It’s the most wonderful time of the year...if you’re a baseball fan.
Here at the Villages of Citrus Hills, we are surrounded by six different teams that make their winter and spring homes nearby.
Pitchers and catchers have officially reported for duty, and the sights and sounds of baseball are taking over the state of Florida.
Let’s check in with each of those teams to see what we might expect from them this spring and summer.
This spring took an ugly twist for the New York Yankees with stud pitcher Luis Severino already suffering a season-ending injury, but that alone won’t be enough to slow down this year’s Bronx Bombers.
The Yankees made a huge splash this offseason when they inked the best pitcher in the world, Gerit Cole, to a nine-year deal. There is going to be plenty of excitement in Tampa this spring when you combine that with the hopefully healthy seasons from sluggers Aaron Judge and Giancarlo Stanton.
The Phillies made headlines when they signed outfielder Bruce Harper to a monster contract last winter, but everything since has been a massive disappointment.
In hopes of turning things around this year, they brought in free agent shortstop Didi Gregorious and pitcher Zack Wheeler. Add in the return of lead-off man Andrew McCutchen, and Philadelphia will be fielding another impressive lineup that should be able to contend for a pennant in the NL East.
The Toronto Blue Jays had a horrible record in 2019, and things aren’t going to get much better for them going up against the Yankees, Red Sox, and Rays in the American League East this year. However, they do have a treasure trove of young talent that will be on display in Dunedin this spring.
Rising stars like Vladmir Guerrero Jr., Bo Bichette, Cavan Biggio, Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Danny Jansen, and Nate Pearson each have All-Star potential, and this spring could be the launching point for any of them to skyrocket into superstardom.
Things have been downright brutal for the Detroit Tigers ever since trading ace pitcher Justin Verlander to the Houston Astros a few years ago. Time will tell, but it doesn’t seem like they are likely to improve much at all in 2020.
While Justin Verlander certainly isn’t the force to be reckoned with that he once was, the legendary Miguel Cabrera will still be in the Tigers lineup this year, and he alone is worth a trip to Dunedin this spring.
The Pittsburgh Pirates finished at the bottom of the NL Central in 2019. After trading away their best player this winter, they are probably looking to repeat with a similar performance in 2020.
Outside of Chris Archer and maybe Josh Bell, you aren’t going to know very many players on the Pirates roster this spring. On the other hand though, Pirate City in Bradenton is a gorgeous place to take in a baseball game, and Bradenton is always a fantastic destination for a day trip.
