While the weather in a portion of the country, snow in Colorado for example, doesn’t scream baseball, the 2025 season is in full swing. The news keeps on flowing, and we have no shortage of excitement. There’s a lot to consider, and the great news is that we’re just getting started.
Vlad is Staying
Regardless of what team you are a fan of, this is great news. Sure, fan bases were lining up to court Vladimir Guerrero this offseason and were dreaming of placing him in their lineups, but it’s time to call an audible.
Late Sunday night, Guerrero and the Toronto Blue Jays agreed on a 14-year, $500 million contract to keep the first baseball with the only team he’s ever played for. Now that the distraction of the contract is behind him, Guerrero can just focus on raking, and the Blue Jays have changed the focus of their season and the future.
This is a great development for the Blue Jays, as it is whenever a team retains their superstar. Guerrero is hitting just .256 with four RBI to begin the season, and Monday night is as good a time as any for him to hit his first home run of the season.
Kjerstad Should Find Regular Playing Time
Much as been made about the overabundance of young bats that the Baltimore Orioles have ready to contribute at the major league level. After dealing with some health concerns following being selected in the first round, Heston Kjerstad is now healthy and ready to contribute. The stimulus was a broken thumb for Colton Cowser though, and that’s something you never want to see. But it does mean, Kjerstad will get regular playing time over the next two months.
The Orioles did give Kjerstad the day off on a Sunday against a tough left-hander in Kris Bubic, but at the least, he’ll be in the lineup most days. So far this year, Kjerstad is hitting .278 with four RBI and four runs scored in his second crack at the major leagues.
After hitting .300 with 16 home runs and 58 RBI in 56 games at Triple-A, Kjerstad had four home runs and 14 RBI in 99 at bats with Baltimore. Regular playing time should help him continue to emerge.
Welcome to Tim Tawa
I don’t want to minimize the promotion of Tim Tawa and excitement of him reaching the major leagues, but it’s telling Arizona left Jordan Lawlar in Triple-A. It might be more interesting because Lawlar is playing at second base, among other positions, so far this year and he’s also hitting. Through nine games, Lawlar is hitting .294 with seven RBI and four stolen bases, but it’s likely Arizona wants to give him a little more time before promoting him; likely for good.
Instead, with Ketel Marte going to be sidelined with a hamstring injury, the Diamondbacks promoted Tim Tawa. The career minor leaguer took advantage of favorable conditions to hit 32 home runs last year and was off to a scorching start in 2025; .391 with three home runs and 13 RBI. It certainly will be interesting to see what Tawa can do.
Sean Murphy Returns
Much has been made of the absolute brutal start to the season for Atlanta. With that being said, it’s still just one stretch and they can easily get back to .500 by going in the opposite directions.
While most of the focus has been on the absence of Ronald Acuna at the top of the order, the offense has also missed Sean Murphy. Hitting just .154 with an RBI, Drake Baldwin has struggled to begin the season. We shouldn’t overlook the return of Murphy’s power bat. Maybe more importantly, we should give Murphy a pass after he struggled to hit just .193 with 10 home runs and 25 RBI in 72 games last year. A return to his 2023 production with a .253 average, 21 home runs and 68 RBI would certainly help the Braves get back on track.
Zac Veen Arrives
The promotion of Zac Veen came at the expense of Jordan Beck’s struggles, but the former is the better prospect at this point in their developments.
While this likely won’t be the last we see of Beck after his .150 average to begin the season, he did steal three bases, the outfielder does need a reset.
Veen’s minor league career, while filled with potential, has been up and down to this point. Strikeouts will be a concern, but the tools are there. After hitting .387 in Triple-A this year, there was no time like the present to give Veen a chance at the big league level.
Mitchell Parker Dominates Again
Through the first two starts of the season, Mitchell Parker certainly has impressed to this point. However, we might want to hit the brakes a little bit on the optimism before going too crazy.
Parker has faced the Phillies and Diamondbacks to begin the season and has a 0.73 ERA in two starts. It’s worth noting that his 4.34 xERA might be more of a realistic picture, and going on the road for Parker might be troubling after he began his season at home. Last year, the splits were staggering as Parker had a 2.65 ERA at home and a 6.61 ERA on the road.
Velocity isn’t Parker’s friend and his control takes a dip on the road which cause some problems.
Another Dodgers Arm Heads to the IL
Much has been made of the Los Angeles Dodgers’ depth and second pitching staff on the Injured List to begin the season. And now, that list gets bigger, and better, with the addition of Blake Snell.
The left-hander felt some shoulder soreness in his bullpen session, and the Dodgers reacted quickly. This is something we expected to see and will continue to see all season from Los Angeles. They certainly have the benefit of exercising extreme caution, and that’s what is going on with Snell. From a long-term perspective, this is the right move for Snell and the Dodgers.
Look Out for Christopher Sanchez
In looking back at 2024, it was a pretty strong season for Christopher Sanchez. The left-hander made 31 starts and finished with a 3.32 ERA (3.56 xERA and 3.00 FIP). He had a 57.4% groundball rate with allowing just 0.54 home runs per nine innings and limiting the walks to only 2.14 per nine innings. If there was one complain about Sanchez, it’s that he only struck out 7.58 batters per nine innings, but the overall results were there.
To begin this season, Sanchez has picked up where he left off and looks as nasty as ever. Again, it’s two starts and 11 innings, but Sanchez has 16 strikeouts while continuing to limit the walks. He has allowed a few home runs, but he looks to be continuing his success and is someone to pay attention to.
Jose Soriano Needs Some Attention
Pitching for the Los Angeles Angels will likely allow Jose Soriano to maintain some level of anonymity, but it’s not really warranted. Last year, Soriano averaged 99.1 miles per hour with his fastball while generating a 59.7% groundball rate. His 3.42 ERA also backed that up as Soriano showed some potential.
While he did pick up the loss on Friday against Cleveland, Soriano did strike out nine batters which was a nice development. With just 97 strikeouts in 113 innings last year, that was the one piece missing from Soriano’s game. If he can maintain the other parts of his game while adding the strikeouts, Soriano could start to make some noise.
Health is Key for Bubic
Going back to 2018, Kris Bubic was a high draft pick and top prospect. Health issues and ineffectiveness slowed down Bubic, but on both counts, everything seems to be in order to begin 2025.
Bubic has picked up the victory in both of his starts this year with a 0.71 ERA in 12.2 innings. The strikeouts are there, and Bubic is limiting the walks and keeping the ball on the ground. His progress is something to keep an eye on this year.
