We move into week three of the daily questions, and the focus this week will be on ‘Spring Training: Optimism and Delusion’. We all know the perils and cliches of the pre-season. Players will show up, in the best shape of their lives. Pitchers will be working on new pitches. Here’s our bingo card. But that won’t stop us from violently over-reacting to small sample sizes. Ryne Nelson has an ERA of 18.00!!! All is lost! All is lost! But beyond the surface numbers, there are threads of potential importance
to the 2026 season.
Which spring training story-lines are you following?
There’s the return of two-fifths of our starting pitching from free agency, in Zac Gallen and Merrill Kelly. New arrivals on both sides of the corner infield, Carlos Santana and Nolan Arenado: how will they mesh with the team? The rehabs of a slew of players, in particular the two Corbins, Burnes and Carroll. Shaking out of the bullpen roles. Prospect evaluation, as Jordan Lawlar and Ryan Waldschmidt perhaps seek to stake a claim to an everyday line-up spot. What will you be watching out for over the next 5-6 weeks, as we head towards Opening Day in Los Angeles?
