The 2024 Major League Baseball (MLB) season officially opened last week with two games in South Korea, where the Los Angeles Dodgers and the San Diego Padres shared the honors. This Thursday, March 28, the 30 teams compete to mark the start of a season which will last until September 29.
Here’s what we should watch for when the 2024 MLB season officially launches…
The “Sho” begins
Shohei Ohtani already made his debut with the Dodgers last week in South Korea, but all eyes will be on him as Los Angeles hosts the St. Louis Cardinals. The US$700 million star will not pitch this season, however, as he recovers from a second elbow ligament reconstruction. He began 2024 with three hits in 10 at-bats and two RBIs as the Dodgers split their two-game series against the San Diego Padres.
Duel of titans in the East
Zack Wheeler and Spencer Strider will face each other in a race in the National East between the Phillies and the Atlanta Braves, in Philadelphia.
Wheeler just agreed to a three-year, $126 million contract extension for the 2025 to 2027 seasons this spring. The 33-year-old gunner could have become a free agent at the end of this season, but he instead signed up for a longer term in Philadelphia, where he has been part of the elite since he joined training, in 2020.
Meanwhile, Strider, 25, developed a new throw. The right-hander has been working on a curve this spring to add to his repertoire. This is rather bad news for hitters: without this curve, Strider dominated the Majors with 281 strikeouts in 186 2/3 innings last season and finished fourth in the Cy-Young voting in the National.
The 2023 MVP, Ronald Acuna Jr. helped the Braves finish 14 games ahead of the Phillies over the past two seasons. But the Phillies eliminated the Braves in four games in the division series each time.
New addresses
Several stars will make their debut with a new formation. Juan Soto, who is only 25 years old, was traded from the Padres to the New York Yankees this winter and will be alongside Aaron Judge when they visit the Houston Astros. At the end of the game, the Astros could well try to muzzle Soto with the help of Josh Hader, No. 1 star reliever who signed a contract in Houston in January.
Corbin Burnes will take the mound for the Baltimore Orioles against the Los Angeles Angels after the February 1 trade that took him from the Milwaukee Brewers to Maryland. Matt Chapman is expected to be at third base for the San Francisco Giants, while Rhys Hoskins will be in uniform for the New York Mets.
Welcome to the big stage
Two of baseball’s brightest prospects, Jackson Chourio of the Brewers and Wyatt Langford, with the Texas Rangers, will take their first steps in the MLB. Chourio, 20, signed an eight-year, $82 million contract this winter, the most lucrative guaranteed deal for a player with no big league experience. Langford reaches the Majors less than a year after being the fourth overall pick in the 2023 draft.
Despite impressive camps, Orioles infielder Jackson Holliday and Washington Nationals outfielder James Wood were unable to secure a spot in the lineup.
Absent subscribers
Several teams will begin their season without their injured number 1 reliever. This is the case for the Arizona Diamondbacks (Paul Sewald), the Orioles (Felix Bautista), the Brewers (Devin Williams), the Minnesota Twins (Jhoan Duran) and the Toronto Blue Jays (Jordan Romano).
The reigning AFC East champions, the Orioles hired Craig Kimbrel, eighth all-time with 417 saves, to replace Bautista, who is expected to miss the full season after ligament reconstruction and another elbow procedure.
The Mets will, however, find Edwin Diaz, who missed the last campaign having undergone knee surgery.