With the introduction of the 30 teams to the last one, MLB has finally ushered in the opening battle today! After a long wait, finally today, Baseball is back! The opening game was even more exciting, with a goodbye three-pointer from Arizona's Diamondbacks' seth Beer on American Beer Day! The wonderful MLB season is back in full swing, and the finale of the 30 team introduction, of course, has to invite last year's World Series champion - Atlanta Warriors!
From the 0.7% probability of winning the championship to successfully lifting the final World Series championship trophy, the path of the Warriors to win last year's championship must be something that many people did not imagine. The opening season of the first outfield can not play for their own reasons, several "airborne" players traded in the mid-season have taken on the responsibility of output, can the Warriors who have run away from the "team soul" in the off-season still defend their titles this year?
2021 Season Review
After losing to the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 2020 season, the Warriors, who are just one step away from the World Series, will be determined to challenge again. This time, given that the starting rotation was too young, they signed playoff veteran Charlie Morton to lead the rotation, plus several starters in the lineup also matured, supplemented by a strong and sophisticated cowshed lineup, the Warriors are expected to have a pitcher base in the front of the league. In terms of playing lines, with 2020 MVP Freddie Freeman hanging the title, plus nuclear warheads Ronald Acuna Jr. and Ozzie Albies, and Marcell Ozuna, who is on a four-year contract extension, the Warriors' line is by no means idle.
However, the seemingly neat lineup had various problems after the start of the season, with junior ace Mike Soroka not making a smooth comeback, and the starting fielders of the opening season also left the starting lineup for different reasons, with Acuña's serious injury hitting the Morale of the Warriors. After the player's soul was injured, the data model gave the Warriors only a 12 percent chance of making it into the playoffs, and the probability of winning a World Series title was 0.7 percent of the draw.
Having said that, warriors general manager Alex Anthopoulos' several trades before the trade deadline set the stage for the final success, and a few new classmates who seemed to simply fill the lineup played an unexpected effect, and finally the Warriors also hit the playoff final train, and after that is history. With Freeman catching the last ball passed to first base, in 2021, the Warriors won the World Series!
Personnel changes
The biggest shock of this offseason was that Freeman left Atlanta to join his hometown team, the Los Angeles Dodgers. As the Warriors watch the cricket stars leave, the first base opening will also be replaced by another star first baseman, Atlanta native Matt Olson. Objectively speaking, Olsen is expected to fill the blow output left by Freeman, but the role of the "team soul" that the latter has accompanied the Warriors for many years is not something that Warriors fans can quickly replace emotionally.
In addition to trading Olson from oakland athletics, the Warriors signed former Los Angeles Dodgers patron saint Kenley Jansen on a one-year contract and brought back Collin McHugh and Kirby Yates in two years. Last season's Playoffs, the Warriors' "Iron Bull Team" has made opponents very afraid, and now with the addition of a few more generals, the Warriors support group in the new season will still be the most reassuring shield in the hearts of coaches and fans.
In response to Acuña's injury, the Warriors also added Alex Dickerson to the outfield staff, and brought back Eddie Rosario on a two-year contract, who will also take up a key outfield role in the new season.
Key stars
Ozzie Albies, second baseman
As the best representative of the National League's strong second baseman, Albis and the general "strong hit" give people a different impression, and even when you first see Albis's thin body of only 173 cm, you will wonder if this guy can really carry the ball out of the big wall 100 meters away? However, flexibility but power is synonymous with Albis, you can see him in the Warriors' second base range fish leap to the non-stop hit, attack and defense exchange immediately after the ball out of the home run wall, this is Albis, a baseball-loving sunshine big boy.
Ronald Acuna Jr., outfielder
In the lounge, Acuña and Albis are the team's two pistachios, responsible for enlivening the team atmosphere. However, when it came to the court, Acuña became the most feared batsman of the opposing pitcher, and he was the offensive nuclear warhead that the Warriors relied on the most with both strength and speed, and the 2018 National League rookie Wang played a terrifying stat of 41 hits and 37 steals in the second season of his career. Acuña Jr., who was injured defensively last year, is expected to return to the Warriors in late April/early May, when we can enjoy a baseball fireworks show launched by Acuña again.
Dark Horse Candidate: Kyle Muller, starting pitcher
The Warriors have always known as the "kingdom of pitchers" and have produced many young strong shots in recent years, such as Soloca and Max Fried. Mueller, who had his first major league taste last year, is expected to join the ranks of many of his predecessors, and as a second-round pick in 2016, he is expected to become another Warriors' starting player after Ian Anderson in the same ladder. Mueller, who has four types of balls, not only has a speedball with a speed of 97 miles, but his tall stature of 201 centimeters also makes the left pitcher's speedball more powerful, and with skateball and curved balls that are also above the level, if he can strengthen the variable speed ball and control, his future will be unlimited.
Recruit registration: Spencer Strider, back-up pitcher
At the 2020 draft, Stredder dropped to the fourth round after surgery, and the Warriors quickly found out that they had found a treasure. Last year's Stred went all the way from the A level and appeared in the Warriors' major league roster at the end of the season. After joining the Warriors, the coaching team let Stred focus on his speedball and skateball, and the triple-digit fireball plus the tail-full sliding ball interaction also made the opponents suffer.
2022 season outlook
The start of the post-Freeman era also means that the Warriors will not have the team leader on the team for the first time since 2010. Big Brother is not there, it depends on the play of Acuña, Albis and other young people. Although they are still very young, the two stars plus the third baseman Austin Riley and the new classmate Olson who broke out of the cocoon in the 2021 season, the Warriors' playing line is still very fierce, and the pitcher group is a part of the Warriors' need not worry. This year's National League Eastern Division opponents still have many big moves to strengthen, but the Warriors are still expected to win a fifth consecutive division championship with their existing manpower.
Can the Warriors become the first team in the 21st century to defend a World Series title? Hurry up and give your opinion in the comments section!