Every year in late February, America’s game begins to ripen. With Spring Training upon us, the scent of freshly cut grass, crinkles from cracker-jack bags, smells of light beer and hot dogs, cracks of the bat and the countless memories made are welcomed by millions around the globe.
Spring Training has proved to be imperative for players, coaches, fans and owners for a variety of reasons. The games start in February and serve as a means to buff up out-of-shape players, build chemistry and unity among new teammates, assist the manager in evaluating talent on the roster and generate profit for owners. On top of this, Spring Training provides a chance for younger players (minor leaguers) to prove themselves in the big leagues. Although teams aren’t always utilizing their top talent to preserve the players’ health, Spring Training gives us a look into the potential success rate of teams.
This year, the lights shine brightly on numerous teams that have acquired excellent talent. The strongest illumination has been on the Dodgers thus far, as the pickup of Japanese stars Shohei Ohtani and Yoshinobu Yamamoto has impacted the team immensely. Ohtani is coming off of an incredible MVP season, dominating as both a pitcher and hitter. Although Ohtani’s Tommy John surgery will affect his ability to pitch until 2025, his bat is indisputably incredible.
Fortunately for the Dodgers, their pitching issue with Ohtani was immediately solved by the pickup of the ace Yoshinobu Yamamoto. Dominating for seven years in Japan’s Nippon Professional League (NPL), Yamamoto is a powerful presence within the Dodgers’ rotation. The addition of these two superstars on top of their already powerful team is a statement to the rest of the league: it’s World Series or nothing.
The New York Yankees are another team to watch this upcoming season. In 2023, the Yankees missed the playoffs for the first time since 2016 and had their worst winning percentage since 1992. It’s not an exaggeration to say the Yanks were in the dumps, but their offseason has been extremely productive. While free agency grabs such as veteran arm Marcus Stroman and former Red Sox Alex Verdugo will greatly benefit their output, it’s superstar Juan Soto (formerly a San Diego Padre) that will truly put New York back on the map. Soto has been among the best hitters in baseball, and the Yankees’ trade for him will be worthwhile to their organization. With the help of Soto and other pickups, the Yankees will have strong hopes to improve this season.
Unlike the Dodgers or the Yankees, the Los Angeles Angels are expected to have another year of mediocrity. Although they’ve added some bullpen arms like Adam Cimber and Luis Garcia that may help their disastrous pitching situation, one cannot ignore the elephant in the room: the loss of Shohei Ohtani. Even with the help of Ohtani and Mike Trout, the Angels have been disappointingly mediocre the past decade, reaching the postseason only once. The loss of Shohei will hit their organization extremely hard, affecting both their win ratio and fan support.
The only pillar remaining is Trout’s passion and loyalty to the organization, showing utmost commitment despite immense failure within the team. However, the Angels signed long-time manager Ron Washington, who will almost certainly be an upgrade in comparison to former manager Phil Nevin. Even though the organization has seen slight improvements in its bullpen and management, the loss of Ohtani will prove to be detrimental to the organization.
The spring season brings yet another year of baseball, and there has been a lot of buzz regarding potential success stories and failures of clubs all around the nation. The highest of highs and lowest of lows will be revealed inevitably soon, as fans will either cheer or boo until late November.
