It’s here, it’s here! Opening Day is upon us, and excluding the All-Star Break pause, we won’t have to deal with another baseball-free day until November. It may just be spring, but the Boys of Summer are back, and it’s time to get excited because starting today, all the stats matter. It’s the best day of the year!

Before we get into all the excitement of the regular season, we also wanted to touch on one of the sweetest stories from the World Baseball Classic. Ondrej Satoria, the Czech pitcher who defied the odds and toppled some of the best batters in baseball, made waves especially because he wasn’t even a full-time athlete: he’s an electrician. The everyman story captured peoples’ attention and made him a bit of a hero to audiences, and he’s finally speaking about the experience. When he spoke about his final outing against Team Japan, he said:

“In my eyes, it’s as valuable as the Olympics, because it’s only once every four years. It’s a fully professional world championship. The team has to qualify, and there you get to face players you usually only watch on TV, which is the most magical thing for us. We can shake hands with them on the field, and for us amateurs, that’s the best part.”

He also spoke specifically about striking out Shohei Ohtani, perhaps the most famous player in the world:

“It changed my life quite a bit, because it got me noticed, and it also put Czech baseball on the map. That’s really thanks to this. Of course, it’s something I’ll always remember fondly. I’m glad it’s on video, so if anyone ever doubts it, I can prove it. I have the ball from that strikeout on my shelf at home. But still, the most important thing for me is the medal from the European Championship, which I always carry with me… I wouldn’t call myself a legend, but unfortunately, everyone else does. I guess I just have to accept it.”

It was a really sweet interview, and a reminder of the importance of an event like the World Baseball Classic which can create excitement about baseball in countries where it isn’t as popular. Read more here.

Let’s get into the rest of today’s news!

• Davy Andrews reports that the Phillies are really committed to Crisopher Sanchez, extending his extension.
• A quick explainer on the Opening Night game on Netflix, and how to watch the game. (MLB)
• Theo DeRosa tries to predict who will take home the big awards of 2026.
• Ryan Phillips rounds up nine players who are poised to be the next big thing in baseball.
• Mound visits usually aren’t heartwarming, but this Skip Schumaker trip to the bump was a Spring Training highlight. Story by Stephen Douglas.
• Frank Thomas is suing the Chicago White Sox over the unauthorized use of his likeness. Story by Dan Hajducky.
• Brittany Ghiroli shares the story of a whistleblower within the Tigers’ organization being dismissed for calling out the very workplace concerns the team expressed wanting to hear about. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Nothing to worry about here from a starting pitcher…

• Ben Clemens looks at the positional power rankings for starting pitchers.
• Meanwhile, Dan Szymborksi looks at potential boom and bust candidates for starters in 2026.
• David Adler looks at the Spring Training stats that actually matter.
• Sarah Langs shares which players could be hitting major milestones this coming season.
• Karl Rasmussen ranks all 30 starting rotations.
• Kyle Koster looks at which teams are spending the most, and which players are earning the biggest paydays.
• Jayson Stark wonders how much we should care about how imperfect robot umpires are. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Quite possibly the strangest way he could have phrased this question.

• Michael Baumann wonders if the Braves are finally running out of pitchers.
• Sam Dykstra spotlights hot prospect Kevin McGonigle, who had made the Opening Day roster for the Detroit Tigers.
• Ryan Phillips explains why the Tigers got it right by including McGoningle on their Opening Day roster.
• A Mets’ announcer shares his disappointment about missing the postseason. Story by Jimmy Traina.
• Ranking all 30 teams going into the 2026 season. (ESPN)
• Evan Drellich and Ken Rosenthal share that there are potential risks to base coaches regarding a new rule meant to help eliminate pitch tipping. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Guess I know what I’m reading next.

And tomorrow will be a better day than today, Buster. Make it so.

The Detroit Tigers have generally maintained a policy of not playing any of their prep draft picks until the following year, and so the Spring Breakout games each spring have become a sort of coming out party for the next wave of prospects each March. This year we saw Jordan Yost, Michael Oliveto, and Cris Rodriguez in the teenagers’ first televised showcase. Of course, Yost had already announced himself by popping over to Tampa to join the Tigers for a game and crunching a grand slam in his first at-bat. 2024 first rounder Bryce Rainer set a bit of a precedent with a jaw dropping pro debut in the 2025 Spring Breakout game. An injury spoiled much of his pro debut campaign at Single-A Lakeland, but Rainer is healthy and ready to take over as the Tigers’ top prospect by season’s end.

Rainer starred in high school for Harvard-Westlake HS in North Hollywood. He was actually tracking more like a good pitching prospect who was also a solid shortstop with a cannon hanging from his right shoulder until his junior year when the bat perked up. By his senior year, Rainer was showing off big-time power and much improved contact ability through some swing changes and additional muscle. The Tigers were suitably impressed and happy to sign Rainer for $5,797,500, just slightly overslot as the 11th overall pick in the draft. That was two spots after the Pirates took Konnor Griffin, indicating that often it’s top the top five spots that end up with the most talented player in a draft.

What we knew about Rainer at the time was that he had some developing plate discipline, and potentially plus raw power. He could run, and while not the most athletic shortstop around, his 80 grade arm helped him play a step further back than most to give himself an extra beat on balls in play, and easily make up for it by throwing lasers across the diamond to first base. There were some questions about his contact ability, and some wondered if he’d really add that much raw power to his profile in his late teens and early 20’s, but overall the pick was well regarded. The Tigers strategy of taking athletic, up the middle prep hitters in the first round continues to pay dividends, as Rainer immediately silenced one of those questions.

The first plate appearance we ever saw from Rainer ended with a 113 mph line drive rocket the opposite way for a single. That was his first at-bat in a “real” game since high school. And that at-bat was a sign of things to come as Rainer destroyed fastballs and showed off near 70 grade raw power at times. Combined with his long levers and opposite field tendencies, Corey Seager comparisons became very popular, very quickly in prospect circles.

Even better, Rainer’s agility and footwork were rapidly improved from his high school days. He stalked the left side of the infield making all the plays and showing good reactions and softer hands than expected around second base. And as always, he could fire 90+ mph seeds to first base to record outs even when ranging far in the hole.

It only took a few weeks until Single-A hitters stopped throwing him fastballs over the plate and began dumping heavy amounts of breaking and offspeed in for strikes and then trying to get him to expand the zone when he saw a heater. This is a strategy MLB pitchers are built to execute, but at the Single-A level they weren’t qualified. Of course, Rainer wasn’t yet qualified either. For a week or two, he just started walking a lot more. Eventually, the 19-year-old ultimately couldn’t resist chasing more close pitches as he saw less and less fastballs to hit.

The cat and mouse game didn’t get time to play out. On June 3, Rainer separated his right shoulder diving back to first base on a pickoff play. Technique there might be something the Tigers want to emphasize to prep rookies a little more as both Colt Keith and Carson Rucker suffered similar injuries early in their pro careers. In both cases, throwing velocity took years to return after they rehabbed the shoulder. Rainer and the Tigers probably wisely elected for a surgical repair, and while Rainer has been limited to a DH role in minor league camp, reports that his arm strength has returned have been positive so far.

Rainer is a pretty good sized shortstop, standing 6’3” and probably weighing in a good 15 pounds of muscle more than his listed 195 pounds. He hits from a modest crouch with a high left elbow, and he maintains that elbow as he drops his hands and stretches back to load up before the pitch is released. It’s a bit exaggerated and he probably needs to trim that down to remain quick to high fastballs, but he’s made it work so far, having no issues with velocity in Lakeland. Even with that move, he doesn’t get too steep to the ball and generally has nice natural loft to his swing. The prospect of a plus defensive shortstop with plate discipline, who has posted numerous 113-114 mph balls in play is really tantalizing. He’s still only 20 years old after all and looks even a bit more built this spring in our few looks at him.

The question is the most elemental one of all. Can he translate his good eye for the strike zone into a good eye from breaking and offspeed stuff? He’s had so few at-bats that everyone is just guessing right now, and we’ll just have to see how that plays out over the next few seasons. Based on his batspeed and command of the strike zone, his chances seem pretty good, but that has to be proven. Still, this is an extremely exciting player, and once McGonigle and Clark graduate, Rainer is going to do just fine as the Tigers’ top prospect. Hopefully he has a healthy season and the arm strength is all the way back. If so, we’ll have a better idea of his full potential as a hitter by season’s end.

Look for Rainer to start the season in West Michigan. Jordan Yost will take the shortstop reps in Lakeland, and Rainer showed enough already to promote him to High-A despite not getting nearly as many reps as hoped in his pro debut. Facing a better brand of college pitchers, there may be some struggles early on, but as long as he’s mashing again in the second half, everything will be on track for him to push to Double-A in 2027, and perhaps debut late that year or more likely in 2028 when he’ll be closing in on his 23rd birthday.

The San Francisco Giants are set to make their season debut in a home opening series against the New York Yankees beginning Wednesday, March 25.

It's also the debut for Giants manager Tony Vitello, who's getting his first crack at the major leagues after a successful collegiate baseball coaching career for the Tennessee Volunteers.

Vitello signed a three-year contract with the Giants on Oct. 22, which is reportedly going to pay him $3.5 million annually, according to The SF Standard.

He's the first collegiate coach to make the jump straight to the majors as a manager. It's an honor he doesn't take lightly, especially as he lives out a dream to be a MLB manager.

"As a coach, I was just trying to make my way," Vitello said during an October news conference. "I got thrust into a position at a young age that I probably didn't even deserve, so I was just trying to do a good job, and fortunately it helped get me to the next spot and the next spot and the next spot, and eventually this did become a dream, where I just decided if it was, if I was blessed enough to receive an opportunity, this is something I wanted to do before I was done coaching, in general."

SAN FRANCISCO — Three-time New York Yankees MVP Aaron Judge will be hanging in right field. Home run king Barry Bonds will be sharing his thoughts for the world to hear. Future Hall of Famer Albert Pujols will be on a microphone. Future Hall of Famers Dusty Baker, Bruce Bochy and Buster Posey will be sitting together in the San Francisco Giants executive suite.

But the most high-powered microscope will be zeroed in on the 47-year-old dude who never played a professional baseball game, never managed a professional baseball game, and has never even attended an opening day game.

Tony Vitello will make baseball history by becoming the first person to ever manage a major-league game directly out of college with zero professional experience.

The San Francisco Giants' new manager will be baseball’s guinea pig for the 2026 season, which could either open the floodgates for collegiate coaches to fill MLB vacancies – or close the door for any organization to ever consider such an idea again.

“Well," Vitello says, “I’m ready.

“I’ve got no other choice at this point, right?’’

Vitello, who coached at Tennessee, winning the 2024 national championship, looks into your eyes and won’t lie to you. He’s going to be nervous. He’s used to big games being against LSU on Friday nights on the SEC Network. Now, he’s facing baseball’s most historic franchise, with 27 World Series championships and Hall of Fame alumni from Ruth to Gehrig to DiMaggio to Berra to Mantle to Jeter to Judge.

So, you can imagine the national uproar with one lineup malfunction, a wrong pinch-hitting move, a bullpen blunder or a slip-up in a mid-game interview?

There will be millions of keyboard warriors waiting to pounce.

“I’ll be ready," Vitello says. “People critique, and when your pay for your ticket, that’s what you get to do. Or even if you're in our dugout, you're allowed to have second thoughts on anything. But the one thing I'll say is any decision we make is going to be a group effort, and there will be no stone left unturned prior to doing it.

“Whatever it is we choose to do, we're going full steam ahead, and I take responsibility from this point on. Ultimately, I have the final say, so that’s on me, but I love that I can rely on my guys."

'We couldn't be happier'

The Giants front office, who believed they’d rather have an unproven collegiate coach than hiring back Bochy, bringing in former Cubs manager Joe Maddon or David Ross, or giving recently fired Brandon Hyde or Davey Martinez another shot, know they’ve opened themselves up for ridicule.

They are paying more for a manager than any team in history, with $3.5 million paid directly to Vitello, $3 million to Tennessee for the buyout, and $4 million to Bob Melvin, who was fired.

Yet, instead of being anxious about their decision, the Giants left their Scottsdale, Arizona spring training complex convinced more than ever that they made the right move.

“I've been fortunate to be around some great managers," Giants GM Zack Minasian tells USA TODAY Sports, “from Johnny Oates to Buck Showalter to Melvin to Bobby Valentine to Boch. But watching Tony on the field during drills this spring is something different than I’ve ever seen. He makes it a lot of fun for the players. He just brings so much energy each and every day, and it’s something intentional.

“We want people excited walking into the doors in the clubhouse every day and I feel like so many people are and in a great frame of mind. I really think our players, our staff, are having fun. It’s fun to be around.

“Really, we couldn’t be happier."

There was so much outside noise about how the players may respond to a manager with zero experience, but the Giants haven't had internal complaints.

“It’s been an extremely seamless transition," Minasian says. “He’s been really able to build relationships quickly. The one thing I wasn't expecting is just how well connected he is to so many different people in professional baseball. You hear a lot, obviously, about him being the first manager to make the jump. And you assume that maybe they don't have the contacts that maybe someone else who had been in professional baseball for a long time would have. And he has just a huge address book that's full of people who have been in professional baseball a long time, from executives to agents to players.

“When we're having conversations about different possibilities, we've got a pretty good way to go and get information to help us."

There wasn’t a time a player publicly questioned anything Vitello tried, whether it was having the entire team involved in infield drills, having piercing noise blaring over the stadium loudspeakers during pop-ups to resemble a hostile crowd crowd, or watching Vitello taking grounders as if he’s one of the boys.

“It’s definitely different," Giants veteran backup catcher Eric Haase says. “Overall, he’s really brought in good energy, unmatched energy. He also has a very acute attention to detail. He’s got his hands in everything, but he’s given us a lot of freedom to have the clubhouse be our clubhouse. The guys have really gravitated towards Tony, and I’m excited to see what it looks like during the year."

Good morning Birdland,

A baseball game that actually counts will take place today. It’s the Yankees and the Giants, it’s at 8 p.m., and it’s only on Netflix. So I will be missing it, but at least it’s happening!

As for a game that we all care about around here, we have one more day to wait. The Orioles season will get underway tomorrow at 3 p.m. or thereabouts. Pre-game festivities on Opening Day always seem to run just slightly over their allotted time. They might still be rolling up the orange carpet at 3.

If you are heading to Camden Yards for the game, it seems like you will have a lovely day on your hands. Temperatures are expected to be in the mid-70s and the chance of rain is basically non-existent. It should be a perfect day for baseball.

You will also be among the first people to get a first-hand look at some of the offseason renovations to Camden Yards. Some fans took a gander over the weekend during the Orioles/Nationals exhibition, Kevin Brown took us all on a video tour of the place, and the broader press was going gaga over the changes throughout the day on Tuesday.

As for today, we will all be on the lookout for some finalizing of the team’s roster. The Orioles have to make their decisions by noon. That is when Opening Day rosters are due.

The team has already made some big decisions. Dean Kremer being sent to Triple-A was probably the biggest. They DFA’d Bryan Ramos on Tuesday. That was another significant move. He had a really good spring and looked like a potential infield option with Jackson Holliday and Jordan Westburg on the IL. Instead, he could be claimed and go elsewhere. We also need to learn if Dylan Beavers’ knee is fit enough for Opening Day. It seems like it will be, but a brief IL stint for him could open up a spot for someone else.

The bullpen is where most of the remaining question marks probably lay. We know Andrew Kittredge will make a rehab stop in Norfolk before he is ready. Keegan Akin could still go to the IL with his recent adductor issue. Jackson Kowar and Albert Suárez are both out of options. Yaramil Hiraldo could be sent down without issue, but he was quite good this spring and probably deserves a roster spot. And there is the possibility that the O’s pluck a reliever from someone else’s roster.

In general though, the O’s are in a good spot. They got the injuries to Holliday and Westburg out of the way early in spring, and then got through the Grapefruit League and WBC relatively unscathed. They won’t be a full strength on Opening Day, but it will be close.

Links

What MLB scouts say are the Orioles’ strengths and weaknesses | The Baltimore Banner
None of this is particularly ground breaking. We are well aware of where the team could improve, but it can be interesting to hear outside opinions. However, something in this piece that I vehemently disagree with was the description of Kyle Bradish as a “two or a really good number three” on a championship team. I understand if you have to take his recent health into consideration when determining his overall value, but in terms of actual ability and output, Bradish is at the very least a number two.

New video board, sound system should excite Oriole fans this season | Baltimore Baseball
Personally, I kind of liked the video board that the team used to have. It was a little awkward, but had a charm to it that the new one seems to lack. The sound system, on the other hand, was in desperate need of improvement. There were areas of the stadium where you could not hear anything being said. So that is certainly a welcome improvement.

‘It’s up to us now’: How O’s can make postseason run in 2026 | MLB.com
Health and home runs. That is the formula. The team had some bad luck in 2025, but they also just weren’t very good. Much of the roster returns in 2026, but the front office also made several high-profile additions that they hope will pay off.

One last chance to wonder about the roster | Roch Kubatko
I would love to see Elias pull off a late move for a quality reliever, but if that was going to happen it feels like it would have by now. At this point, it’s more likely they enter the year with the guys they have and figure it out as they go. Maybe the bullpen will be fine! Ryan Helsley looked pretty good over the weekend.

Orioles birthdays

Is it your birthday? Happy birthday!

• Tucker Davidson turns 30 today. He pitched in one game for the 2024 Orioles and is currently in the Phillies organization.
• The late Woodie Held (b. 1932, d. 2009) was born on this day. He was a utility player for the Orioles from 1966-67, taking the field at every position but pitcher, catcher, and first base during his time in Baltimore.

This day in O’s history

It has been a slow day in Orioles history, according to Baseball Reference. Instead, here are a few happenings on this date from beyond Birdland:

1948 – The first successful tornado forecast predicts that a tornado will strike Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma.

1965 – A group of nonviolent activists, led by Martin Luther King Jr, complete their four-day, 50-mile march from Selma, Alabama to Montgomery, Alabama to protest against segregation and encourage African-American citizens to exercise their right to vote.

1979 – The first fully functional Space Shuttle orbitor, dubbed Columbia, is delivered to the Kennedy Space Center in Florida to be prepared for launch.

After a long offseason, the wait is finally over. Opening Day has officially arrived on the calendar, and the New York Yankees are going to be one of the two teams marking the start of the 2026 Major League Baseball season.

As the only game of the day—well, evening—the eyes of every baseball fan will be tuned in to the action at Oracle Park out in San Francisco. The Yankees begin their season out west in front of a hostile crowd rooting on their Giants, now led by former University of Tennessee Volunteers manager Tony Vitello, a curious choice made by team legend and president of baseball operations Buster Posey.

San Francisco has made the playoffs just once since 2016 and looks to improve upon a 2025 season in which they finished at exactly the .500 mark and third in the National League West, while the Yankees once again move toward the goal of winning a World Series in the era of Aaron Judge. For more on the Giants as a whole, check out my colleague Matt’s team preview, and of course we’ve done a full player-by-player preview for everyone on the Yankees. Their roster is all but finalized.

All first pitch times below are Eastern Standard Time; Yankees starters were confirmed by MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch and the Giants by Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle. Happy 2026 season, everyone! Let’s play ball.

Wednesday — Max Fried vs. Logan Webb (8:05 pm)

After Gerrit Cole went down with a season-ending arm injury in March 2025 that required Tommy John surgery, it was the newly-signed Max Fried’s job to step in and take over the role of ace, which he did extremely well. He finished last season with a 19-5 record and a 2.86 ERA with 189 strikeouts in 195.1 innings pitched. He earned an All-Star nod, a Gold Glove, and finished fourth in American League Cy Young Award voting. Cole’s injury happened late enough in camp last year that the Yankees elected to have Carlos Rodón start Opening Day rather than move Fried off schedule, but he was clearly prepared for the Opening Day nod this time around (Cole continues to work back into shape and get ready for a return). The southpaw previously started three Opening Days for the Braves from 2021-23, and is raring to go in 2026.

However, at the other end of the spectrum is a pitcher who had a spectacular season last year as well: Logan Webb. The Giants’ workhorse ace pitched 207 innings, the most of anyone in MLB, and tallied 224 strikeouts, pacing the National League. Webb recorded a 3.22 ERA and also finished fourth in NL Cy Young voting. So, not only will baseball fans get a glimpse at a couple of exciting offenses, but these two aces are coming off fantastic seasons and will be sure to battle it out against one another — especially in a pitcher’s park like Oracle. This will be Webb’s fifth consecutive Opening Day start for the Giants, remarkably passing Posey’s old batterymates Tim Lincecum and Madison Bumgarner (among others) for second in team history, only trailing Hall of Famer Juan Marichal.

As a reminder, the Opening Day game will be broadcast exclusively on Netflix.

Friday — Cam Schlittler vs. Robbie Ray (4:35 pm)

After a day off, the Yankees and Giants will take the field again for the second matchup of three and the first familiar telecast of the season on YES Network. This pitching duel will be between a young, up-and-coming right-hander and a well-established, veteran left-hander.

Last year, Cam Schlittler made waves, pitching in 14 games for the Yankees, racking up 1.3 fWAR and a 2.96 ERA in 73.0 innings pitched. The rookie’s best performance came in the AL Wild Card series against the Boston Red Sox, his childhood team. He pitched eight scoreless innings with 12 strikeouts in the winner-take-all game, all as a rookie. Now, Schlittler begins his first full season at the major-league level, and he will have to use his excellent stuff to beat the man across from him.

Robbie Ray had his best season in a few years in 2025, pitching 180+ innings for the first time since 2022—the season after his Cy Young Award-winning year in Toronto earned him a big contract—and ending with a respectable 3.65 ERA. While his strikeout stuff declined relative to his stellar earlier career, he lowered his walk and home run rates in the process, and entering the season at age 34, he’s looking to start off another solid campaign. It will be his third in San Francisco since coming over in a January 2024 trade with the Mariners, mid-Tommy John surgery rehab.

Saturday — Will Warren vs. Tyler Mahle (7:15 pm)

In the final matchup of MLB opening weekend before an odd Sunday offday, two hurlers look to prove themselves for their respective clubs. This one will be broadcast on Fox.

Will Warren pitched 162.1 innings last year for the Yankees and tied for the AL lead with 33 starts, but his 4.44 ERA likely isn’t something he’s satisfied with, especially given his upgraded role in the rotation for the time being. He still finished the 2025 season with 2.1 fWAR, which is more than respectable enough for a 26-year-old in his first full major league season. However, with up-and-down results leading to more offseason work, there’s an opportunity for Warren to truly cement himself as a key member of the top five.

As for righty Tyler Mahle, he is a new member of the Giants organization, having played last season down south with the Texas Rangers. He pitched only 86.2 innings in 16 games due to a right rotator cuff injury and shoulder strain, but in those 86.2 innings, he pitched well. His 2.18 ERA looks excellent (despite the predictive numbers suggesting he should be around the 4-4.5 mark), and because of that, he finished the season with 1.9 fWAR. That being said, last season, he didn’t finish with the best numbers in terms of strikeouts, so there could be some room for bat-to-ball skills from the Yankees to be utilized. Mahle also pitched well in limited time during spring training, not givinp a run in four games and 10 innings pitched. New Giants skipper Vitello feels comfortable with his stuff and will have him close out this series.

Opening Day is tonight. Kind of. Well, the Yankees and Giants play tonight, on Netflix, so I guess it’s Opening Night.

And there will be stars on the broadcast.

From other sports. Not baseball, mind you. There will be wrestling people.

On Netflix.

I hate MLB sometimes.

On to the links.

Phillies news:

• The roster is set with all decisions having been made. Here is a look at what went into those decisions and how they’ll move forward ($).
• There is a lot riding on this roster this year and their ability to win a World Series. How their legacies are remembered might depend on it ($).
• There have been quite a few changes to Citizens Bank Park once you get there this year. Don’t worry, it’s not going anywhere anytime soon.

MLB news:

• Pete Crow-Armstrong will stick around Chicago for a while thanks to a newly signed six-year contract extension.
• Of course, what would it be without the wild predictions of Jim Bowden for the 2026 season ($). My guess is he doesn’t predict new contracts for anyone.
• Kevin McGonigle will begin the season on the Tigers’ roster. He’s probably the Rookie of the Year favorite in the AL right now.
• Formerly one of their top prospects in their player development system, Luis Matos has been designated for assignment by the Giants.