We outscored our opponents by nearly 100 runs (+92). We went 14-2 at home, and 10-2 against the teams in our division. We hit .269/.355/.491 as a team. We posted a 2.49 team ERA, and held our opponents to a miniscule .557 OPS. The next-lowest OPS allowed, as of press time, is over 100 points higher (.681.)
Brandon Crawford (.381/.430/.619) deserves some consideration for OL Hitter of the Chapter. Andrew Benintendi (.316/.379/.506) had a very surprising chapter. Our two catchers, Austin Nola (.300/.382/.400) and Zack Collins (.220/.361/.407), were also surprisingly effective. Lorenzo Cain (.271/.364/.458) was yet another surprise.
Rafael Devers (.270/.312/.609) led the team with 11 home runs and 27 RBI's. Our two big offensive free agent signings, Brandon Belt (.264/.360/.621) and Mark Canha (.300/.434/.463), were also significant contributors.
Even Trea Turner (.265/.331/.469) and Shohei Ohtani (.232/.362/.547), whose numbers paled in comparison to their MLB performances, still proved to be valuable members of our lineup.
On the pitching side, our bullpen was as good as advertised. Dominic Leone (1.69 ERA), Jake McGee (1.69), Luis A. Garcia (1.93), Ryan Tepera (2.04), Joe Kelly (2.16), and Gregory Soto (2.70) were particularly effective.
Our swing man, and highest-paid player, Ranger Suarez, proved to be worth every penny. He went 2-0 with a 1.42 ERA in 25+ innings, with two starts and 15 appearances out of the bullpen.
Our starting rotation was as effective as we thought it would be -- only in reverse. We expected Lance Lynn (4-2, 4.83 ERA in 31+ IP) and Framber Valdez (1-0, 4.43 in 20+) to be our best starters. We expected Jon Gray (3-1, 1.88 in 24), Luis H. Garcia (1-0, 2.79 in 19+), and Steven Matz (0-0, 2.45 in 18+) to be back-end guys. They all flipped roles.
Then, there was Ohtani, who not only delivered a strong performance at the plate, but went 4-0 with a 0.95 ERA on the mound. Could he be the first-ever person to win the Hitter AND Pitcher of the Chapter awards?
Of course, we have to be careful not to get too excited about this start to the season. We went 20-8 in Chapter One a year ago, and we all know how that ended. Still, it's better to start hot than cold.
I do see some usage issues creeping up on us already, as we really overtaxed some of our best players last chapter. I was hoping to fill a couple of those holes through trade, but at the moment, it's a seller's market and the sellers are asking unreasonable prices -- or just being rude AF assholes for no particular reason. So, we'll wait it out. As it stands, we have only one player on our farm and reserve rosters that anyone wants, and Adley Rutschman will not be going anywhere.
