The Week That Was: March 3-9

How did Taylor Swift help one Tiger fit in better?

Hello friends, it’s time for your weekly news recap of what’s been happening in baseball. Just a heads up, these weekly recaps will wind down for the regular season, and we’ll be switching to a daily format! So you’ll never miss a bit of news in the regular season.

For now, though, we’re still just hitting the highlights, including one very cute story this week about how a mega-star has helped a Tigers’ prospect acclimate to playing in the US.

Taylor Swift Helps a Tigers’ Propsect

During Spring Training, Tigers’ prospect Roberto Campos shared with reporter Jason Beck the unexpected way Campos improved his English leading up to the new season: listening to pop superstar Taylor Swift.

Campos cited listening to popular music and paying attention to the lyrics—along with watching English movies with subtitles, and speaking to his fellow players—as one of the key ways he helped build his English skills and better acclimate to life playing in the US.

But it was specifically Swift he name-dropped, saying, “Thanks, Taylor Swift, She’s incredible.”

You can read Jason Beck’s whole spotlight on Campos here.

Opening Day

Opening Day is just around the corner, and with it, we’re getting a lot closer to seeing what all the teams will look like to start the season, as well as which pitchers will be toeing the rubber for the first game of the season.

Now, it’s very interesting to see how teams look different in March from where they were last September, and it’s also interesting to see how different teams will look this September after a full season of play, trades, injuries, and changes.

We’re coming to the end of Spring Training and with it we’re getting very close to seeing the final Tigers’ lineup heading into the end of the month. We also know some of the names we won’t be seeing (more on that just below). We also know that (no surprise) Cy Young-winner Tarik Skubal will be getting the nod on Opening Day for the Tigers.

Here’s a little more of what you can expect come the end of the month.

• Projected lineups for every team on Opening Day .
• Some Tigers we know won’t be making the roster due to injury or being cut.
• What does it mean for baseball that two different teams will spend the 2025 season playing in minor league parks.

Quick Hits

• Jackson Jobe isn’t lacking for confidence as he shares what he thinks about his stuff.
• A little data for everything this offseason, courtesy of FanGraphs .
• 15 new pitches we’ve seen this spring.
• Mariners’ fans have some serious opinions about Jerry Dipoto’s recent interviews.
• Gerrit Cole is looking at second opinions before he has Tommy John surgery.
• People sure are getting hit by pitches this Spring Training.
• The Mets evidently didn’t have the biggest offer for Juan Soto this offseason .
• Which team did MLB players pick as their biggest surprise of spring?
• Weird inury alert! Jordan Walker hurt himself after stepping on an outfield sprinkler.
• Injuries may pose early problems for the Yankees’ pitching rotation.
• Speaking of which, the Reds are already on track to break their own hit-by-pitch record.
• The Padres are betting on Jose Iglesias .
• Are the Rays on the cusp of being sold? Seems like the pressure is on.
• Bryce Harper won’t complain about a position change if it means helping his team win.
• Vlad Jr. shares the details of his contract negotiations with the Blue Jays.
• Eight women who are breaking boundaries in baseball today.
• The A’s have unveiled a Las Vegas-themed patch for their Sacramento jerseys.
• MLB players participate in the Pass the Phone trend.
• The Dodgers are close to an extension with Dave Roberts.
• Barry Bonds praised Shohei Ohtani, but with a caveat.
• On the topic of Ohtani, what’s the update on his pitching status?
• The 25 beat players under 25.
• How good will the Braves’ rotation be? No one knows.

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