For the measured baseball fan, the first week of the year is not a time to draw many significant conclusions. The day-in, day-out grind of a 162-game season is not structured for wild swings in fortune, yet that won’t prevent most die-hards from buying into the hype of a fast start—or conversely, bracing for six months of agony following a rough first week.
Normally, we’d use this space to caution against bold declarations after just seven-ish games, but not today. Instead, we’ll lean into the skid (or drink the Kool-Aid, depending on the team) and give a reason why each overreaction—positive or negative—makes sense for each club.