We're nearly to Opening Day of the 2022 MLB season, a glorious sight for baseball-loving eyes. This would be true in any year, but it's especially true after a lockout-stained offseason that had us mentally preparing for the possibility of no baseball at all in 2022.
So getting to see Major League Baseball in 2022 feels like a minor miracle, considering the acrimony that existed between players and owners during the darkest days of the lockout. But now that a full season is locked in, it's time to get greedy with what we want to see in 2022.
MORE: The Sporting News' projections, predictions for the 2022 MLB season
Here are 22 things I want to see as the season unfolds:
1. I want to see Freddie Freeman thrive in Los Angeles.
Freeman is fun to watch, no matter which uniform he wears. Though it's still weird to see him in a Dodgers uniform, his exploits should be no less enjoyable in Los Angeles than they were in Atlanta. Whatever internal drama existed when the Braves opted to not re-sign him has reportedly been quelled, so everyone — even Braves fans — should look forward to more good things from Freeman. Baseball is better when its best players perform well.
2. I want to see Matt Olson thrive in Atlanta.
Don't look at Olson as Freeman's replacement as Atlanta's first baseman. Look at him as the exciting monster who's going to smash so many dingers into Truist Park's Chop House that it could become a safety hazard. But seriously, Olson should mash in Atlanta. He hit 39 homers last season playing his home games at Oakland's cavernous ballpark, so his power numbers with the Braves could be downright gaudy.
3. I want to see Shohei Ohtani get even better.
Ohtani is the most dynamic player baseball has seen in more than a century. His 2021 was the greatest individual season in sports history, but for some reason we don't talk about it nearly as much as we should. His performance was unprecedented and almost literally unbelievable. It's hard to imagine he could improve on that, but superhumans tend to do superhuman things. On a related note ...
4. I want to see the Angels make the playoffs.
It's disappointing, depressing and all kinds of other negative words to know that the Angels have squandered the career peak of Mike Trout — perhaps, eventually, the greatest player of all time — and are on their way to doing the same with Ohtani because of their ongoing commitment to fourth place. But if things break right, if everyone stays healthy, the Angels could be a good wild-card sleeper in the AL. And it would be spectacular to watch Trout and Ohtani do their things under the October spotlight. Also related ...
5. I want to see Mike Trout have a healthy season.
Trout has not played more than 140 games in a season since 2016. Last season, injuries limited him to just 36 games and 146 plate appearances. He's only 30, but he seems older. If the Angels have any shot at the postseason, Trout has to be on the field. Just as baseball is better when its best players thrive, baseball is also better when Mike Trout is in the lineup every day.
6. I want to see the Blue Jays make a lot of noise.
It looks to be a wild summer in Toronto. The Jays' lineup is stacked and should club opponents into submission all season long. They had five guys with an OPS of .828 or higher in 2021, topping out with Vladimir Guerrero Jr.'s 1.002, and they won 91 games without making the playoffs. That won't happen this year. The talent is immense, with Guererro, Bo Bichette, Teoscar Hernandez, the newly added Matt Chapman. The list goes on. They present the scariest of onslaughts for American League pitchers. It's hard to not see them as the team to beat in the AL East, and probably the AL in general.
7. I want to see expanded playoffs work as intended.
Monetary motivations aside, the goal of expanded playoffs is to have more teams playing meaningful baseball down the stretch. The more teams involved, the more fan bases engaged. The more fan bases engaged, the greater the buzz for baseball. I hope it all plays out exactly like this, along with the various trickle-down effects: a busier trade deadline, meaningful games every night, new heroes emerging with the season on the line. Let's do it.
8. I want to see the anti-DH crowd come around.
There are people who hate the DH, who claim to prefer watching pitchers hit, who say they love the intrigue of manager strategy and the ingenuity of a double-switch in the seventh inning. I do not understand these people. With the DH finally a permanent fixture in both leagues, baseball has evolved for the better. It's just better baseball when everyone in the lineup is competent with a bat. A lot of fans softened on the universal DH during the COVID-affected 2020 season, and I think we'll see more of that this season.
9. I want to see MLB make this the Year of the Fan.
My colleague Ryan Fagan wrote a whole column on this concept. After an ugly lockout that left many fans bitter and even apathetic, the MLB powers that be need to go all-out with fan appreciation in 2022. A great way to keep existing fans and lure new ones is to make them feel valued while you entertain them. This goes for players and teams. It could go lots of different ways: more autographs, more stadium tours, more giveaways, more contests, free tickets, etc. Make the fans important. They'll notice, and they'll love it.
10. I want to see the Tigers take that next step.
After its 8-19 start in 2021, Detroit went 69-66 and built enough momentum to make a winning season in 2022 seem like a realistic expectation. That possibility gained even more strength with the addition of Javy Baez in the offseason and Austin Meadows just this week. They both add pop to a lineup that was already formidable. This looks to be an interesting season in the Motor City, and the start of a new run of excellence for one of baseball's most storied teams would be good for the game.
11. I want to see Albert Pujols reach 700 homers.
Pujols needs 21 homers to become just the fourth player to ever reach that milestone, which means it would be a big deal if he got there. Pujols isn't an everyday player anymore, but with the universal DH he's almost certain to get more trips to the plate than he would have otherwise. He last passed the 20-homer mark in 2019, but he hit 17 last season. So 21 seems doable.
FIVE BIG QUESTIONS:
AL East | AL Central | AL West
NL East | NL Central | NL West
12. I want to see more steals of home.
Remember when Randy Arozarena stole home during the ALDS last year? It was arguably the most exciting play of October. We need more of that. Straight steals preferred. Here's a compilation of guys stealing home through the years.
13. I want to see more steals, period.
Stolen bases aren't as valued as they used to be, but they still reliably offer a burst of excitement whenever they occur. I'm not asking for another 100-steal man like Rickey Henderson or Vince Coleman. I'm just asking for players with speed to use that speed to advance on the bases. Use those legs to make things happen and put pressure on the defense.
14. I want to see close races and chaos.
The elimination of Game 163 tiebreakers means we won't have the potential for true baseball chaos anymore, but that doesn't mean the final month or week can't be packed with drama. Last year we saw the AL wild card come down to the wire, with the Mariners and Blue Jays giving us compelling action until almost the very end. The expanded playoffs should increase the likelihood of fun, potentially chaotic happenings this season.
15. I want to see Ronald Acuna Jr. and Fernando Tatis Jr. return healthy.
Acuna and Tatis are two of baseball's most exciting players, each capable of transforming a game by themselves. But neither will transform any games for a while, as both begin the season on the IL. Acuna's return from a torn ACL last season is more certain and soon — he's expected to start DH'ing in late April and could begin playing the field in early May — while Tatis' future is less clear as he recovers from surgery to repair a broken wrist. But when both are healthy and doing their respective things, it's must-see stuff.
16. I want to see how good Wander Franco can be.
Franco was worth 3.5 bWAR last season in just 70 games for the Rays. That's more than 8 WAR over a full season, which is elite, MVP-level production. Though the league will no doubt adjust to him in his sophomore season, there's no reason to think Franco won't adapt and continue to impress. His 43-game on-base streak last season showed that he's a multi-faceted offensive player, and he should be a lot of fun to watch as he grows into and hones his raw abilities.
MORE: The Sporting News' Opening Day MLB Power Rankings
17. I want to see Seiya Suzuki do big things in Chicago.
All indications are that Suzuki will be an exciting MLB player once he finds his stride. His power-hitting exploits in Japan should translate well in the Friendly Confines, so Cubs fans — and baseball fans in general — should be in for a treat this summer. Suzuki doesn't have the hype Ohtani or Ichiro did upon their MLB arrivals, but he doesn't have to be the next version of them. His own unique brand of ball should be plenty entertaining.
18. I want to see a nice, long hitting streak.
MLB's last hitting streak of 30 or more games was Whit Merrifield's 31-game streak from 2018 to 2019. But we're about due another one that long, and maybe longer. There's just something about a good hitting streak, that bit of nightly drama that makes a player appointment viewing for a few weeks. Joe DiMaggio's 56-game streak is almost certainly still safe, but I wouldn't mind seeing someone chase Pete Rose's 44-game streak, or even Paul Molitor's 39-gamer. FYI: The longest hitting streak of the past 30 years was Jimmy Rollins' 38-game streak from 2005 to 2006.
19. I want to see a player unexpectedly surprise us.
Part of the allure of a new baseball season is awaiting the unexpected but compelling storylines that will emerge. Baseball has a habit of turning the spotlight onto unexpected subjects, and I'd love for it to happen again this season. Maybe a previously unheralded rookie takes the league by storm, or maybe a journeyman veteran has an out-of-nowhere All-Star season.
20. I want to see Jacob deGrom get healthy and stay healthy.
DeGrom is among the greatest pitchers of his generation, and it's a shame that his career has been hindered by injuries both minor and serious in the middle of his prime. The latest setback came last week when the Mets said they'd shut him down for at least a month after he complained of shoulder tightness and an MRI revealed a stress reaction. Baseball needs more pitchers like Jacob deGrom, but, unfortunately, there's only one Jacob deGrom.
21. I want to see more behind-the-scenes baseball.
This is pretty much an annual plea. This year is the 40th anniversary of the season documented by the groundbreaking "It's a Long Way to October," and baseball is long overdue for another one of these season-long inside-access documentaries. This is a great way to show fans a side of the game they don't otherwise see, and I'm a little perplexed as to why MLB hasn't gone all-in on the concept. Individual teams have done various smaller, episodic versions of this, but a longer and more ambitious project would be fantastic.
22. I want to see baseball grow.
This is a big one, and every other item on this list ties into it. Major League Baseball is a beautiful game, despite its flaws. After months of a nasty lockout, which followed attendance and viewership numbers that have trended downward, it could be easy to be down about the game. But exciting players, good storylines, nice surprises and milestone moments give people reasons to watch and to care. MLB has the ingredients to provide all that in 2022, and I hope to see some progress. There's so much to like in modern baseball, and it's time for more people to develop a crush that blossoms into true love.
