The only preview of the opening day you need

C’est l’autre match de la journée à ne pas manquer depuis que nous avons Justin Verlander et Blake Snell, les deux derniers vainqueurs de l’année dernière dans la Ligue américaine Cy Young. Verlander est probablement encore enthousiaste à l'idée de terminer deuxième derrière Snell lors d'un vote serré – Snell a obtenu 21 victoires et une MPM de 1,89, mais Verlander a lancé 33 de plus.

Verlander vient de signer une extension de 66 millions de dollars qui le maintiendra à Houston jusqu'en 2021. "Je ne veux être nulle part ailleurs", a déclaré Verlander. Et le ferait-il? Les Astros viennent de remporter deux saisons de suite et tentent de devenir la première équipe depuis les Yankees de 2002-2004 à atteindre 100 années consécutives. Il entame sa 11e journée d'ouverture en carrière. Snell, quant à lui, commence avec une série de neuf victoires consécutives puisqu'il a remporté neuf de ses dix derniers départs en 2018, n'accordant que huit points en 57 victoires dans cette séquence avec 84 retraits sur des prises. Il veut prouver qu'un Cy Young Award n'est pas suffisant.

• Law: Machado accelerates Padres

•&nbspFantasy impact | Machado timeline

Miller's fun fact: Spin rate isn't the be-all any more than velocity or control alone are, which is why Dillon Maples won't start the season on the major league roster. But his spin rate does make him impossible to look away from: In limited big league action last year, he had the highest spin rate in the majors on his four-seam fastball, the third-most spin on his curveball, and the fourth-most on an outrageous slider that he threw almost 70 percent of the time in Chicago. He struck out 84 batters in 44 innings split between Triple-A and the majors, while also walking 44.

Spring must-read: What can go right — and wrong — for Cubs in 2019

What you need to know about the Rangers

Doolittle's state of the Rangers: Another one of baseball's seven franchises with zero World Series titles, the Rangers are coming off a couple of enigmatic seasons on the heels of their 95-win season of 2016, campaigns that teetered in the awkward place between trying and not trying. With a starting rotation made up of red-flag health risks, the 2019 season looks like more of the same, though Texas hopes its group of potentially solid position players will soon be complemented by a wave of young arms, hopefully in time for the team's move into a new stadium in 2020.

Passan's inside intel: Long shot though it may be, the Rangers' entire rotation could find itself on the trading block this June. Mike Minor spent all offseason on it, and the Rangers repeated their excellent deal with him by signing Lance Lynn. The other three members — Smyly, Miller and Volquez — each are on low-cost one-year deals. … Under-the-radar prospect alert: Left-hander Brock Burke, acquired by Texas in the Jurickson Profar deal, impressed evaluators this spring.

Miller's fun fact: Rougned Odor remains the most prolific bunter against the full infield shift: He had (depending on your definition of a shift) at least 16 bunts against such defenses last year, double No. 2 shift-bunter Matt Carpenter's total, more than triple any other American Leaguer, and 10 more than his own AL-leading total the year before. Just six of those bunts went for hits — which goes to show how hard it is to do successfully — and defenses still shifted him more than all but 16 other batters last year, which discounts the postulate that defenses will stop if a batter lays a few down.

Schoenfield's Opening Day prediction

Cubs 9, Rangers 5. Bryant is healthy. He homers and drives in three as the Cubs win a high-scoring opener.

Hey, it's always fun to watch the best player in the game, and Mike Trout's record-setting $430 million contract extension only seems to put more pressure on the rest of the organization: Can the Angels build a winner around their franchise icon? Shohei Ohtani, of course, won't pitch this year and won't be ready to join the lineup as a DH until May, and there are already concerns with the rest of the rotation as Andrew Heaney has some elbow inflammation and Tyler Skaggs is behind schedule with forearm fatigue.

The A's, meanwhile, looking to repeat last year's surprise wild-card spot, had a rough two games in Japan against the Mariners, starting 0-2 and then having first baseman Matt Olson land on the injured list after needing surgery on his right hand for a hamate injury suffered on a foul ball.

What you need to know about the Angels

Doolittle's state of the Angels: On one hand, the Angels are still a 59-year-old franchise with but one pennant and one World Series title, and have managed to squeeze into the playoffs just once during the first seven marvelous full seasons of Trout's career. On the other hand, Trout's decision to commit to the Angels through the age of 39 means that L.A. will enter each campaign in the foreseeable future with the sport's best cornerstone piece, and the Angels' once-barren farm system is shooting up the rankings under GM Billy Eppler.

Passan's inside intel: As Eppler does his best to cobble together a starting staff, scouts are raving about 21-year-old left-hander Jose Suarez, who more than held his own at 20 in the hitter-friendly Triple-A PCL last year. One scout threw out a Johan Santana comparison, thanks to Suarez's short stature and vicious changeup, while another said he's Santana "plus 50 pounds and minus the command." … Ohtani's return to full-time DH duty after undergoing Tommy John surgery is on schedule. He's due back in early May.

Miller's fun fact: When Ohtani comes back to claim the DH spot, the Angels might run the slowest platoon in baseball history at first base. Justin Bour took an extra base (e.g., first to third on a single, scoring from first on a double) in just 6 percent of his chances to, the lowest rate in baseball, while Pujols' 17 percent rate was seventh lowest. Pujols was the slowest runner in baseball, according to Statcast sprint speeds. Bour's sprint speed was faster than only 10 players', including six catchers and the now-retired Victor Martinez.

Spring must-read: Trout's greatness, as told by the back of his baseball cards

What you need to know about the Athletics

Doolittle's state of the A's: After the Moneyball heyday of the early 2000s, Oakland's GM has managed to open up contention windows for two or so years a couple of times, before being forced to strip down and begin again. This time, coming off a 97-win playoff season with a roster featuring very young stars like Olson (who begins the season in the injured list) and Matt Chapman, we may be looking at the dawn of another era of sustained winning in Oakland. Bolstering those hopes are the improving prospects for a long-awaited new ballpark by the bay.

Passan's inside intel: Like last year, when the A's won 97 games, their starting rotation is a work in progress. One particularly bright spot: 26-year-old right-hander Frankie Montas, who once upon a time was a top prospect and three trades later has earned a rotation spot on the strength of a new pitch. Montas is throwing a splitter — "It's nasty," one scout said — that can complement his still-righteous high-90s fastball. For now, Montas is little more than a flyer. But if he sticks, and Jesus Luzardo and A.J. Puk return healthy, that's the makings of a better rotation than Oakland has had in years.

Miller's fun fact: The A's had one of baseball's best offenses last year, and on the road — where their hitting stats escape the punishment of their spacious home ballpark — they had the best. But against pitches 97 mph or faster, it was baseball's very worst offense. This quirk doesn't matter much in the regular season, but it's terrible news for any team that wants to advance in October, when such velocity is about twice as common as in the regular season. A whopping 40 of the 116 pitches the A's saw in the wild-card game registered 97 or higher.

Schoenfield's Opening Day prediction

Angels 6, Athletics 4. Trout homers twice, Angels win.

We get the first game of Bruce Bochy's final season as Giants manager and the first game for Manny Machado in a Padres uniform. The Giants were actually competitive for half a season last year: On July 1, they were 45-40 and just 2.5 games out of first place. They'd go 28-49 the rest of the way, however, to finish under .500 for the second straight season. While they pursued Bryce Harper, they didn't land him, so it was mostly a quiet offseason for a team that will have one of the oldest lineups in the league.

The Padres, meanwhile, will have one of the youngest teams, especially in the rotation where Eric Lauer and Joey Lucchesi are the most experienced of the group — and they were both rookies last year. Still, Machado and the arrival of Fernando Tatis Jr. — who has shown his superstar potential throughout spring training — will at least make the Padres much more interesting than they've been in a long time.

What you need to know about the Giants

Doolittle's state of the Giants: It was good while it lasted. Under Bruce Bochy, the Giants clawed and gritted and gutted their way to three titles in five seasons with largely the same core of beloved veterans. Some of those — Buster Posey, Madison Bumgarner, Brandon Crawford — are still around, but the architect of those teams (Brian Sabean) has been replaced by new analytics-age exec Farhan Zaidi, and Bochy is entering the last season of his storied managerial career. The path between one prolonged period of contention and the next one is usually not too scenic, and the one the Giants have just started across is unlikely to look anything like the Golden Gate Bridge.

Passan's inside intel: Quiz time: The Giants' Opening Day roster includes two of the following names. Michael Reed, Luke Jackson, Oliver Drake, Connor Joe. Who are the two actual Giants? … Like the aforementioned four, Joey Bart is a first-name-as-a-last-name guy. He could be with the Giants by midseason, depending on Posey's capacity to catch consistently. One scout suggested Posey has struggled to generate power because a lack of drive in his legs. Bart, San Francisco's first-round pick last year, won't have any issues hitting for power. … The answer, by the way: outfielder Michael Reed and utility man Connor Joe.

Miller's fun fact: The worst outfield spot in the National League, according to PECOTA, is the Giants' right field. At 0.2 projected wins above replacement, it's nearly a win worse than the second-worst outfield spot in the National League, which is … the Giants' left field. That's actually tied with the other second-worst outfield spot in the National League: the Giants' center field! The upside is that any threesome they throw out there will be younger and rangier than last year's unit, which had the league's worst defensive efficiency on fly balls.

What you need to know about the Padres

Doolittle's state of the Padres: The Padres won 90 games — but missed the playoffs — in 2010, and have since lost at least 85 games in each season of this decade. After an ill-fated payroll splurge in 2013, the Padres dove head-first into a full-on rebuild under GM A.J. Preller that has netted them perhaps the best farm system in baseball. However, the Padres have accelerated expectations over the past two winters by investing in, first, Eric Hosmer, and this winter in Machado, who has the opportunity to become the first true face of the Friars since Tony Gwynn retired. Hopes are running high in San Diego.

Passan's inside intel: The small-market Padres signed a star even though he cost hundreds of millions of dollars. The small-market Padres rostered Tatis and Chris Paddack for Opening Day without any service-time manipulation. If the baseball gods are just, they'll reward San Diego for showing what a desire to win looks like in an era when it's so rare. … Paddack, in the words of one scout, "has the best makeup of a pitching prospect I've seen in a decade." The stuff is great, too, though one official who knows Paddack well cautions he might not be ready to dominate. Which is fine. Remember, the Padres got him June 30, 2016, when they dealt Fernando Rodney to the Marlins, who were 41-38 and clearly not contenders. Owner Jeffrey Loria, ever wise, told the front office to get a reliever anyway. It cost them Paddack. … One scout's bold prediction on massive Padres outfielder Franmil Reyes: "He's going to lead the league in home runs."

Miller's fun fact: The last thing the Padres surely hoped for when they signed Hosmer to an eight-year deal was that their new slugger would turn into the league's most groundball-oriented hitter. Hosmer was the only qualifying hitter in baseball with a negative average launch angle, sinking from 3.8 degrees in 2017 (and 5.5 degrees in 2015) to -1.2 degrees in 2018.

Spring must-read: Machado's arrival accelerates Padres' path to postseason

Schoenfield's Opening Day prediction

Padres 5, Giants 3. The big guy — that's Franmil Reyes — pops one out, and Lauer continues a strong spring with a victory.

This looks like a good opportunity for the Twins to maybe steal a couple of games early against the Indians, who will start the season with MVP candidate Francisco Lindor on the injured list while fellow MVP candidate Jose Ramirez is banged up after suffering a knee bruise on a foul ball Sunday. Jason Kipnis is also out. Not injured: Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer, Carlos Carrasco, Mike Clevinger and Shane Bieber in what should be a powerhouse rotation. Berrios draws his first Opening Day assignment after going 12-11 with a 3.84 ERA. He threw one shutout in 2018: in his first start of the season.

What you need to know about the Indians

Doolittle's state of the Indians: The Indians are working on a streak of six straight winning seasons, a stretch in which they've won 90 or more games four times, made the postseason four times and won the 2016 AL pennant. Nevertheless, the Indians haven't been able to snap the franchise's 70-year-long title drought, nor have they cashed in at the box office in terms of banner attendance. Suddenly, Cleveland looks like a cash-strapped franchise on the decline, hoping to squeeze another division title or two out of its star-laden core before it all disintegrates.

Passan's inside intel: One reason Cleveland is comfortable at least discussing trading Bauer or Kluber: Shane Bieber, once seen as a back-end-of-the-rotation control-and-command guy, looks like at worst a No. 3 and probably more. In the minor leagues, Bieber's fastball sat 88 to 92 mph. Now it's closer to 93 to 94, and one scout called his slider a "wipeout." His changeup, always good, is improved as well. With Clevinger's leap forward last year and Carrasco still excellent, consider this: All five Indians starters would likely start Opening Day for three of Cleveland's AL Central rivals. … As Indians fans hold their breath about the severity of Lindor's second injury this spring, they should, in the words of Paul Dolan, "enjoy him." Because even as San Diego guarantees $300 million to Manny Machado, Dolan, the owner of a Cleveland team with higher revenues than the Padres, won't consider going there for his franchise shortstop.

Miller's fun fact: If baseball does indeed implement new rules in 2020 mandating pitchers face at least three batters per inning, Oliver Perez might be the face of the victims. Perez had 33 outings last year of two or fewer batters — the most in the AL — and had his most successful season in over a decade. He had a 1.39 ERA, struck out 43 batters against only four unintentional walks. The bad news is that this could be his final year in such a precise role. The good is that he was even better against righties last year, and Cleveland could try to start expanding his role.

Spring must-read: Young Indians inherit great expectations after winter turnover (ESPN+)

What you need to know about the Twins

Doolittle's state of the Twins: The Twins have bounced between low-level contention and noncontention all through the current decade, which has included six losing campaigns, a division crown way back in 2010 and a surprise wild-card berth after an 85-win season in 2017. After an offseason of midlevel acquisitions, the Twins are hoping to end up near the ceiling of its lower-middle-class existence in 2019.

Passan's inside intel: The man, the myth, the legend: Twins catcher Willians Astudillo did not strike out and walked once in 52 times up this spring. Over 2,461 career minor league plate appearances, Astudillo has walked 85 times and struck out 81. … At 25 years old, Byron Buxton may be facing his last shot with the Twins before a change of scenery is necessary. Minnesota isn't giving up on him yet, nor should it, not with the talent he showed this spring.

Miller's fun fact: The Twins had the most aggressive third-base coach in baseball last year: Their runners scored from second on singles more than any other team, and from first on doubles more than all but one team. They also got thrown out at home more than any other team. The man who was doing all that presumed arm-waving, Gene Glynn, has now been replaced by Tony Diaz. Now we'll find out whether it was Glynn or the Twins players themselves driving that action.

Schoenfield's Opening Day prediction

Indians 3, Twins 2. The Twins never got going last year, including a 9-15 record through April that included four walk-off losses. The bullpen is a question mark and remains so after Berrios exits with the lead only to see Cleveland rally.

The Rockies nearly won the first division title in franchise history last year, tying the Dodgers only to lose in the tiebreaker game. After back-to-back wild-card trips, however, they have their sights on something bigger than a division title. They locked up Nolan Arenado to a long-term deal and they're hoping the 1-2 duo of Kyle Freeland and German Marquez can replicate last year's success. The key to the Rockies' success the past two seasons: They've finally won on the road, going 44-38 last year and 41-40 the year before.

Three teams lost 100 games in 2018 … and the Marlins weren't one of them. The lineup once again looks anemic, but the rotation could actually be halfway decent. In a tougher NL East, however, they will be hard-pressed to avoid 90-something losses.

What you need to know about the Rockies

Doolittle's state of the Rockies: For the first time, the Rockies enter a campaign on the heels of back-to-back playoff appearances, though this remains a franchise with a lot of "never-haves." Colorado has never won a division title or a World Series, nor has it had a player go into the Hall of Fame under its banner. After locking up franchise face Arenado during spring training, the Rox look like a club ready to start checking off a lot of those unchecked boxes.

Passan's inside intel: The defection of DJ LeMahieu to the Yankees hasn't left the Rockies struggling at second base. Ryan McMahon was arguably the best hitter in the Cactus League and Garrett Hampson one of the most dynamic athletes, and both should see plenty of plate appearances this year. … Breakout alert, though it's not really much of a breakout because he was so good last year: Rockies starter Marquez, who had a better strikeout rate than Luis Severino, Aaron Nola, Corey Kluber and others.

Miller's fun fact: The first team to make the playoffs without a single complete game was the 2015 Pirates, followed by the 2016 Blue Jays, and that was it. But the 2018 postseason had three such teams: the Dodgers, Brewers, and these Rockies, who also had their best starting staff in history. Pitching at altitude adds extra physical strain, and the Rockies invested heavily in relievers who could reduce the load on the starters. The super-bullpen wasn't so super, after all, but the shorter outings might have paid off for the starters.

Spring must-read: Arenado's record deal a win for Nolan and Rockies

What you need to know about the Marlins

Doolittle's state of the Marlins: No franchise has had a stranger history than the Marlins, who have the second-lowest composite winning percentage of any franchise and just two playoff berths in 26 seasons of existence. Yet both of those postseason breakthroughs ended in World Series crowns. A third remains a highly distant possibility after the inaugural season of a new ownership group led by Bruce Sherman and Yankees legend Derek Jeter ended with 98 losses and a per-game attendance figure lower than what the Cubs draw during spring training.

Passan's inside intel: Scouts differ on who they like best among the Marlins' young and surprisingly decent rotation. One prefers 23-year-old Pablo Lopez ("The change is legit") while another fancies 27-year-old Caleb Smith ("Swing-and-miss fastball and slider"). With Dan Straily released, the age of the Marlins' opening-week rotation goes 27, 25, 23, 23, 27. One evaluator on the Marlins' offense: "They're going to score 75 runs less than last year," which is saying something, because they plated a major league-worst 589 runs.

Miller's fun fact: After trading J.T. Realmuto, the Marlins have now traded 23 of their all-time top 25 players by WAR, which raises the question of who would come next. Among their current players, Martin Prado — a veteran utility man now on the Marlins' bench — is the active career WAR leader, with 6.7. That's 33rd on the franchise's all-time list, but Prado is unlikely to move up. Brian Anderson, a rookie last year, is next with 3.3 WAR, which is 66th. That makes him the current face of the franchise, and puts him probably two good seasons from joining the train of Marlins' greats in the trade history. This is a very bad team.

Spring must-read: What's it like being a Miami Marlin?

Schoenfield's Opening Day prediction

Rockies 5, Marlins 0. Arenado and Trevor Story go yard while Freeland tosses seven scoreless innings.

The Reds were active in the offseason, trading for Sonny Gray, Tanner Roark, Alex Wood, Yasiel Puig and Matt Kemp, while the Pirates … well, they acquired Erik Gonzalez, who has 79 strikeouts and nine walks in his big league career, and he'll be their starting shortstop. Still, don't sleep on the Pirates as the rotation could be very good. Jameson Taillon had a breakout season with a 3.20 ERA, including a strong second half, and makes his first Opening Day start.

What you need to know about the Pirates

Doolittle's state of the Pirates: The Pirates have operated smartly and efficiently under GM Neal Huntington, winning 75 or more games in each of the last seven seasons. However, that Vulcan-like approach has worn thin in Pittsburgh, as the fan base has raced right past apathy and gone straight to angry. The Pirates had another quiet winter, though this time is might have been justified, as they retain a middling roster that could soon be augmented by high-ceiling prospects like Mitch Keller, Cole Tucker and Ke'Bryan Hayes. If the Pirates push into surprise contention and prove willing to maximize that development with in-season aggression, it's not too late to win back those passionate Bucs fans.

Passan's inside intel: The Pirates have a sneaky-strong bullpen, with breakout seasons from Richard Rodriguez and Kyle Crick complementing Felipe Vazquez's typical excellence. … The Jake Fox Award for spring training home run champion goes to Pirates third baseman Jung Ho Kang, who is back after missing nearly two years because alleged drunken-driving incidents inhibited his ability to get a work visa.

Miller's fun fact: If the Yankees are the perfect version of a modern bullpen — an average fastball of 95 mph, dominance from the fifth inning through the ninth — the Pirates were the uncanny valley version. Pittsburgh relievers also averaged 95 mph, matching the Yankees for the best in baseball, and for good measure also threw more fastballs than any other team's bullpen. But the Pirates were just so-so after the starter left, with a collective ERA and WPA around the league average. Most of those fastballs are back this year, though, and the Pirates' bullpen has the raw stuff to become something special.

What you need to know about the Reds

Doolittle's state of the Reds: The Reds have been in rebuild mode for five years now, the last four of which yielded no more than 68 wins and all of which displayed a persistent inability to turn minor league pitching talent into big league pitching production. Tired of running in place, Cincinnati beefed up the veteran presence on its roster over the winter by targeting a group of veterans on expiring contracts, such as mercurial ex-Dodger Puig, and opens the new season hoping to force its way into contention in the strong NL Central.

Passan's inside intel: The Reds' mandate to win from ownership led the team to trade for Puig, Wood, Kemp and Roark, plus acquire Gray and give him a contract extension. "I still think they might be the worst team in the division," said one scout who has tracked the Reds all spring. … He was impressed by top prospect Nick Senzel, who transitioned from second base to center field with aplomb, only to get sent down to protect his service time, at which point he suffered an ankle injury that will keep him out for up to two months. Compound that with the loss of second baseman Scooter Gennett for between two and three months, and the Reds' season is starting as so many recent ones have ended. … Worth watching: In more than 50 plate appearances this spring, Joey Votto didn't have an extra-base hit.

Miller's fun fact: For the past five seasons, the Reds have had Billy Hamilton — perhaps baseball's fastest man — covering ground in center field. But Cincinnati's Great American Ball Park has the fourth-smallest outfield in baseball, strangling some of Hamilton's range. Now, the Reds will make the most of their small confines: Center field will likely be manned by either Scott Schebler, who would be one of the slowest center fielders after spending last year in right; Senzel, who has never played a pro game in the outfield and has mostly held third base; or, in a substitute role, Michael Lorenzen, an athletic pitcher who is preparing for a two-way role.

Schoenfield's Opening Day prediction

Pirates 6, Reds 2. Taillon deals, Pirates win.

The good news in this one: The White Sox signed Eloy Jimenez to a long-term contract, so there will be no service-time manipulation with him and he'll begin his career on Opening Day. As for the rest of this game: Both teams are coming off 100-loss seasons, so viewer beware.

What you need to know about the White Sox

Doolittle's state of the White Sox: Just as their North Side rivals were stepping to the fore, the South Side ChiSox decided to reset after more than a decade of mediocrity followed their 2005 championship. Now, a brimming farm system is starting to yield star-level talent, and with an improved performance from their young roster, the White Sox are positioned to seize the AL Central crown one of these years when Cleveland inevitably relinquishes its stranglehold on the division.

Passan's inside intel: Even with their improvements this winter, the White Sox will start with a payroll below $100 million for the third consecutive Opening Day. … Among Alonso, Tatis, Paddack and Jimenez — the only one of the four who signed a long-term deal — that's four more young players starting the year in the big leagues than one might've thought. And in guaranteeing Jimenez $43 million, clearly the White Sox believe he's going to be a star.

Miller's fun fact: The White Sox had the youngest average hitter in baseball last year, a consequence of the multiyear rebuild they're in the middle of. Such youth is part of the process, and seems promising, but it doesn't assure anything in the short term: Since 2000, each year's youngest offense has improved by only about one-tenth of a run per game the following season, and only two of 18 teams — both of them recent Astros clubs — made the big leap of at least a half-run per game.

What you need to know about the Royals

Doolittle's Royals outlook: The Royals went splat after a five-season run of solid play that included two pennants and Kansas City's second World Series crown in 2015. Efforts to restock the farm system remain a work in progress but, in the meantime, the Royals are embarking on an interesting effort to swim against current analytical tides by assembling baseball's fastest group of position players. Contention seems like a long shot, but the Royals can accomplish a lot by merely outrunning low expectations.

Passan's inside intel: One of the best stories of the spring belongs to Kyle Zimmer, the fifth overall pick in the 2012 draft who has thrown 42 1/3 innings since 2016 and didn't pitch last year. Arm troubles looked to be the death of his career. Zimmer worked himself back into pitching shape at Driveline Baseball, and he looked the part of an elite reliever during spring training, allowing one run in 12 2/3 innings while pumping a high-90s fastball and two good off-speed pitches. … Two years after opening the season with a $143 million payroll, the Royals begin opening day under $100 million. More than $25 million of it is tied up in two players on the injured list (Danny Duffy and Salvador Perez), another $16.5 million for a pitcher demoted to the bullpen (Ian Kennedy) and $20 million more for a veteran in the final year of his contract (Alex Gordon).

Miller's fun fact: Whit Merrifield led the American League in stolen bases last year, and had an excellent 82 percent success rate, but he's not exceptionally fast: His sprint speed was 50th last year. Adalberto Mondesi is exceptionally fast — 11th in sprint speed — and, with 32 steals in just 291 plate appearances, he would have led the majors in steals if he'd played a full season. The Royals like to run, and under first-year first-base coach Mitch Maier, they ran successfully. Which is all prologue to this: Billy Hamilton is now their everyday center fielder. If Hamilton is ever going to break the basepaths, this it his chance.

Spring must-read: Why baseball needs Royals to overachieve (ESPN+)

Schoenfield's Opening Day prediction

Royals 5, White Sox 4. Brad Keller has that sinker working like last year and the Royals start the season on the right foot.

The Red Sox begin defense of their title and Chris Sale, appropriately, will get the ball after signing a five-year, $145 million extension last week that goes through the 2024 season. Sale's message to the rest of the league: "We want to build something that is sustainable for years to come. Especially in this day and age when half the league isn't trying to win anything, we have a team that's trying to win every year."

The Mariners are 2-0 after their two wins in Japan, but expectations aren't high after they traded or lost five of their top six players from 2018. Still, there could be some pop in the lineup if Domingo Santana, Jay Bruce and Tim Beckham find their 2017 grooves.

What you need to know about the Red Sox

Doolittle's Red Sox outlook: The Red Sox have been up and down over the last half decade, but since two of the "up" seasons have ended with the eighth and ninth World Series crowns in franchise history, no one is complaining in Beantown.

Boston's roster of in-their-prime young veterans is poised for high-level contention for a couple of years at least, and perhaps more if talents like reigning AL MVP Mookie Betts can be locked up for the long term.

Passan's inside intel: And here is a not-so-hot take: The Red Sox's Opening Day bullpen will look nothing like the one it takes into October. Matt Barnes and Ryan Brasier are sorta-closers right now for manager Alex Cora, and the rest of the relief corps is rather fringy. Some high-upside options do exist, whether it's Jenrry Mejia, the one-time Mets closer coming back from a lifetime PED ban, or Durbin Feltman, the 2018 draft pick with fastball velocity (up to 100) that belies his size (5-foot-11). Another name worth remembering: Darwinzon Hernandez, a lefty who may be the best prospect in Boston's organization. … The Red Sox are doing everything they can to avoid luxury-tax hell, and trying to maneuver beneath the $208 million threshold in 2020 is a legitimate possibility. If they don't, the Red Sox's base tax on every dollar over the threshold stays at 50 percent — and their top-end tax rate is 95 cents on the dollar. C'est possible. It also could necessitate some painful roster rejiggering.

Miller's fun fact: The Red Sox didn't use any lefty reliever in a specialist role last year, and they consequently finished last in baseball in batters faced with the platoon advantage. (Four lefties spent some time in the bullpen, but all faced at least three-quarters right handers.) Boston did little to upgrade the bullpen this offseason, letting Craig Kimbrel and Joe Kelly leave as free agents and handing closing duties to a righty (Barnes) with two career saves. They also didn't acquire a lefty, so converted starter Brian Johnson will be the main southpaw out of the bullpen.

Spring must-read: Mookie Betts might actually be the best athlete on the planet

What you need to know about the Mariners

Doolittle's Mariners outlook: Like the Diamondbacks, the Mariners have embarked upon a "soft" rebuild, at least as the season dawns. Seattle retains enough quality veterans that a surprise run at .500 isn't impossible, but it's unlikely as the realities of a thin rotation and a weak bullpen set in. Seattle has been jogging on the mediocrity treadmill for five years and for a franchise that is just one of two that has never won a pennant, that wasn't going to get them where they need to go, no matter how many trades Jerry Dipoto makes.

Miller's fun fact: Seattle's plan of moving superfast second baseman Dee Gordon into center field last year didn't work at all, and Gordon's "play deep and just run in" strategy couldn't save it. Ultimately, all five Mariners who started games at the position ended up with negative defensive runs saved, with those five cumulatively playing deeper than any other AL team. Gordon et al will be replaced this year by superfast center fielder Mallex Smith, whose positioning last year was right at the league average.

Schoenfield's Opening Day prediction

Red Sox 3, Mariners 1. Sale spoils the home opener with 12 strikeouts and the bullpen holds on to open the title defense with a victory.