Gerrit Cole Dominant Yankees Start and Hottest MLB Spring Training Storylines

The outcome of spring training games might not matter, but the storylines that emerge from the Grapefruit and Cactus Leagues do.

Or, at least some of them do.

Let's sift through the noise and pick seven narratives from the exhibition slate that could have a significant impact on the 2020 MLB season, based on the latest news and rumors and our own speculation.

The Padres Might Be a Serious Contender

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The San Diego Padres signed superstar third baseman Manny Machado last winter and have a loaded farm system that has already produced promising MLB pieces, including shortstop Fernando Tatis Jr. They're a club on the rise.

That said, San Diego lost 92 games and finished last in the National League West in 2019. 

Yet the Pads have shot out of the gate this spring with a 7-1 record and a plus-24 run differential. To state the painfully obvious: a small-sample exhibition output is not predictive. Many squads have blazed through spring training and faced a rude awakening come Opening Day.

But context matters, and the Friars, big picture, are on the edge of moving from rebuilders to winners. Even with the requisite grains of salt, this hot spring start only makes the "winners" label more probable.

Injured Flame-Thrower Michael Kopech Is Ahead of Schedule for the White Sox

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Much like the Padres, the Chicago White Sox are poised to move from rebuilder to contender. They added key veteran free agents this offseason, including catcher Yasmani Grandal, designated hitter Edwin Encarnacion and left-handers Dallas Keuchel and Gio Gonzalez.

A postseason run is possible, especially considering they play in the relatively weak American League Central.

One thing that would advance that goal? The return of hard-throwing right-hander Michael Kopech. The 23-year-old who turned heads with his triple-digit heater is working his way back from Tommy John surgery and appears to be ahead of schedule.

"Honestly, he's looking far more advanced than most people might think," ChiSox manager Rick Renteria told reporters. "His command is a lot better. He's commanding his pitches—changeup, breaking ball, fastball. His misses are minimal. The ball is coming out of his hand loose and hot. He looks really good."

That is excellent news for South Side fans hoping to root for a winner in 2020.

Felix Hernandez Is Poised for a Bounce-Back with the Braves

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Felix Hernandez posted ERAs of 5.55 and 6.40 the past two seasons with the Seattle Mariners. He then signed a minor league contract with an invite to spring training with the Atlanta Braves, hoping to earn a rotation spot.

So far, so good for King Felix.

In two spring starts, the six-time All-Star and 2010 AL Cy Young Award winner has posted a 1.93 ERA with six strikeouts in 4.2 innings and displayed life and movement on his fastball.

"He knows what he's doing," Braves skipper Brian Snitker told reporters after Hernandez's second spring outing. "He has a feel for his pitches. He can change speeds. The longer he was out there, [it felt like] he could've kept going for a while, but we didn't want him to. Next time out we'll stretch him out again."

Atlanta has options in the rotation, including an array of young arms from its loaded farm system, some of whom have sipped a cup of coffee at the highest level.

But if Hernandez stays on this early spring path, he could be due for a renaissance with the Braves as they fight for a third straight NL East crown and try to push past the division series round.

Gerrit Cole Looks Like the Ace the Yankees Thought They Signed

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We'll get to the bad news regarding the New York Yankees shortly. For now, here's the good stuff.

In just two starts in the Grapefruit League, Gerrit Cole is already hitting the high-90s on the radar gun. He's fanned four while allowing no runs in 4.2 innings and looked every bit the pitcher New York inked to a historic nine-year, $324 million pact this winter.

He's a lifelong Yankees fan, and in the nascent stages of the Grapefruit League, he's tossing like a man born to don the pinstripes.

A year after finishing second in AL Cy Young Award balloting and pacing baseball with 326 strikeouts for the Houston Astros (rest assured we'll get to them too), Cole is hurling like the ace the Yanks thought they signed.

Mookie Betts Is Stepping Up as the Dodgers' Leader

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The Los Angeles Dodgers made a late offseason splash by acquiring star outfielder Mookie Betts (along with veteran left-hander David Price) from the Boston Red Sox.

Now, Betts is apparently stepping up as a leader for L.A.

Betts reportedly delivered an impassioned speech about winning at the outset of spring training, and it resonated with key members of the Dodgers clubhouse, including third baseman Justin Turner.

"When you stand up in front of the team on the first day and essentially call everyone out, says he wants to hold everyone accountable for their effort...that's like, all right, you learn what he's about really fast," Turner told reporters.

The Dodgers haven't won a title in 31 years and counting. Betts debuted with the Boston Red Sox in 2014, a decade after they broke the Curse of the Bambino, but he obviously absorbed the culture of a franchise that had gotten fed up with not earning rings. 

He'll be a free agent after 2020. But for one season at least, he seems committed to leading Los Angeles to the promised land.

The Anti-Astros Backlash Is Not Going Away

John Bazemore/Associated Press

The Houston Astros are the villains of MLB after the sign-stealing scandal that will follow them through 2020 and beyond. I'm not the only media type who weighed in on the subject.

Now, we're seeing the backlash firsthand.

Here's footage of a fan heckling the Astros dugout during a spring training rain delay, asking whether they're going to give their 2017 World Series trophy back or if they're planning to keep it.

Someone, seemingly a member of the team or Houston staff, replies, "As long as you keep paying to come see us."

Again, this is spring training. And it's raining. If this kind of confrontation and awkward reply is happening in late February during a soggy exhibition contest, one can only imagine how the regular season and playoffs (presuming the Astros make it that far) will unfold. Buckle up.

The Yankees' Injury Woes Are Real and Troubling

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OK, we touched on Gerrit Cole's early success. Now the dark cloud inside that silver lining.

The Yankees signed Cole hoping to win a title. They still might. But the early injury returns aren't ideal.

Starting pitcher James Paxton is lost for three to four months to back surgery performed in early February. Fellow starter Luis Severino is out for the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

Sluggers Giancarlo Stanton (calf strain) and Aaron Judge (sore shoulder) are also sidelined. 

That's two-fifths of the projected starting rotation and the team's two biggest boppers. Maybe Stanton and Judge will bounce back and be ready for Opening Day, but both battled injuries last season. Stanton played a mere 18 regular-season games in 2019, and Judge missed 60 contests.

For a club with unambiguous World Series aspirations, this is an inauspicious start, to put it mildly.

All statistics current as of Sunday and courtesy of Baseball Reference unless otherwise noted.