Baseball is finally back and the stars were out and performing on Opening Weekend. Faces in new places were making strong first impressions, young rookies made debuts to remember, and stud sophomores are picking up where they left off.
Tampa Bay Rays shortstop Wander Franco had six hits, one double, and three RBIs in the Rays series sweep over the Baltimore Orioles. Starting out in his second year, Franco seems to be making a name for himself, while proving he's not worried about a "sophomore slump."
Houston Astros third basemen Alex Bregman recorded six hits, six RBIs, and two home runs as the 'Stros took three out of four games away from the Los Angeles Angels. Bregman recorded only a .777 OPS last season so the two-time all-star is looking for a bounce-back season at the hot corner.
Atlanta Braves first basemen Matt Olson made about as good of a first impression he could make on the Atlanta faithful. Olson, who takes over Freddie Freeman's former role, put up a .571 AVG with a 1.576 OPS. The two-time gold glover smacked two doubles, one home run, eight hits, and drew three walks as the Braves split the series with the Cincinnati Reds.
Finally, Cleveland Guardians rookie left fielder Steven Kwan came out of nowhere by whacking nine hits, two doubles, one triple, and driving in three runs against the Kansas City Royals. Kwan and the Guardians play the Cincinnati Reds today as they start a two-game series.
Baseball is back and so are the great players who play "America's Game." The 2022 season is sure to be a memorable one.