Yankees Get Cole Back on Mound

In his first season with the New York Yankees in 2020, Gerrit Cole threw to two different catchers as backup Kyle Higashioka took over for Gary Sanchez in that role. On Monday in his spring debut, Cole paired with Sanchez again in a fresh start as the Yankees beat Detroit 5-4. 

Cole threw just 28 pitches and allowed one run on three hits in his first outing with Sanchez behind the plate since Aug. 31. In September, he threw exclusively to Higashioka and posted a 1.00 ERA with a 3-1 record over 27 innings. Higashioka also got the nod in Cole’s postseason starts, including Game 5 of the ALDS. 

Manager Aaron Boone said he will have both catchers get experience with Cole during Spring Training and hasn’t made a decision yet on who will catch the Yankees ace to start the regular season. 

The Yankees are +550 to win the World Series, with only the Dodgers having better odds at +350. Cole is the favorite to win the AL Cy Young award at +350, just ahead of Cleveland’s Shane Bieber, the 2020 winner, at +400.

Glasnow Unveils New Arsenal

Tampa Bay Rays pitcher Tyler Glasnow has a new breaking ball and topped 100 multiple times in his spring debut Monday. He threw 10 pitches in the first inning before walking three in the second inning and allowing two runs while striking out three over 1 ? innings in a 6-5 loss to Minnesota. 

Glasnow threw 35 pitches overall, and his very first pitch of the game was clocked at 99 mph and later hit 100 mph four times in the first inning. He unveiled his new breaking ball, a cutter-slider, that is about 4-5 mph harder than his curveball and 10-12 mph slower than his fastball. With Charlie Morton and Blake Snell now in Atlanta and San Diego, respectively, all eyes are on Glasnow as Tampa looks to repeat in the American League, 

The Rays are +850 to win the American League and +2500 to win the World Series. Glasnow has the fourth-best odds to win the AL Cy Young award at +900. 

Acuna Gets Off to a Fast Start

One of the top candidates to win the National League MVP award, Atlanta’s Ronald Acuna Jr., got off to a fast start Monday in a 5-3 win over the Boston Red Sox. Acuna doubled and scored in the top of the first inning, using his blazing speed to slide home ahead of the throw by J.D. Martinez. 

Braves manager Brian Snitker told reporters after the game that Acuna has lost a considerable amount of weight and will look to run even more this season. Acuna is +850 to win the MVP award, the fourth-best odds in the league. His teammate Freddie Freeman won the award in 2020 and is listed at +1200 to start this season. 

The Braves have the third-best odds to win the pennant at +500, and they are +1000 to win their first World Series since 1995. The NL East will be highly competitive in 2021, and the Braves are the favorites at +120, with the Mets right behind them at +140.

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