1. Phillies @ Rangers
In my mind, this was easily the most intriguing matchup of Opening Day for a multitude of reasons.
On one hand, the addition of Jacob deGrom and the litany of contracts doled out by Texas last offseason has them hoping for better success this season after coming off a 94-loss season. The Rangers will look for their middle infield of Marcus Semien and Corey Seager to carry most of the heavy lifting at the plate with deGrom, Martin Perez and Nathan Eovaldi hope to keep Texas in most ballgames.
The Phillies, on the other hand, are coming off a rollercoaster season where they fired their manger after falling to 21-29 at the start of June. They would go on to make an improbable run into the playoffs and on to the World Series where they lost to the Houston Astros in six games. The Phillies went all in this offseason signing shortstop Trea Turner to an 11-year, $300 million deal putting him at the top of an already stacked lineup. The Phillies will be a very fun team to watch this year.
There will be a multitude of storylines that will playout this upcoming baseball season. Another year of Major League Baseball is upon us and it is only a matter of time before we hear those two magical words. Play ball!