Roundtable: What MLB performance has impressed you most thus far?

Small samples in baseball are stupid. It’s fun to say Player X is on pace to hit a million home runs, and you want to believe your team will actually go 162-0, but we all know those are silly statements.

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Crazy things can happen over three to four games, and that can lead to some ridiculous statements being thrown around. Remember when Chris Shelton hit 10 home runs in April back in 2006 and everyone thought he had figured it out? Turned out that wasn’t the case.

With all that said, we here at The Stew can’t help ourselves. We’ve missed dropping hot takes about baseball in the offseason, and we’re chomping at the bit to unleash our scorching takes on the world. We’re doing this despite the fact that it’s the first week of the regular season.

For this week’s Roundtable, we asked our crew what MLB performance has impressed them the most thus far? Sure, it’s only been a few games, but we like what we see. Will we probably make some horrible predictions that come back to bite us? Sure. Do we care right now? Nope. Baseball is back, and we’ve missed talking about it!

(AP Photo/Stephen Brashear) ROBINSON CANO, SEATTLE MARINERS
Robinson Cano has smashed four home runs in the first three games of the season and is once again looking like a player worthy of the $240 million contract he signed two years ago.

He has gone 4-for-14 with all of those hits being home runs here in the early going. Cano is the first Mariners player to hit at least one homer in each of the first three games of a season. He will certainly cool off when it comes to hitting them out of the ballpark, but he’s already off to a massively better start to this year as compared to last year.

Cano didn’t hit his first home run in 2015 until the eighth game of the season, and he didn’t hit No. 4 until June 26 or 74 games into the 2015 season. Since signing with Seattle, Cano’s power numbers have been down, and his batting average dipped below .300 for the first time since 2008. He hit at least 25 home runs each year from 2009-2013 for the Yankees but hit just 14 in his first season with Seattle in 2014 and 21 last season.

He’s already well on his way to a bounce-back season at 33, though it’s not as if he was completely failing these past two years. He just wasn’t producing at the same level as he did when he was in his prime, and the reality is that shouldn’t surprise anyone. (Kyle Ringo)

THE ENTIRE PHILADELPHIA PHILLIES BULLPEN
Look, we all knew the Phillies were going to be bad this season, but I at least thought they would be an intriguing team to watch, especially late in the season.

Aaron Nola and Maikel Franco look like legitimate young stars, and the idea of Vince Velasquez as a full-time starter has potential. Things should get a lot more interesting in the second half, though, when J.P. Crawford and players acquired in the Cole Hamels deal start getting called up. Nick Williams and Jake Thompson could both be up at some point, and it’s possible Jorge Alfaro gets some time. That’s seven players who could actually be on the next Phillies winner!

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Problem is, their bullpen is atrocious. I’ve actually been impressed with how bad they’ve been thus far. By all accounts, it’s the right move for a rebuilding club. Sure, having Ken Giles around would prevent some embarrassing late-inning collapses, but he’s not making a 70-win team an 88-win playoff contender.

The Phillies will be fun to watch, especially later in the season, but I can’t say I envy fans who will have to put up with this bullpen all year. That part is going to be ugly. (Chris Cwik)

COREY DICKERSON, TAMPA BAY RAYS
The Tampa Bay Rays may have added a gem to their lineup this winter when they acquired Corey Dickerson from the Colorado Rockies. The deal cost them former closer Jake McGee and a low-level pitching prospect, but that will be a small price if Dickerson brings much needed pop to Tropicana Field. Through four games anyway, it looks like he’ll do just that. He already homered off Marcus Stroman in the opener and added a monstrous 453-foot blast on Tuesday.

Dickerson’s early power surge is notable because there were questions about how his offense would translate coming over from Coors Field. He may feel it a little bit in his batting average. Some of those popups that dropped in front of outfielders in Denver won’t in St. Pete. But his power seems to be legit, and that’s great news for Rays fans.

One thing’s for sure. Dickerson is willing to put in the work to be great at the plate. He’s one of those guys who eats, sleeps and breathes hitting. As a kid, he used to hit berries with switches and ping pong balls with broomsticks. Anything that involved hitting a round object with something resembling a stick was his favorite way to pass the time. That helped him develop what many scouts say is elite hand-eye coordination, and that’s really the basis for any great hitter.

In a division filled with difference-making bats, an addition like Dickerson could be critical for Tampa Bay. He should be theirs for a while too, as he’ll be arbitration eligible for the first time this winter. (Mark Townsend)

AARON SANCHEZ, TORONTO BLUE JAYS
Aaron Sanchez wasn’t assured of a spot in the Blue Jays’ rotation entering spring training, but he absolutely earned a starting job after a string of dominant spring training performances. Now that he’s in the role he desired, it appears he’s ready to break out. Sure, it’s just one start against a middling offensive team, but Sanchez looked nasty and in control. He struck out eight Rays hitters over seven innings Tuesday and most important, didn’t surrender a walk.

Command has been Sanchez’s issue in his brief time as a starter and has been the big knock against the 23-year-old right-hander being a starting pitcher long term. If he can keep his walks down throughout the season, Sanchez has the potential to be one of baseball’s bright young stars. Based off his first start, there’s good reason to be encouraged. (Israel Fehr)

[Elsewhere: Bomani Jones wore a Cleveland Caucasians shirt on ESPN]

YASIEL PUIG, LOS ANGELES DODGERS
Count me among the people who didn’t believe Yasiel Puig was ready for a hot start in 2016. After a year that was more drama than production, I wasn’t expecting much. Heck, last week I would have predicted Puig would struggle this season and the Dodgers may not make the postseason. Three games isn’t much of a sample, but credit to Puig, he’s looked more like the rookie who took baseball by storm. He’s hitting .600 in his first 10 at-bats with five runs scored and four RBIs. Not saying Puig is fixed and the Dodgers are great — all this did come against the Padres, remember — but I have to say I’m impressed by 2016 Puig thus far. (Mike Oz)

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