We are a week into the 2025 MLB season, and it didn’t take long to fall back into the swing of things. Things are rolling across the league and there’s a lot of things we’re keeping an eye on. While we likely could go on indefinitely as I empty my notepad of thoughts and observations, the thought process is to limit it to 10. Based on the state of the closers across baseball, we likely could fill that real estate with just bullpen news, but do we really want the frustration of a bullpen roundup? There’s a lot to consider, and the great news is that we’re just getting started.
There Should be Concern About Freddie Freeman
The Dodgers don’t need Freddie Freeman. I know that sounds crazy, considering the first baseman is heading toward Hall of Fame consideration, but it’s true. To say that Los Angeles is stacked would be an understatement. While they have taken advantage of their budget, they’ve also done a great job of maximizing their resources to minimize risk. That’s why they are 8-0 to begin the season with Freeman playing just three games. After dealing with an ankle injury in the postseason that required surgery, Freeman tweaked his ribs and missed the first two games of the season. He returned to play in three games before slipping in the shower and reaggravating his ankle. That certainly is concerning as what was originally a minor issue has now sent him to the Injured List. While Enrique Hernandez will now see more playing time at first base, which makes the utility player that much more valuable, the Dodgers are built to sustain Freeman’s absence. However, the fact that they are means Los Angeles will take things even more cautiously with the first baseman.
Jackson Merrill Got Paid
What a rookie season it was for Jackson Merrill in 2024. If it weren’t for the incredible pitching entity that’s Paul Skenes, Merrill would have taken home the Rookie of the Year. After all, he simply played the outfield for the first time and hit .292 with 24 home runs, 90 RBI, and 16 stolen bases. The Padres clearly know what they have in Merrill, as they locked him up for the next nine years to the tune of $135 million. It’s clear that San Diego is going to build around Merrill as one of their core pieces, and he certainly is worthy.
Through the first seven games of 2025, Merrill has picked up right where he left off. He’s hitting .417 with two home runs and eight RBI in what should be a strong sophomore season.
It Didn’t Take Boston Long
That’s one way to get attention. Things really couldn’t have gone any better for Kristian Campbell last year as he surged up every prospect list. All he did was rise up to Triple-A while hitting .329 with 20 home runs and 24 stolen bases in 115 games.
It shouldn’t have come as a surprise that Campbell had a lot of buzz heading into Spring Training, and he performed at varying levels of success. Ultimately, the Red Sox decided that Campbell deserved to head north to make his major league debut, and it was the right decision. Boston had the ability to slide Campbell into the bottom of their order with minimal pressure, and he’s looked right at home. Prior to hitting his second home run of the season on Thursday, Campbell was rewarded with an eight-year, $60 million contract. The Red Sox know what they have in Campbell, and they wasted no time in locking him up. Through 28 plate appearances, Campbell is batting .417 as he looks to move up in the batting order.
Kyle Tucker Looks Right at Home
While he hasn’t had to deal with the crazy winds of Wrigley Field, Kyle Tucker has quickly assimilated onto his new team. In what was one of the biggest moves of the off-season, the Cubs acquired Tucker. And through the first nine games of his career with Chicago, Tucker is only earning himself more money on the free agent market this coming winter. Tucker is hitting .324 with four home runs, 11 RBI, 10 runs scored, and two stolen bases. He has an insane .429 ISO with a staggering .782 slugging percentage and a 25.8% barrel rate. These numbers are bound to come down, but they also speak to his upside.
Contract Year, Part 2, Is Better
Enter last year, Pete Alonso was on a path of establishing himself as one of the key members of the New York Mets from a historical perspective. The problem is that in his free agent year, he “struggled” as Alonso finished with “just” 34 home runs, 88 RBI, and 91 runs while batting .240. Age (30), from a free agent perspective, defensive mediocrity, position (first base), and body type all worked against Alonso in free agency. His options weren’t there, so Alonso languished on the market and ultimately went back to the Mets on what’s really a one-year deal. On Wednesday, Alonso essentially carried the Mets with two doubles and a resounding home run in extra innings to propel New York to victory. So far this season, he’s batting .286 with two home runs and eight RBI with 2025 shaping up to be better than 2024 was.
Zac Gallen Turns it Around
While not an ace, Zac Gallen should be thought of as a pitcher just a notch below. His first start of the season, though, which did come against a strong Chicago Cubs offense, didn’t back that up. Not only were the results not there, four runs on four hits and four walks in four innings, but Gallen seemingly had no control or command. That set up to be a disaster in the Bronx against a powerful New York Yankees in his next start. So, all Gallen did was throw 6.2 shutout innings, allowing just one hit and no walks while striking out a staggering 13 batters. We could potentially continue to see both extremes from Gallen but don’t discount him.
Garrett Crochet Got Paid
It’s clear that the Boston Red Sox have no health concerns about Garrett Crochet. All right, correction: they do have some, as there was some hedging in the contract extension they just signed him to, but Boston truly committed to the left-hander as a long-term part of their core. After trading a prolific package of prospects for him, it shouldn’t have come as a surprise, and it was the correct move. With a 1.38 ERA over two starts and 13 innings to begin his career with the Red Sox, Crochet has proven to be up to the task.
Look Out for Jack Leiter
The hope is that when the Texas Rangers said they removed Jack Leiter from his last start for precautionary reasons, they truly meant it. A blister forced Leiter out of the game after five innings in which he only faced 16 batters. Leiter needed just 70 pitches to get through his day while striking out six and allowing just one walk. That came after Leither allowed one run over five innings in his first start of the season against Boston. In that start, he scattered five hits while walking one batter, but the right-hander is certainly having a strong beginning to the season as he looks to cement his long-term spot in the rotation.
Is This a MacKenzie Gore Breakout?
He was a first-round pick and a large part of the trade return for Juan Soto, so expecting big things from MacKenzie Gore is reasonable. The left-hander has struggled with his command and control to begin his career, but last year, Gore did take steps to become a reliable starter. Where he ultimately sits in a rotation is still up for debate, but based on how he’s beginning 2025, Gore is heading toward the top.
After allowing just one hit while striking out 13 batters on Opening Day against a strong Philadelphia Phillies lineup, Gore continued his success. Through two starts, Gore has a 2.45 ERA while striking out 14.73 batters per nine innings. The biggest thing, though, is that he’s walking just 1.64 batters per nine innings. If Gore can continue to harness his career, a trip to the All-Star game this summer could be in the cards.
Shane Baz Looks Healthy
Shane Baz did return to action last year and finished with a 3.06 ERA in 79.1 innings. Tampa Bay didn’t ask too much of Baz as that came in 14 starts, but the overall results were strong. The concern though, was that Baz only struck out 7.83 batters per nine innings while averaging 95.7 miles per hour with his fastball. It was a good sign then when Baz threw six shutout innings in his first start of the season. His fastball averaged 97 miles per hour which is a great sign early in the season. In 13 batted balls, the opposition failed to barrel one ball against Baz who struck out 10.
