Baseball is in the air!
The Baseball Gods are no dummies.
They saw the NFL schedule. They know you’ve closed that book.
As a winter storm batters the entirety of the northeast and I stare at several feet of hard-pack snow on the Rocky Mountains outside my window, it’s hard not to think about warmer weather, longer days, and the traditions that come along with it.
It’s time for the Boys of Summer.
The pull of your gaze officially begins today, as Cincinnati Reds pitchers and catchers report to spring training in Goodyear, Arizona to begin prepping for a 2024 Major League Baseball season that, for them, is about as wide-open as it’s been this generation.
Good morning…
IT’S OFFICIALLY BASEBALL SEASON#RedsST pic.twitter.com/gkuMWMRGOS
— Cincinnati Reds (@Reds) February 13, 2024
The catchers we’re pretty sure about. Tyler Stephenson and Luke Maile will carry the load again this year, assuming both remain healthy enough behind the plate to do so.
The pitchers? Well, let’s just say that the next six weeks is going to go a long way toward determining the pecking order for this season, as a combination of health, inexperience, and depth highlight that portion of the roster.
How are Nick Lodolo and Graham Ashcraft looking after major injuries last year? Will Nick Martinez be a starter, reliever, or both? Is Frankie Montas the Frankie Montas of old?
Today marks the return of those questions with tangible answers, not just offseason rumors and speculation. Starting today, we open our window of opportunity to see if what the Cincinnati Reds have been putting together actually looks like it can function as a Major League Baseball team should, youth and all.
Welcome to 2024, folks!