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I’m going to go out on a limb for a second and make some assumptions about your baseball fandom. You’ve been trying to focus on your team as the season kicks off, lots of excitement flowing through your veins — with a blissful sense of hope, which will likely be extinguished quickly — but a certain piece of equipment has taken over the headlines. Everywhere you go, you see its name.

Well, the same goes for us, too. But in spite of it all, the start of the MLB season has been as delightfully action-packed and joyous as always (unless you’re a Braves fan).

For those that haven’t been able to watch much baseball yet, we’ve got you covered. And for those that slowly morphed into a sentient couch watching TV all week, you can relive it all with this handy-dandy recap all the same!

Opening Week Top Performers

It’s only been a week, but there’s no better time for a chunky serving of hyperbole about all the best (or worst!) performances thus far.

But seriously, regardless of whether or not they maintain it, let’s give some flowers to the players that have made the first week of the MLB season exciting!

Hitters

Plenty of bats are hot through the first week of games, but a select few of those have been scorching hot.

Aaron Judge is coming for his third MVP. The reigning king of the American League is back for more this season as he hit four home runs in his first series of the season including a three-homer game on Sunday.

The new Robin to Judge’s Batman might just be Jazz. With his new bat in hand, Jazz Chisholm Jr. has looked excellent for the Yankees early this season. Him taking a step forward into true stardom would be a huge development for New York.

Boston may not have a clear trade candidate after all. The Red Sox outfield has become a serious logjam and the seemingly likely trade candidate is making the matter more complicated. Wilyer Abreu got on base at a .750 clip in his first 5 games of the season and has been the best player in Boston to start the year. Meanwhile, Just Baseball’s top MLB prospect Roman Anthony is knocking on the door in Triple-A.

A big time trade is paying dividends. The Cubs traded an elite prospect, Cam Smith, in addition to two MLB players to get their superstar hitter in Kyle Tucker. He’s proving worthy of the haul already, hitting a homer in four straight games this week.

One of the game’s most underrated mashers is mashing like a mashing master. Leading the league in home runs through the first week, Eugenio Suarez has gone off for the Diamondbacks so far, leading their offense with his power.

CIncinnati’s young duo is going ballistic. You’ve probably seen plenty of highlights of the electric Elly De La Cruz already with innocent baseballs being murdered in the warpath he’s embarked on to start the season. But there’s also Matt McLain, who is returning from missing all of 2024 and rhas ecorded 6 hits including a trio of home runs through his first five games.

If we didn’t get to highlight your favorite team’s player, go yell at Jack McMullen. Kidding (or are we?), but don’t worry, we’ll shine light on plenty of other stars all season long!

Pitchers

Assessing pitchers through one, or at most two, starts is not an easy task, but we’ll take a shot at it here.

Opening Day performance we haven’t seen in 50 years. It hasn’t been the smoothest start to his career, but MacKenzie Gore looked the part of an ace in his first start of the year for Washington.

Welcome back. Returning from Tommy John Surgery this season, Sandy Alcantara has quickly reminded everyone of his excellence. While he has thrown much shorter outings than we’re used to seeing from him, it’s great to have him back on the mound. How long he’ll in Miami, though, remains to be seen…

The first Maddux of the 2025 season from a 35-year-old. Throwing a complete game shutout on the first day of April is extremely impressive for anyone, but perhaps double as such for a veteran who has undergone two Tommy John Surgeries. Nathan Eovaldi is still That Guy and showed it this week with the best start of the season yet.

The White Sox have the best rotation in baseball…You bet your butt you’re reading that right. But while it may not actually be the true best in actuality, the White Sox rotation was exceptional in their first go at things. Their starting pitchers did not allow a single earned run in Chicago’s first four games of the season with rookie Sean Burke leading the way on Opening Day in just his fifth career MLB game.

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Just Baseball Trivia of the Week

Our newsletter will have a trivia question every week to test and expand the baseball knowledge of our subscribers! The answer to the weekly trivia question will be at the bottom of the newsletter each week.

Which players hold the record for the most home runs (14) in a single April in MLB history?

A) Barry Bonds (2001) and Alex Rodriguez (2007)

B) Albert Pujols (2006) and Alex Rodriguez (2007)

C) Edwin Encarnación (2014) and Giancarlo Stanton (2017)

D) Babe Ruth (1927) and Roger Maris (1961)

The Infamous Torpedo Bat

Why is a bat taking baseball media by storm with a repetitive slew of hot takes being spewed every which direction? Let us provide some insight for you.

What is a Torpedo Bat?

Designed by Aaron Leanhardt, an MIT Physics PHD, this uniquely designed bat features a skinnier end of the bat with more wood towards the label of the bat, closer to a hitters hands.

The intention is for there to be more wood away from where a traditional barrel is and more where many hitters hit the ball much more frequently. Where many hitters were trying to hit the ball was not actually the true barrel of the bat, which prompted this invention by Leanhardt.

Is it Legal?

While everyone jumped on the bat being “unfair” because the Yankees hit a ton of home runs in their first game with numerous players using it, it’s all entirely approved.

MLB has regulations when it comes to the size, weight, and other aspects of bats. While it looks untraditional, the Torpedo Bat is entirely within those rules.

Will Everyone Be Using One?

The new bat may be proving to be useful for many players, but that doesn’t mean it will become new league norm. Despite the clear success from some players utilizing it, many stars including Aaron Judge are forgoing the new bat style.

There are a ton of players that will evidently start using the new bat, but also a bunch that won’t do so. For some, that label is where they hit the ball most which makes the lower barrel ideal for them. For others, that’s just not the case.

Innovation in baseball is happening all the time. Let it happen!

Other Headlines

• The Red Sox and pitcher Garrett Crochet agreed to a six-year, $170 million extension that will keep him as the ace in Boston for a long time. Despite just becoming a starter last year, Boston traded a haul for Crochet this offseason and have now given him a massive deal thanks to his immense talent.

• The Padres and center fielder Jackson Merrill agreed to nine-year, $135 million extension that can reach up to a total of $204 million. The 21-year-old phenom is coming off an incredible rookie season and is now locked in as a core piece of San Diego for the next decade. He even homered in his very first game following the deal!

• The Diamondbacks and second baseman Ketel Marte agreed to a six-year, $116.5 million extension. Marte is coming off an incredible 2024 and will now remain a Diamondback through at least 2030 with a player option for the 2031 season.

• The Red Sox agreed to an eight-year, $60 million pre-arbitration extension with rookie Kristian Campbell. After inking their ace to a huge deal, Boston wasted no time locking up a young core piece after a great first week of his MLB career.

• Braves outfielder Jurickson Profar has been suspended 80 games for violating MLB’s PED policy. After signing a three-year deal with Atlanta this offseason coming off a career year, Profar will now miss half the season and be ineligible to play in the postseason for the Braves.

Just Baseball Discord

We launched a Just Baseball community on Discord!

Our Discord channel is the ultimate baseball group chat providing exclusive access to Peter’s MLB best bets, Aram’s prospect content, giveaways, and direct connection to the ENTIRE Just Baseball staff.

Read all the details about our Discord community here.

Not Gambling Advice

Peter Appel has started the MLB season 8-2 (+4.99 units) on his MLB Best Bets! Join our Discord channel to get early access to all of his picks every day.

But remember, it’s not gambling advice.

Trivia Answer: B) Albert Pujols (2006) and Alex Rodriguez (2007)

While others in the options have a given month with more than 14 homers, these two legends are tied for the April record as they both achieved the feat in consecutive seasons.

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