Giants, A’s and beyond: Your guide to Bay Area baseball heading into Opening Day
While the A’s got an early start against the Mariners in Tokyo last week, the MLB regular season truly kicks off Thursday.
The Giants are not expected to return to prominence in 2019, but the man tasked with leading them back, Farhan Zaidi, is in place. His arrival intersects with the final year of a Hall of Fame-worthy managerial run from Bruce Bochy. They may be billed as opposites (the analytical executive vs. the manager who runs on instinct), but the pair isn’t as different as one may think.
***
Across the Bay, the major attraction will be at third base. In his first major-league season, Matt Chapman was the best defensive third baseman in the MLB, and it wasn’t particularly close. What is next in the 25-year-old’s quest to etch his name in the history books?
***
Down in San Jose, there’s finally reason for optimism at the low-minor level for the Giants. After a few years of the the pipeline running dry, several of the Giants’ big-time prospects are beginning their ascent up the minor-league chain.
***
The Athletics have their own prime-time prospect, but Jesús Luzardo is much closer to the major leagues than Single-A ball. The lefty is drawing comparisons to greats like Felix Hernandez and Johan Santana, and despite a shoulder injury late this spring, he’s likely to see action for the A’s this season.
***
Despite MLB’s best efforts, baseball is on the downward trend in terms of viewership. The league is considering several extreme measures, including lowering the mound and expanding the DH to the National League. But with athletes like Kyler Murray already saying “no thanks” to life on the diamond, it may be time to simply focus on getting back to basics.