Baseball is back! Other than the azaleas at Augusta National, nothing screams “spring” in sports like the crack of the bat on MLB’s Opening Day.
Tonight, the 162-game marathon starts on Netflix at 8:05p with the New York Yankees playing the San Francisco Giants at Oracle Park. On Thursday afternoon, the New York Mets will host Paul Skenes and the Pittsburgh Pirates at 1:15p at Citi Field on NBC/Peacock.
WILL WE PARTY LIKE IT’S 1986 OR 2009?
The good news is I’m predicting both local teams will reach the playoffs and make noise in October.
- The Yankees will win 96 games, the AL East title, and ride their improved starting rotation to beat the Toronto Blue Jays to reach the World Series.
- The Mets will go from 83 wins to 94 edging the Philadelphia Phillies for the NL East title.
The bad news is their seasons will once again end at the hands of the Los Angeles Dodgers who will beat the Mets in six games in the NL Championship Series, and the Yankees in a dramatic seven-game World Series.
While the season won’t end with a parade, it will bring lots of thrills that will hopefully last for a year or two considering a work stoppage is likely going to delay or cancel 2027. A possibility that will only grow if I’m correct and the Final Four finalists are the biggest spenders in the sport — Dodgers, Mets, Yankees, and Blue Jays.
THE YOGI BERRA “MVP” AWARD
The local “MVP” award named after the Hall-of-Fame catcher and manager who combined to play 2120 MLB games (4 with the Mets) and manage the Yankees (162 games), the Mets (595 games), and Yankees (178 games) again.
The three finalists will be:
- Juan Soto, OF (Mets)
- Aaron Judge, OF (Yankees)
- Francisco Lindor, SS (Mets)
Projected Winner: Juan Soto
THE JUAN SOTO “HITTER OF THE YEAR” AWARD
The local “Hitter of the Year” award is named after someone who only played 157 games for the Yankees, and 160 for the Mets. But in those 317 games he has hit 84 home runs, driven in 214 runs, stole 45 bases, scored 248 runs — with a combined 14.1 WAR.
The three finalists will be:
- Juan Soto, OF (Mets)
- Aaron Judge, OF (Yankees)
- Ben Rice, 1B (Yankees)
Projected Winner: Juan Soto
THE DAVID CONE “PITCHER OF THE YEAR” AWARD
The local “Pitcher of the Year” award named after the pitcher who won 81 games with the New York Mets, and 64 games and four World Championships with the New York Yankees.
The three finalists will be:
- Max Fried, LHP (Yankees)
- Freddy Peralta, RHP (Mets)
- Cam Schlittler, RHP (Yankees)
Projected Winner: Cam Schlittler
THE DARRYL & DOC “ROOKIE OF THE YEAR” AWARD
The local “Rookie of the Year” award named after the two Mets’ phenoms who won back-to-back NL Rookie of the Year awards in 1983 and 1984 — and later won World Championship rings with the Yankees.
The three finalists will be:
- Carson Benge, OF (Mets)
- Cade Winquest, RP (Yankees)
- Nolan McLean, SP (Mets)
Projected Winner: Nolan McLean
THE JOE TORRE “MANAGER OF THE YEAR” AWARD
The local “Manager of the Year” award named after the Hall-of-Fame manager who had a .405 winning percentage in five years with the Mets but rebounded with a .605 winning percentage — plus 6 AL Pennants and 4 World Championships — with the Yankees.
- Carlos Mendoza (Mets)
- Aaron Boone (Yankees)
Projected Winner: Aaron Boone
#PlayBall
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