The World Series champion Atlanta Braves went 12-14 last April. The 88-loss Kansas City Royals went 15-9. Actually, one of the few players holding back the Royals this time last year was Jorge Soler, who went 16-for-78 with 29 strikeouts in April, only to eventually end up hitting huge home runs for … the world champion Atlanta Braves!
You see where we’re going with this. The start of the MLB season is a mesmerizing mirage. We get fooled by it every year, because we are nothing if not emotional creatures who routinely get swept up in the moment. And nowhere is that truer than on Twitter, where our insta-analysis is, um, not exactly ironclad.
So every year, at the very start of the season, we like to scour that social media site for some early reactions to determine whether they are valid or vapid. These were just a few of the opening weekend reactions … and overreactions.
No. 1: “Watch the Dodgers pull a Lakers.” — @epicgiraffe170
If L.A. fans have been traumatized enough by the Lakers to believe stuff like this, it’s understandable. But we’re not here to judge a team based off three games at Coors Field (even if it was pretty hilarious that this loaded lineup produced only one homer at Coors, and it was by Austin Barnes).
We will, however, be keeping an especially close eye on Julio Urías’ velocity, given that he’s taken on an even more prominent role in this rotation.
Verdict: Overreaction for now. It says here Freddie Freeman will fit the Dodgers better than Russell Westbrook fit the Lakers.
No. 2: “FREDDIE WHO??!! MATT OLSON!!!!” – @SteveP103
Ah, yes, how quickly the Braves fans who bemoaned Freeman’s departure have cast those fond memories into the recycle bin now that Olson is 8-for-14 with a dinger, two doubles and three walks. Can’t really blame them.
Put yourself in Olson’s shoes. He was traded just three weeks prior to Opening Day and placed in the dual pressure cooker of both playing for his hometown team and replacing one of the game’s most beloved players. In his first weekend on the job, his new team unveiled a banner honoring the World Series he didn’t win and handed (almost) everybody else an extremely gaudy ring he can’t wear (and honestly, nobody should wear it for any real length of time, because that can’t be good for the finger ligaments). Yet all he did was show up and rake. And given Olson’s pedigree as a bona fide slugger who has made the adjustment to reduce his K rate and has moved from the cavernous Oakland Coliseum to a more palatable power platform in the Battery, get used to it.
Verdict: Acceptable, defensible reaction, but let’s not forget Freddie.
No.3: “The Blue Jays are a social experiment to see just how far a bad rotation and an amazing offense can carry a team.” — @DuffleBag31
Actually, that experiment was conducted in Arlington, Texas, in 1998-99, when the Rangers (the team against whom the 2022 Blue Jays just had a wild weekend) made the playoffs in back-to-back years with a combined 5.48 rotation ERA (and were swept by the Yankees in the Division Series each time).
The Blue Jays likely won’t maintain their current pace and hit a record-breaking 378 home runs this season, and they won’t maintain their current pace and allow a record-breaking 324 home runs this year, either. We had the Blue Jays ranked not just in our top 10 lineups but also rotations and bullpens (despite last year’s marked troubles in the relief area) prior to the season, so you won’t see us quit them quickly. It was jarring to see José Berríos throw only 18 of his 34 pitches for strikes on Opening Day (with only one swinging strike), but, well (and here’s some astute analysis that applies to EVERYTHING you read and watch right now), it was a short Spring Training and things are going to be a bit weird this month.
If anything, those of us without any real sentimental attachment to the Blue Jays should celebrate what we saw this weekend. Because if…
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