

*It’s difficult to criticize a player for accepting a six-year, $24 million guarantee before ever playing a

major league game, but a rival agent reached out to me immediately after the Philadelphia Phillies

announced the signing of second baseman Scott Kingery and termed the three club options “offensive.”

The options, valued at $13 million, $14 million and $15 million, according to The Athletic’s Matt Gelb,

will cover Kingery’s first three free-agent years—2024, ‘25 and ‘26. None is worth as much as the

current $17.4 million qualifying offer, and inflation should take salaries even higher by the mid-2020s.

Teams often want club options in return when they guarantee money to players under control, but

three options are rare—the Rays negotiated that number in third baseman Evan Longoria’s first contract

and later in left-handed Matt Moore’s. Kingery, if he proves successful, will not hit the open market until

entering his age 32 season. In the view of the rival agent, such deals are part of the reason the free-

agent market is suffering.

Kingery is represented by PSI Sports Management, the same agency that reps New York Yankees

outfielder Aaron Judge. PSI did not immediately respond to a request for a comment.

*As noted by The Athletic’s Zach Buchanan, it’s difficult to imagine Yasmany Tomas ever finding a place

with the Arizona Diamondbacks if he can’t make the team with Steven Souza injured and the D-Backs

needing a right-handed bat. Tomas, who joined the club on a six-year, $68.5 million contract in

December 2014, will start the season at Triple A.

The D-Backs’ desire to play Chris Owings in the outfield created the need for another infielder—hence,

the trade for the light-hitting but defensively gifted Deven Marrero, and the bumping of Tomas from the

roster. Tomas, 27, will be earning $10 million at Triple A, and his defensive issues continue to make him

more of a fit for the AL than NL.

A trade? Think the D-Backs haven’t tried? Tomas’ contract is a major obstacle, including—gulp—player

options of $15.5 million and $17 million for 2019 and ‘20.

*A scout who covered the west coast of Florida identified Toronto Blue Jays infield prospect Bo Bichette

as the player who surprised and impressed him the most.

“I saw video of him in 2016—he had a wild, out-of-control swing,” the scout said. “I wondered, ‘Could he

ever temper the swing? Harness it?’ He still swings like a man early in the count. But he has a two-strike

March 26, 2018 Page 21 of 54

approach you don’t often see from a young hitter. It’s not one gait, one speed. He has a feel. And he can

really play shortstop.”

Bichette, the son of four-time All-Star Dante Bichette, will begin the season at Double A along with an

even more heralded prospect (and son of a Hall of Famer), Vladimir Guerrero, Jr. MLBPipeline.com ranks

Guerrero No. 4 on its list of the game’s top 100 prospects. Bichette is No. 26.

*The fragility of the starting rotation remains the Seattle Mariners’ biggest concern, but their corner-

outfield situation easily might become problematic as well.

Mitch Haniger must prove he can stay healthy. Ben Gamel, out until at least mid-April with a strained

right oblique, had an .828 OPS before the All-Star break last season, but only a .639 OPS after. Guillermo

Heredia, coming off shoulder surgery last October, is a below-average hitter. And Ichiro, bless him, is 44.

It’s not out of the question that Haniger completes the breakout he began last season, and that Gamel

returns as a solid contributor. But the M’s lack depth, and problems will ensue if their plans start to go

awry.

*And finally, this text from a scout…

“The STL closer is? Dom Leone? Greg Holland? Unreal.”

Presented without comment.

FROM MLB.COM

Awards predictions: Experts make their picks

Poll weighs opinions of MLB.com reporters, MLB network analysts

By Manny Randhawa

With the 2018 regular season nearly upon us, it's a great time to take an expert poll on who will win this

year's individual awards. With so many exciting candidates in each category, how these awards races

eventually shape up will be fascinating to follow.

We polled more than 50 experts from the MLB.com and MLB Network universe, using the traditional

Baseball Writers' Association of America Awards as our framework. These can also give us a sense of

who the contenders will be for the Esurance MLB Awards, which do not take league designation into

account.

Here are the results:

March 26, 2018 Page 22 of 54

American League Most Valuable Player Award

1. Mike Trout, CF, Angels: Trout being the favorite to win the AL MVP Award is not news, but it is

remarkable how consistently excellent the 26-year-old has been. In his first five full seasons in the

Majors, Trout led the AL in WAR (FanGraphs) each year, which had previously never been done. Last

season, a left thumb injury limited Trout to 114 games, and he still managed a 6.9 fWAR, third in the AL.

With two AL MVP Awards to his name already, Trout is primed for a third in eight seasons.

2. Carlos Correa, SS, Astros: Correa bounced back in a big way in 2017, raising his OPS to a career-high

.941 after it fell to .811 in '16. The '15 AL Rookie of the Year Award winner hit 24 homers and earned his

first All-Star selection while helping lead Houston to a World Series title. As his trajectory continues

upward, the AL MVP Award is next on the checklist.

3. Manny Machado, SS, Orioles: Machado finished in the top five in AL MVP Award voting in 2015 and

'16, but he got off to a slow start last season. Could '18 be the year he collects the hardware? Machado

came back from last year's All-Star break hot, and in the second half, he posted a .290/.326/.500 slash

line with 15 homers. If he puts an entire season like that together, watch out.

Also receiving votes: Aaron Judge, OF, Yankees; Francisco Lindor, SS, Indians; Giancarlo Stanton, OF,

Yankees; Jose Altuve, 2B, Astros

AL Cy Young Award

1. Chris Sale, LHP, Red Sox: It's incredible to think Sale hasn't yet won a Cy Young Award over his eight-

season career, which features a 2.98 ERA and a 5.1 strikeouts-per-walk ratio (best all time, minimum

1,000 innings). But that could all change if he's as dominant over an entire season as he was over the

first half of the 2017 campaign, when he posted a 2.75 ERA, 0.90 WHIP and 12.5 K/9 innings.

2. Corey Kluber, RHP, Indians: Kluber is the reigning AL Cy Young Award winner after posting a 2.25 ERA,

0.87 WHIP, 11.7 K/9 and 1.6 BB/9 in 2017. As the Tribe eyes a return to the World Series after falling

short last October, Kluber will be at the forefront of Cleveland's quest.

3. Justin Verlander, RHP, Astros: Verlander, the 2011 AL Cy Young Award and AL MVP Award winner,

was overpowering for Houston down the stretch in '17, helping the Astros win their first World Series

following a late-August trade from the Tigers. He posted a 1.06 ERA in five regular-season starts and was

named the AL Championship Series MVP against the Yankees.

Also receiving votes: David Price, LHP, Red Sox; Luis Severino, RHP, Yankees; Dylan Bundy, RHP,

Orioles; Dallas Keuchel, LHP, Astros; James Paxton, LHP, Mariners

AL Rookie of the Year Award

1. Shohei Ohtani, RHP/DH, Angels: Ohtani's is perhaps the most intriguing storyline entering the 2018

season. Will his legendary two-way performance in Japan translate to the MLB level, making him the

best two-way player since Babe Ruth?

March 26, 2018 Page 23 of 54

2. A.J. Puk, LHP, Athletics: Oakland's No. 1 prospect and the 32nd-ranked overall prospect per MLB

Pipeline opened Cactus League play with 10 straight scoreless innings. The 6-foot-7 left-hander has a 97-

mph fastball and devastating slider, moving up quickly through the A's farm system. With Oakland's thin

rotation depth, the 22-year-old will likely make his big league debut soon.

3. Eloy Jimenez, OF, White Sox: The White Sox acquired Jimenez in the trade that sent Jose Quintana to

Chicago, and baseball's No. 4 prospect was so impressive in Spring Training (4-for-7 with two homers),

manager Rick Renteria compared his first camp to Ken Griffey Jr.'s.

Also receiving votes: Willie Calhoun, OF, Rangers; Miguel Andujar, 3B, Yankees; Gleyber Torres, INF,

Yankees; Vladimir Guerrero Jr., 3B, Blue Jays

AL Manager of the Year Award

1. Aaron Boone, Yankees: In his first season at the helm of the Bronx Bombers, who are coming off an

ALCS appearance and fell one game shy of the World Series, Boone has a loaded lineup that now

includes Stanton in addition to Judge and Gary Sanchez. But navigating the waters of the AL East, which

New York hasn't won since 2012, is never an easy task.

2. Paul Molitor, Twins: Molitor guided Minnesota to its first postseason berth since 2010 with a Wild

Card Game appearance last year. The club added to its roster in the offseason, acquiring starters Lance

Lynn and Jake Odorizzi, as well as slugger Logan Morrison.

3. Mike Scioscia, Angels: With excitement abound in Los Angeles after the arrival of Ohtani and

considering they have the best all-around player in Trout, Scioscia could very well lead the Angels to

their first postseason appearance since 2014, and second since '09.

Also receiving votes: Alex Cora, Red Sox; John Gibbons, Blue Jays; Terry Francona, Indians; Buck

Showalter, Orioles; AJ Hinch, Astros; Rick Renteria, White Sox; Scott Servais, Mariners

National League Most Valuable Player Award

1. Bryce Harper, RF, Nationals: Harper has been so good for so long, it's hard to remember he's only 25

and already has one NL MVP Award on his shelf. With 150 homers and a .902 OPS through six seasons,

Harper enters 2018 -- a contract year -- with the potential to have his best season yet.

2. Joey Votto, 1B, Reds: Votto is a perennial NL MVP Award candidate, though he's only won the award

once, in 2012. Votto finished runner-up to Stanton in MVP voting last season, leading the NL with a

168 OPS+, partly a result of his meticulous eye at the plate (134 walks, 83 strikeouts).

3. Kris Bryant, 3B, Cubs: Bryant has already won an NL Rookie of the Year Award (2015) and an NL MVP

Award ('16) in successive seasons. He had another great season last year, posting a 143 OPS+. With the

Cubs eyeing a return to the World Series, he will again be key in the middle of Chicago's lineup.

Also receiving votes: Nolan Arenado, 3B, Rockies; Marcell Ozuna, OF, Cardinals; Paul Goldschmidt, 1B,

D-backs; Tommy Pham, OF, Cardinals; Willson Contreras, C, Cubs

March 26, 2018 Page 24 of 54

NL Cy Young Award

1. Clayton Kershaw, LHP, Dodgers: Kershaw remains this generation's greatest starting pitcher, and he

looks to become the fifth pitcher to ever win four Cy Young Awards. Hampered by back issues in each of

the past two seasons, he has nevertheless finished in the top five in NL Cy Young Award voting every

year since 2011, including a runner-up finish in '17.

2. Max Scherzer, RHP, Nationals: Scherzer has only gotten better with age: The 33-year-old right-hander

has dominated the NL since joining Washington in 2015, winning back-to-back NL Cy Young Awards. He

also eyes his fourth career Cy Young Award, having won one in the AL with the Tigers in '13.

3. Noah Syndergaard, RHP, Mets: Syndergaard has been lighting up the radar gun to the tune of 101

mph this spring and looks great following recovery from a torn lat. At 25 and with his electric stuff, a

2018 NL Cy Young Award could be just the first of several.

Also receiving votes: Stephen Strasburg, RHP, Nationals; Yu Darvish, RHP, Cubs; Kyle Hendricks, RHP,

Cubs

NL Rookie of the Year Award

1. Ronald Acuna Jr., OF, Braves: Acuna, the No. 2 prospect in baseball behind Ohtani, is as exciting a

young player as they come. At 20 years old, he moved from Class A Advanced to Triple-A last year,

posting a .344/.393/.548 slash line with nine homers and 11 steals in 54 games for Triple-A Gwinnett. He

then hit .432 with four homers in Grapefruit League play this spring.

2. Lewis Brinson, CF, Marlins: Brinson, the Marlins' No. 1 prospect and No. 27 overall, is one of the

franchise's centerpieces as Miami rebuilds. He has shown this spring why his future is considered bright,

hitting .328 with two homers, one off Strasburg to lead off a game.

3. Ryan McMahon, INF, Rockies: McMahon was seen for a time as Colorado's starting first baseman

heading into the 2018 season, but with the return of Carlos Gonzalez, Ian Desmond will likely see the

lion's share of time at first. Still, McMahon is knocking on the door, hitting .328 with two homers this

spring as he pushes for a roster spot.

Also receiving votes: Scott Kingery, 2B, Phillies; Walker Buehler, RHP, Dodgers; Alex Reyes, RHP,

Cardinals

NL Manager of the Year Award

1. Mickey Callaway, Mets: Injuries derailed the Mets in 2017 after two consecutive postseason

appearances, but with a healthy starting rotation heading into '18, Callaway has a potential playoff team

on his hands in his first year at the helm.

2. Craig Counsell, Brewers: Last season, Counsell led Milwaukee to its best record (86-76) since 2011.

Under his leadership and with new outfielders Lorenzo Cain and Christian Yelich, the Brewers could

reach the postseason for the first time since that '11 campaign.

March 26, 2018 Page 25 of 54

3. Dave Martinez, Nationals: Could Martinez be the manager to get Washington past the NL Division

Series? In his first year with the Nats, he'll have one of the best 1-2 punches in the game in Scherzer and

Strasburg, as well as a potent offense anchored by Harper.

Also receiving votes: Gabe Kapler, Phillies; Bruce Bochy, Giants; Bud Black, Rockies; Mike Matheny,

Cardinals; Torey Lovullo, D-backs

10 storylines to monitor before Opening Day

By Richard Justice

We do not want breaking news at this point. We want boring. We want predictable. We want stories

about packing equipment and loading trucks. We want to know about the rookies who've made the

team and those who'll be back very soon.

We simply want everyone to put the finishing touches on Spring Training and be rested and ready for

Opening Day on Thursday. With that in mind, this is written with fingers crossed and positive thoughts.

Now that Opening Day is finally upon us, here are 10 storylines to keep an eye on:

1. Shohei Ohtani finishes strong, and the Angels are committed to the two-way experiment.

Ohtani's fastball touched 98 mph in his final Cactus League appearance, and he'll likely open the season

as manager Mike Scioscia's No. 3 starter. He's going to DH some, too, right from the get-go. Despite a

spring when the results were sometimes ugly, the Angels leave Arizona encouraged that the 23-year-old

rookie has a chance to be baseball's first true two-way player in 99 years.

2. The Cardinals need Greg Holland more than ever.

Nothing that happened this spring should dissuade the Cardinals from their unshakable belief that

they're good enough to win the World Series (although they did get some tough news Sunday

with Adam Wainwright opening the season on the DL). So much has changed in the past 12 months that

it may take some time for all the pieces to fit just so. Now about that closer thing. Luke Gregerson will

open the season on the disabled list, Alex Reyes is still weeks from returning and the young power arms

in the Minors are not what a franchise wants closing postseason games. That's why the decision not to

make a run at free-agent closer Holland is so puzzling.

3. Yep, Ryan Braun is going to play first base for the Brewers on Opening Day.

Braun has played 1,458 games, none of them at first base. That drought will end Thursday in San Diego

when Brewers manager Craig Counsell writes his name into the lineup at first against Padres

lefty Clayton Richard. Braun understands the switch from the outfield allows Milwaukee to put its best

lineup on the field against left-handed pitching and has done his best to get comfortable in the new

position. Spoiler alert: despite his lack of comfort, he has looked very good there in 41 Cactus League

innings at first.

March 26, 2018 Page 26 of 54

4. Can Clayton Kershaw actually get better? Judging by an insanely great spring, he just might.

They tell you spring numbers mean nothing. They tell you veteran guys are just working on stuff. On the

other hand, none of this applies to Kershaw. Even when he's fine-tuning his repertoire in games that

mean nothing, he reminds us that we've seen very few this good. In six starts this spring, Kershaw didn't

allow a run in 21 1/3 innings with four walks and 23 strikeouts. Same as it ever was.

5. Greg Bird's luck is lousy, but the Yankees seem built to withstand this.

Bird's right foot injury could land him on the DL, the latest in a string of injuries that have slowed his

career path. Even if the injury sidelines him for Opening Day, the Yankees have enough quality depth to

minimize the loss. Most intriguing is rookie third baseman Miguel Andujar, who was sent to the Minors

after a solid spring. He has been getting reps at first base. Also in the mix are three veterans: Neil

Walker, Tyler Austin and Brandon Drury.

6. Rookie Scott Kingery's contract extension with the Phillies could set a tone for how things are done

in the future.

One of the messages of this offseason is that teams are reluctant to pay mega-dollars to players in their

age 34-35-36 seasons. Since players typically hit free agency when they're 28 or 29, that's going to force

teams and players to adjust. Jose Altuve just passed up an opportunity to be a free agent at 29 when he

signed a five-year, $151 million extension with the Astros. Could he have waited and gotten more in free

agency? Sure, maybe.

Now the Phillies and No. 2 prospect Kingery, who will make his Major League debut this week,

have agreed to a six-year, $24 million contract that includes three club options and could be worth $65

million. It buys out all of Kingery's arbitration seasons and possibly his first three free-agent years.

7. David Price just put the finishing touches on an excellent Spring Training.

When a player is coming off the kind of season Price had in 2017, a solid, uneventful Spring Training

matters. Price finished his with a three-inning, one-run stint against the Twins, then went to the bullpen

and threw another 30 pitches. Afterward, he told reporters this is the best he has ever felt in a spring

start. If he lines up as a productive No. 2 behind ace Chris Sale, the Red Sox could be a formidable

October opponent.

8. Ty Blach will get the Opening Day start for the Giants. His numbers against the Dodgers are

interesting.

If Blach's dream was to start Opening Day at Dodger Stadium against Kershaw, the 27-year-old lefty is

getting his wish. He's taking the place of the injured Madison Bumgarner, and his performance might tell

us a bit about how the Giants will do in the wake of injuries to Bumgarner and Jeff Samardzija. In seven

career appearances against the Dodgers, Blach's numbers are plenty respectable: 2.23 ERA, 1.05 WHIP,

.215 opponents' batting average.

9. Felix Hernandez will get his 10th consecutive Opening Day start for the Mariners, and he just might

be the key to their season.

Hernandez is confronting something completely new in 2018: doubt. He made just 16 starts last season

March 26, 2018 Page 27 of 54

and had his highest ERA (4.36) since his second Major League season (2006). Hernandez showed up at

Spring Training hoping to turn a large page, then promptly got hit with a line drive in his first start. All

that said, he has made it to another Opening Day and says he feels fine and believes he can still pitch at

the highest level.

10. Kyle Tucker had a great spring for the Astros. Preston Tucker had a better one for the Braves.

Sometimes, things work out just right. Tucker, 27, seems likely to start in left field for the Braves on

Opening Day after a spring in which he passed every test, hitting .353 with a .431 on-base percentage.

After getting buried in Houston's farm system last season, a trade to Atlanta has been everything he

could have hoped for. Meanwhile, his 21-year-old brother Kyle likely will make his Major League debut

for the Astros after a spring in which he hit .425 and homered four times in 40 at-bats.

Projected 2018 lineups, rotations for every team**

Spring Training is underway and the 2018 regular season is just around the corner. Here's our best guess

at how all 30 lineups, rotations and closer spots will shake out. A lot can change between now and

Opening Day, so these predictions are fluid. We'll update them as Spring Training progresses.

ANGELS

Lineup:

1. Ian Kinsler, 2B

2. Mike Trout, CF

3. Justin Upton, LF

4. Albert Pujols, DH

5. Kole Calhoun, RF

6. Zack Cozart, 3B

7. Luis Valbuena, 1B

8. Andrelton Simmons, SS

9. Martin Maldonado, C

Rotation and closer:

1. Garrett Richards, RHP

2. Tyler Skaggs, LHP

3. Shohei Othani, RHP

4. Matt Shoemaker, RHP

5. JC Ramirez, RHP

Closer: Blake Parker

• Angels depth chart >

**Cut to only include Angels-related material.

March 26, 2018 Page 28 of 54

FROM FANRAG SPORTS NETWORK

Ian Kinsler pulls off bizarre stolen base

By Raphielle Johnson

Since stealing 21 bases during the 2012 season as a member of the Texas Rangers, Los Angeles Angels

second baseman Ian Kinsler has tallied no more than 15 stolen bases in the five seasons since.

It’s safe to say that the stolen base Kinsler was credited for during Sunday’s game against the Los

Angeles Dodgers would qualify as one of the easiest (no it isn’t official since this was a spring training

game) of his career.

With two outs in the sixth inning and Justin Upton at the plate, Kinsler took off for third as Upton began

his swing thinking there were two strikes in the count.

Dodgers catcher Yasmani Grandal seemed to be caught off guard as well, as he didn’t even make a

throw down to third.

FROM USA TODAY

MLB bold predictions: 6 scenarios for the 2018 season as Opening Day looms

By Barry M. Bloom

Call it tanking, if you must. Or “cyclical player business,” as Commissioner Rob Manfred prefers, or “non-

competitive cancer,” as agent Scott Boras says. Either way, some one-third of Major League Baseball

teams are, shall we say, less than all-in on this season, setting the stage for a fairly predictable 2018.

That’s no fun, right? With that, and as Opening Day looms Thursday with 15 games, USA TODAY Sports

takes aim at a half-dozen bold predictions that will surely turn our projected win totals on its ear:

The Yankees won't win the AL East

It’s not just the thirst for 100 home runs from Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton or the World Series

near-miss that create sky-high expectations for these Yankees.

From 1 to 25 — with a handful of potential stars lurking in the minor leagues — the Yankees are solidly

built.

March 26, 2018 Page 29 of 54

Yet the Yankees are not invulnerable.

It’s tempting, and perhaps too easy, to envision best-case scenarios for Stanton and Judge based largely

on 2017, when Stanton hit 59 home runs and Judge clobbered 52 in winning American League Rookie of

the Year honors.

Moving Stanton out of pitcher-friendly Marlins Park and assuming better health for Judge, who had

offseason shoulder surgery, should only enhance their chances to repeat such feats.

Yet in four of the past six seasons, Stanton has played 123 or fewer games.

Judge, in his first full season in the majors, showed he’s prone to an extended cold spell. Certainly, his

55-game tailspin (.185, 84 strikeouts in 189 at-bats) after the All-Star break can partially be attributed to

that balky left shoulder.

The 6-6 Stanton and 6-7 Judge are behemoths in their sport; when all is clicking, the boom times are

unparalleled. Big bodies and big swings can be high-maintenance, however, and a 2018 looking exactly

like 2017 for either is not guaranteed.

General manager Brian Cashman’s (and, surely, ownership’s) decision to try and reset their luxury tax

penalties could be felt most profoundly in the rotation, where Sonny Gray and Jordan Montgomery

might determine the Yankees’ fate.

Montgomery can get you 16 outs at a 3.88 ERA clip, which is fine.

Gray, acquired July 31, was inconsistent last year and now moves full time to the AL East. While the

sample size is small, he has an aggregate 5.63 ERA in 13 career starts at Yankee Stadium, Fenway Park

and Camden Yards.

Too many quick hooks for Gray, in concert with suboptimal length from CC Sabathia and Montgomery,

could place too large a burden on the Yankees’ rock-star bullpen.

And then there are the Red Sox. It’s easy to forget Boston is the reigning division champ and has a

healthy David Price from the jump.

And every team in the East, at least initially, will be trying to win, a claim no other division can make.

Should the Red Sox pull away, the wild-card race could get out of balance thanks to other AL teams

having punching bags to pummel in September.

Sure, these worries could be just that. Yet this game has seen far surer things go awry. These Yankees

aren’t immune from baseball happening.

— Gabe Lacques

March 26, 2018 Page 30 of 54

Mike Trout muscles up for 50 home runs

The thumb injury that limited Mike Trout to 114 games in 2017 and cost him a shot at a third AL MVP

Award helped cover up a remarkable truth: The best player in baseball is still getting better.

The lone hole in Trout’s offensive game early in his career was a propensity for strikeouts, but the Los

Angeles Angels center fielder has steadily and markedly reduced his strikeout rate since its peak in 2014.

Last season, he established career bests in strikeout rate and walk rate, and for the first time he walked

more (94) often than he whiffed (90) — a rare feat in the contemporary game. And Trout did not simply

make more contact, he made harder contact, setting career highs in extra-base hit rate, home run rate

and home runs per fly ball.

Before suffering the injury stealing second base in late May, Trout was on pace for 56 home runs.

Hand issues are known for sapping power, but even after his return, he smacked 17 long balls in 67

games.

At 26 and fully healthy entering the regular season, Trout should only get stronger and more selective at

the plate in 2018.

And with suspicion growing about the makeup of Major League Baseball’s balls as players around the

league homer at unprecedented rates, Trout, as long as he stays healthy, will join the juiced-ball party

this season and blow past his previous career-high home run mark of 41 late in the summer.

Trout not only looks like a good bet to crack the half-century mark in homers but also holds a fair chance

to becoming the first-ever member of the major league’s 50-30 club after swiping 22 bags in 26

attempts in his protracted 2017. Trout has been the best player on the planet since he joined the majors

for good as a 20-year-old in 2012. All signs point to a somehow-even-better Trout arriving in 2018.

- Ted Berg

Phillies will be in wild-card fight

Other than the Nationals, no one in the National League East finished with a winning record in 2017.

That’s about to change.

Thanks to several key offseason acquisitions and a group of talented young players, the Phillies are a

team on the rise. And their ascendance into the realm of playoff contenders will come earlier than

expected.

With plenty of payroll space available this offseason, the Phils were the first team to sign a major free

agent — first baseman Carlos Santana. He gives the club a veteran presence, a power bat and something

else the team really needed, on-base percentage.

March 26, 2018 Page 31 of 54

The Phillies ranked 24th in the majors last season with a .315 OBP. While Santana’s .365 career mark

isn’t the direct solution, pairing him with young slugger Rhys Hoskins (18 homers, .396 OBP in 212 MLB

plate appearances) dramatically transforms the middle of the lineup.

And in a wholly unexpected stroke, top second-base prospect Scott Kingery, who likely would have

started the season in the minors, signed a six-year contract that could tie him to the Phillies for nine

seasons. Of greater current import, Kingery, who has a career .341 minor league OBP, will be with the

club from the get-go this year and, as manager Gabe Kapler noted, shore up multiple positions.

The front office also swooped in late in the offseason to snag the best free agent pitcher on the market

in Jake Arrieta, a low-risk, $75 million splurge over three seasons. Though his overall numbers have

declined since his Cy Young-winning 2015 season, Arrieta is far from done at age 32.

In 12 second-half starts for the Cubs last year, Arrieta went 6-3 with a 2.28 ERA and 1.09 WHIP. He can

still provide quality innings at the front of the rotation.

The two new veterans will help take some of the pressure off a talented young core of Hoskins and

budding ace Aaron Nola as well as up-and-comers such as catcher Jorge Alfaro, shortstop J.P. Crawford,

outfielder Nick Williams and Kingery.

Tying everything together is Kapler, an analytically friendly former player who can combine the best

aspects of the old school and new school approaches. It’s quite a change from the former Philly regime,

but after three consecutive seasons of 90 or more losses, fielding a playoff-caliber team would be a

change most welcome.

— Steve Gardner

Andrew McCutchen is an All-Star again

Andrew McCutchen’s five-year streak of All-Star Game invitations ended in 2016, when most of his

offensive stats plummeted, his OPS sinking to a career-low .766. He responded with a solid season last

year, pairing a .849 OPS with 28 home runs, which wasn’t good enough to earn him a berth in the

Midsummer Classic.

Why believe he can again elevate his game at 31?

Several peripheral factors point in that direction.

Let’s note right off the bat that McCutchen is entering his final season before free agency, a status that

tends to bump up performance for many players. But more than that, for the first time in years he finds

himself as just another cog in the machinery, not the central engine on which opponents might focus

their game plan.

March 26, 2018 Page 32 of 54

By acquiring McCutchen and Evan Longoria, the Giants bolstered a flawed lineup and provided

protection for Buster Posey, who had a .861 OPS but only 12 homers and 67 RBI. With Brandon Belt and

Brandon Crawford likely to bounce back from down seasons, the Giants should have a much more

productive offense, one that doesn’t rely on just a couple of guys.

Nor is McCutchen likely to be the constant target of media attention, not with the likes of Posey,

Longoria and Madison Bumgarner (once he’s back after breaking a bone in his pitching hand) around. He

can concentrate on playing his game, and it will be as a right fielder, not as a center fielder, which might

preserve his legs.

McCutchen recognizes he’ll probably lose some home runs to the vast right-center confines of AT&T

Park, but that area also yields lots of triples, so McCutchen has a decent chance to top his career high of

nine. And he’ll be playing in front of full houses in a cool climate that helps players stay fresh.

McCutchen no longer has to carry a franchise, just be his usual self and regain his standing among the

best.

— Jorge L. Ortiz

Marlins will flirt with all-time loss record

It’s a record no franchise wants to hold.

Yet, the Miami Marlins, after a winter of cutting payroll and trading their best assets, could flirt with the

modern major league record for most losses in a season.

In 1962, the New York Mets, managed by Hall of Famer Casey Stengel, lost a major league record 120

games and finished 10th and last in the National League, 601/2 games behind the San Francisco Giants.

The Marlins finished with a 77-85 record last season, and had a chance to contend.

But after the franchise was sold to majority owner Bruce Sherman and CEO Derek Jeter after the season,

the organization was hit with a wrecking ball. Jeter cut payroll by about $50 million to less than $95

million.

The sustainable future Jeter talked about this spring is not now. The Marlins never won more than 79

games with the collective group of players they had. So, imagine how many games they will win without

Giancarlo Stanton, Christian Yelich, Marcel lOzuna and Dee Gordon?

Of the 68 players that opened camp, 29 were new to the organization. Nearly 1/3 of the opening day

roster will make the league minimum.

While 120 losses is a tough feat to surpass, it’s not out of reach for a club that has averaged 89 losses

the past seven seasons.

March 26, 2018 Page 33 of 54

- Scott Boeck

Astros will put away the AL West by June

The Astros will have a double-figure American League West lead by the end of May.

Or could it be even earlier? Or bigger?

Sure, everyone knows the Angels will be better this season.

The Athletics can’t be as bad, can they?

The Rangers always are in contention.

And the Mariners manage to make life interesting.

Still, enough with the false optimism that anyone is going to touch the Astros.

They are the Harlem Globetrotters, and the rest of the AL West will play the role of the Washington

Generals.

The Astros won 101 games last season and ran away with the AL West, winning it by 21 games.

They might have a 21-game lead by the All-Star break this time.

Yes, they are that good.

They have two-time Cy Young Award winner Justin Verlander around for an entire season, and not just

September.

Former Pirates ace Gerritt Cole will be with the Astros all year.

Lance McCullers Jr. is just scratching the surface with the talent to win a Cy Young award.

And that’s just the starting rotation.

There wasn’t a single Astros player who had a career year last season. And considering Houston’s youth

and talent, it has at least three players, if not four, who are capable of winning the MVP award.

It’s not just that the Astros are the defending champions, but by adding veteran relievers Joe Smith and

Hector Rendon, there’s not a flaw in sight.

And Houston manager A.J. Hinch is convinced that the Astros players are as hungry as ever,

remembering that they managed to win 101 games despite a litany of injuries and struggles.

March 26, 2018 Page 34 of 54

“That’s why we’re not going to take it for granted,” Hinch says. “We know it didn’t come easy last year.

... It wasn’t a magic carpet ride.”

This year, that carpet ride starts in April, and there will be no looking back, as the Astros will leave the AL

West suffocating on their exhaust fumes and ensure the Division Series and, possibly, World Series begin

in Houston.

— Bob Nightengale

FROM THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE

Top MLB storylines for 2018

By Paul Sullivan

Baseball is evolving at a rapid pace, with bigger, stronger players and technological advancements

resulting in new bullpen strategies changing the way the game is played.

Managers are hired with little or no experience, thanks to younger and more educated front-office

executives who believe knowledge in using analytics for decision-making trumps experience every time.

Whether it’s evolving into a more rewarding entertainment option than other popular team sports is in

the eye of the beholder.

Either way, the essence of baseball remains unblemished. It’s still a game that makes you think.

What can we look forward to in 2018? Here are some storylines we expect to play out in the coming

months:

Reboot or rebuild?

When Cubs President Theo Epstein was asked last year if the success of the Cubs and Astros would lead

to more rebuilding projects, he was skeptical.

“I don’t think so,” he said. “There are a lot of teams that have tried it and don’t end up with the title,

and lots of teams that don’t take that path that do end up winning the whole thing. There are a lot of

different ways to get there.”

Whenever a team suffers through a disappointing season with some overpaid and underachieving

players, the modus operandi is to start a teardown and go with youth. It’s much cheaper for owners

than trying to compete, and if fans buy into the rebuild, you can justify tanking as a viable way to get to

the finish line.

March 26, 2018 Page 35 of 54

The Marlins and Pirates are among the newest tankers, joining the Phillies, Braves, Reds, Rays, White

Sox and Tigers, who began their tank job in the second half of 2017.

But one prominent team has been the exception to the rule. The Giants lost 98 games in ’17 but opted

to spend some money to improve instead of gutting the roster and starting over. They added Evan

Longoria, Andrew McCutchen and Tony Watson, hoping that last year’s nightmare was a fluke.

“It might be up to us to reinstate that trend,” right-hander Jeff Samardzija said. “Maybe make 30-

somethings cool again in the game.”

Will it work? Who knows? But credit Giants management for at least trying. The team looks old and slow

but does have veteran talent.

“It’s kind of like a throwback to when we all first came into the league,” Samardzija said. “I remember

when I got called up (with the Cubs) in ’08 and it was like this. I was the only rookie and everyone else

was well into their careers. We’re pretty comfortable with each other, a lot of good baseball talks going

on, and the vibe is really good.”

Will that be enough for the Giants in the tough National League West? A healthy Madison Bumgarner,

who missed nearly three months last season after injuring his left shoulder and ribs in a dirt bike

accident, could hold the key.

“Keep him off some bikes and he’ll be all right,” Samardzija said. .

21st century Babe

Angels rookie Shohei Ohtani, the so-called “Babe Ruth of Japan,” will be the most scrutinized player this

season as he attempts to become a viable starting pitcher and a designated hitter, as he was in Japan.

The game plan hasn’t been announced yet, but the Angels insist he won’t play the outfield.

“We go day-to-day with him,” general manager Billy Eppler said.

Angels manager Mike Scioscia said Ohtani will be available to DH or pinch hit or pinch run on “certain

days” but probably not on the day after starts.

“If he swings the bat it will be as a designated hitter,” he said. “He runs the bases well. He’s a very

complete player. … We’re not looking at him as the fourth guy on our bench. He’s much more than

that.”

Ohtani handled the media barrage well in spring training and should be OK playing on a West Coast

team with little national coverage.

“He’s used to a lot of cameras,” Eppler said. “That was the case when he was a senior in high school. It’s

more getting him comfortable, integrating him with his teammates, understanding the schedule and

March 26, 2018 Page 36 of 54

climate and food. There are so many variables that you or I would face going to a different country and

acclimating. That’s our goal.”

Power ball

MLB set a record with 6,105 home runs in 2017, roughly a 7 percent increase from the 5,693 mark set in

2000 during the steroid era.

Giancarlo Stanton toyed with Roger Maris’ 61-homer mark that once was the standard, finishing with

59, the most in the majors since Barry Bonds’ record 73 in 2001.

Overall, 117 players hit 20 home runs or more, and 41 belted at least 30.

On the flip side, hitters also set a record — for the 10th consecutive year — with 40,104 strikeouts,

breaking the 2016 mark of 38,982.

“Strikeouts are not something we’re looking forward to going into ’18,” MLB Chief Baseball Officer Joe

Torre said. “We want more balls in action. But again, I’m not going to tell a player how to play. I think

that was just a weird happening last year.”

Hmmm. That doesn’t explain the previous nine years.

Beat the clock

Commissioner Rob Manfred considered implementing a 20-second clock for pitchers but instead limited

the number of mound visits per team to six per game, hoping to speed up the action a bit.The games are

longer than ever, but new bullpen strategies and replay challenges account for some of the increase.

According to a report, if the average game time this season is less than 2 hours, 55 minutes, MLB will not

impose a pitch clock in 2019. Cubs left-hander Jon Lester is against the clock.

“t’s a terrible idea,” Lester. “The beautiful thing about our sport is there is no time. The fans know what

they’re getting themselves into when they go to a game. It’s going to be a three-hour game. You may

have a game that’s 2 hours, 15 minutes. Great, awesome. You may have a game that’s four hours. That’s

the beautiful part of it.”

Manfred said speeding up the pace of play is mostly for fans watching on TV, but Lester said it’s an

unnecessary intrusion into the national pastime.

“Every game has a flow, and I feel like that’s what makes it special,” Lester said. “If you want to go to a

timed event, go to a timed event. I’m sorry I’m old school about it, but baseball has been played the

same way for a long time, and now we’re trying to add (a time element) to it. I think we’re missing

something somewhere.”

Bronx is burning

March 26, 2018 Page 37 of 54

The Yankees went into semi-rebuild mode in 2016, dealing Aroldis Chapman, Andrew Miller, Ivan

Nova and Carlos Beltran for prospects.

But they re-signed Chapman from the Cubs after the season, watched Aaron Judgeblossom into a

superstar and won 91 games last year, earning a wild-card playoff berth and taking the Astros to Game 7

of the American League Championship Series under manager Joe Girardi.

Now they’re having their cake and eating it too. Top prospect Gleyber Torres — acquired from the Cubs

for Chapman — is ready to take over at second base, and the Yankees acquired Stanton from the

Marlins in a deal that sent second baseman Starlin Castro to Miami. Youth and spending power should

propel the Yankees into the World Series with new manager Aaron Boone.

“It has been a tough five years,” principal owner Hal Steinbrenner said. “We kept talking about the same

guys, they were at (Class A) and then Double A and then Triple A: ‘Just wait, they’re coming. They’re

coming.’ And some of them have come.

“They have a full year under their belt and they have a lot of playoff experience, which is going to bode

well for next year. Four elimination games (in the postseason) — that’s high-stress stuff. I’m very

excited. … I really think we’ve turned a corner here.”

Revisionist history

The rehabilitation of PED-user Alex Rodriguez continues with the former Yankees star joining the ESPN

“Sunday Night Baseball” booth.

Rodriguez had admitted to using PEDs and was suspended for the entire 2014 season but doesn’t have

to wear a scarlet letter like Sammy Sosa, Rafael Palmeiro or other alleged cheaters.

Adding to the steroid conundrum is the Giants’ decision to retire Bonds’ number on Aug. 11 at AT&T

Park. The organization not only is forgiving Bonds for his transgressions, it’s apparently forgetting them

too.

“We’re not dealing with full information also on that (PED) issue,” CEO Larry Baer said.

FROM YAHOO! SPORTS

10 Degrees: The upbeat treatment of Shohei Ohtani’s spring is a joke – and

entirely unnecessary

By Jeff Passan

Opening day arrives Thursday, and with it comes the reminder of the gifts 2018 will bear. The game’s

most fascinating person hasn’t played a single major league inning and hasn’t exactly looked like he

deserves to yet, either. Another star won’t dare to talk about what makes him particularly engrossing

March 26, 2018 Page 38 of 54

this year. On the storylines go, with men who showcase power and others who wield it, with question

marks and exclamation points. A sport rich in profits but at the moment destitute in competitive

balance, baseball does not lack for intrigue in 2018.

Which is why the forthcoming paragraph serves as an apology to the Houston Astros, who look every bit

as good, if not better, than they did last season when they won the World Series. And to the Chicago

Cubs, whom I’m picking to win this season’s championship because they’re really good, too. Sorry to

Albert Pujols, who is set to join the 3,000-hit club, and Derek Jeter, who has weathered about that many

in half a year as Marlins owner. Regrets to Tim Tebow, whose ascent to the major leagues is paramount

to our democracy, because it will break Twitter and thus rid us of our Russian-bot overlords. And finally

to Tanking, whose prevalence has grown so great it earned capitalization and anthropomorphizing.

None cracked the triumphant return of 10 Degrees, back for its 10th season, here every week, filled with

news, notes, nuggets and typically some other words that start with N. Such as no. As in, no, Mike

Scioscia …

1. Shohei Ohtani did not have a “great outing” in his final start of the preseason, unless the definition of

great outing has changed since the calendar turned. One official who saw it summed it up as: “He looked

pretty much like he’s looked all spring.” The struggles of Ohtani since he arrived stateside have been

glaring. There are plenty of ways to describe his lack of fastball velocity and difficulty commanding the

pitch Saturday against a coterie of minor leaguers. Great does not crack the top, oh, 5,000?

It came as no surprise, of course, to see Scioscia, the Angels’ longtime manager, playacting as the this-is-

fine dog. In the grand scheme, actually, it is. Lost amid the fact that Ohtani looks helpless at the plate (3

for 28 in games) and talented but raw on the mound (more runs allowed than outs registered) is that he

remains an incredible talent who is under team control for the next six years at enormously depressed

prices. All it cost the Angels to secure Ohtani was about $22 million. Every single team would take him

for that today. Every one.

Whether the positivity is simply reflexive defensiveness or something orchestrated for a reason is a fair

question – and perhaps important. If the Angels know Ohtani well enough and believe that he responds

better to a sunny perspective than an honest one that may sound sour, that balance may be worth

striking publicly at the risk of sounding blinkered. If it is just the Angels not speaking the truth in hopes

that no one is noticing – well, people are noticing.

Gone, for now, are the Babe Ruth comparisons, which weren’t altogether fair in the first place – guilty as

charged – because the prospect of Ohtani hitting immediately wasn’t good, either. For a better Ruth

comp, look at …

2. Bryce Harper and his delightfully similar swing, as The Washington Post so cannily pointed out five

years back. It is this swing that’s worth at least $300 million, maybe $400 million, even beyond that. And

as much as viewing Harper through that lens feels icky – he’s a person, not a commodity – his

forthcoming free agency packs the potential to change sports.

March 26, 2018 Page 39 of 54

Harper has less than zero desire to talk about free agency, his next contract or anything that he’s savvy

enough to understand will create distraction. It’s a canny play with another benefit: nothing stokes

speculation and hoopla quite like secrecy. Baseball doesn’t need its regular season to be a teaser trailer

to its offseason. Not knowing Harper’s priorities or desires means waiting to see them – getting sucked

into the vortex of conjecture. Free agency like this – a 26-year-old superstar who’s the single most

recognizable player in his sport – comes around once a generation. Which is no slight to …

3. Manny Machado, who himself is in that next tier: the 26-year-old star who isn’t quite the brand even

if he is a similar player. Some, of course, contend that he’s every bit as valuable as Harper because he

was an all-world third baseman, is expected to play an elite shortstop and packs supreme power and

punch in his swing.

Unlike Harper, Machado’s season could be a chaotic jumble. While the Orioles are trying to take

advantage of an American League field with four favorites and a big emoji shrug in the fifth spot, the

possibility they stumble and want to recoup value for Machado’s expected departure is very real. And as

mediocre as the return for pending free agents was at the deadline last year, there isn’t a team in

baseball that couldn’t find a place for Machado.

So for a few months, at least, he and Harper will engage in their little Beltway duel, with hundreds of

millions of dollars at stake, while 3,000 miles away …

4. Clayton Kershaw will be pitching for his own nine figures. Far lower key than Harper or Machado –

exactly how he likes it – Kershaw heads into this season having just turned 30, the inflection point for so

many pitching careers.

How the second decade of Kershaw’s career goes will have bearing simply on how history views him: as

a Hall of Famer or as possibly the best pitcher ever to have played Major League Baseball. That is a lofty

thing to say, particularly for someone who has made 48 starts the last two years. At the same time, over

the first 10 years of his career, Kershaw’s ERA+ – a measurement of his earned-run average against that

of the league – is third best all-time behind Walter Johnson and Pedro Martinez.

Kershaw has looked positively Kershavian this spring, throwing 21 innings and not allowing a run in any

of them. Spring-training stats are bunk, yes, but 21 straight scoreless is 21 straight scoreless no matter

the level of competition. There’s work to do, whether it’s giving up fewer home runs or dominating in

the postseason like he has during the regular season or getting through a full season without his balky

back acting up. That, more than anything, is a threat to Kershaw’s legacy as well him opting out of

the final three years of his deal with the Los Angeles Dodgers.

His title as baseball’s best pitcher is perpetually under fire, whether from Max Scherzer or Corey Kluber

or Madison Bumgarner or Chris Sale or …

5. Noah Syndergaard, this year’s chic pick to grow into something supernaturally good. Considering that

never in the history of baseball has there been a pitcher with the pure, raw, unfiltered stuff of

March 26, 2018 Page 40 of 54

Syndergaard, it’s not out of the question. Syndergaard is like baseball moonshine. He just needs some

high-quality distillation.

Part of that is not missing with his fastball, which he throws as hard as any starter in history, about 98

mph on average. It’s straight enough that even at that velocity, hitters can hammer it. His slider – the

93-mph marvel that is literally unlike anything that’s ever been seen in the game – defies logic. Quite

simply, it’s a breaking ball at fastball speed. His 90-mph changeup looks hittable until it peaces out.

Syndergaard has a curveball, too, and though it’s not quite as nasty the other pitches, it’s not bad,

either.

A torn lat torpedoed his 2017 season, and a redemptive element for Syndergaard joins that of his team,

the New York Mets. Really, the Mets’ can’t exist without Syndergaard. Should he stay healthy, though,

between him and Jacob deGrom, the Mets may have two of the 10 best pitchers in the game, and there

are worse places to start contention. The notion of them playing first fiddle in New York, on the other

hand, remains dubious, particularly when …

6. Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton are occupying the same lineup in the Bronx. The excitement

surrounding the New York Yankees is real and legitimate, and even if they are co-favorites with the

Boston Red Sox in the American League East, New York – below the luxury tax, with a deep farm system,

plus young hitting and pitching – looks positively horrifying for the rest of the AL.

Judge and Stanton personify this because they are a 547-pound, dream-crushing tag team

– Demolition for the modern day, if you will. In this era of home run hitting, they are the preeminence.

Of course, everyone hitting the ball out of the park leaves …

7. Rob Manfred answering questions about the sanctity of the game after 2017 saw more home

runs than even during the Steroid Era. Then there is the Tanking issue. And pace of play, which is his pet

peeve. Plus the whole potential labor war that was exacerbated with this offseason’s flaccid free agent

market. Oh, and just this week, MLB’s lobbying efforts in Washington to inure themselves from having

to pay minor league players a living wage somehow wound up in the spending bill. Never mind the

collateral damage that low-level independent leagues now must pay minimum wage to players, which

essentially murders their business, which means MLB’s effort to make sure minor leaguers live near the

poverty line indirectly means fewer people get to see and play baseball. Awesome.

These are all issues under Manfred’s purview, and as he heads into his fourth year as commissioner,

they will illustrate where he plans to shepherd the game. Surely, for example, he can’t see the logic in a

system that encourages the Atlanta Braves to send down …

8. Ronald Acuña to begin the season. One scout who saw Acuña multiple times this spring, “He will be in

the MVP conversation.” That’s a center fielder who started last season in High-A and just turned 20, and

it’s not in the conversation, like, three or four years from now. Today, he meant.

March 26, 2018 Page 41 of 54

The Braves optioned Acuña to Triple-A Gwinnett because it was right for business. Keep him there for a

couple weeks and call him back up when he no longer can earn a full year of service. This sort of

manipulation is rampant, and so long as it goes unpunished – and it typically does – teams are playing

within the rules. If Acuña started the season with the Braves, he would be a free agent after the 2023

season. Save that extra year of service and it’s not until following 2024.

No other league does this – keeps its best players away from its top teams because of financial

considerations. It is like tanking writ small: a system that encourages teams to prioritize inferior players

over superior ones for the sake of the future. Both are optimal strategies. A system that cannot dissuade

multiple teams from participating in such strategies, however, is at best flawed, at worst broken.

Nothing lays naked the Acuña case more than what happened Sunday. The Philadelphia Phillies were

planning on sending second baseman Scott Kingery to Triple-A to start the season, even after it was

clear he was their best player this spring. Then Kingery agreed to a six-year, $24 million deal with three

club options – the largest guarantee ever to a player who hasn’t taken a major league at-bat but also an

incredible undermarket bargain if Kingery is even half the player evaluators believe he’s going to be.

Guess who’s going to start the season in Philadelphia?

Consider the message this sends: For a team not to game the system, a player must take a haircut. The

power imbalance is incredible – representative, in many ways, of how Manfred’s reign has been as much

about consolidation of control in the sport as anything. If he has the game’s best interests in mind, he’ll

seek a solution in the next collective-bargaining agreement that allows the Ronald Acuñas of the world

never to rot in the minor leagues for a day longer than necessary. Because if Acuña really is …

9. Mike Trout Lite, the sooner he arrives, the better. Until then, suppose that the real Trout will have to

suffice. He is actually quite similar to Kershaw, not just in their relative desire to avoid the trappings of

celebrity and hoopla but how their greatness manifested itself early and never seems to show any sign

of abating.

Now, there have been accusations leveled at 10 Degrees that this is a space in which Trout can do no

wrong. These accusations are false and defamatory. For example, Trout last season got out 55.8 percent

of the time. Outs are bad! The rest of the time, he posted a .442 on-base percentage, which led the AL,

as did his .629 slugging percentage. Both were career bests. He also walked more than he struck out.

Three years earlier, he struck out 101 times more than he walked. That was bad, too, even if it isn’t

anymore.

Seriously, if someone were in the tank for Trout, would he really point out that through his age-25

season, Trout is second all-time in Baseball-Reference’s Wins Above Replacement? Uh, don’t think so.

Second place is first loser, even if the guy in first place, Ty Cobb, compiled his 1.8 more WAR when black

players weren’t allowed in the big leagues.

If nothing else, 2018 will offer the world more opportunities to see Trout, because …

March 26, 2018 Page 42 of 54

10. Shohei Ohtani is going to be in the spotlight so often. And as he is, let us not forget that the

likelihood for him becoming an excellent major league player, and eventually a star, is still stronger than

all but a handful of young players.

Yes, that’s probably going to mean an eventual shift out of the DH role and into pitching full-time,

something that is going to be chirped more and more as the season goes on and the pitching

overwhelms him. One scout this week did opine that he believes Ohtani is so talented, so athletic, that

he’ll learn to hit major league-quality pitching on the fly. Nearly two dozen other scouts, officials and

executives who have seen him this spring vehemently disagree, and they think the Angels’ sanguine

proclamations are sugarcoating the eventuality.

That will come in time. For now, the spectacle of it is cool as hell. Someone is trying something that

nobody thinks is possible, and to do that while adjusting to a new team, a new country, a new language

– that means Shohei Ohtani believes in himself, because no man in need of constant public affirmation

would take on an endeavor like that, one whose path is so laden with pitfalls it almost always will lead to

failure.

If that’s the case, and the Angels are trying to put a happy face on an ugly spring, they don’t need to.

The spin isn’t going to help Ohtani any. He will adjust. He will improve. He will find himself. And so long

as his elbow cooperates, he will be a major league pitcher. He doesn’t need to play both ways to be

great. He just needs time.

FROM NEW YORK TIMES

A.L. Preview: Watch Out, the Houston Astros Got Better

By Tyler Kepner

On the day of his team’s first full-squad workout as World Series champions, the Houston Astros’

architect, Jeff Luhnow, acknowledged a feeling of awe. The nameplates in the team’s spring training

clubhouse, especially those above the pitchers’ lockers, were a sight to behold.

“I go in there and I can’t believe it,” said Luhnow, the general manager, naming the Astros’ rotation.

“They’re all right there and they’re all ours. That’s an incredibly rich group.”

The group includes two Cy Young Award winners, Justin Verlander and Dallas Keuchel. It includes Lance

McCullers Jr., who closed out the Yankees in Game 7 of the American League Championship Series, and

Charlie Morton, who closed out the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 7 of the World Series.

After a January trade with the Pittsburgh Pirates, it also includes Gerrit Cole, a former No. 1 overall draft

pick with durability and an All-Star pedigree. The collection is so gaudy that Collin McHugh and Brad

Peacock, who would start almost anywhere else, will pitch from the bullpen.

March 26, 2018 Page 43 of 54

“I honestly didn’t think that we could, potentially, be this good, just knowing what we did last year,”

Keuchel said. “Never in my wildest dreams did I think, in the off-season, we were going to get Gerrit.

That’s pretty cool to me. We got better.”

The Astros also kept their soul this month by rewarding Jose Altuve with a five-year, $151 million

contract extension, through 2024. Altuve, the A.L. most valuable player, said the Cole trade told the

team that Luhnow wanted to add another trophy immediately.

“We’re aware of everything, how hard it is to win back to back,” Altuve said. “But it’s not impossible.

We’re going to do the best we can to make it happen.”

No team has repeated since the Yankees won three titles in a row from 1998 through 2000. This is the

longest stretch in major league history without a repeat champion, but the Astros have everything they

need to change that. Only two of their starters exceeded 200 innings last season: Verlander (242⅔,

including the postseason) and Cole (203). Only two position players, Altuve and third baseman Alex

Bregman, played more than 140 games in the regular season.

“Physically, our guys are fine,” Manager A.J. Hinch said. “The mental part of it will be our biggest

challenge.”

He added: “I watched this last season when the Indians and the Cubs — both World Series teams —

struggled the first month of the season. They were told they were struggling. They were told they were

having a hangover. They were told they weren’t playing up to expectations. That has to lead to a ton

more anxiety and a ton more tension around a team that you don’t normally have to deal with. You

carry a lot of baggage around the following season from winning, and that type of attention isn’t always

good attention.”

If any team is immune to prolonged struggles, though, this should be the one. The Astros, who return

almost everyone, led the majors in slugging percentage in 2017 while finishing last in strikeouts. They

have mastered the modern power game without the trade-off most teams must make — like drinking all

the Champagne at a party yet feeling just fine the next morning.

Expect no hangover for the 2018 Astros, just another championship banner at Minute Maid Park.

The rest of the West division should not pose much of a challenge. The game’s best player, Mike Trout,

begins his seventh full season with the Los Angeles Angels still seeking his first playoff victory. The

Angels will try a six-man rotation behind him, being careful not to ask much from a group that includes

no starting candidates who worked even 150 innings last season.

“It’s going to allow us to use depth,” starter Matt Shoemaker said. “And if it gives us extra days to help

us stay fresh, it’s just going to help the team, and us.”

After a trying spring training, Shohei Ohtani, the pitching and hitting sensation from Japan, is the great

unknown. The Angels upgraded their infield with Ian Kinsler at second base and Zack Cozart at third, and

March 26, 2018 Page 44 of 54

they begin their first full season with left fielder Justin Upton. But designated hitter Albert Pujols, 38,

regressed markedly last season and still has four years left on his contract.

Despite a rash of late-spring pitching injuries, the Oakland Athleticsdon’t feel like a last-place team

anymore. They found long-term solutions by putting Matts on their infield corners — Matt Olson at first

base and Matt Chapman at third. And the newcomers Stephen Piscotty and Jonathan Lucroy will help a

lineup whose designated hitter, Khris Davis, hit 85 homers the last two seasons. (Only Giancarlo Stanton,

with 86, had more.)

Could the A’s sneak up on the field and snag a playoff berth, as they did six years ago? It’s unlikely, but

you never know.

“That’s putting pretty high expectations on them, but it is something we’ve discussed, certainly

internally but also publicly,” General Manager David Forst said. “The ideal situation for this team would

be to be like the ’12 team, and be better than expected now and then continue to get better going

forward.”

The Seattle Mariners keep trying, but seem destined to miss the playoffs for the 17th season in a row.

Even if Nelson Cruz, 37, and Robinson Cano, 35, continue their elite offensive production, a thin rotation

dooms this team. The ace James Paxton has pitched parts of five seasons but never made 25 starts, and

there’s only mediocrity behind him, including Felix Hernandez, who has a 4.08 earned run average since

turning 30 in early 2016.

If a hitter’s job is to get on base and avoid making outs, the Texas Rangers’ Rougned Odor had a historic

performance in 2017: Of all the players to make 500 outs in a season, Odor had the lowest on-base

percentage, at .252. He did have 30 homers, but also 162 strikeouts, and symbolized the Rangers’ all-or-

nothing offense. They took no steps to improve it, and went bargain-hunting (Mike Minor, Matt Moore,

Doug Fister) to address a wobbly rotation.

The Central

The Cleveland Indians finished 17 games ahead of the Minnesota Twins in the A.L. Central last season,

and the gap has narrowed significantly. The Indians lost first baseman Carlos Santana, right fielder Jay

Bruce and the setup man Bryan Shaw in free agency, while the Twins added starters Jake Odorizzi and

Lance Lynn, relievers Addison Reed and Fernando Rodney, and designated hitter Logan Morrison,

among others.

“We more or less returned the entire position-player club from last year, which in the second half really

performed,” said Derek Falvey, the Twins’ chief baseball officer. “They’re young and they’re growing.

We knew on the pitching side we could add some experience and some depth.”

The Indians — a team Falvey helped build — still have more star power than the Twins, with starters

Corey Kluber and Carlos Carrasco, relievers Cody Allen and Andrew Miller and the lineup mainstays

March 26, 2018 Page 45 of 54

Francisco Lindor and Edwin Encarnacion. But this could be the closest division race of them all, with both

teams qualifying for the postseason as they batter their three division neighbors.

After failing to find a new home in free agency, third baseman Mike Moustakas made a surprise return

to the Kansas City Royals, signing on for another year with championship teammates from 2015 like

Salvador Perez, Alcides Escobar and Alex Gordon. But with Lorenzo Cain and Eric Hosmer gone via free

agency — and no additions to a weak rotation — the Royals may slip back to 90 losses and trade

whoever they can in July.

The Chicago White Sox are finished with their tear-down trades, but waiting for their high-end

prospects to arrive before adding veterans. In the meantime, they’ll enjoy watching second baseman

Yoan Moncada break through as a star beside first baseman Jose Abreu, his fellow Cuban and the team’s

steady leader.

After going 64-98, the Detroit Tigers hold the No. 1 overall draft pick for just the second time in

franchise history. They might do so again in 2019 because this could be the worst team in baseball. The

Tigers have three fading veterans combining for $72 million in salaries (Miguel Cabrera, Jordan

Zimmermann and Victor Martinez), with nobody else making more than $6.5 million.

“They might take some lumps, but it’s going to be a learning process and we have to let it unfold in front

of our eyes,” said Ron Gardenhire, the veteran manager who replaces Brad Ausmus. “You can’t force it,

you can’t beat ’em up. It’s all going to be about patience here.”

The East

Since the last time the Yankees won the A.L. East, the Boston Red Soxhave won it three times and the

Baltimore Orioles and the Toronto Blue Jays have each had a turn. The Yankees should take back the

division for the first time since 2012, and could do it with relative ease.

“We’ve got a lot of coverage in the infield and outfield side,” General Manager Brian Cashman said. “In

the bullpen, we’ve got a lot of high-leverage guys. The rotation’s the area, like any team, mostly you get

affected. You lose some key guys in that rotation, it could be really challenging to your season.”

Fair enough, but the Yankees’ group of Luis Severino, Masahiro Tanaka, Sonny Gray, C.C. Sabathia and

Jordan Montgomery looks a lot stronger than Boston’s starting staff, which falls off sharply after the left-

handers Chris Sale and David Price. And that’s assuming Price’s elbow allows him to make more than the

11 starts he made last year.

What, then, about the Baltimore Orioles as the second wild-card team, with the Twins? The Red Sox will

score a lot of runs, but so could the Orioles, especially if shortstop Manny Machado has a big platform

year before free agency and third baseman Tim Beckham builds off his first full season as an everyday

player.

March 26, 2018 Page 46 of 54

The homegrown starters Dylan Bundy and Kevin Gausman may never develop into All-Stars. But they are

solid, and remember, the Orioles contended into September last year despite giving 300 innings to

Wade Miley and Ubaldo Jimenez, who combined for a 6.18 E.R.A. The newcomers Andrew Cashner and

Alex Cobb are bound to do better.

The Orioles will miss closer Zach Britton for half the season as he recovers from a ruptured Achilles. But

it should be no surprise if Manager Buck Showalter finds a way to squeeze this team into the playoffs for

the fourth time in seven seasons.

“You don’t question the end goal playing for Buck Showalter,” Beckham said. “The end goal is winning.

As a player, with some organizations, you question that.”

The Toronto Blue Jays seemed to make a halfhearted effort at winning this off-season, opting for

complementary moves instead of reloading in Josh Donaldson’s final season before free agency. The

Blue Jays wanted to give themselves a chance to contend without touching a farm system they have

worked hard to revive. A decent rotation does give them a chance, but only a small one. If the Blue Jays

struggle early, expect a major roster overhaul.

That process is well underway for the Tampa Bay Rays, who plan to use only four starting pitchers this

season, using days off and mixing in occasional bullpen games. The Rays’ offense, which strikes out

prodigiously, has lost four players who combined for 115 homers last season: Logan Morrison, Corey

Dickerson, Evan Longoria and Steven Souza Jr.

The franchise has finished in last place just once since 2007, the last year it was known as the Devil Rays.

The Rays are not changing their name again, but they are searching for a new identity.

FROM FORBES.COM

What Business Executives Can Learn from Mike Trout

By Adam Mendler

With opening day around the corner and the Los Angeles Angels coming off of their best offseason in

franchise history, everyone in my company understands why I am even more fired up than usual. Even if

you are not a baseball fan and would rather spend three hours at the ballet than at the ballpark, you can

learn a lot from one of the best players in the game, Mike Trout. Trout has set the bar so high that, in

spite of incredible stats, his seventh season was the first time in his career he did not finish first or

second in most valuable player (MVP) voting. No other player has finished in the top two in MVP voting

in each of the first six seasons of their career in major league history.

Regardless of the industry you are in, you can likely identify the Mike Trout of your company or your

field. He or she is consistently the top performer, an absolute superstar in every sense of the world.

Whether that superstar is you, someone who reports to you or someone you manage or work with

March 26, 2018 Page 47 of 54

indirectly, studying Mike Trout can help you attain not only individual success, but collective excellence

and a more successful, higher-performing organization.

It Doesn’t Matter Where You Come From

The first step is identifying the person or people within your organization or who you can bring in who

can be your equivalent to Mike Trout. In 2009, the Angels selected Trout with the 25th pick in the

amateur draft. Incredibly, more than two-thirds of the league had the opportunity to take Trout and

passed on him, primarily because he grew up in New Jersey and teams are more comfortable selecting

players from warm weather states where baseball is played year-round. There is a good chance that the

most productive person in your company did not go to the best schools or have the kind of pedigree

that screams “can’t miss.” Look for the ingredients that matter: work-ethic, desire, natural talent and a

track record of development and growth.

Leaders Come In All Forms

There may be no more low-key superstar in all of professional sports than Mike Trout, but the Angels’

center fielder is a great example of how leaders come in all shapes and sizes. Torii Hunter played center

for the Angels before Trout and was a clear clubhouse leader during his half-decade with the team

thanks to his dynamic personality and veteran presence. Trout, on the other hand, leads by example,

inspiring his teammates through work ethic, love of the game and ability to excel on an incredibly

consistent basis. Business executives should be careful not to dismiss people within their organization as

potential leaders even if they lack some of the natural characteristics often associated with leadership.

Anyone has the ability to inspire, influence and impact those around them if they lead by example.

Greatness Transcends Individual Output

Mike Trout is deeply beloved by his teammates not only because his exceptional performance is

instrumental to the team’s success, but because his down-to-earth, regular-guy demeanor makes him

hard not to like. Like Trout, star players in every organization should also be star teammates. If there is a

member of your team who puts up good numbers but does not make the people around him and the

environment he inhabits better, rather than giving him a pass, it is your responsibility as a leader to push

him until he gets there. A strong individual achiever who is a subpar teammate can hurt your culture,

and, in turn, imperil the overall health of your organization. Executives must seek team-oriented

people while incentivizing and rewarding collective performance in addition to individual output.

FROM ATHLON SPORTS & LIFE

25 Best Baseball Players 25 and Under**

By Mark Ross

March 26, 2018 Page 48 of 54

When looking at MLB rosters, the phrase “boys of summer” may never have been more appropriate

than it is now. Take the Houston Astros, for example. While Jose Altuve may be the reigning American

League MVP, the defending World Series champions also boast numerous young, budding superstar-

caliber players.

And then there’s the New York Yankees, who not only feature a couple of highly talented Baby Bombers

(and one emerging ace), but also have younger reinforcements waiting in the wings, including a few that

made a strong case to be a part of the Opening Day roster with their impressive performances in spring

training.

Just how deep is MLB’s younger talent pool? Consider that for this exercise, we only focused on players

who are 25 years old or younger as of Opening Day (March 29). This cut-off meant All-Stars like Mike

Trout, Kris Bryant and Nolan Arenado (among others), who are the ripe age of 26, didn’t even qualify.

Note: To be eligible player must be 25 or younger as of Opening Day (March 29). Current age is in

parentheses.

The Wild Card – Shohei Ohtani, P/DH, Los Angeles Angels (23)

No player attracted more attention this offseason than Ohtani, who has yet to play in a regular-season

MLB game. The courtship for the two-way Japanese star not only involved the majority of teams, it also

could be attributed as one of the reasons why it took so long for the top free agents to sign. But now

that he’s an Angel, the burning question is what type of player will he be? The early results have not

been promising, as Ohtani has struggled both on the mound (27.00 ERA in 2 2/3 IP) and at the plate

(.107 average in 28 AB) in spring training, but this is first experience playing in the U.S. Despite the rough

start, the bigger surprise would be if Ohtani did not make the Opening Day roster, as Los Angeles has

already announced it would employ a six-man starting rotation. He may not get consistent at-bats at DH

right away, but one thing is for certain – whenever he’s at the plate or on the mound plenty of people

will be paying close attention.

**Cut to only include Angels-related material.

FROM CBS SPORTS

MLB Power Rankings: Seven power teams head and shoulders are above the

rest

All seven were playoff teams last year, too. Is this bad?

By Matt Snyder

We've made it. The 2018 Major League Baseball season is finally upon us, kicking off in just a few days.

March 26, 2018 Page 49 of 54

Boy, what an offseason, too. It was annoying and actually pretty ugly. I see no need to go back through it

right now, because I'm in a happy-go-lucky mood. Instead, let's look forward to the season that is to

come.

For me, the biggest thing to jump out at me when putting together the power rankings is how clear-cut I

feel like the top seven teams are. In fact, I already felt like this when putting together the pre-preseason

power rankings with the Red Sox seventh, and they went out and added J.D. Martinez since then.

Interestingly, these seven teams all made the playoffs last season, too.

Some people might consider this bad for business, but powerhouse teams are a pretty big deal,

historically, as well. For me, I like turnover, generally speaking, but compelling baseball is compelling

baseball.

Plus, it's not like the season is going to go exactly how it looks like it should on paper.

Speaking of which, the SportsLine model projections line up with my thinking.

The Dodgers, Nationals, Indians, Cubs, Astros, Yankees and Red Sox (in order of projected regular-season

win totals) are all projected for at least 95 wins with no other team projected to win more than 88.

That's quite a separation. Hopefully it isn't that drastic this coming regular season, otherwise the only

exciting races will be the AL East, the second AL wild card and both NL wild card spots. Sure, the playoffs

would figure to be epic, but we all loves us some great regular-season races, too, right?

It needs to be said here that this isn't to say only these seven teams can win the World Series. Sports in

general are predictable and the MLB playoffs are amazingly so. It was less than five years ago that a pair

of wild card teams met in the World Series. I'd bet the champ is one of these seven powerhouses, but

the chances of it being another team are higher than zero percent for sure.

As far as the rankings go, there might be movement but it's based upon personnel changes, injuries and

simple mind changing. Neither team spring records nor individual spring stats have any impact on my

thought process here because history has shown there's little-to-no correlation between spring and

regular-season performance.

If you'd like to make comments, feel free to email me at matt.snyder@cbsinteractive.com or tweet

at @MattSnyderCBS. As regulars know, any disagreement between us is likely due to ignorance and/or

bias and it's unlikely that's on my end. We'll be right back here in two weeks and then weekly until the

end of the season. Thanks for reading and it's great to be back!

B I G G E S T M O V E R S

6 ORIOLES

10 GIANTS

March 26, 2018 Page 50 of 54

RK TEAMS CHG RCRD

1

Astros

Loaded! Wait, doesn't a hangover come next? -- 0-0

2

Cubs

Dark horse MVP pick: Willson Contreras.

Watch. You'll see.

2 0-0

3

Yankees

With the hoopla surrounding Giancarlo

Stanton and Aaron Judge, let's not forget about

Gary Sanchez. In fact, dare I say he'll have the

best season of the three?

1 0-0

4

Red Sox

In all the Yankees adulation, did the Red Sox

get left a bit behind? They won 93 games last

year without a healthy David Price and have

added J.D. Martinez to what was a power-

starved offense.

3 0-0

5

Nationals

Here we are for what feels like the 20th

straight year (I said "feels like," Mr. WELL

ACTUALLY Internet Guy), saying something

like, "the Nationals can't have a successful

season until they finally win a playoff series."

Once again, they have plenty of talent.

-- 0-0

6

Dodgers

They're still taking the West and are still a

powerhouse (hence being in the Big Seven), but

the Turner injury worries me even once he

returns, just as I'm concerned for Corey

Seager's nagging elbow injury and the rotation's

collective ability to stay healthy.

3 0-0

7

Indians

They're definitely worse than last season, but

who cares? There are three terrible teams in

their division. It'll all come down to October

again for the Indians.

1 0-0

8

Cardinals

The Cardinals haven't gone three straight years

without the postseason since 1997-99. Should

they miss again this year, it's three straight.

2 0-0

March 26, 2018 Page 51 of 54

RK TEAMS CHG RCRD

9

Angels

Just remember, Shohei Ohtani is only 23, has

never played full-time outside Japan, is on a

new continent, in new ballparks, with new

teammates and in a new culture. That is to say,

if he gets off to a slow start, only the foolish

will start making negative declarations.

1 0-0

10

Rockies

I like the Rockies going heavy on bullpen.

Look, they're never going to be great at run

prevention at home, but exposing their starters

to a lineup a third time in Coors is a death trap.

Gotta shorten that game. Good work, front

office.

4 0-0

11

Blue Jays

Due to injury and the Blue Jays not being very

relevant last season, I feel like Josh

Donaldson's season flew under the radar.

Specifically, he hit 33 home runs in just 415

at-bats. If he got 600 at-bats (he averaged 602

per season the previous three years), that home

run pace prorates to 48 homers. Only

Giancarlo Stanton and Aaron Judge hit more.

4 0-0

12

Diamondbacks

I thought it a savvy front office move to grab

Steven Souza once the Rays started to offload,

but the JD void (even a half season's worth) is a

huge one to fill. And now Souza is starting the

season hurt. Uh oh.

3 0-0

13

Brewers

I really feel like it was a big-time missed

opportunity to not add any starting pitching

better than Jhoulys Chacin/Wade

Miley/Yovani Gallardo. Hey, I've been wrong

before, though.

-- 0-0

14

Twins

Earlier this offseason, I had major concerns

about their rotation. They traded for Jake

Odorizzi and signed Lance Lynn. That's good.

Not great, but good.

2 0-0

15

James Paxton's career high in innings pitched

came last season at 136. I'd love to see what a

3 0-0

March 26, 2018 Page 52 of 54

RK TEAMS CHG RCRD

Mariners full season would look like from the talented

lefty.

16

Mets

Overall, things seem pretty promising this

spring with the rotation, but it's the spring. I'm

done trusting Matt Harvey or the health of

Steven Matz and Noah Syndergaard. The

potential is still big, of course.

1 0-0

17

Rangers

This is the last year on Adrian Beltre's

contract. Let's make a pact to enjoy him.

1 0-0

18

Phillies

I already liked them as a sleeper and then they

signed Jake Arrieta. Love it.

3 0-0

19

Athletics

Great, cheap, late addition of Jonathan Lucroy.

He's not too far removed from being an elite

catcher. I don't think he goes back, but it's

worth the deal to find out.

-- 0-0

20

Orioles

Very good pitching staff additions since last

ranking in Alex Cobb and Andrew Cashner, at

least relatively speaking. The best versions of

Cobb, Kevin Gausman, Dylan Bundy, Cashner

and Chris Tillman actually make for a good

rotation. How close can they get to their "best"

version, though?

6 0-0

21

Giants

I actually worked these up late last week. I had

the Giants 11th. Then the Jeff Samardzija

injury happened. I thought, "eh, let's wait and

see." Left 'em there. Then the Madison

Bumgarner fractured pitching hand happened.

Now the rotation behind Johnny Cueto is

Derek Holland, Chris Stratton, Ty Blach and ...

someone. This team must be paying back all

those answered prayers from 2010, 2012 and

2014. Yikes.

10 0-0

March 26, 2018 Page 53 of 54

RK TEAMS CHG RCRD

22

Pirates

The Pirates actually have enough talent to not

be nearly as bad as many thought right after

deals offloading Andrew McCutchen and Gerrit

Cole. The NL Central looks tough, though.

-- 0-0

23

Rays

It's a bit of a transition year here. They often

seem to win more games than most people

think they will, but it looks an especially uphill

battle this time around.

3 0-0

24

Reds

Here I was all ready to pump the Reds up for an

encouraging season, teasing at possible

contention, and then Anthony DeSclafani

(again), Brandon Finnegan (again) and Michael

Lorenzen go and get injured. Even if they are

all back soon, the Disco and Finnegan injuries

are a reminder of their recent history.

1 0-0

25

Braves

This season will be all about sorting out the

young pitching while seeing what kind of

strides Ozzie Albies, Dansby Swanson and

2018 Rookie of the Year Ronald Acuna make.

1 0-0

26

White Sox

How can a season be exciting for die-hard fans

with lots of losses? When those fans get to see

the big-league development of players like

Yoan Moncada, Eloy Jimenez, Lucas Giolito

and Michael Kopech.

2 0-0

27

Royals

General manager Dayton Moore has signed a

bunch of big-league caliber players (and

Alcides Escobar) to cheap deals this offseason

in order to make sure the wheels don't

completely come off, the cherry on top being

Mike Moustakas' return. Good on Moore.

-- 0-0

28

Padres

The Padres will have better talent this season,

but it's possible they go backward from 71-91

due to the division being strong.

3 0-0

29

I would like to request a huge Miguel Cabrera

season. Thanks.

-- 0-0

March 26, 2018 Page 54 of 54

RK TEAMS CHG RCRD

Tigers

30

Marlins

Hmmm ... (Internal voice: "Try to say

something nice, Matt.") J.T. Realmuto is good!

-- 0-0