MLB on FOX Saturday Preview: Yankees-Giants, Twins-Orioles, Royals-Braves

It’s still too early to see how the teams stack up, but the first Saturday of the MLB season is always a little special. We answer the big questions ahead of Saturday’s MLB on the FOX slate, including the Yankees planning to sweep a Giants team that still hasn’t scored a run: 1. Have the Yankees done enough to take over the AL East? What could be the determining factor? Thosar: The Yankees are returning almost an identical roster to the one they finished with last year because they’re counting on rising stars moving forward, and the rotation has a chance to be the best in baseball this season, especially after Gerrit Cole returned from Tommy John rehab around May. Catcher/first baseman Ben Rice has elite offensive metrics, second baseman Jazz Chisholm is motivated to have a very successful walk-on year and catcher Austin Wells should break through at the plate. If things go well, then the offense is designed to go as far as Aaron Judge takes them, and the Yankees have done enough to win the AL East. Of course, it’s not that simple either. Their three determining factors are health, wins against division rivals and sharpening their fundamentals. The Yankees performed poorly against the Blue Jays and Red Sox in last year’s regular season, with Toronto winning the season series (8-5) and Boston dominating (9-4) in head-to-head matchups. Those results cost the Yankees the division title last year. This season, they need to prove they can compete with the best teams in the AL East from start to finish. Even if the Bronx Bombers want to make a deep postseason run and get back to the World Series, they also have to play just as hard and maintain their intensity over the long 162-game schedule. The familiar June fades and lapses in concentration have led to errors on the field and a complete lack of fundamentals in recent years. Too often, simple mistakes have led to frustrating, avoidable losses, to the point where opponents are just waiting for the Yankees to make a mistake. This year’s team must be assembled every step of the way.2. The Giants are an intriguing team for Tony Vitello’s manager change. What is the advantage here? Thosar: Vitello’s move from college coach to MLB manager is unprecedented, but the allure and hype around his hiring will quickly fade if the Giants don’t win consistently. Already, Vitello has made questionable comments about his outlook on winning and losing that have fans wondering if he’s ready for the big leagues. So he faces a ton of pressure to win games, while remaining true to the core beliefs and coaching tactics that led to a .772 winning percentage as the University of Tennessee’s head baseball coach. For the Giants, Vitello’s advantage is his ability to think outside the box and bring a new culture and edge to the organization. He is known for bringing a fiery and emotional coaching style that could certainly help inject some energy into a Giants team that sometimes falls flat. If Vitello can help establish a clearer identity based on grit and aggression, it will really matter during the long season. Vitello is also known for being an excellent communicator, which should help young players develop and lead to faster buy-in throughout the clubhouse. Ultimately, though, the Giants’ new skipper will need to learn game tactics on the fly and quickly adapt to MLB’s data-intensive processes without getting overwhelmed by it all. It goes without saying that Vitello has a lot to live up to in his rookie manager season. But if he can avoid burnout and lead a team that exceeds expectations with his energy and fearless playing style, then this hire might just work out exactly how Buster Posey expected it to. 3. Just like the Yankees, the Orioles are in a crowded AL East. How legit could the O’s be this season? Kavner: I think they pose a real threat. I don’t expect them to win the division, but I do expect them to get one of the last wild card spots and return to the playoffs. The Orioles didn’t mess around this winter after finishing in embarrassing last place last year, ultimately spending to put established talent around their young core. Pete Alonso and Taylor Ward give them more power. Shane Baz raises the rotation’s ceiling, and the signing of Chris Bassitt (and the re-signing of Zach Eflin) raises the floor. Ryan Helsley gives them the closest they’ve missed since Felix Bautista went down. Injuries to Jackson Holliday and Jordan Westburg early in the season hurt, but when healthy, this could be one of the best lineups in baseball and help offset any concerns with the pitching staff. As of Friday afternoon, FanGraphs clearly had them as the No. 4 team in the division (12.3% chance of winning the AL East) but with a nearly 50% chance of making the playoffs. I expect the difference between the first and fourth place teams in this division to only be a handful of games, and while they will all battle throughout the year, I think four teams will make the playoffs from the AL East. The division is so good.4. We have a bunch of guys that showed up at the WBC. Who’s ready for a breakout MLB season? Kavner: It goes without saying that Bobby Witt Jr. will have a breakout season, so I’m going to take a different player from the two clubs (who were teammates with WBC champion Venezuela) and choose Ronald Acuña Jr. and Maikel Garcia. I know, I know, SCORCHING HOT, take here that Acuña will be good. But another year removed from the latest ACL tear, this could be the year we see Acuña get closer to his 2023 MVP form. Now, I’m not predicting another 40-70 season with two surgically repaired knees, but he can still trot. Acuña’s sprint speed last year wasn’t far off that of 2023, and while he only stole nine bases last season, he was also caught just once and has clearly been cautious in his first year back from a knee injury. This winter, he hit four homers and stole 11 bases in 16 games in the Venezuelan Winter League. He hit two more home runs and stole two more bases in the World Baseball Classic. Another 40-40 season in which he reestablishes his place among football’s elite could be within his reach. And behind Shohei Ohtani, Acuña is a good chance to win another MVP trophy. García’s All-Star season last year in Kansas City might have gone unnoticed by those outside of the Midwest, but he put his name on the international map at the WBC. In a tournament featuring many of the game’s superstars, it was the Royals’ 26-year-old third baseman who took home Most Valuable Player honors. Bobby Witt Jr. is the star of the team, but with Garcia’s keen eye at the plate, solid hitting skills, and impeccable defense at the hot corner, I expect a solid follow-up as the team’s co-star.