2019: Play Ball Premium Edition

AN IN-DEPTH LOOK AT THE A’S, THE GIANTS AND THE LEAGUE

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THE GIANTS Rebootbythebay

GM Farhan Zaidi’s arrival corresponds with Bruce Bochy’s swan song. Could there be a few surprises from this patchwork roster?

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PLUS: HUNGRY FOR HOPE? HEAD TO SAN JOSE WHERE THE FUTURE WILL BE ON DISPLAY.

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THE LEAGUE Fix-ittipsforabrokenleague

The Kyler Murray saga only highlighted the issues baseball was already drowning in. We’re here to help.

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THE A’S CouldChapman alreadybeaGOAT?

The A’s third baseman has played one season, yet his defense has already put him in this hallowed discussion.

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PLUS: IS JESUS LUZARDO THE REAL DEAL? UM, YES, AND THEN SOME.

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PLUS: DIETER KURTENBACH ISN’T CONVINCED THAT OUR FAVORITE PASTIME CAN BE SAVED.

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COVER ILLUSTRATION BY TIM MARRS

Section Editor: Mark Conley Section Designers: Chris Gotsill, Sharon Kilday, Jennifer Schaefer Copy Editing: Jaime Welton Photo Editing: Mark DuFrene

BROKEN, STORY A BASEBALL

Baseball’s flaws have never been more glaring and regularly on display. Luckily, we’re here to help. If Rob Manfred and Co. don’t want to get stiff-armed by the next generation of Kyler Murrays, they better listen up.

STORY BY CARL STEWARD

ILLUSTRATION BY SAM HADLEY

MMajor League Baseball has rightfully approached this season in a panic over its product – and that was before Kyler Murray’s I’m-Off-For-TheNFL scud dropped.

That was a beaning Commissioner Rob Manfred and Co. didn’t need as they were frantically rifling through ideas about pitch clocks, mound heights, the shift epidemic, to DH or not to DH, and teams suddenly using a chorus line of pitchers every game, including starters for no more than an inning or two.

Kyler Murray impressed the A’s and the rest of Major League Baseball, but the 2018 Heisman Trophy winner is taking his talents to the NFL.

The Grand Old Game is in trouble, despite what purists say, to the point that MLB’s powersthat-be are considering taking a wild whack at any quick-fix notion that’s thrown down the middle at them. Three-batter minimums for pitchers? Good lord. Maybe they should be bringing back Charlie Finley’s old orange baseball idea, too. And the mechanical rabbit. And the jackass.

Baseball may not be dying, but for a sport that seems to be addicted to ridiculous dissection of numbers, put this in your analytics pipe and smoke it: Regular-season attendance dropped a whopping 3 million in 2018 from the previous season.

Perhaps more disturbing, 10 million fewer people showed up at ballparks than did 10 years ago, reflecting a slow but steady decline that can’t be blamed on bad weather, which was one of the official excuses offered by the league offices for last season’s alarming drop-off.

And how does MLB explain October? Baseball got what it supposedly always craves in the postseason – a matchup of traditional big-market powers

from opposite coasts in the World Series.

The Boston Red Sox and Los Angeles Dodgers should have killed it ratings-wise. Instead, they got slaughtered. Average

per-game ratings were down 23 percent from the 2017 match of the Dodgers and Astros, and an astonishing 38 percent from two years ago when the Cubs beat the Indians.

Why are people so turned off to baseball, whether in-person or from their couch?

The way the game is being played at its highest level today is a lot less compelling than it used to be, and it’s somehow taking a whole lot longer. That’s a 6-4-3 double-negative cue for sports fans of the 21st century to look elsewhere for faster, more action-packed options.

It’s even turning prospective stars like Murray away. Once upon a time, baseball was always the No. 1 pursuit of the best young athletes. Those days are long gone. So is Murray.

So where do we start fixing baseball for the betterment of all? We have a few changeups in our ball bag …

SPEED UP THE GAME AT ALL COSTS

Face it, we no longer live in a pastoral age. But even if men were still wearing straw hats and applying mustache wax and women were carrying parasols, they’d be railing at the pace of today’s games. For all the talk of change aimed at speeding things up, 2018 represented the seventh straight year games averaged more than three hours: 3:04, to be exact.

Regular-season attendance dropped in 2018 by a staggering 3 million.

An outfield hangout session? Must be yet another pitching change.

Pitch clocks and limiting mound visits hasn’t been enough. All those pitching changes are gumming up good intentions, not to mention those damned replay decisions from New York. It remains baseball’s No. 1 bugaboo. It’s even worse when people watch most — in the playoffs. There were 33 postseason games played in 2018, and care to guess how many were played under three hours? Answer: One. Somehow, the Braves and Dodgers played a division series game in 2:35. But that was by far the anomaly in a postseason in which 23 of the 33 games slow-roasted for more than 3 hours and 30 minutes.

Eight of those 23 exceeded four hours (and four of those were mere nine-inning games). The Dodgers and Brewers played a 13-inning championship series game that lasted 5:15. And of course, Game 3 of the World Series was a 7-hour, 20-minute PBS miniseries all by itself. Played at Dodger Stadium, it ended at roughly 3:30 a.m. in Boston. Even the Cheers bar was closed.

What’s an ideal game time?

Understanding that realistically, we’re never going back to the subtwo hour era when players left their mitts on the field? Here’s our working slogan: Strive For 2:35. That’s not unreasonable. The average NBA game lasts 2:15 counting its halftime, timeouts, replays and other pauses such as Draymond Green technicals.

TOP: NHAT V. MEYER/STAFF, BOTTOM: MIKE ZARRILLI/GETTY IMAGES

Did someone say seven-inning games? It’s been thrown out there, and while it would be a lamentable turn of events, baseball can’t keep rolling out these nightly wagon-train excursions and survive in our instant-thrill culture. The kids (not to mention the granddads) are falling asleep, and if you lose them, Mr. Commissioner, you’ve probably lost for good.

FIGHT FOR THE BEST ATHLETES

So how can baseball start keeping fleet-footed studs like Murray? Frankly, he just may have been a special case. The best way to have kept him would have been to insist he couldn’t play any more football when he accepted the A’s signing bonus money. Alas, the A’s and MLB weren’t counting on him winning the Heisman, getting to the national title game, and at 5-foot-10, improving his stock into the mid-first round of the NFL Draft. They should have been more selfish and said, “You’re ours now, kid.”

As for those draft-able athletes who may not be as rare as Murray, baseball must consider relaxing its draft pool bonus restrictions dramatically and better support teams who risk pursuing dual-sport stars as the A’s did.

In Murray’s case, injury risks aside, he made the obvious choice once he established his football cred. His free agency clock will start immediately when he joins his NFL team next fall, and aside from franchise tagging, he can be an unrestricted free agent after four seasons. In baseball, it might take him three seasons just to make the big leagues, three more seasons to be eligible for arbitration and yet another three to become a free agent.

Nine years as opposed to four? Easy call for Murray. Besides, if he flops in the NFL, he can always

While athletes like Kyler Murray become more difficult to lure, rules have yet to prevent dramatic defensive shifts that startle the senses of traditional baseball fans.

return to baseball. Tougher the other way around. Maybe he’ll be back around the time baseball’s collective bargaining agreement comes up for renewal at the end of 2021, and he can take advantage of wholesale changes, which by that time probably will be essential.

GET THE RULES RIGHT

Lowering the mound (as opposed to the ludicrous thought of moving it back) isn’t a bad idea. Major league hitters batted a composite .248 in 2018 (lowest since 1969), hit 520 fewer home runs and recorded more strikeouts than hits for the first time in recorded history.

One suggestion, offered recently by former MVP slugger Dale Murphy, would be to lower it three inches this year and three next year, see how it goes. Sure.

Just do it. It might just save some arms from Tommy John surgery in the process as pitchers are much less likely to hump it up to 100 mph throwing on flatter ground.

Pitchers deserve some sort of bone, though. How about acknowledging the real strike zone, and bringing back the high strike? When he was lord of umpires, longtime executive Sandy Alderson fought for that obsessively, and made progress. But now we’re back to the shoebox strike zone, with hitters gearing their launch-angle swing to hit the low strike … because there is no other strike.

The DH? It appears destined for the National League at some point, but who cares? Nobody plays real “NL ball” anymore. Nobody steals. Nobody strategically bunts. Nobody hits the other way

on a hit-and-run. Make the DH uniform in both leagues or don’t have it at all.

For all the folks who abhor the DH but also hate seeing pitchers hit, how about this idea: No DH, and pitchers don’t hit, either. Your batting order is 1-8. Sacrilegious? Come on. Not nearly as cuckoo as deciding extra-inning games by starting a guy at second base. And you’re not lifting pitchers for pinch-hitters, either. Maybe they stick around a little longer, and we don’t get the reliever parade so often. Shifts? Hate ’em. Ditch ’em. But only the really extreme ones, where you can get thrown out by the third baseman from short right field. That’s not baseball, that’s bogusball, and one of the truly awful byproducts of too many analytics. Whether shifting left or right, infielders should

not be allowed to move beyond second base from their natural position. Give left-handed hitters a chance.

Enough with “openers” or short-inning starters (SIS-sies, as we call them). God bless Madison Bumgarner for standing up to the inanity of it. It’ll be a sad day in Mudville when a starter who goes five innings is called “Hoss,” but that’s where it’s going right now. There were 42 complete games in baseball in 2018. Over the past four decades, we’ve gone from 1,032 complete games in 1978 to 622 to 302 to 136 to 42 in 10-year increments. By 2028, there may be no such thing as a complete game. Or maybe by 2020. Nine teams didn’t have one last year. Seven more only had one.

Maybe we can live without complete games. But is it too much to ask anymore for a solid six or seven innings from one pitcher? Let’s hope not.

Finally, a general wish, not necessarily a rule: Just play the game right, as Tony La Russa always used to say. For instance, let managers manage. Don’t have analytics guys calling them midgame or plotting out the whole pitching spreadsheet beforehand. This isn’t a Strat-O-Matic tournament. We’re not rolling dice here, or flipping cards or probability charts. It’s a sport, a good one if the geeks leave it alone. It was all too obvious in the Series that Dave Roberts was just a puppet in the L.A. dugout, taking orders from a box of nerds somewhere above. Thankfully, the Dodgers deserved what they got – an analytical butt-whupping.

Now it is baseball fans’ turn to get what they deserve. Give them back the real game, and maybe baseball has a chance. The key will be deciding what the real game is, though. Whatever that turns out to be, can we please get it done in less than 3½ hours?

A sight now as ubiquitous to baseball as the Cracker Jack man coming down the aisle: The umpires huddled up, waiting for yet another replay decision.

PHOTO BY LEON HALIP/GETTY IMAGES

STORY

BY KERRY CROWLEY AND MARTIN GALLEGOS • ILLUSTRATION BY DAVIDE BARCO

Mike Fiers, A’s pitcher, on the general minor league bus ride vibe: “You get a 15-hour bus ride with 25 baseball players, you get some weird conversations and bad smells. I don’t know if I want to throw anyone under the bus, but there’s some weird stuff that goes on.”

Ray Black, Giants reliever, on an NYC detour that added hours to an already long trip from Portland, Maine, to Virginia: “We had to drop off our trainer in Manhattan because he was meeting a guy who needed to get elbow surgery. We’re stuck on a bus in Times Square at 10 o’clock at night, all the lights and noise. We were so mad. It’s already a 14- or 15-hour bus ride, and that made it about 18 or 19 hours. I’m pretty sure that after that bus ride one of my teammates retired. He was contemplating it before, but that bus ride tested your will power to play baseball. You get 19 hours and 35 guys on a bus, it was tough. You’re trying to sleep, we’re all sitting upright trying to play cards for 20 hours straight. That was probably the worst bus trip of the minor leagues.”

Dereck Rodriguez, Giants pitcher, takes the ‘‘worst experience’’ trophy: “In 2013 there was a minor league bus involved in a wrong-way accident where

the driver ended up dying. I was on that bus. The Twins, we were on our way up to short-season for Elizabethan, and we were driving up by Jacksonville. There was a car in oncoming traffic, and we went into the median (to avoid it). That wasn’t fun.”

Shaun Anderson, Giants’ top pitching prospect with extra motivation to make his way to the majors: “One time in short-season when I first got drafted, we had a 15-hour bus ride, and we left right after the game. It was like 11 p.m. and we went through the night, and we had to play that next day. I was so tired I don’t think I remember the next four days.”

EQUIPMENT SNAFUS HAPPEN

Pat Venditte, formerly the A’s switch-pitcher, now with the Giants, needs a special six-finger glove: “We had a night game in Oklahoma City, and we packed the luggage truck to go to Colorado because we were flying to Colorado Springs in the morning. Our game ended at 11, and we had a flight at 5 a.m. so rather than pay for our bags to go on the plane, they shipped the truck. So I packed up my gloves and sent them. I get called up

for the first time that night, and it’s on the weekend. So there’s no chance of me getting a glove until Monday even if they would have flown there and brought it to me. The only glove I had with me was a glove I hadn’t used yet. So I stuck it in the microwave 12 times for 45-second increments. The logo on the glove is smashed and horrible. I was praying I didn’t get a comebacker that night. I had to pitch in the game but luckily no comebackers.”

LOCATION, LOCATION LOCATION … IT OFTEN SUCKS

Bruce Bochy sleuths out his very first minor league stench: “My first assignment when I signed with the Houston Astros, they said, ‘You’re going to Covington, Virginia.’ I said ‘Covington? Where’s Covington?’ So I look on the map, and I drove there from Melbourne, Fla. I’ll never forget, I was getting close to Covington and I got this really awful smell. I didn’t know if something was in my car that died. I pulled over and opened the trunk. Well, it’s a paper mill town and it just smelled awful. In the middle of the town, all of us were going, ‘Wow, are we going to be able to take this for the next two and a half months?’ But you get used to it. We had a great time, a terrific time playing in the Appalachian League.”

Sean Manaea, A’s pitcher, on being one of the fortunate ones: “There was a hotel we stayed at in High-A that had bed bugs, so we had to move rooms a couple of times and eventually go to a different hotel. The locker rooms being a quarter of the size of big league clubhouses, super small with only like two shower heads. That was kind of rough at times. I was lucky; I know some guys who have had buses break down at like 3 in the morning. Rodriguez, on the quirks of location: “Beloit, Wisconsin, and Clinton, Iowa, were not fun. Then this was my first year in Triple-A and Salt Lake City was not fun. Vegas was not fun. Before I got called up, I had given up like 18 or 19 home runs; it was unbelievable. But half of those home runs I gave up were like pop outs. There were a couple where I thought, ‘No way that’s going out,’ and they did. That’s the PCL I guess.”

DUDE, YOU’RE GETTING PAID TO PLAY BASEBALL

Far left: Jharel Cotton “didn’t mind the minor leagues too much,” despite the bed bugs.

Above, A’s pitcher Sean Manaea says he was lucky, recalling guys who had buses break down in the wee hours.

At left: Giants pitcher Dereck Rodriguez was on a tragic bus trip with the Twins.

Jharel Cotton, A’s pitcher and wise sage: “I had bed bugs in one of my hotels. I didn’t mind the minor leagues too much, though. I kind of overlooked all the bad stuff. Of course, the big leagues is much better, but at the time the minor leagues were all I knew.”

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THE GIANTS

BAL a w

ALLGAME a wHOLE NEW

IN COMES FARHAN ZAIDI, OUT WILL GO BRUCE BOCHY AFTER ONE LAST SEASON. IT WAS A CHANGING OF THE GUARD A LONG TIME COMING ALONG THE SHORES OF ORACLE PARK. WILL IT BE A GRAND FINALE FOR THE FUTURE HALL-OF-FAME MANAGER?

STORY BY KERRY CROWLEY

ILLUSTRATION BY STANLEY CHOW

This isn’t the turning of a page – it’s the authoring of a new book.

For a quarter century, Giants lead scribe Bruce Bochy has done it his way. Guided by his gut, Bochy stood at the top step of the dugout while San Francisco penned the golden chapters of its franchise history. But it’s been five long years since that copy went to press, and after multiple failed attempts to keep the story alive, the Giants have found a new lead author.

KARL MONDON/STAFF

Farhan Zaidi is the organizational outsider entrusted to script the Giants’ next epic. Once a baseball novice, Zaidi’s creative genius and affable personality convinced the Giants to hire him away from the Dodgers to serve as president of baseball operations.

The arranged marriage between Zaidi and Bochy will only last for one season, but it’s a narrative worthy of close examination.

Bochy is a reminder of where the Giants have been. Zaidi symbolizes where they are headed. Bochy is the captain of the old guard and Zaidi the poster child of baseball’s new age.

Together, the duo will bridge the past and future — with major emphasis on making the most of the present.

They’ll only spend one chapter together. And the writing has begun.

ON

HIS FIRST DAY ON

THE JOB, Zaidi was asked whether he’d consider trading ace Madison Bumgarner. “Nothing is off the table,” he affirmed.

And just like that it was clear how different the Zaidi era would be in San Francisco.

“I just didn’t want to rule anything out off the bat,” he explained months later.

The candor was welcome to some fans who desire a full-scale rebuild. It was an opening salvo loaded with fighting words to others, including many diehard season-ticket holders.

But to understand why Zaidi would ever consider parting with a homegrown star like Bumgarner, the curtain must be pulled on his baseball background.

After graduating from MIT and earning a doctorate in behavioral economics from UC Berkeley, Zaidi took a low-level opening as an assistant in the Oakland Athletics’ baseball operations

At right: Pitching coach Curt Young and Zaidi spent time at spring training assessing the team’s strengths and weaknesses.

department. It was not a conventional path for a person with Zaidi’s scholastic credentials, but he thrived.

“We hired him when he hadn’t been in baseball and didn’t know what it meant to sit in those rooms and be a part of the conversation,” A’s general manager David Forst said. “He very quickly learned how to contribute. … Farhan, yes he’s incredibly smart and has the Ph.D., but he reads the room too.”

Zaidi ascended through the front office and became the A’s director of baseball operations in 2013. A’s vice president of baseball operations Billy Beane has told reporters he often fended off requests from other teams to interview Zaidi for open jobs, but the Los Angeles Dodgers finally broke through in November of 2014.

Dodgers vice president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman now recounts the myriad ways Zaidi helped L.A. extend a run of dominance in the National League West. Zaidi’s former boss lauded his curiosity and listening skills, but singled out a quality that comes up in nearly every conversation about the Giants’ top baseball executive.

“He is extremely creative,” Friedman said. “He’s got a really good way of connecting with people, and it’s not often you find someone with that intellect and ability to connect with people.”

Creativity has been a constant in Zaidi’s career, a characteristic that proved equally valuable for an A’s organization that often had to pinch pennies and a Dodgers franchise flush with resources.

“He had the best of both worlds as far as the baseball experiences for a front office executive,” former Giants general manager Brian Sabean said. “Oakland has always had to be creative and think out of the box, more so reinvent themselves. And I’ve got all the respect for the Dodger organization. We’ve seen first-hand,

KARL MONDON/STAFF

they actually don’t get the credit that they should.”

Under the direction of Friedman and Zaidi, the Dodgers retained stars like Clayton Kershaw and Kenley Jansen, but built depth at a level no National League peer could rival. Hidden gems like Chris Taylor and Max Muncy fortified the Dodgers lineup while a stacked rotation withstood key injuries thanks to a deep group of seven pitchers who finished the 2018 season with anywhere from 15 to 27 starts.

Upon his arrival in San Francisco, Zaidi initiated a roster strategy shaped by both his small- and big-market perspectives. In his first five months on the job, he didn’t sign a single position player to a major league contract but devoted countless hours to scoping out low-profile additions.

Zaidi admits he’s willing to overlook perceived weaknesses or flaws of a potential acquisition if they possess traits he thinks provide the most value.

An example: “Take an outfielder who has a plus or double-plus arm,” Zaidi said. “Aesthetically you love to see it and maybe they can impact the game one play a game or one play every other game. But on the flip side, you take a guy that can really control the zone and that’s a skill that comes into play on every pitch that he’s at the plate.”

Command of the strike zone, both for pitchers and hitters, is a commonality among the players the Giants brought to big league camp. Zaidi views the player acquisition process as a balancing act between evaluating the “loudness of a player’s tools” and “the persistence of their impact,” but pitchers who throw strikes and hitters who swing at them have more chances to alter an outcome.

Zaidi’s philosophy on roster building may seem unusual for a club with a pocketbook as hefty as San Francisco’s, but he’s earning the respect of the longest-tenured

members of the organization, who didn’t necessarily operate the same way.

“He’s inclusive as far as his thought process, and I think getting everybody in is important,” Sabean said. “Especially coming into an organization you don’t know. He has a vision, and he is knowing what he needs to do in the moment.”

After the team dismissed general manager Bobby Evans — an executive who spent 25 years in the organization — last fall, Giants leadership preached the importance of evolution. The franchise gave Zaidi full authority to fix what’s ailed it, but instead of rushing to replace the engine, he instead invited a handful of new mechanics to coexist with the established members of the front office shop.

The result is a baseball operations department that’s opted for incremental improvements over wholesale changes.

“There’s a lot of institutional knowledge that is really important to have,” Zaidi said. “One of the things I’ve heard from a lot of GMs going into new positions is that if they had any regrets from their first few months on the job, it was not knowing their own players well enough and trading away prospects who wound up doing really well.”

The new operation hasn’t lacked for drama, though. At Zaidi’s request, the Giants pushed for slugger Bryce Harper. They came up short, but plenty of other big decisions loom.

What does the future hold for franchise pillar Buster Posey when top prospect Joey Bart arrives to catch in the major leagues? That’s a good problem to have, Zaidi insists.

“I think if you asked any front office in the game, they’d love to have a timeshare of two guys who are impact bats back there,” Zaidi said.

The Giants won’t face a

Posey-Bart dilemma until 2020, leaving Zaidi with one 6-foot4, 240-pound elephant in the room to confront first. It’s widely assumed Zaidi feels no emotional connection to Bumgarner’s future with the Giants.

Zaidi respects the left-hander’s accomplishments, but he wasn’t a Giants executive when Bumgarner won three World Series. He’s supposed to look at Bumgarner without the bias — without the orange-tinted glasses so many in San Francisco look through.

There’s plenty of chatter about removing emotion from the equation. Zaidi just believes it’s not that simple.

“In Oakland, out of necessity, we couldn’t afford those kinds of relationships,” Zaidi said. “But in L.A., there was certainly more of the resources to do that, and again, there’s some intrinsic value in that that goes beyond how you project a player’s value on the field.”

Zaidi isn’t a clone of those who preceded him. But he’s not the computer-geek, machine-loving nerd he’s often labeled as. His genius is complex, his mind is exceptional, and his gut — believe it or not — is a feature he relies on. Not all that unlike the future Hall of Fame manager who now calls him boss.

A MACHINE TO MEASURE the spin rate of a pitch stood directly behind the mound at Scottsdale Stadium. Another apparatus rested alongside it, so the Giants could track the exit velocity of a batted ball. Then there was an analyst on the field, holding a computer that spit out data in real time.

None of these things — the equipment nor the data analyst — was around for Bruce Bochy’s first spring training as a major league manager in 1995. None were on the field when Bochy managed

his first spring with the Giants in 2007.

But as the longest-tenured manager in baseball spoke in the dugout of Scottsdale Stadium on Feb. 18, the technology felt omnipresent.

“I managed with my gut. I came up here in 2007 on my gut, and it’s a gut feeling that it’s time,” said Bochy, who announced he’ll retire after the season. “It’s been an unbelievable ride.”

Baseball is constantly evolving. Despite a popular narrative, Bochy is too.

To suggest otherwise would spread an all-too-convenient falsehood about one of the most successful leaders in the history of the sport.

Sure, the analytical arms race and its presence on a spring training diamond provided an ironic backdrop for a manager who can only be described as “old school,” but Bochy didn’t reach the pinnacle of his profession by ignoring information.

“I think he was factoring in a lot more than he led on,” first-year Reds manager David Bell said. “You can’t have that much success without being hungry for information.”

BOCHY’S GREATEST GIFT as a manager is not his ability to interpret information assembled on a spreadsheet. It’s his ability to interpret the situation at hand, whatever it may be.

That starts in baseball’s most sacred space: The clubhouse.

“He’s always trying to connect with a player, whether it’s a quick hello or a deeper conversation,” said Dodgers manager Dave Roberts, who played for Bochy in the skipper’s first season with the Giants. “He empowers the player and doesn’t try to micromanage. Even for me as a young manager, to try to not impose my will too much on a player or a team, it can be a challenge at times. Boch has that down.”

When Bochy steps away after the season, he’ll become the fifth person in MLB history to manage 25 consecutive major league seasons. The others are Hall of Famers Connie Mack, John McGraw, Tony LaRussa and Sparky Anderson.

Bochy’s players and his managerial contemporaries are skeptical anyone else will join such a distinguished fraternity. As front offices seek to control more aspects of in-game decision-making and strip emotion from the process, managers are more likely to be figureheads than difference-makers.

In a sport where numbers matter more than ever, the personal touch it takes to lead a team is increasingly devalued.

“He’s just a dying breed, you know?” pitcher Jeff Samardzija said. “Unfortunately after this, you’re going to have 30 puppets out there giving you cliche answers, and it’s a shame because Bochy isn’t that. He’s a person. He’s got great stories, he’s a motivator, and on top of all that, he loves his kids.”

For all the discussion about baseball losing a classic character, what’s easily overlooked is Bochy’s innovative mind. Bochy’s strategies didn’t upheave the status quo, but the way he deployed pitchers in postseason play challenged conventional thinking.

In 2010, Bochy gave starter Jonathan Sanchez an early hook in the decisive Game 6 of the NLCS against the Phillies, calling on Jeremy Affeldt, Madison Bumgarner, Javier Lopez and even Tim Lincecum before turning the game over to closer Brian Wilson.

In 2012, he left Barry Zito in the rotation with the Giants trailing the NLDS 3-1 to the St. Louis Cardinals. Zito turned in an unforgettable, scoreless 7 2/3 innings and ignited a series comeback.

In 2014, Bochy took an inning-by-inning approach with Bumgarner in Game 7 of the World Series. After the sturdy left-

KARL MONDON/STAFF

hander allowed a ninth-inning triple, Bochy stuck with his ace, who clinched a title with five scoreless relief innings in what’s considered one of the great postseason performances of all time.

“You just couldn’t make a mistake against him,” Rockies manager Bud Black said.

Black recalls dozens of games, particularly in the Giants’ home park, where he was left searching for the ideal late-game matchup. He wanted his right-handed pinch-hitters to face Bochy’s left-handed relievers and for Bochy’s right-handed relievers to see Black’s left-handed bats. * * *

MATCHUPS MAKE A DIFFERENCE late in games. So does thinking ahead, and Bochy is unrivaled when maneuvering in the final innings.

“It seemed like for forever he was going to get (Jeremy) Affeldt on Adrian Gonzalez,” Black said. “He was going to get Javier Lopez on someone. Here comes (Sergio) Romo. Here comes Brian Wilson.”

Even Torey Lovullo, the thirdyear manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks, understands Bochy’s brilliance. The Giants have lost 187 games since Lovullo took over in Phoenix, but he’s rarely felt like a win against Bochy’s club came easily.

“After a game against the Giants, I’m exhausted,” Lovullo said. “You better bring your ‘A’ game because if you don’t, he’s going to exploit you. He doesn’t just exploit you one time. He will try to exploit you with a body blow, a jab, a left hook, a right hook and then a power shot to knock you out.”

Bochy is considered one of the greatest postseason managers of all time, but his players suggest his ability to hold a clubhouse together during the regular season is just as impressive.

Samardzija said he marveled at the way Bochy went about his business during the Giants’

FIVE POTENTIAL REPLACEMENTS FOR BOCHY

MIKE MATHENY: Chastised for his bullpen management skills in St. Louis, Matheny was let go by the Cardinals despite posting a .555 winning percentage over six-plus seasons. The former Giants catcher has a pennant and a 100-win season under his belt plus the necessary experience to handle the pressure to win in San Francisco.

HENSLEY MEULENS: Third base coach Ron Wotus and farm director Kyle Haines are the other top internal candidates to replace Bochy, but Meulens is a strong choice. He earned rave reviews for his work managing the Netherlands in the World Baseball Classic and was a finalist for the Yankees job that went to former ESPN analyst Aaron Boone.

JOE GIRARDI: If the money was right, Girardi would be calling shots from the dugout instead of watching games from home. Instead, he’s the rare high-profile candidate who could be lured back with hefty compensation and the allure of working in a big market with a big budget.

RAUL IBANEZ: A special assistant in the Dodgers organization, Ibanez knows Farhan Zaidi well and could be hand-selected by the new president of baseball operations in San Francisco if he wants a younger presence who understands the mission of the front office. Zaidi doesn’t have the same connection with Omar Vizquel, but the former Giants shortstop is another recently retired player with a name to watch.

BOB GEREN: Geren’s track record in the game and his ties to Zaidi suggest he’ll at least receive some consideration in San Francisco. He’s been the bench coach in Los Angeles under Dave Roberts and served as the manager for Oakland for five years, so few executives know Geren better than Zaidi, who spent considerable time with the A’s and Dodgers.

— KERRY CROWLEY

collapse at the end of the 2016 season while starter Derek Holland suggested the team would have been worse than 73-89 last year if not for Bochy’s leadership.

A manager’s impact on a team’s overall record is impossible to quantify statistically, but the Giants will need Bochy’s 25th season in baseball and 13th with the club to be one of his best. The Giants have suffered through consecutive losing seasons for the first time since 2007-2008 and a moribund lineup hasn’t received any significant additions.

Despite the bleak overall outlook, Zaidi is determined to provide Bochy with a versatile roster that maximizes the manager’s in-game skills.

“I know how much Boch wants to go out with a strong year and obviously that’s a huge motivation for me and all of the players,” Zaidi said. “Not that any added motivation or inspiration is needed for this group, but we’re very focused on this season.”

It’s possible changes across nearly every level of the organization inspired Bochy to reconsider his future, but he told reporters he began contemplating retirement at the end of last season. Bochy vehemently denied the possibility that a new regime with a different agenda convinced him to step away from the Giants, but he also wouldn’t rule out the possibility that his days in uniform aren’t over.

Bochy is a baseball man’s baseball man, a player’s coach and a fierce competitor. It shouldn’t come as any surprise that after announcing his retirement, the future Hall of Fame manager had no desire to cycle through his favorite memories or recall specific moments that defined his career.

No, Bochy’s mind didn’t race. It instead settled on the target that’s motivated him for the last quarter century: a ring.

“I look forward to one more shot,” Bochy said. “Trust me. I’m all in.”

KARL MONDON/STAFF

Despite the bleak overall outlook, Zaidi, with Bochy at spring training, is determined to provide Bochy with a versatile roster that maximizes the manager’s in-game skills.

Find your way to

San Jose

Not since the likes of Posey, Bumgarner and Lincecum roamed Municipal Stadium has there been this much excitement for San Jose Giants baseball. Get to know these names.

BY KERRY CROWLEY

Giants baseball at San Jose Municipal Stadium: a slice of Americana, a journey back in time and an event that promises good, old-fashioned family fun.

As Madison Bumgarner tells it, “How baseball was almost meant to be played.”

Only one problem in recent years: The play hasn’t been so good. For all the cheap beer, great barbecue and close-up views, the on-field action hasn’t provided much excitement.

That’s about to change.

HELIOT RAMOS, OF

Drafted: 2017, 1st (19)

Age: 19

ETA: 2021

Bats: R Throws: R

Ht/Wt: 6’2”/185

MLB.com says: His bat speed and strength remain impressive, giving him the raw power to crush home runs to all fields. He needs to develop a more patient approach in order to make enough contact to do damage against advanced pitching, though his strikeout rate actually decreased from 2017 (32 percent) to 2018 (25 percent).

JOEY BART, C

Drafted: 2018, 1st (2)

Age: 22

ETA: 2021

Bats: R Throws: R

Ht/Wt: 6’3’’/220

MLB.com says: Thanks to his bat speed, strength and leverage, Bart rivaled Alec Bohm (No. 3 overall to the Phillies) as the best right-handed power hitter in the 2018 draft. He learned in college (Georgia Tech) that he has natural power and doesn’t have to swing for the fences, and he has the potential to produce 25 homers per season. With his controlled swing and improved plate discipline, he should hit for average to go with his pop.

“I’d say San Jose is the start of the big wave for the young talent for this year,” Giants farm director Kyle Haines said.

The featured talent, of course, is 2017 first-round draft choice Heliot Ramos and 2018 firstround pick Joey Bart. The duo are the two top prospects in the Giants organization, and they’re both expected to spend a significant portion of the year in San Jose.

“That would be awesome if we could go up there and do some damage,” Bart said. “Help the San Jose Giants win some games, that’s what we’re here for. We’ll have some fun.”

Fun was a constant theme in San Jose a decade ago. From 2005-2010, the Giants won four California League titles as the next generation of stars such as Tim Lincecum, Buster Posey and Bumgarner passed through the area. They donned the Giants uniform, conquered the competition and found themselves on the fast-track to the big leagues. This year’s crop of prospects could follow in their footsteps.

“There’s a lot of excitement going into the season in San Jose, it reminds me of the 2009 team when you had Buster Posey and Madison Bumgarner,” San Jose Giants broadcaster Joe Ritzo said. “They were a couple of former first-round picks and prospects that already have name-recognition even at the Class-A advanced level, which is very unusual.”

In Ramos, fans will meet a teenage talent with five tools and the potential to break the Giants’ 30-plus-year drought of failing to produce a homegrown all-star in the outfield.

In Bart, San Jose Giants fans will see the franchise’s catcher of the future, a broad-shouldered power-hitter who represents the next great hope.

TOP: NHAT V. MEYER/STAFF, RIGHT: COURTESY OF THE GIANTS

BOTH PHOTOS: KARL MONDON/STAFF

SEAN HJELLE, RHP

Drafted: 2018, 2nd (45)

Age: 21

ETA: 2021

Bats: R Throws: R

Ht/Wt: 6’11”/225

MLB.com says: If Hjelle can make it to the big leagues, he’ll equal 6-foot-11 Jon Rauch as the tallest pitcher in MLB history. Hjelle doesn’t fit the prototype of a tall pitcher because his polish stands out much more than his power. His fastball sits at 91-94 mph and peaks at 96, with the unusual angle he creates with his extra-large frame more notable than his velocity.

JAKE WONG, RHP

Drafted: 2018, 3rd (80)

ETA: 2021

Age: 22

Bats: R Throws: R

Ht/Wt: 6’2”/215

MLB.com says: Wong helped put Grand Canyon University’s newly minted NCAA Division I program on the map with a series of strong performances against ranked opponents in 2017-18. Wong sits at 93-95 mph and reaches 97 mph with his fastball, which features heavy sink when he keeps it down in the strike zone.

“He’s playing the rarest position there is to find impact, and that’s behind the plate,” Haines said. “He can impact a game offensively and defensively, both in the same game, and it’s really exciting to watch.”

Behind the frontline talent, the Giants have a number of other talented prospects ticketed for San Jose. Reliever Camilo Doval could make the jump from Low-A Augusta while 2018 draftees and pitchers Sean Hjelle and Jake Wong may climb their way up to the California League by the end of the season.

At 6-foot-11, Hjelle is a rare breed, but Wong may have the quicker path to the big leagues if

he stays on track.

“Jake is really impressive,” Bart said. “He throws really hard, 95 at least and with a banger curveball and a changeup as well. Jake’s a great player. He’s a guy I could see climbing the ladder pretty fast. He’s pretty advanced, and with Hjelle, those two guys are pretty good.”

The future isn’t quite here yet in San Francisco. But 45 minutes down the road, it’ll be on display every night.

“It’s a major league city in close proximity to San Francisco,” Ritzo said. “When we’re loaded with top prospects, there are San Francisco executives that are down watching us play on a nightly basis.”

This season should bring more reason to check out the action at Municipal Stadium, where the likes of Joey Bart and Heliot Ramos are expected to bring excitement to the diamond.

CAMILO DOVAL, RHP

Signed: Oct. 28, 2015

Age: 21

ETA: 2021

Bats: R Throws: R

Ht/Wt: 6’2”/185

MLB.com says: Signed for $100,000 out of the Dominican Republic at the relatively advanced age of 18 in October 2015, Doval has one of the best pure arms in the Giants organization. Doval has a filthy heater that sits at 93-98 mph and frequently reaches triple digits. He slings the ball from a lowthree-quarters arm slot that makes it hard for righthanders to pick up his heater and imparts natural cutting and running action.

EYES

FOR SAN FRANCISCO

DEREK HOLLAND KNEW A WELCOMING CLUBHOUSE FOR A GUY WITH A FUN-LOVING — AND SOMETIMES OFFBEAT — SENSE OF HUMOR WHEN HE SAW ONE. WHAT BETTER PLACE FOR A VETERAN PITCHER TO CONTINUE HIS CAREER RESURRECTION?

BY KERRY CROWLEY

Farhan Zaidi got his guy. No, not Bryce Harper. Derek Holland, of course. Holland is back with the Giants on a one-year deal, and the offbeat left-hander with a big heart didn’t want it any other way.

Holland, 32, earned the wordplay nickname “Dutch Oven” (Holland...Dutch... get it?) early in a career that began with the Texas Rangers. Like any good athlete who is quirky by nature, Holland has a few distinguishing traits that give him away — a passion for professional wrestling, funky postgame T-shirts and impersonations (he’s known to do mean renditions of Kermit The Frog and Harry Carey), for starters. Before he heads back to the starting rotation, we took a few minutes in Arizona to tackle those topics and more.

QYou said early on last year that you hoped to return to the Giants in free agency. What influenced that decision?

AJust being able to be here with the veteran guys and the teammates, you felt very comfortable. That’s the best way I can put it. It was just a great place to be. The environment was awesome, the fans were great, and the staff was easy to work with. I just felt like there was something special about this place, and I wanted to come back and do it again.

QYou moved to the left side of the rubber last year. How did that make you a better pitcher?

AThe big thing is being more deceptive and making the pitches look a little more similar to each other. I’m not too sure, but I saw the success, the confidence rose with it.

QA lot of starters wouldn’t have been comfortable moving to the bullpen like you did in the middle of last year. Why was that so easy for you?

AFor a team like the Giants to pick me up, I felt like I owe it to them. They gave me a second chance to redeem myself and then on top of it, they had a strong group of starters to begin with. So for me to be able to get into that rotation, I felt like if I get to stay here, I’m going to do whatever I can. If I get to go to the bullpen and help, fine, I’m going to do it. I made sure whatever the situation was, I was going to give everything I had. Because it’s more about the team than it is yourself.

QYou have your 60-foot, 6-inch Foundation. Can you tell us a little bit about that and why it’s important to you?

AIt’s very important to me because it benefits pediatric cancer patients. Experiencing it was something that was hard for me. There was a little kid and his name was Briggs Berry who inspired me to really get into it. I always went to the hospital with the Rangers and saw kids on Christmas, and it’s tough because those kids that you’re seeing are going through so much, and it changes your view on a lot of things. I met several kids, and it was going to be their last Christmas and to walk in there and try

to take them away from it. It’s kind of what inspired me to do Kermit the Frog. No kid should ever have to deal with those kinds of things.

QWe know you’re one of the biggest WWE fans around. How did your interest in that start?

AIt’s an entertainment thing, and to me, it’s perfect for what’s going on in the world right now. It takes us away from that, and it shows that anyone can do

anything that can entertain people. You’ve got the bad guys, the good guys, you’ve got everything, and that’s what it’s all about. Taking people away, a distraction. I’ve been inspired by it. Meeting these guys and seeing what they go through, it’s a literal grind for them, 24/7. I started the whole WWE thing, giving the belts away to kids, because I sat next to John Cena’s Make-A-Wish kid and I saw he didn’t have a belt, so I got him a belt and we continued to keep doing that. It’s been a tradition of mine. I wanted to keep doing

it and not being noticed, but it’s a cool feeling that you get caught because at the end of the day, it’s all about putting a smile on a kid’s face. It ties into my charity, and that’s what I want. We’re taking them away from something and letting them have something big.

QYou guys had a huge group of gamers in the clubhouse last year. What are you guys playing this spring?

AD-Rod and me play a lot together; we just played Grand

Theft Auto. We do a lot of streaming. I stream at Dutch_Oven45 on Twitch, and we literally game all the time. That’s our big thing; it’s a bonding thing for most guys and especially the young guys. Keeping them relaxed. To me, it’s bonding. We do dinners and stuff like that, but something else that helped with the decision to come back here was because of the gaming and the bonding that these guys have. There’s not a bad person in this clubhouse. We all get along, we all hang out with each other. That’s what’s huge.

QTo bring it back to baseball, you’re a switch-hitting pitcher. How did that start?

AWhen I was in high school, I was an outfielder. I pitched, but everybody did, and I loved playing outfield. My dad thought, “Why not try to be a switch-hitter?” So I took it and we ran with that. I get worn out because I’m a switch-hitter and I don’t really hit, but I don’t want to change it because that’s just who I am. I’m going to be who I am. I’m going to be different. I take the time and I work on it with Alonzo Powell and I take pride in it. I know I’m not very good at it, but I have fun with it and that’s the whole purpose. I know Kruk and Kuip always wear me out, but if you can’t have fun with it and can’t embrace it, you’re not in the right profession. I’m going to be who I am because that’s what works for me. I’m not going to be Mr. Serious, even though I’m serious when I pitch, but you’ve got to be who you are. The one thing I’ve always learned, and that’s what inspired me with Briggs Berry, was live your life and be who you are and don’t try to be somebody that you’re not. On top of that, don’t try to compare yourself to somebody else. Compare yourself to what you were yesterday and be better than that. If you can do that, you’re going to live a happy life and be fine.

Derek Holland likes to bond with his younger teammates by playing video games in the clubhouse. They even like to stream their battles live via Twitch.

PHOTOS BY KARL MONDON/STAFF

Regular-season schedule

NOTES AlltimesPacific. Allgametimes andtelecast information subjecttochange. Allgames broadcaston 680AM

Duringtheoverlapof Giants,A’s,Sharks andWarriorsgames inApril(andbeyond, dependingonNBA andNHLplayoffs), ComcastSportsNet shufflesgames betweenNBCBAand NBCBA+. Forup-to-the-minute listings,besureto checkPage2ofour dailySportssection.

THE GIANTS

Five players & five plotlines

BY KERRY CROWLEY

BrandonBelt

Want to spark a debate among Giants fans? Just mention his name and watch the "Belt Wars” begin. While many adore Belt for his Gold Glove-caliber defense and disciplined approach at the plate, others despise his willingness to take too many pitches and lament his inability to stay healthy. The divide among Giants fans plays out almost daily on social media as the two sides engage in cyber warfare discussing the pros and cons of Belt's presence in the heart of the team's order. And while many are eager to denigrate his performance, it's no secret that Belt is a key cog in the Giants lineup who can lead an offense when he's firing on all cylinders. For the Giants to have a chance of contending, they need Belt to play at the All-Star-caliber level he's capable of and remain an everyday presence in the lineup. After missing nearly 100 games over the past two seasons, time is running out for Belt to prove he's capable of providing the consistency expected of one of the club's top earners.

DerekHolland

After signing with the Giants as a minor league free agent last year, Holland enjoyed his best season since 2013 and proved that when healthy, he's a reliable, middle-of-the-rotation starter. Holland returned on a major league deal this offseason and will be counted on to replicate his success.

BrandonCrawford

The Giants' All-Star shortstop lost his grip on the Gold Glove, but he remains an elite defender. After hitting .292 in the first half last season, a knee injury led to

TRADE BAIT

Will Smith: The 2018 Willie Mac Award winner returned from Tommy John surgery to post the best numbers of his career last season. With a mid-90s fastball and a devastating breaking ball, Smith is an asset in the Giants’ bullpen, but he could help any team with its sights set on the playoffs. If the Giants fall out of contention, expect Smith to be traded.

Tony Watson: Like Smith, a battle-tested left-hander with a track record of reliability.

Joe Panik: If Panik returns to form, the Giants could sell high at the trade deadline and deal a player who rarely strikes out.

Sam Dyson: Every contender could use a ground-ball machine, and Dyson qualifies as one of the best.

a massive dip in production. Like Belt, Crawford must prove he can stay healthy through a rigorous 162-game schedule if the Giants hope to contend.

DereckRodríguez

In a normal year, Rodríguez's debut season would have earned him serious Rookie of the Year consideration. Instead, a loaded rookie class in the National League left him out of the picture, but the right-hander did set several Giants rookie records. Was the success a fluke? Or can the converted outfielder prove he's here to stay?

StevenDuggar

The Giants' struggles to develop homegrown outfielders are well-documented, but Duggar is a rare talent with the potential to become a long-term starter in center field. With a combination of elite defensive skills, good speed and a quick bat, Duggar may also emerge as the team's regular leadoff hitter.

PLOTLINES

It’s Farhan’s world

The new president of baseball operations was hired to bring an outside-the-box approach to an organization that prides itself on continuity and tradition. Will Zaidi’s new methods lead the Giants into the future? Or will a roster with plenty of veteran assets prove reluctant to embrace change?

The Bochy Tour

The future Hall of Famer enters his 13th season with the Giants and his 25th as a major league manager. Rather than dangle out there with a lame-duck season, the skipper opted to control his own fate and make this his final chapter.

The fate of MadBum

Giants ace Madison Bumgarner is entering the final year of a contract and suddenly is staring at an uncertain future. Will the organization make a long-term commitment to the sturdy left-hander, or are Bumgarner’s days with the Giants running out? Expect his name to be a hot topic at the trade deadline.

Open it up

At the Winter Meetings, Zaidi announced the Giants will seriously consider using alternative pitching strategies this year, including the “opener.” While Bumgarner will start every fifth day, the Giants may opt to use relievers to pitch in the first inning of games if Zaidi and Bochy believe it gives the club a potential advantage. The A’s helped make the strategy popular. Can the Giants copy its success?

Buster’s ballgame?

After undergoing hip surgery last August, catcher Buster Posey believes he’ll return to form at the plate. That’s critical if the Giants hope to improve their offense, over a unit that’s finished 29th in runs scored in each of the past two seasons and is still heavily reliant on its franchise player’s ability to drive in runs.

For the Giants to have any success in 2019, it will take major contributions from veterans Brandon Belt, Buster Posey and Madison Bumgarner.

CHASING GREATNESS MATT CHAPMAN IS...

IT TOOK THE A’S PLAYER ONE FULL YEAR OF MAJOR LEAGUE PLAY TO START THE CONVERSATION: COULD WE ALREADY BE LOOKING AT THE BEST DEFENSIVE THIRD BASEMAN OF ALL TIME?

BY MARTIN GALLEGOS

ILLUSTRATION BY TIM MARRS

Oakland’s Matt Chapman, a Gold Glove winner at third base, was the first player to win the Platinum Glove award in his first full big league season.

Who is the greatest of all time? It’s a question that sparks furious debates at sports bars and barbershops around the country.

Jordan or Lebron? Montana or Brady? Ali or Mayweather?

Beyond those highest level arguments lie some of the most interesting. For instance, how about this one for the GOAT of defensive third baseman to walk the earth: Matt Chapman or Mike Schmidt?

Has to seem crazy when, with Schmidt, you’re talking about a 10-time Gold Glove winner — and Chapman just won his first … in his first full major league season.

But check out these numbers. In this new-fangled age of analytics, defensive prowess is determined by just a couple of key stats: Defensive runs saved and UZR.

Chapman’s defensive runs

saved for 2018 was 29. The next closest third baseman: Johan Camargo, with seven. Chapman’s UZR was 10.9. The next closest third baseman: Kyle Seager, with 6.6.

The A’s third baseman blew away all other players at his position. Nobody was even close to him, which is why he was awarded not just the Gold Glove at third base, but also the Platinum Glove, which is given to the league’s best defensive player.

In the eight years the Platinum Glove has been a thing, Chapman, 25, was the first player to win the award in his first full big league season.

Unfortunately, true comparisons across eras are all but impossible given the fact UZR, defensive runs saved and Platinum Gloves weren’t things in the eras that spawned the likes of Brooks Robinson, George Brett and Schmidt. But that doesn’t make the bar discussion any less fun.

Clearly one full season cannot make a GOAT, so Chapman has a ways to go. He’ll need to avoid injury. He’ll need to maintain consistency. He’ll need to want to be the greatest.

If his work regimen is any indication, that last point will not be an issue.

PREGAME RITUALS

Much like Warriors star Stephen Curry has a daily pregame dribbling and shooting routine, Chapman has his own baseball version.

Two hours before gametime, Chapman settles in at the hot corner, taking vicious grounders from A’s manager Bob Melvin in what amounts to an emotional battle royale between the skipper and his GOAT-in-training.

Melvin’s goal: Rifling grounders past the third baseman. On the rare occasion Melvin succeeds, Chap

THE

A’S

man is none too happy about it.

“He’ll chuck baseballs into the upper deck,” said Matt Williams, A’s third base coach who held down the position with the Giants, Indians and Diamondbacks during a 17-year playing career.

“If Bob hits a ball and he misses, Bob gets one point. If he’s clean, Chappy wins. It’s part of the fun of the game and part of his preparation. He really loves to play defense.”

In the end it’s a win-win just to have a fielder who loves to perfect his craft at this level over what amounts to a long grind of a season. His want and willingness to create actual scenarios he may encounter in a game explains why Chapman makes crazy plays look as routine as possible.

That practice of re-creating potential in-game scenarios is not much different from what Eric Chavez used to do. Chavez is the OG of entertaining fans at the Oakland Coliseum with jaw-dropping third base defense.

Scott Hatteberg had a front-row seat for most of Chavez’s ridiculousness on defense as the A’s first baseman from 2002-2005.

Chavez was the best third baseman Hatteberg had ever seen — until Chapman entered the league.

“It’s just hard to believe someone can be better than Chavez,” Hatteberg said. “The thing they share is that their reflexes and reaction time is spectacular. They make action figure type of plays. They’re just incredibly quicktwitch with quick hands. The range is amazing, you can definitely see it on display in Oakland with all that foul territory.

“I didn’t think anybody could cover as much ground as Chavy. Chapman does the exact same thing. It’s crazy.”

Chavez, now the manager for the Los Angeles Angels Triple-A affiliate, had the chance to get a look at Chapman last season.

It might be hard for a six-time Gold Glove winner to admit someone is better than them, but one area where Chavez immediately concedes is arm strength.

“His feet are extremely good. His hands are extremely good. But I think the arm really separates him,” Chavez said. “Watching him, you could tell he puts himself in position to field the ball and make a good throw over there.”

Hatteberg knows this.

As well as being on the receiving end of throws from Chapman in spring training, the former A’s first baseman can recall scouting Chapman as an amateur at Cal State Fullerton. Not only was Chapman throwing 96 mph as a pitcher in college, but he could fire bullets from third to first from his knees.

“He’s just one of those special gifted guys,” Hatteberg said. “It’s such a pure ball he throws, like a hovercraft. When you catch it, it’s just heavy. There’s just power behind it.

“There’s plenty of guys who throw it hard, but you don’t know where it’s going. He knows where it’s going.”

CHAPMAN AND ARENADO

So has there ever been a third baseman with the combination of defensive prowess and a cannon of an arm like Chapman? There’s really only one name that comes to mind, and he’s also currently playing and thriving. And, oh, he also shared little league fields and a high school dugout with Chapman in South Orange County.

“His comp is always Nolan Arenado,” Williams said. “I think that’s fair. They are very similar in their aggressiveness and the way they play the game, how they position themselves and what they do in the infield.

“That’s a big comp, but I think it’s deserved. You can’t get any higher than the award he got last year.”

Chapman and Arenado both won Platinum Gloves in their respective leagues last season. But if you ask Arenado which third baseman had a better year, he doesn’t think it’s that close.

“I don’t know too much about how those numbers work. I just

KARL MONDON — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

Matt Chapman prides himself on his defense, but has some pop at the plate, too. Last season he sent 24 balls into the seats, while also scoring 100 runs.

know I played a good third base and he played a really, really good third base,” Arenado said. “I know he saves a bunch of runs.”

Arenado’s defensive runs saved was at five last year, which would have been good for second-most in the majors if Chapman did not exist.

Chapman has a legit claim to say he’s a better third baseman than Arenado, but he wants to hear no part of that.

“He thinks I’m better than he is at what?” Chapman laughed. “I want to do what he’s done. I’m definitely motivated to be as good as he is. I do feel that I’m good enough to do some of those things, but you have to prove it before you say you’re better than somebody.”

Much like Chapman and

Chavez, Chapman and Arenado share some similarities in their pregame routine. That’s not by accident.

The two go way back to their days in Lake Forest Little League — and they later joined forces as teammates at El Toro High. Arenado is two years older, so he was the star shortstop while Chapman was his backup. Chap-

Chapman visualizes game situations before they happen. He can make an extremely difficult play — like a diving into the stands for a fly ball, above left — look like a walk in the park.

He also re-creates potential in-game scenarios during practice, but he may not be able to mimic the post-game pie-in-the-face ritual.

man did not get much playing time while Arenado was there, but he observed Arenado as much as he could, plotting his rise to stardom once his elder moved up the ladder.

“I would always watch him and try to pick up on some things,” Chapman said. “He might do a little bit more of the jump throw on the backhand and I might do more of the fadeaway throw. I think I’m a little bit lighter on my feet.”

Both visualize game situations before they happen. It’s why they make an extremely difficult play look like a walk in the park.

“He works on all those different scenarios,” Williams said of Chapman. “He gets in the game and when it happens, it’s second nature to him.”

Williams can see Chapman is not satisfied. He’s already great, but that’s not good enough. That’s why Chapman picks his brain along with the rest of the A’s coaches on a daily basis.

There is really only one thing Williams sees left for Chapman to master: patience.

There were times last season when he may have tried to fire a seed over to first when he didn’t exactly need to. It’s common for younger players to take a while to learn this. But once Chapman gets it down, he’ll have gotten one step closer to all-time greatness.

“He wants to be the best, and there’s really only one way to do that. That’s to take every aspect of the game and get as good as you can at it,” Williams said. “He wants to learn and understand the nuances of the game. I still think he can get better.”

So is Chapman in that pantheon of all-time greats? On that Mount Rushmore among the likes of Schmidt, Brett and Robinson? No, not yet — the sample size simply isn’t big enough. But the barstool conversation is well underway.

“Chapman has the chance to go down as one of the best ever,” Hatteberg said. “He has that type of package.”

RAY CHAVEZ — STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER

GOAT HUNTING

Making a ‘greatest-ever’ case is always tricky business — particularly across generations. But we sifted through Baseball Reference and Fangraphs so you wouldn’t have to.

There are seven defensive categories that rate a player over the course of a season: Defensive WAR, Assists, Putouts, Range Factor Per Nine Innings, Double Plays Turned, DRS (Defensive Runs Saved) and UZR (Ultimate Zone Rating).

The last two are the modern-era stats that only apply to Matt Chapman and Nolan Arenado in this argument. We looked at the stats for six other players who are largely considered the best defensive third basemen of all time: Brooks Robinson, George Brett, Mike Schmidt, Buddy Bell, Scott Rolen and Adrian Beltre.

Here’s a look at how Chapman’s first and only season stacks up. Our conclusion: He’s a GOAT-in-training.

DEFENSIVE WAR

Chapman’s number (3.5) led the league and was third-best in history only behind Arenado’s 3.6 in 2014 and Bell’s 3.7 in 1979.

ASSISTS / PUTOUTS / DOUBLE PLAYS / RANGE

FACTOR

Chapman lags behind the OG legends in these categories, as does Arenado, because those older guys regularly played all 162 games. Robinson, Bell, Brett and Schmidt shined in these categories.

DEFENSIVE RUNS SAVED

This is the number — 29 — that really opened eyes about Chapman last year. This is the modern stat that really accounts for a player’s range.

Arenado is the only third baseman in this new age who really challenges Chapman, and he had a total of five defensive runs saved.

UZR

Chapman (10.9) blew Arenado (5.8), Kyle Seager (6.6) and every other fielder in baseball out of the water with this one as well in 2018. UZR is a stat that compares the event that actually happened (hit/ out/error) to data on similarly hit balls in the past to determine how much better or worse the fielder did than the “average” player.

— Martin Gallegos

PHOTOS BY GETTY IMAGES

THE A’S HAVEN’T HAD A TRUE YOUNG ACE SINCE THE DAYS OF ZITO, MULDER AND HUDSON. IN JESÚS LUZARDO THEY APPEAR TO HAVE THE MOST STARDOMREADY PITCHING PROSPECT IN THE GAME.

Believe the hype

BY MARTIN GALLEGOS

KARL MONDON/STAFF

Rewind one year to a seemingly meaningless Cactus League matchup between the A’s and Angels in Tempe. Except on this day Oakland decides to send young pitching prospect Jesús Luzardo out with the big league squad, and the Angels opt to counter with their regular starting lineup, complete with a guy named Mike Trout.

Facing the two-time MVP is a daunting task for any major league pitcher. Luzardo comes in as a 20-year-old kid with 12 career minor league games, nothing above low-A ball, under his belt.

But there is no fear on the kid’s face.

There’s a phrase multiplatinum hip-hop recording artist Kodak Black has popularized: “Ain’t no cowards in Broward.” It’s a reference to Broward County, Florida, where both Black and Luzardo grew up — and perhaps that’s the energy the young lefty is channeling in this moment.

Already having been retired by Luzardo on a groundout in the first, Trout digs in to face him in the third. Luzardo challenges him with a firstpitch strike. The two battle, with Trout working the at-bat to a 2-2 count.

Trout steps out of the box, removes his red Angels helmet and wipes the sweat off his forehead. He digs back in, gets into his stance, and Luzardo delivers a nasty curveball.

Swing and a miss.

The Jesús Luzardo hype had begun.

You couldn’t blame Luzardo if he were to cartwheel off the mound in that moment. Maybe at least a fist pump.

All he did after striking out baseball’s best player was quietly walk off the mound like he’d been there before.

Trout gave the kid a quick look before putting his head down and shaking it as he walked back to the Angels dugout.

“Honestly, I kind of left (that curveball) up,” Luzardo said. “I can’t complain. Striking out a guy like that, you can’t help but smile.”

Trout had only struck out once in all his Cactus League games prior to that. He ended up striking out four times that entire spring.

This was the day the A’s truly found out what they had in Luzardo. They knew they were getting a very good prospect when they acquired him in a trade with the Nationals back in 2017. But this was when they knew the hype was real.

“We ran him out there against a formidable lineup that day and did it on purpose,” A’s manager Bob Melvin said. “When he’s on the mound, there’s some presence to him that you don’t typically see from a younger guy.”

Oakland hasn’t had a pitching prospect with this much hype since the Zito-Hudson-Mulder days. He’s only 21 but carries a quiet confidence about him rarely seen in such a young pitcher.

He knew he was good back when he was 9, striking out 11and 12-year-olds. He knew he was

good enough to overcome Tommy John surgery as a teenager. He knew he was good enough to strike out Mike Trout despite never having pitched above low-A ball.

Now he’s ready to live up to that hype and give Oakland something they’ve been craving for almost two decades: a true ace.

Luzardo has a certain confidence about him that clearly predates any faceoffs with a superstar like Trout.

Luzardo gained that confidence not too long after he was a 3-yearold in diapers. He could barely walk when he was already picking up a plastic bat and ball his father, Jesús Luzardo Sr., bought for him as a kid in Parkland, Florida.

Soon he was in travel ball dominating some of the best 11- and 12-year-old hitters South Florida had to offer — as a 9-year-old.

“He has always been like that,” Luzardo Sr. said. “When he gets on that mound, that confidence just flushes out of him. He’s a different guy when he’s on the field. Very competitive.”

That competitiveness was not limited to just baseball. He was somewhat of a child sports prodigy — playing football, basketball, soccer, golf, tennis. He even tried his hand at diving and horseback riding.

But baseball was his true love.

Luzardo decided to focus solely on baseball just before he entered high school. Making the Stoneman Douglas High varsity baseball team as a freshman brought him one step closer to his dream of playing college baseball.

There was only one potential issue: with Luzardo’s stature he was lucky to get onto roller coasters, let alone onto an MLB fast track.

“He was a little midget,” Luzardo Sr. laughed.

Luzardo still carries his original Florida driver’s license, which lists him at his age 16 height of 5-foot-6. He can do so with a smile knowing that he hit his growth spurt just in the nick of time.

He grew about six inches from his junior to senior year — that growth bringing more muscle and velocity on his fastball.

Instead of the usual 88-89 mph he was throwing into his junior year, Luzardo came into workouts his senior season touching 96 on the radar gun.

He had made it this far by getting batters out more with his command and by keeping hitters off balance with off-speed stuff. Add a blazing fastball to his repertoire, and Luzardo was now a very dangerous man.

He went into that senior year with some serious stuff, unlike anything his high school coach Todd Fitzgerald had ever witnessed.

One of those games where Fitzgerald recalled Luzardo showing his brilliance came against yearly Florida powerhouse Boca Raton High. Playing on a bigger stage at Florida Atlantic University’s baseball stadium, Luzardo thrived under the bright lights in what was his second start that year.

He threw a complete-game, three-hit shutout, racking up 11 strikeouts — the type of performance that put scouts all around the country on notice.

“Jesús was absolutely electric that night, almost unhittable,” Fitzgerald said. “We won the game big, but his pitching dominance that night was something

you don’t see very often.”

Luzardo’s mailbox was stuffed with scholarship offers — from baseball powerhouses Vanderbilt, University of North Carolina— even his dream school, University of Miami, came offering. There was also the option of skipping college and going pro.

But that all came to a screeching halt just two starts later.

On the mound facing rival Coral Spring High in March 2016, Luzardo felt his left elbow pop after throwing a pitch. The elbow then started to burn and eventually swell up.

After a trip to the doctor for an MRI, results revealed a torn ulnar collateral ligament. Luzardo then heard the three words aspiring pitching stars fear the most: Tommy John surgery.

“He felt that his career might be shortened,” Luzardo Sr. said. “But I think because of his maturity level, he put that in the past very quickly. He got frustrated for about a couple of weeks, but the day after surgery he was immediately focused on his rehab and getting back on the mound.”

WIth the support of his parents, Jesús Sr. and Monica, Luzardo meticulously followed the rehab program and became obsessed with it. And though he only pitched four games that year while Douglas still managed to capture a state championship, Luzardo was nonetheless drafted by the Washington Nationals in the third round of the draft later that summer.

Now came decision time.

Although he was injured, Luzardo still had a scholarship offer on the table from the University of Miami, which he was ready to commit to.

Luzardo’s parents had instilled in him from an early age that school came first.

So he struck a deal with them: Take the pro baseball path and enroll in online classes at the University of Florida. He’s still enrolled in classes now that he’s with the A’s, and expects to earn his degree in the next five years

or so. His major league debut? That will come much sooner — perhaps some time at the beginning of the regular season.

Luzardo blazed his way through the minor leagues in his first full year in the A’s system last season, making hitters look silly from Single-A to Triple-A.

Most of his time came at Double-A Midland last year where he posted a 2.29 ERA in 16 starts, throwing mostly to top catching prospect Sean Murphy before earning a promotion to Triple-A. Murphy had an up-close look at the many Double-A hitters who squirmed in agony during the torture that was a Luzardo at-bat. He

Stoneman Douglas pitcher Jesus Luzardo delivers a pitch against Park Vista in their Class 8A regional final game in 2015.

MICHAEL LAUGHLIN/SUN SENTINEL

could practically tell the batters what pitch was coming and they still would not be able to hit it.

“He’s got more than enough weapons to get everybody out. If you’re facing him and he’s doing what he wants to do, guys don’t have much of a chance,” Murphy said. “He’s mature beyond his years. Being that young and understanding hitters and situations, he’s a special talent.

“He’s one of the most advanced guys I’ve ever caught, if not the most advanced.”

When a young pitcher reaches super-prospect status like Luzardo — he’s ranked the top left-handed prospect in all of baseball by MLB. com — the comparisons become endless. One name that has often been thrown at Luzardo is Johan Santana, another left-hander with a similar body type.

Luzardo was born in Peru, which would make him the first Peruvian-born player in MLB history, but that was only because his Venezuelan father was working a job over there for Motorola at the time of his birth.

Luzardo’s roots are in Venezuela, so naturally, the Venezuelan lefty Santana was an idol for him growing up — a guy he always tried to emulate on the mound, eventually learning to throw a devastating changeup because of that.

“He had a really good changeup,” Luzardo said. “I was always trying to pick his game.”

Melvin had another Luzardo comparison: Felix Hernandez.

The current A’s skipper managed the Seattle Mariners from 2003-04. It was around the time when Hernandez was making his rise through the minor leagues before debuting at just 19 years old. The Luzardo hype is reminiscent.

“We were thinking about how quickly he was going to get to the big league level,” Melvin said of Hernandez. “I think there are some similarities with Luzardo in that he’s awfully talented and obviously there’s a need for us.”

Those are some mighty steep expectations to live up to, but Luzardo is no stranger to surpassing expectations.

Coaching big league stars like Eric Hosmer and Anthony Rizzo, Fitzgerald had seen plenty of otherworldly talent before Luzardo got to Stoneman Douglas High. It was going to take a lot for this undersized pitcher to impress him. By the time Luzardo left, Fitzgerald had placed him among those two as one of the best talents he’s ever coached.

“The thing about Jesús is he’s a product of his work ethic,” Fitzgerald said. “He not only had the physical tools but just the overall makeup of what it takes to be a big leaguer. You can be a great player, but if you don’t have good makeup, you’re not going to last very long in this game.”

It’s a confident-but-not-cocky makeup Luzardo carries. A certain swagger that separates him from other top prospects. He knows he’s great and doesn’t mind the talk about him being the savior of the A’s rotation.

All that stuff about having the most talent this organization has seen since the Zito-Hudson-Mulder days, he welcomes it.

“I want to give the A’s something they can be proud of,” Luzardo said. “I don’t think about those expectations too much because that will just drive you crazy.

“But I definitely embrace it — it’s an honor. Hopefully I can live up to it.”

WHO ELSE IS NEXT?

A look at the A’s other top prospects as rated by MLB.com.

Sean Murphy, C

Drafted: 2016, 3rd (83)

Age: 24

ETA: 2019

Bats: R Throws: R

Ht/Wt: 6’3/ 232

MLB.com says: Murphy has always stood out defensively. He’s athletic and agile behind the plate, he blocks and receives well and gets high marks for his gamecalling and ability to work with pitchers. He also has one of the strongest arms in the minors, one that baserunners don’t test too often and that has thrown out 35.5 percent of potential basestealers heading into 2019. He’s a threat at the plate as well, with a short swing from the right side of the plate to go with a high contact rate. He’s not afraid to draw walks and there could be 20-homer potential in the future.

Lazaro Armenteros, OF

Signed: July 2, 2016

Age: 19

ETA: 2021

Bats: R Throws: R

Ht/Wt: 6’0/182

MLB.com says: One of the top international prospects in 2016 and the A’s liked him enough to go over the spending threshold, incurring penalties when he signed with Oakland for $3 million. Armenteros has the chance to have four at-least average tools at the major league level. He has plus bat speed that makes it easy to project the ability to hit for average with potentially plus power down the road. He’s not afraid to see pitches and draw walks, though he needs to continue to refine his overall approach and pitch recognition in order to cut down his strikeout rate, which was 33.8 percent in 2018.

A.J. Puk, LHP

Drafted: 2016, 1st (6)

Age: 23

ETA: 2020

Bats: L Throws: L

Ht/Wt: 6’7/ 238

MLB.com says: In 2017, Puk led the minors with his 13.2 strikeouts-per-nine, a testament to a full repertoire of outstanding stuff. He’ll throw his fastball up to 96-97 mph and he uses one of the best sliders in the minors, to miss a ton of bats. He mixes in a curveball, and his changeup, once a distant fourth pitch, has become a devastating out pitch as well, flashing plus at times. He uses his 6-foot-7 frame very well, with excellent extension.

Austin Beck, OF

Drafted: 2017, 1st (6)

Age: 20

ETA: 2021

Bats: R Throws: R

Ht/Wt: 6’1/200

What MLB.com says: Beck’s tools are undeniable, though he is still learning to use them consistently. While he hit close to .300 in 2018 and led his Midwest League in hits, he still needs to refine his overall approach to see more pitches and work counts. He does have the bat speed that should allow him to continue to hit for average. Wiith excellent speed and athleticism, Beck has the skills to play center field, the only spot he’s manned so far as a pro, while he has the arm strength to profile in right field should he slow down as he matures. His power will have to show up for him to profile well there, but there’s plenty of time for that, and all facets of his game, to develop.

Khris Davis —no, not Chris — has the attention and awe of baseball’s top talent. Since he’ll be the last person to talk about it, we asked those players to share their admiration.

BY JACK HARRIS

BASEBALL’S SECRET KHRUSH

Lorenzo Cain needed some clarification.

Bent over and fidgeting with the laces of his cleats while sitting at his stall inside the Brewers’ spring training clubhouse, the two-time AllStar outfielder glanced up when asked about Khris Davis.

He obliged, but first wanted to ensure he knew which Khris – or Chris – he was supposed to be talking about.

“The first baseman?” Cain questioned. “Or the outfielder?”

Cain smiled wide when told the subject was indeed not Chris Davis, the Baltimore Orioles infielder, but Khris Davis – the flourishing Oakland A’s outfielder and designated hitter who swatted an MLB-best 48 home runs last year and has more jacks in the last three seasons than anyone else in the game.

Cain had plenty to share about baseball’s most anonymous star — a guy who can’t even catch a break with his name.

“Stupid power,” said Cain, who was in the Brewers system with Davis nearly a decade ago. “I remember playing with him in the minor leagues and he would just hit [opposite field] bombs. You’d just be in awe of it. You’re like, ‘Damn, I wish I could do that.’”

Cain isn’t alone. Many of the game’s other top players echo similar refrains of respect for Davis. They’re well aware that he has quietly become one of the sport’s most productive sluggers.

Angels center fielder and twotime American League MVP Mike Trout: “The consistency of just squaring up a baseball is pretty impressive. The opposite field power is unbelievable. A lot of guys have power that can pull the ball, that’s just given. But he’s got a given talent to just hit the ball the other way. That’s what I like about him.”

Brewers outfielder and reigning National League MVP Christian Yelich: “I think he’s a great player. We all understand how hard it is to hit 40 home runs in the big leagues, how tough this game is. I think the players all recognize what he is capable of, what he’s done in his career.”

Rockies third baseman and four-time All-Star Nolan Arenado: “He hits 40 (home runs) and 100 (RBIs) every year. I think the analytics guys, they’re not too impressed with it. But I think as opponents and players in this league, we’re very impressed with what he’s doing. He’s a very scary at-bat. We don’t want him hitting with men on base.”

These sentiments are ones Davis would likely never say on his own. A humble antipode to other attention-grabbing athletes, he doesn’t like talking much about himself, or his accomplishments.

For instance, after fans began chanting “MVP” in his direction

during a home game last August, he respectfully brushed the recognition aside.

“Just appreciative and I try not to make it a big deal,” Davis said that night. “I’m just glad I show up and continue working hard to help this team win ballgames.”

His old farm system teammate, Cain, says it’s the way Davis has always been.

“He’s about going out there, working hard and focusing on getting his job done on the field,” Cain said. “Just let his game speak for itself, that’s the kind of guy he’s always been.”

Davis’ quiet demeanor can mask qualities that go beyond his power at the plate. In his own clubhouse, he’s a steady leader who was a key piece in Oakland’s playoff run last fall.

“I wouldn’t say he’s a vocal guy,” said A’s infielder Marcus Semien. “He just shows up, plays hard every day.”

In opposing clubhouses, there’s

a healthy mix of admiration and dread for what Davis (a.k.a “Khrush”) can do with a bat.

“It seems like every time we face him, he’s getting hits, hitting the ball hard,” Trout said.

Added Angels outfielder and four-time All-Star Justin Upton: “When you go in to play the A’s, you know he’s in the middle of that lineup.”

Yet, despite the glowing testimonials, it’s difficult to deny the idea Davis gets overlooked at times, that his power surge in the East Bay has happened largely in the shadows of obscurity that too often hide understated players in undersized markets.

“What he’s done is special,” said All-Star Rockies slugger Trevor Story. “Very consistent. He doesn’t get as much love as he probably should.”

An ironic example of his low profile comes in the need to identify him as “Khris Davis ... of the A’s,” so as not to mix up MLB’s 2018 home run king with the other Chris Davis, a declining former All-Star who finished a distant last in the league in batting average a year ago.

Like most inside baseball’s fraternity of free swingers, Cain doesn’t understand why Davis –with all that versatility and juice in his swing – isn’t a bigger celebrity in a sport hungry for stars.

“He definitely deserves more attention than he’s getting,” Cain said. “I hope everything works out for him, but he’s definitely one of the more feared hitters for sure.”

To many of his peers, it is Davis’ ability to drive the ball from foul line to foul line that stands out as much as anything, especially as a right-handed hitter playing half the time in the pitcher-friendly Oakland Coliseum.

“He has the most power to opposite field in the big leagues,” said Angels catcher and two-time All-Star Jonathan Lucroy, who

was teammates with Davis in Oakland last season and in Milwaukee in 2014 and 2015.

“He’s very strong, very flexible. He’s very athletic. Just has a lot of naturally raw power that he’s really put together and, really, has been the most consistent hitter in Major League Baseball, in my opinion.”

Of Davis’ four dozen dingers last season, the one that stands out to Lucroy the most was fittingly a shot the other way. In late July, Davis took Rangers closer Jose Leclerc two decks deep to right field in Arlington, a goahead two-run homer that came with the A’s down to their final strike in the top of the ninth.

“That was probably the most impressive thing I saw, in terms of situation, where he hit it at,” Lucroy said. “That was pretty awesome to see.”

Those who know Davis best are no longer surprised by his power to all parts of the field. Since high school, when as a senior he keyed an Arizona state championship run at Deer Valley High (located across town from the A’s Spring Training facilities in Mesa), he’s been smoking the ball in all directions with ease.

“He showed power pretty much all the time,” said his high school coach, Larry Eubanks, who watched Davis hit a school-record 12 home runs his senior year. “And it was unusual because he wasn’t into the pull stuff. Even in high school, a lot of the balls he hit were to straight away and right-center.”

It was the same story during his three-year collegiate career at Cal State Fullerton, when he hit 16 bombs as a junior before being selected by the Brewers in the seventh round of the 2009 Draft. He continued to rake in the minors too, where he clubbed at least 15 long balls in each of his three full seasons before making his big league debut in 2013.

He’s steadily improved his production over the years, becoming the first player in MLB history to hit at least 10 homers in his rookie season, then increase that total

Khris

even be felt as he slides in and out of the box for batting practice. But moments like his walk-off against Cleveland last season illustrate how comfortable he is in the big moment.

in each of his next five campaigns, according to STATS. Nelson Cruz is the only other player to have three-straight 40-homer seasons this decade.

“I think he’s getting smarter, the more at-bats he gets,” said Upton. “For me, I think that’s what’s put him over the top, is that he’s starting to put pitchers in positions they don’t want to be in.”

At least one former All-Star pitcher agrees.

“He’s unlike any other hitter I’ve seen before,” said Angels right-hander Trevor Cahill, who gave up a home run to Davis in 2015 before spending last season as his teammate in Oakland.

“The thing with him, he hits good pitches out. He hits good pitcher pitches, which as a pitcher is really deflating because you make a

TOP: KARL MONDON/STAFF: BOTTOM: ANDA CHU/STAFF

Davis’ quiet confidence can

good pitch and then he’s hitting it off the right-field foul pole. That’s just not normal.”

Something else that isn’t normal: the graceful way Davis has handled his success. Even as the home runs have piled up, he’s kept his profile relatively low. He isn’t on Twitter and hasn’t tried turning himself into a marketing mercenary. If he can help it, he’d rather stay in Oakland than hold an auction for his services through free agency.

“He’s found his place in the world in Oakland,” Eubanks said. “Although you hear on the ESPNs and the baseball stuff his name, they all say the same thing. This

guy’s just kind of below the radar all the time and just keeps putting up numbers.”

Davis has more than just natural talent to thank for that. Behind the scenes, current and former teammates call him one of the hardest workers they’ve come across. For example, after breaking through with the Brewers six years ago, Davis and his former Milwaukee teammate Scooter Gennett would go to the bullpen several times a week with third base coach Ed Sedar. There, Sedar would re-create a drill Davis did as a kid by throwing tiny beads –maybe an inch or two big in diameter – for them to swing at … with

“He has the most power to the opposite field in the big leagues,” says Davis’ former teammate Jonathan Lucroy, now catching for the divison-rival Angels.

the handle of a broomstick.

“I would go flip these little beads at them, and they’d be hitting these things,” Sedar recalled with a laugh. “I’d be going, ‘How in the heck are they even hitting them?’ … I guess it’s paid off with his consistency and what he’s been able to do with his career, with a lot more good things to come I believe.”

The 31-year-old’s development has continued in Oakland, with his spiking home run numbers helping to raise his RBI and OPS totals year-by-year too, even as he’s hit for the exact same .247 batting average in four straight seasons.

“Since he went to Oakland, it really all came together for him,” Lucroy said. “I’m really happy for him. He works hard, great teammate, great friend of mine. I’m really happy he’s so successful.”

From his tireless work ethic to his phlegmatic persona, Davis is a player full of traits that bolster his ability to hit with power, national prominence be damned.

“To hit how many home runs he’s hit, in Oakland, especially as a right-handed hitter,” Lucroy added, “unless your name is Stanton or Judge or Khris Davis, you ain’t going to have that kind of consistency.”

A’S RELIEVER FERNANDO RODNEY HAS BEEN AROUND THE BLOCK AND BACK AGAIN. WE CORNERED THE MAN WHOSE HEART IS SPLIT BETWEEN THE U.S. AND HIS DOMINICAN HOMELAND AND TACKLED MANY TOPICS.

STRAIGHTSHOOTER

BY MARTIN GALLEGOS

it’s safe to say Fernando Rodney is comfortable in his own skin. What else would you expect from the game’s presumptive eldest statesman and the No. 2 pitcher on the active saves leader list?

If 45-year-old Bartolo Colon retires, the 42-year-old Rodney will assume the mantle of MLB’s most senior citizen.

Playing for 10 different teams over 16 seasons, the right-handed, three-time All-Star has amassed 325 saves — second only to Craig Kimbrel (333).

The Dominican native took time to talk about his favorite native food, his recent U.S. citizenship, his animal impersonations and his iconic customs (yes, that crooked hat included).

QYour Instagram is full of pictures of good Dominican food. What plate is your favorite?

AFish with coconut. It’s something that I grew up eating because my dad was a fisherman. We always had a lot of fish and coconut around, so we would prepare it by making a salsa made of coconut. It was delicious.

QYou’ve played for 10 different ballclubs. Which has been your favorite home city to play in?

AI really like Tampa Bay because the weather is so nice. But the most beautiful city I played in was Seattle. The ambiance is great and there’s a lot of green everywhere.

QWhat’s the story behind your famous Kermit the Frog impersonation?

AThat started in 2004 when I was recovering from Tommy John surgery. We always ran in a park in Lakeland, Florida, and you always heard frog noises on the trails. Just trying to find ways to entertain ourselves in those days, we started doing the frog noises and that evolved into the Kermit voice. We did impersonations of all the animals we encountered along the way.

QYou became a U.S. citizen last year. Why was that day special for you?

AI think the time warranted it. To be in this country for 17 years already and with the opportunity to do it, I felt it was a good thing to do for me and my family. When the opportunity is there, you should always take advantage of it.

QYou’ll be 42 years old when the regular season begins. What’s the secret to lasting so long in the big leagues?

AI think the most important part is good health. I think God gives that to certain people, and I’m lucky enough to be one of those. Knowing what time to eat, what time to go to bed, when to begin training -- that’s the formula to lasting in this game.

QYou’re often described as the funniest teammate, but who are some of the funniest guys you have played with?

AI had a great time with Joel Peralta in Tampa Bay; he was a good teammate. In Detroit, Miguel Cabrera and Bobby Seay. I loved playing with Erick Aybar in Anaheim, but the guys around this A’s team last year were something else. I was impressed. Of the other nine teams I played for, none had a clubhouse atmosphere quite like this one. It was all positive and a lot of funny guys.

QYou’ve been praised by coaches and teammates for your ability to not allow one bad outing to affect you. What is it about you that allows you to just throw a bad outing in the past and remain so upbeat?

AWhen I debuted in 2002 in Minnesota, I entered a tie game. There was a ground ball, a routine play, and I messed it up and lost the game. We lost the game. After that game, someone told me, “You didn’t lose, you learned something.” You win as a team and lose as a team. You give it your all on the field, don’t blame anybody, just try to learn from the moment.

Soon after that happened, I was talking to Mariano Rivera. I asked him, “How do you prepare after you have a bad game?” He told me forget about it and the next day will bring good things.

QWhat is the story behind your crooked cap?

AMy father was a fisherman. He wore his hat to the left side of his head, and when I asked him why, he said it was because when the sun would come out during a certain time of the day

and hit that side, he would turn it that way in order to block the sun. When he passed away, I decided to keep it like that for him.

QWhat is the story behind your bow and arrow celebration?

AIt’s something from my hometown of Samana in the Dominican Republic. There’s a small village they call “La Flecha,” which means “The Arrow.” When I shoot the arrow, the game is over. You can pick it up and celebrate.

Fernando Rodney begins the season with 325 saves, second only to Craig Kimbrel (333) on the alltime active list.

Regular-season schedule

Duringtheoverlap ofGiants,A’s,Sharks andWarriorsgames inApril(andbeyond, dependingonNBA andNHLplayoffs), ComcastSportsNet shufflesgames betweenNBCCA andNBCCA+. Forup-to-the-minute listings,besureto checkPage2ofour dailySportssection.

*TheA’sbeganthe seasoninJapanwith atwo-gameseries againsttheMariners onMarch20and21.

Five players & five plotlines

BY MARTIN GALLEGOS

MattChapman

When you’re in preseason MVP talks, you better perform well. Chapman, 25, may only be entering his second full big league season, but he already has command of the A’s clubhouse as one of the team’s leaders. Just as his presence in the lineup makes everyone else better, Chapman’s defensive genius will be depended on to save runs at the hot corner throughout the season. The A’s are getting a nice replacement for Jed Lowrie in Jurickson Profar, but the loss of Lowrie’s production as the A’s No. 3 hitter for most of 2018 means Chapman will need to do some more heavy lifting on offense this season.

MikeFiers

In a rotation full of bounceback hopefuls and unproven youngsters, Fiers will need to bring some stability to the rotation. Fiers, 33, was about as consistent as they come after arriving from Detroit via trade last August, going 5-2 with a 3.74 ERA in the 10 games he pitched for Oakland.

KhrisDavis

Davis has easily gone over the 40-homer mark in each of his past three seasons. The A’s will count on him to continue that production in 2019 in the heart of the lineup as their cleanup hitter.

BlakeTreinen

Treinen was arguably the most dominant closer in baseball last year, earning his first All-Star nod and leading one of the best bullpens in baseball. The A’s will lean heavily on their bullpen and it starts with Treinen making the ninth as stress-free as possible.

TRADE BAIT

Khris Davis: Davis will be a free agent after the 2019 season. Given his tremendous power bat, he would be enticing to plenty of American League clubs looking for a boost at the trade deadline.

“They probably won’t trade me if we’re doing good,” Davis told reporters early in spring. “So we better do good so I don’t get traded.” Davis was half-joking when he said this, but he knows the way the A’s do business. Should the A’s be well behind in the playoff race come July 31, Billy Beane will be standing by the phone looking to see what prospects he can net in exchange for the prolific slugger.

MarcoEstrada

Estrada has something to prove this season. Coming off the worst season of his 11-year big league career, Estrada is in search of a bounce-back season. Possessing one of the best changeups in baseball, the A’s are hoping the right-hander can get closer to his 2016 All-Star form and bring some more stability to the rotation.

If opening-day starter Mike Fiers (top) can remain as consistent as last year and closer Blake Treinen (below) can continue his dominance, the A’s have a chance to get back into postseason contention once again.

PLOTLINES

How the starting rotation performs It seems like this is always a focal point with the A’s, and this year is no different. We know the offense can score runs with the best of them, but can they squeeze enough out of this current rotation? Mike Fiers is the likely No. 1, with veterans Marco Estrada and Brett Anderson to follow. The final two spots are question marks, with Daniel Mengden, Paul Blackburn, Jesus Luzardo, Frankie Montas, Chris Bassitt and Parker Bridwell all in competition for jobs. In order to even

approach the success they had last year, the A’s will need to find some consistency in their starting five.

When does Jesus Luzardo arrive ?

Looked at as the savior of the rotation after an impressive run through the minor leagues last season, Luzardo has created quite the buzz for himself. Luzardo finds himself among those battling for a spot in the rotation this spring. If he’s not lined up on the third base line at the Coliseum come opening day, the countdown will be on for the hard-throwing lefty to make his major league debut.

Matt Chapman and the MVP-pub?

After an impressive first full season in the big leagues, Chapman has garnered some preseason hype as a dark horse contender for AL MVP. Chapman earned the extra publicity after going on a 2018 second-half tear that saw him hit .309 with 14 home runs and a .961 OPS after the All-Star break and lead the majors in doubles (25), runs (52) and extrabase hits (42). Having had two surgeries in the offseason, the Gold Glove third baseman needs to prove he’s fully healthy and ready to take off as the baseball star everyone expects him to be.

What is up with Khris Davis?

Aware of his impending free agency after this upcoming season, Davis was open about his desire to get a contract extension with Oakland. The slugger would like to get at least a three-year extension, even willing to take less money if it means more years. With more home runs than any player in MLB over the past three seasons, Davis has established himself as a fan favorite. If he leaves, it would be a tough blow to the franchise.

Are we close to a new ballpark in Oakland?

Almost on cue following one of the most successful A’s seasons in recent memory, Dave Kaval capitalized on the momentum by announcing plans for a new stadium near Howard Terminal. Kaval is thinking big. He’s even planning a gondola to get fans over 880 and to the stadium.

It all sounds like a spectacular idea, but A’s fans have heard this song before. Kaval will need to get one step closer to a shovel in the ground this year in order to really get people believing.

LEFT: JOSE CARLOS FAJARDO/STAFF, BELOW: JANE TYSKA/STAFF

STRETCH SO LONG,

With the deaths of three iconic figures in San Francisco Giants history comes a season of melancholic nostalgia along the edge of McCovey Cove

BY KERRY CROWLEY

WILLIE MCCOVEY

If Willie Mays is the greatest Giant of all time, Willie McCovey is the most beloved.

“Stretch” spent 19 of his 22 seasons in San Francisco, earning six All-Star nods and the adoration of a fan base that marveled at his smooth swing and sweet glove.

McCovey remained a constant at the Giants’ home park through the final summer of his life, watching games with his wife, Estela, from a suite that overlooked the cove named in his honor.

At his Hall of Fame induction in 1986, McCovey told Giants fans, “Like the Golden Gate Bridge and the cable cars, I’ve been made to feel like a landmark too.”

Remembered for his humility, sense of humor and kindness, McCovey is celebrated by the Bay Area as more than just a baseball player. He’s a local legend whose infectious spirit will live on forever.

HANK GREENWALD

Considered one of the greatest “bad-team broadcasters” in baseball, Hank Greenwald lifted the spirits of fans during some of the Giants’ darkest days.

Greenwald enjoyed two stints as a play-byplay broadcaster in San Francisco, calling games from 1979-1986 and again from 1989-1996. Known for a remarkable ability to make his audience laugh and to describe pivotal moments with an unparalleled eye for detail, Greenwald delivered an iconic call when the Giants ended a long National League pennant drought in 1989.

“Twenty-seven years of waiting have come to an end! The Giants have won the pennant!”

His gift for storytelling kept Giants fans tuning in through the end of losing seasons, which is no small feat for a franchise that celebrates the loyalty of its fans.

“He told me that a bad game on the field is no excuse to have a bad broadcast,” Giants broadcaster Mike Krukow said. “I wanted that tattooed on my forehead.”

PETER MAGOWAN

Put simply, baseball in San Francisco wasn’t possible without Peter Magowan.

The long-time Safeway executive is credited with keeping the Giants in San Francisco and spearheading the charge to build a privately financed waterfront park at China Basin. But before Magowan set a significant precedent by constructing a stadium without requiring public funds, he helped turn the direction of the franchise by convincing slugger Barry Bonds to sign a lucrative free-agent deal with the Giants in the winter of 1992.

Magowan and 16 other members of a new ownership group hadn’t completed their purchase of the Giants when they received a commitment from Bonds, a controversial move that frustrated the commissioner’s office but steered the Giants onto a new, sustainable path that led them to their greatest heights.

Magowan was lauded by former Giants and fans around the community for the way he appreciated the franchise’s storied past. Eventually, he was responsible for creating history too.

THE BOYS OF WINTER?!!

STORY AND PHOTOS BY KARL MONDON

Save for the occasional rain shower or thunderstorm, the boys of summer are accustomed to enjoying the sports world’s best weather.

But occasionally you get the spring of winter weather advisories, snow-capped mountains and wool caps. This spring was one of those.

As the A’s held camp at Hohokam Park in Mesa, you might’ve sworn you were in the Alps.

Four Peaks mountain provided a “Sound of Music” backdrop for pitcher Mike Fiers and third baseman Matt Chapman, who bundled up like Jamaican bobsledders.

Later in the week, the A’s cactus league opener with the Seattle Mariners was rained out before the second inning had ended.

Across the so-called Valley of the Sun in Scottsdale, the Giants — and their fans — weren’t faring much better. Players tiptoed through puddles and wide-eyed kids huddled under umbrellas and ponchos.

This can only mean we’re due for an excellent summer, right?

Astros still the boss with A’s giving chase

BY KATIE WOO

The Astros, A’s and Mariners provided a showdown in the West a year ago, but it was Houston that pulled away for its third consecutive division title. At one time a down division, the AL West is on the rise. The Astros are still heavily favored, but the A’s and their major league-lowest payroll shocked baseball by sneaking into the wild-card game last year. With Mike Trout and Shohei Ohtani, it’s hard to count out the Angels, although Ohtani will be limited to a designated hitter role due to Tommy John surgery last season.

1. Houston Astros

Last year: 103-59 – First Place – Lost to Boston in ALCS four games to one.

Key losses: RHP Charlie Morton

Key newcomers: LHP Wade Miley, OF Michael Brantley, C Robinson Chirinos

Best-case scenario: Perennial All-Stars Justin Verlander, above, Carlos Correa and Jose Altuve charge the Astros right back to the ALCS and give Boston a run for their money.

Worst-case scenario: The A’s put even more pressure on Houston than a year ago and, even if they sneak back into the ALCS, the Red Sox prove they still have their number on the big stage.

Rating the AL West

2. Oakland A’s

Last year: 97-65 – Second Place – Lost in AL wild-card game to Yankees

Key losses: INF Jed Lowrie, C Jonathan Lucroy, RHP Jeurys Familia

Key newcomers: RHP Marco Estrada, INF Jurickson Profar, C Chris Herrman, C Nick Hundley

Best-case scenario: Matt Chapman follows up his breakout 2018 with another All-Star worthy season, young guys like Franklin Barreto and Ramon Laureano find their footing and one of bsaeball’s most underrated bullpens balances out an iffy starting rotation as the A’s prove last year’s playoff berth was definitely not a fluke.

Worst-case scenario: The lack of defined starting pitching sinks the A’s into the Bay and they fail to make the playoffs.

3. Seattle Mariners

Last year: 89-73 – Third Place

Key losses: INF Robinson Cano, RHP Edwin Diaz, C Mike Zunino, LHP James Paxton, SS Jean Segura

Key newcomers: RHP Hunter Strickland, OF Jay Bruce, OF Mallex Smith, INF J.P. Crawford, DH Edwin Encarnacion

Best-case scenario: Despite losing Cano, Paxton, Segura and Diaz, new additions like Crawford and Encarnacion help the Mariners keep pace in the division.

Worst-case scenario: After an epic falter in the late months of 2018, Seattle stumbles to the bottom end of the division and finds themselves at the beginning of another long rebuilding mode.

4.LosAngelesAngels

Last year: 80-82– Fourth Place

Key losses: Shohei Ohtani as a pitcher (Tommy John surgery)

Key newcomers: RHP Matt Harvey, C Jonathan Lucroy, 1B Justin Bour, RHP Trevor Cahill

Best-case scenario: Mike Trout does what Mike Trout does, Andrelton Simmons picks up where he left off last year and the Angels make a playoff run under new manager Brad Ausmus.

Worst-case scenario: Despite making several respectable off-season acquisitions, the Angels end up lacking the depth necessary to keep up with Houston and baseball misses another chance at Trout in the playoffs.

5.TexasRangers

Last year: 67-95 – Fifth Place

Key losses: 3B Adrian Beltre, C Robinson Chirinos, LHP Matt Moore

Key newcomers: OF Hunter Pence, RHP Lance Lynn, RHP Shelby Miller, C Jeff Mathis, INF Asdrubal Cabrera

Best-case scenario: With rookie manager Chris Woodward at the helm, veterans like Elvis Andrus and Rougned Odor help guide young talent as the struggling Rangers aim to rebuild.

Worst-case scenario: Texas sputters both at the plate and on the field -- much like they did in 2018 – and stumble to another last place finish.

1. Cleveland Indians

Last year: 91-71 – First Place – Swept by Houston in ALDS

Key losses: C Yan Gomes, DH Edwin Encarnacion, 1B Yonder Alonso, OF Michael Brantley, 3B Josh Donaldson, LHP Andrew Miller

Key newcomers: 1B Jake Bauers

Best-case scenario: Francisco Lindor. below, has another tremendous season and the Indians cruise to another AL Central berth.

Worst-case scenario: With several key pieces of their postseason success no longer with the organization, Cleveland struggles in a dismal division and blows a relatively easy pass to their fourth straight postseason.

Rating the AL Central

2. Minnesota Twins

Last year: 78-84 – Second Place

Key losses: C Joe Mauer

Key newcomers: 1B C.J. Cron, 2B Jonathan Schoop, DH Nelson Cruz, 1B Lucas Duda

Best-case scenario: Nelson Cruz joins Miguel Sano to provide Minnesota the offensive spark they need, new manager Rocco Baldelli thrives, and the Twins return to the postseason after a two-year hiatus.

Worst-case scenario: Another losing season pushes the Twins to a rebuild period.

3.DetroitTigers

Last year: 64-98 – Third Place

Key losses: LHP Francisco Liriano

Key newcomers: LHP Matt Moore, RHP Tyson Ross, SS Jordy Mercer

Best-case scenario: Newly-acquired arms Matt Moore and Tyson Ross finally pitch to their previous potential as the young talent finds their groove.

Worst-case scenario: Moore and Ross fail to boost a faltering rotation and the Tigers continue to spiral out of contention.

4.ChicagoWhiteSox

Last year: 62-100 – Fourth Place

Key losses: none

Key newcomers: RHP Alex Colome, 1B Yonder Alonso, CF Jon Jay

Best-case scenario: Key pieces of MLB’s third-highest ranked farm system like Eloy Jimenez and Michael Kopech begin to spark the White Sox back to contention.

Worst-case scenario: The young guys don’t take off as expected, and it’s back to the drawing board for a team who hasn’t reached October in more than a decade.

5.KansasCityRoyals

Last year: 58-104, Fifth Place

Key losses: none

Key newcomers: RHP Brad Boxberger, RHP Homer Bailey, 2B Chris Owings, OF Billy Hamilton

Best-case scenario: INF Whit Merrifield follows up 2018 with another solid offensive season, and guys like Alex Gordon and Salvador Perez bounce back from relatively low-production numbers.

Worst-case scenario: Kansas City’s pitching struggles continue (their 4.94 team ERA was the second-highest in baseball last year) and the Royals find themselves back at the bottom of the worst division in baseball.

1. Boston Red Sox

Last year: 108-54 -- First Place – 2018

World Series Champions

Key losses: LHP Drew Pomeranz, INF Ian Kinsler, RHP Joe Kelly

Key newcomers: OF Gorkys Hernandez, RHP Colten Brewer

Best-case scenario: AL MVP Mookie Betts, above, and the reigning champs repeat their explosive offense and lightsout pitching and become the first team in the big leagues to win back-to-back World Series in two decades

Worst-case scenario: It’s almost expected of the Red Sox to contend for another title this season. Failing to make another October run would be nothing short of a disappointment.

Rating the AL East

2. New York Yankees

Last year: 100-62 – Second Place, First AL Wild Card berth – Swept by BOS in ALDS

Key losses: OF Andrew McCutchen, 1B Neil Walker, RHP Sonny Gray, RHP Lance Lynn

Key newcomers: LHP James Paxton, INF Troy Tulowitzki, 2B DJ LeMahieu, RHP Adam Ottavino

Best-case scenario: Aaron Judge, above, and Giancarlo Stanton slug their team to a division title.

Worst-case scenario: There’s nothing worse for baseball in the Bronx than being swept by the Red Sox in the postseason. Doing it a second time would be a fatal blow.

3.TampaBayRays

Last year: 90-72 – Third Place

Key losses: 1B Jake Bauers, OF Mallex Smith, 1B C.J. Cron

Key newcomers: RHP Charlie Morton, C Mike Zunino, OF Avisail Garcia

Best-case scenario: A sleeper team in the American League, the Rays use of bold analytical strategy, combined with the rising stars of Joey Wendle and Willy Adames, lead Tampa Bay to their first postseason appearance since 2013.

Worst-case scenario: The powerhouses of New York and Boston are too much for the young Rays team, and one of the better teams in baseball misses the playoffs once more at the hands of a dominant division.

4.TorontoBlueJays

Last year: 73-89 – Fourth Place

Key losses: C Russell Martin, RHP Marco Estrada, INF Yangervis Solarte

Key newcomers: INF Freddy Galvis, LHP Clayton Richard, RHP Matt Shoemaker

Best-case scenario: MLB’s No. 1-rated prospect Vladimir Guerrero Jr. makes his debut and sparks a much-needed Toronto rebuild.

Worst-case scenario: First-year manager Charlie Montoyo stalls and Toronto continues to stumble out of contention in a tough AL East.

5. Baltimore Orioles

Last year: 47-115, Fifth Place

Key losses: none

Key newcomers: none

Best-case scenario: With new manager Brandon Hyde in charge, the O’s show some promise in the first year of many of the organization’s rebuild.

Worst-case scenario: After a stagnant offseason, Baltimore somehow wins fewer than 47 games, and Orioles fans revolt.

Dodgers, sans Manny or Bryce, still plenty to handle

BY KATIE WOO

After six straight division titles, the Dodgers are still the talk of the West, but don’t count out the Rockies to make another push. Los Angeles has reached the World Series the past two seasons but hasn’t been able to cash in. Both Colorado and San Diego are on the rise, although the Padres are a little further from contention than Colorado. Last year, the NL West needed a Game 163 to determine the champion, and while the Dodgers emerged victorious, the Rockies are just getting started.

1.L.A.Dodgers

Last year: 92-71 – First Place – Lost to Red Sox in World Series 4-1.

Key losses: OF Yasiel Puig, C Yasmani Grandal, OF Matt Kemp, C Kyle Farmer, LHP Alex Wood, INF Manny Machado, INF Brian Dozier, INF Chase Utley, SHP Pat Venditte

Key newcomers: OF A.J. Pollock, C Russell Martin, RHP Joe Kelly, RHP

Best-case scenario: After missing the entire 2018 season, Corey Seager (above left) returns to aid Cody Bellinger, Joc Pederson and Max Muncy, and Clayton Kershaw, Hyun-Jin Ryu and Walker Buehler become a 1-2-3 powerhouse in the order as the Dodgers finally win that highly-coveted World Series title.

Worst-case scenario: The third time isn’t the charm, and the Dodgers miss out on another shot at being world champions.

Rating the NL West

2. Colorado Rockies

Last year: 91-72 – Second Place – NL Wild Card berth – Swept by Brewers in NLDS

Key losses: INF DJ LeMahieu, OF Gerardo Parra, RHP Adam Ottavino

Key newcomers: INF Daniel Murphy

Best-case scenario: The jaw-dropping talent of Nolan Arenado and Trevor Story (above right) combine with starting pitcher and rising star Kyle Freeland to win the organization’s first division title in franchise history.

Worst-case scenario: The offensive inconsistencies that plagued the team last year return in 2019 and the Dodgers make easy work of the division.

3. Arizona Diamondbacks

Last year: 82-80 – Third Place

Key losses: 1B Paul Goldschmidt, RHP Brad Boxberger, RHP Shelby Miller, OF Chris Owings, OF A.J. Pollock

Key newcomers: RHP Greg Holland

Best-case scenario: The D-backs felt the need to rebuild after a massive meltdown in September left them out of the playoffs. With most of their big names gone, Arizona now gets to look at some of their faces of the future.

Worst-case scenario: In the battle to avoid last place, the D-backs falter to the Giants and Padres and go from playoff contenders to cellar-dwellers.

4. San Francisco Giants

Last year: 73-89 – Fourth Place

Key losses: OF Hunter Pence, OF Gorkys Hernandez, C Nick Hundley, RHP Hunter Strickland

Key newcomers: SHP Pat Venditte, INF Yangervis Solarte, LHP Drew Pomeranz

Best-case scenario: Once a dynasty, an aging group of contract-heavy veterans put up a fight, headlined by starting pitchers Madison Bumgarner and up-and-coming Dereck Rodriguez.

Worst-case scenario: Lack of offense dooms the City by the Bay once again –the Giants 603 total runs scored was the second-lowest in baseball last year – and the voices grow even louder concerning San Francisco and an inevitable rebuild.

5.SanDiegoPadres

Last year: 66-96 – Fifth Place

Key losses: INF Freddy Galvis, LHP Clayton Richard, 3B Christian Villanueva

Key newcomers: INF Manny Machado, INF Ian Kinsler

Best-case scenario: One of baseball’s biggest free agents – Machado -combines with baseball’s best farm system, headlined by MLB’s No. 2 overall prospect Fernando Tatis Jr., to jump-start San Diego’s credibility, and the team begins to sneak its way into contention.

Worst-case scenario: Eric Hosmer’s offensive decline in 2018 wasn’t just a fluke, highly-touted prospects flounder in the big leagues, and the disappointment continues for San Diego fans.

Atlanta Braves

Last year: 90-72 – First Place – lost to Dodgers in NLDS 3-1.

Key losses: 1B Lucas Duda

Key newcomers: 3B Josh Donaldson

Best-case scenario: Atlanta continues to bring up hot prospects — the Braves have the second-best farm system in baseball according to MLB Pipeline — and 2018 AL Rookie of the Year Ronald Acuna Jr. returns on a tear to top the division.

Worst-case scenario: Acuna Jr., below, stumbles into a sophomore slump and the Braves are unable to stave off the rest of the division in what should be a cutthroat battle all season long.

Rating the NL East

BY KATIE WOO

Washington Nationals

Last year: 82-80 – Second Place

Key losses: RHP Tanner Roark, OF Bryce Harper

Key newcomers: INF Brian Dozier, LHP Patrick Corbin, 1B Matt Adams, RHP Anibal Sanchez, C Yan Gomes

Best-case scenario: By acquiring arguably the best left-handed starting pitcher on the market in Patrick Corbin, along with rising stars Juan Soto and Victor Robles, the Nats are able to contend in a tight division.

Worst-case scenario: The hole left by Harper, below, is just too big to fill and the Nationals continue their reputation of good, but not good enough.

PhiladelphiaPhillies

Last year: 80-82 – Third Place

Key losses: 1B Carlos Santana, INF J.P. Crawford, 1B Justin Bour, INF Asdrubal Cabrera, C Wilson Ramos

Key newcomers: C J.T. Realmuto, OF Andrew McCutchen, OF Bryce Harper, INF Jean Segura, RHP David Robertson Best-case scenario: Winners of the Harper sweepstakes, the Phillies’ revamped roster catapults the team to its first division title in eight years. Worst-case scenario: After leading the division most of the regular season, Philadelphia falls apart in the last two months of the season and misses the playoffs entirely … just like last year.

New York Mets

Last year: 77-85 – Fourth Place

Key losses: OF Jay Bruce

Key newcomers: INF Robinson Cano (below), RHP Edwin Diaz, C Wilson Ramos, INF Jed Lowrie, OF Keon Broxton

Best-case scenario: Faced with the possibility of a rebuild, new general manager Brodie Van Wagenen made it clear he wanted the exact opposite. With Cano’s bat joining a pitching staff that includes 2018 Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom and Noah Syndergaard, the Mets are all in for a postseason run.

Worst-case scenario: Offensive woes continue to plague the lineup and the Mets fall out of contention, possibly forcing a rebuild, period.

Miami Marlins

Last year: 63-98 – Fifth Place

Key losses: C J.T. Realmuto

Key newcomers: OF Curtis Granderson, RHP Sergio Romo, 1B Neil Walker

Best-case scenario: In the midst of a long revamping process, young guys like Lewis Brinson and Brian Anderson start to find their footing.

Worst-case scenario: Despite a few veterans such as Martin Prado and Starlin Castro, the Marlins remain one of baseball’s worst franchises.

Milwaukee Brewers

Last year: 96-67 – First Place – Lost to Dodgers in Game 7 of NLDS

Key losses: 2B Jonathan Schoop

Key newcomers: C Yasmani Grandal, 3B Cory Spangenberg

Best-case scenario: After a heartbreaking finish to a Cinderella year last season, the Brewers and NL MVP Christian Yelich take the division by storm and return with a vengeance to the playoffs.

Worst-case scenario: Jhoulys Chacin and the rest of the starting rotation struggle and the Cubs sneak past the Brewers to win the Central.

Rating the NL Central

ChicagoCubs

Last year: 95-68 – Second Place – NL Wild Card berth – lost to Colorado in NL Wild Card game

Key losses: INF Daniel Murphy

Key newcomers: INF Daniel Descalso, RHP Kendall Graveman

Best-case scenario: National standouts Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and Javier Baez guide the 2016 Champions back to the top of the division for the club’s third title in four years.

Worst-case scenario: After losing game 163, the Cubs are forced into a winnertake-all, wild-card showdown.

St. Louis Cardinals

Last year: 88-74 – Third Place

Key losses: None

Key newcomers: 1B Paul Goldschmidt, LHP Andrew Miller

Best-case scenario: Goldschmidt’s bat bolsters an offense that already includes Matt Carpenter, Yadier Molina and Marcell Ozuna to make the Cardinals contenders.

Worst-case scenario: Rising star starting pitcher Jack Flaherty doesn’t live up to expectations and a decent St. Louis team can’t keep up with the Cubs and Brewers.

PittsburghPirates

Last year: 82-79 – Fourth Place

Key losses: INF Jordy Mercer

Key newcomers: RHP Jordan Lyles, LHP Francisco Liriano

Best-case scenario: An average Pirates team headlined by Corey Dickerson and Starling Marte give Pirates fans reasons to show up to the park.

Worst-case scenario: A below-average rotation, and little help in the minor leagues, sinks the Pirates to the bottom of the division.

Cincinnati Reds

Last year: 67-95 – Fifth Place

Key losses: RHP Tanner Rainey, RHP Homer Bailey

Key newcomers: OF Yasiel Puig, OF Matt Kemp, RHP Tanner Roark, LHP Alex Wood, LHP Sonny Gray

Best-case scenario: Alex Wood and Sonny Gray turn in numbers more like their 2017 campaigns rather than 2018, and Puig makes mincemeat out of the short fences at Great American Ball Park.

Worst-case scenario: After an offseason where the Reds fixed their necessities, the team still falls short and races the Pirates to the cellar.

Five storylines for the new season

BY KATIE WOO

NOT-SO ‘FREE’ AGENTS

Free-agent superstars Manny Machado and Bryce Harper had most of the baseball world on edge over the offseason, as both waited until after pitchers and catchers had reported to spring training to sign with a team. Both also made a principle very clear: They weren’t settling for just anything.

Machado signed with the Padres under a 10-year, $300 million contract, while Harper signed with Philadelphia for 13 years and $330 million. However, the freeagent market has been at a stall for the majority of the offseason, as teams waited for the Machado/ Harper dominoes to fall.

The result? Many of baseball’s top free agents – like Craig Kimbrel, Dallas Keuchel, Adam Jones, Denard Span and Gio Gonzalez — remained unsigned as Opening Day drew closer. A strange beginning to 2019 indeed.

ROOKIES UNDER LOCK

Top prospect Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has already dazzled the Blue Jays’ fan base without playing a single inning of major league ball. His talent and potential are undeniable, as is the hype. However, the Blue Jays have all but guaranteed that MLB’s No. 1 overall prospect will begin the season in Triple-A.

The reasoning is the same as the Cubs’ reasoning in 2015 with Kris Bryant. By holding a player down in Triple-A, teams gain one more season before that player is allowed arbitration. Until then, the original contract agreement between the player and team cannot be changed, and the player has no say in his pay.

While organizations are prohibited from tampering with service time, intent is nearly impossible

to prove. They aren’t fooling many, though. Bryant told The Athletic the process “is awful” and recent reports hint that the MLBPA has been keeping tabs on whether Toronto is manipulating Guerrero Jr.’s service time.

RED SOX STILL THE FRONT-RUNNER?

The Boston Red Sox cruised to their second World Series title

When it came to new contracts, Manny Machado, top, and Bryce Harper weren’t settling for just anything.

in six years, soundly defeating the Los Angeles Dodgers in five games. Boston mowed down teams virtually all season, posting 119 wins in 2018, the third-highest total in major league history.

As difficult as it may be to win back-to-back titles, Boston retains nearly every player on the 40man roster from 2018 and is the easy favorite to take the crown in 2019. The Dodgers, Astros, Brewers and Yankees all pose a threat to Boston’s chances, and there’s a possibility the up-and-coming Braves and Phillies can make a run as well.

‘THE OPENER’ PERSEVERES

The Rays made headlines in 2018 by debuting a pitching strategy known as “The Opener.” Essentially, a reliever would start the first inning of the game before giving way to the true “start-

er” in an effort to keep them in games longer and keep them from being exposed to hitters as they face the first three batters of the game.

Teams like the Phillies and Rangers caught on through the season, and the A’s used an opener in a winner-take-all wild-card game. It’s an unorthodox strategy, but teams saw enough success in the opener last year for it to spark popularity throughout the league.

The Rays and Rangers will continue to deploy openers, with the A’s, Blue Jays, Pirates and Giants also in discussion about the possibility. Not everyone is a fan, however. Starting pitchers Madison Bumgarner and Gerrit Cole have both expressed disdain for the tactic.

THE END OF ‘THE WIN’?

Is the win stat losing its relevance? Mets’ ace Jacob deGrom was named the 2018 National League Cy Young Award winner, beating out Washington’s Max Scherzer and Philadelphia’s Aaron Nola.

DeGrom had a monster year: His 1.70 ERA led the NL and he recorded a major league best 24 straight quality starts (at least six innings allowing three runs or fewer). However, a 77-85 Mets team and an offense that scored the fourth-fewest runs in the NL didn’t help deGrom win many games.

He still earned 29 out of 30 first-place votes from the Baseball Writers’ Association of America, despite having a record of just 10-9. It raises the question: With the rise of analytics, combined with the continuous decrease in value of wins and losses, is the win column still important for pitchers?

Faces in new places aside from Bryce & Manny

BY KATIE WOO

PaulGoldschmidt CARDINALS

The prized first baseman for the Diamondbacks has found a new home in St. Louis after Arizona traded the six-time AllStar to the Cardinals in exchange for right-handed pitcher Luke Weaver, catcher Carson Kelly and minor league prospect Andy Young. Goldschmidt, who slashed .290/.389/.533 with 33 home runs last season, will fit in offensively with the bats of Marcell Ozuna and Matt Carpenter, and he should be a key component in the Cardinals’ hopes to chase down Milwaukee and Chicago in the NL Central.

J.T.Realmuto PHILLIES

After an offseason of limbo regarding his future, the Marlins traded the All-Star catcher to Philadelphia in early February. He didn’t come cheap – the Phillies gave up their top prospect, Sixto Sanchez, in return. Realmuto (.277/.340/.484) joins recently acquired veterans Andrew McCutchen and Jean Segura as Philadelphia aims to overtake the Braves for the NL East title.

YasielPuig andMattKemp REDS

Two fan-favorites in Los Angeles will have a new crowd to please as the pair – along with Alex Wood and Kyle Farmer –was traded to Cincinnati. The Dodgers received starting pitcher Homer Bailey in return, along with two of the Reds’ top-20 prospects, Jeter Downs and Josiah Gray.

RobinsonCano andEdwinDiaz METS

Cano and Diaz were part of the first blockbuster trade of the offseason, as the Mariners traded the duo to the Mets in exchange for Jay Bruce, Anthony Swarzak and three additional prospects. The move served as a sign that the Mets are aiming to compete

in 2019 under new general manager Brody Van Wagenen.

James Paxton

YANKEES

Cue Paxton as another top player for Seattle that won’t be returning in 2019. Paxton was traded to the Yankees in exchange for three prospects, with top-rated left-hander Justus Sheffield

Paul Goldschmidt’s move to the NL Central is good news for Giants pitchers who were often tortured by his bat.

Robinson Cano’s move back East signals the Mets’ intent to compete — and only bolsters the A’s situation in the AL West.

headlining the deal. Paxton posted a 3.76 ERA and struck out 208 batters over 28 games last year and will bolster a starting rotation set to battle division-rival Boston for the AL East crown.

Patrick Corbin NATIONALS

One of the market’s top starting pitching free agents, Corbin signed with the Nationals for a six-year, $140 million contract after spending his first six seasons with the Diamondbacks. The twotime All-Star logged 200 innings for Arizona last season and will join the elite arms of Max Scherzer and Stephen Strasburg at the top of Washington’s rotation.

JuricksonProfar

A’S

Profar joined the A’s by way of a three-team trade between Texas, Oakland and Tampa Bay. The 26-year-old – who clubbed 20 homers last season – will be the A’s primary second baseman after the team did not retain free agent Jed Lowrie. He’ll complete an infield led by veteran shortstop Marcus Semien and standout third baseman Matt Chapman.

IanKinsler

PADRES

The veteran infielder joined San Diego as a free agent in December after a midseason trade to the Red Sox led to a World Series championship for the 36-year-old. Alongside Manny Machado, Kinsler can play third base, shortstop or second base for the Padres as the team begins to shuffle in their top-rated farm system.

Youngsters on the rise

This group of near-rookies and potential call-ups are proving themselves worth the price of admission

BY KATIE WOO

DereckRodriguez

GIANTS RHP

The son of Hall of Fame catcher Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez is quickly crafting his own identity. The 26-year-old posted a 6-4 record with a 2.81 ERA over 21 games in his rookie season and earned 40 points in the National League Rookie of the Year voting.

FranmilReyes

PADRES OF

The Padres were lucky to retain Reyes for the 2018 season after leaving him unprotected in the 2017 Rule 5 Draft, and he made sure they noted it. At 6’5”, 275 pounds, Reyes is no easy prey at the plate -- he slugged .280/.340/.498 over 87 games in his rookie season while crushing 16 home runs.

Juan Soto

NATIONALS OF

Soto made his major league debut at just 19 years old, but he’s already hitting like a seasoned veteran. He slugged .292/.406/.517 over 116 games in his rookie campaign and blasted 22 home runs, and his play has earned him comparisons to a former teammate by the name of Bryce Harper.

WillyAdames

RAYS SS

The Rays prime piece in the 2014 trade that sent David Price to Detroit, Willy Adames got off to a slow start in the first half of 2018. After making some adjustments in the minor leagues, Adames re-emerged in the second half when he slashed .305/.383/.435. He’s the rising Rays favorite to land the full-time

role at shortstop coming into 2019.

GleyberTorres

YANKEES INF

Torres’ debut year was shaky at times, but the highs were enough to land him third in the American League Rookie of the Year vote and earn him an All-Star berth. He’ll be a crucial piece for the Yankees in a tight American League East division.

LouTrivino

A’S RHP

Trivino’s role as a heat-throwing setup man for closer Blake Treinen helped spur a phenomenal Athletics’ bullpen last season. Trivino posted a 2.92 ERA over 74 innings while striking out 82 batters. The A’s will need the righthander in full form if they want to make their second consecutive playoff run.

VladimirGuerreroJr.

BLUE JAYS 3B

He’s got the bat, he’s got the rank, and he’s got the name. The son of Hall of Fame outfielder

Vlad Guerrero was named MLB Pipeline’s top overall prospect for 2019, and it’s easy to see why. Guerrero Jr. led the Minors last year with a .381 batting average (.402 in Double-A and .336 in Triple-A). He’s only 19, but it’s only a matter of time before the rising star lights baseball up in Canada just like his father did.

FernandoTatisJr.

PADRES SS

Few are as exciting to anticipate as Tatis Jr., the son of 11-year big leaguer Fernando Tatis. The 20-year-old tore the cover off

the ball for Double-A Amarillo last year, slashing .286/.355/.507 with 16 homers, and looked like he might earn a call-up toward the end of 2018. However, season-ending surgery in July from a fractured thumb prohibited Tatis Jr. from getting the chance. After a promising season in the Dominican Winter League, Padres fans can hardly wait for MLB Pipeline’s No. 2 overall prospect to make his big-league debut.

NickSenzel

REDS UTILITY

Injuries have plagued the 2016 No. 2 overall draft pick, but he packed a lot to remember into his short time in Triple-A Louisville. Senzel cruised to a .310/.378/.509 mark in 44 games, and his versatility as a third baseman, second baseman and outfielder will come in handy, as the Reds will need to get creative in finding a spot for his bat in the lineup. Senzel is ranked No. 6 overall on MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 prospects and is right behind Guerrero Jr. on the Top 10 Third Baseman rankings at No. 2.

Can Dereck Rodriguez, above, the son of Hall of Fame catcher Ivan Rodriguez, build upon his impressive Giants debut?

Willy Adames, right, hopes to establish himself as the everyday shortstop in Tampa Bay.

Six clubs will start 2019 with new managers, and five of those six will be rookies Skippers Stock Report

BY KATIE WOO

BradAusmus ANGELS

After nearly 20 years, the Angels have a new manager. Los Angeles hired the former Tigers manager to replace Mike Scioscia, the team’s manager for the past 19 seasons, after he resigned. Ausmus managed Detroit from 2014-2017, where he posted a 314332 record and led the team to a division title in his first year at the helm. After Detroit did not renew his contract for 2018, Ausmus joined the Angels’ front office. Now he hopes to improve on the Angels dismal 80-82 season last year.

RoccoBaldelli TWINS

Charlie Montoya, above left, warmed up for his first managerial job with the Blue Jays by helping keep Asdrubal Cabrera from getting ejected by the umpire in Tampa. New skippers, below left: Brad Ausmus of the Angels, David Bell of the Reds and Brandon Hyde of the Orioles.

DavidBell REDS

After serving as the Giants’ vice president of player development in 2018, Bell will make his major league managerial debut for the Reds. He served as the Cardinals’ bench coach from 2014 to 2017 and also managed various teams in the Reds’ farm system. Bell will have his work cut out for him in his inaugural year -- Cincinnati finished in last place in the division in 2018 (67-95, 28.5 games back) and teams like the Brewers, Cubs and Cardinals are showing no sign of slowing down in 2019.

ChrisWoodward RANGERS

The Rangers finished last season 36 games back from first place. It’s their hope that Woodward can help get the team back on track. Woodward previously

served as the Dodgers’ third-base coach, and his task as a first-year manager won’t be an easy one. With the Astros poised to be at the helm once again, and the A’s and Angels taking a turn for the better, expectations are low for Texas in 2019.

CharlieMontoyo

BLUE JAYS

After 21 years in the Rays’ orga-

nization and 18 years of managing in the minor leagues, Montoyo made the leap to the majors in hopes of righting the ship of a struggling Blue Jays team. Toronto finished fourth in the cutthroat AL East last season, and their record of 73-89 was a far cry from division champ Boston’s 108-54. The Rays made waves in 2018 for their unique game strategies, and that may be a component Montoyo brings in an effort to turn the organization around.

Baldelli joins the Twins after eight years in the Rays organization. At 37 years old, he is the youngest manager in the majors. Minnesota finished second in the AL Central – arguably baseball’s worst division last season – but still fell 13 games behind Cleveland.

BrandonHyde ORIOLES

After spending time in the Marlins and Cubs organizations – including a bench coach role for Chicago in 2018 – Hyde took over for Buck Showalter after the team did not renew his contract at the end of his nine-year tenure. The O’s held a whopping major league worst record at 47-115 last year, so it will be hard for Hyde to do worse. He does possess some managerial experience – he was the acting manager for the Marlins for one game in 2011.

Past its time?

America’s one-time love struggles for relevance in the short-attention-span era

If you’re a fan of the game, you’ve certainly read about Major League Baseball being at a crossroads. But the way I see it, baseball ran the stop sign and is already a mile down the road toward permanent cultural irrelevance.

And without a neck-jerking, tire-squealing U-turn, the sport will cement its status as part of the ever-growing tranche of culturally unimportant regionalized sports leagues, right alongside hockey in America and Major League Soccer.

Yes, the nation’s pastime is certainly living up to its name these days — it’s a sport of past times.

Baseball attendance dropped by more than 3 million people last year, the equivalent of a major retailer closing one of its best-performing stores. Overall, baseball attendance has dropped by 10 million since 2007.

And per the Sports Business Journal, the average age of a Major League Baseball television viewer is 57 years old — up nine years over the past decade — and rising. That’s far and away the oldest fanbase of the major team sports leagues, and with only 7 percent of baseball’s fans under

Dieter Kurtenbach

18, per the study — another “best” — there’s no cavalry coming to save Commissioner Rob Manfred and company from this irrelevance.

There’s plenty of blame to go around for that bleakness — rich teams playing Moneyball, dramatic changes in the television industry, and MLB’s nearly comical inability to market itself to those damn kids — but baseball’s demise really boils down to the product that’s on the field. Baseball can be as engaging and entertaining as any sport, but right now, no matter what the superfans and die-hards tell you, the game is downright boring.

The average MLB playing field is 2.5 acres for the seven defenders behind the pitcher to roam, but increasingly, the pro game is being played on the 60-foot, sixinch span between the pitching rubber and home plate.

Last season, there were more strikeouts than hits for the first time in MLB history, and nearly a third of all plate appearances ended without a ball being put into play.

The 2018 season also saw the fewest defensive chances per game in major league history. There was one fewer play in the

field per game in 2018 than there was in 2011. (That might not seem a like a lot, but it took a full generation — 28 years — for the previous drop of one chance per game to happen.)

These isolated pitcher-vs-batter showdowns might make for decent TV viewing for those older folks who tune in for the centerfield camera, but it makes for a dull experience at the ballpark — unless you have really good seats or an excellent pair of binoculars and the tracking ability of a professional cameraman.

That’s if you have the attention span to take the game in at all.

“The Godfather” clocks in at 2 hours and 58 minutes, but the average nine-inning major league game took three hours last year.

That’s right, you can take in arguably the greatest movie that’s ever been made or watch the Angels and Mike Trout (who might be the greatest baseball player ever, but reportedly has a lower Q score than Rockets backup center Kenneth Faried) take on the Seattle Mariners.

Or, you know, do a million other things with that time.

The kicker: The length of MLB games was a marked improvement over 2017!

Then again, there’s no such thing as a shorter eternity.

And don’t blame millennial or Generation Z ADD for this,

either. Last year brought us the longest average plate appearances in baseball history, and if you weigh the average amount of hits per game (8.44 per team last season, on par with many dead-ball era years) and the interminable length of the average contest, we only saw a hit every nine minutes.

Say what you will about the NFL, whose games also take an eternity, but at least there’s a hit on every play.

There’s simply no energy, pace or rhythm to a modern baseball game — and every year, more and more of the sports’ athletic relatability is stripped away.

Fewer plays but more players. Last year shattered the records for most hitters and most pitchers used in a single season.

Less action but more random, short-lived characters. Feel free to pitch that terrible idea in Hollywood — maybe Fox will buy it.

Baseball isn’t so much a game now as it is an overly technical chess match featuring no-name “stars” and an ever-rotating cast of Openers, LOOGYs, ROOGYs, platoon guys, and sixth-inning defensive replacements.

The sport has even been stripped of its fun strategy. When was the last time you saw a hitand-run? Hell, when was the last time you remember someone actually running? There were

1,100 fewer base-stealing events last year than there were in 2011. Even defenders are mostly standing around these days.

Home runs are cool, but so is watching someone score from first on a double, or trying to get from first-to-third on a single. There’s a kinetic energy to plays like that — the beautiful dare of risk vs. reward is played out for everyone to see, as opposed to a guy swinging as hard as he can for the umpteenth time in the hopes that he’ll be rewarded with a towering fly ball that may or may not go out.

I’m not suggesting rewriting the principle rules of the game. I merely think it’s time to recalibrate the sport to augment more of the fun parts of the sport and to minimize the rote aspects of it.

Baseball has done such a thing before. For the 1969 season, MLB lowered the mound by five inches, a response to pitcher dominance. Sure enough, offense increased. The sport looked the other way on steroids for more than a decade to help offense, too.

Is there a ready-made solution for the problems that plague baseball today?

I sure hope we find one, because right now, no matter what the kool-aid drinking congregation says, the sport is dying and there’s no obvious cure in sight.