Although the 2023 MLB season is less than two weeks underway, here are three of my early season overreactions from around the league.
Neither the Phillies nor the Mets compete for the NL East title
The National League East will likely be a one-team race for most of the season unless the reigning NL Champs turn it around and the Mets get some of their key players back to their All-Star statuses.
The Philadelphia Phillies opened their season against the Texas Rangers and subsequently gave up 27 runs in their first two games. In 16 innings pitched, Philadelphia’s pitching staff allowed 27 hits, seven walks and five home runs, totaling an ERA of 12.94.
For a fanbase that expected much bigger things in the season’s opening week, especially after their trip to the World Series last year, having a position player pitch in the second game of the season was not what the team was looking for.
The team also began the season with stars Bryce Harper and Rhys Hoskins on the IL. Harper is out because of Tommy John surgery and is expected to return around the All-Star break. Hoskins will miss the entire 2023 season after tearing his ACL during Spring Training.
Unless the rest of the Phillies’ lineup steps it up, the team cannot keep up with the division-favorite Atlanta Braves.
After having a significant offseason signing Justin Verlander and Kodai Senga, expectations are big for the Mets.
Although Senga got off to a hot start, other stars, such as third baseman Eduardo Escobar have yet to start off so well. Escobar finished 1 for 16 in the team’s opening series against the Marlins, with his only hit coming on a single on Opening Day. However, Escobar has rising prospect Brett Baty on his tail and could lose hold of third base if he slumps.
The Mets also faced significant injuries to open the season, with Verlander and Jose Quintana held from their Mets debut on the mound because of injury. In addition, the team already lost star closer Edwin Diaz for an extended period after he suffered an injury while celebrating a win in the World Baseball Classic.
Both teams will need to flip the script sooner rather than later if they hope to compete with Atlanta for a division title.
The Padres’ offseason spending spree does not pay off
After signing stars Manny Machado and Xander Bogaerts to long-term deals totaling well over $250 million each and extending Yu Darvish and Juan Soto, the Padres quickly moved to “World Series or bust” mode.
However, for the majority of the opening week of the season, the only exciting thing in Petco Park was watching San Diego State University’s national championship run in March Madness.
Although they sit second in the NL West, the team’s flaws were highlighted in their split series with the Diamondbacks and Rockies.
The Padres’ bullpen is their biggest fault, with their relievers getting battered against the Rockies, Diamondbacks and Braves.
Although the team still awaits the return of Fernando Tatis Jr. and Joe Musgrove, two ugly series against division opponents may be a sign of what’s in store for what many people viewed as a heavy NL favorite.
By this time next year, the Angels will have traded Shohei Ohtani or Mike Trout.
In one of their opening series, the Los Angeles Angels faced off with the Oakland Athletics, who many view as the worst team in the MLB.
Shohei Ohtani took the mound against A’s pitcher Kyle Muller, who entered the game with an ERA above 5 in less than 50 innings pitched.
Ohtani’s stat line: 6 IP, 2H, 0 ER.
The final score: Athletics 2, Angels 1.
Trout and Anthony Rendon went 0-for-3, and Ohtani finished 1-for-3 at the plate.
The team needs to be better outside of their three stars, and sooner or later they will have to ship one of them out for a haul of picks and minor leaguers.
Unless the rest of the team can start to pick things up and the Angels fail to make the Wild Card, they could see a massive shift in the roster come this offseason. Mike Trout has only had 12 postseason at-bats in 13 seasons, and if that doesn’t change soon, things could look a lot worse for Los Angeles.
