<http://schema.org/articleBody>
"FacebookPinterestbaseball-2014-season-635.jpeg\n\nIt's the end of March, winter is finally over (supposedly), and it's time again for the Boys of Summer to take the field. That's right, baseball season is officially here. And with some new rule changes, plenty of hot young talent, and the final chapter closing on a Hall of Fame career, this year could be one for the record books. But you don't have to take our word for it: Check out these six reasons why 2014 might be one of the best baseball seasons yet.\n\n1. The (Potential) Greatest Hitter Ever versus the (Potential) Greatest Pitcher Ever\n\n Imagine a universe in which Ted Williams at his peak slugs it out against Sandy Koufax, hurling fire and smoke during his peak. Then, consider it might be happening right now . While it's tough to project who will become a legend, Detroit's Miguel Cabrera is doing his best to solidify a place as one of the greatest hitters ever to play the game, and the Dodgers' Clayton Kershaw is dominating from the mound like no one since Koufax. With 44 home runs, 137 RBI, and an almost frightening 7.5 Wins Above Replacement, Cabrera's 2013 was one of the best seasons ever for a hitter, which is why he got the AL MVP, not to mention a shiny new eight-year, $248 million contract extension, the third-highest in baseball history. And that came on the heels of his marvelous 2012 when he won the Triple Crown, making him the first player to do so in forty-five years.\n\nThen there's Kershaw, who at 26, already has himself a sizeable list of Hall-of-Fame stats. A two-time Cy Young Award winner, last year Kershaw posted a 1.83 ERA and a staggering 7.8 WAR. And the best part about these two is that we may not have to hope for a World Series matchup to see them go head-to-head. The Dodgers play the Tigers during interleague play this year, so mark your calendars for April 8-9 and July 8-9 if you want to see a true heavyweight brawl.\n\n2. The Derek Jeter Farewell Tour\n\n A reason to watch or a reason to crawl under a rock until the NBA comes back, depending on how you feel about Jeter. But, even though we'll spend the next six months being told about Derek Jeter's last whatever ever, the fact of the matter is it will be the victory lap of one of the greatest players to ever play the game. While last season was marred by injury, there's plenty of reason to believe he has some juice left in the tank. No question, Jeter is a first ballot Hall-of-Famer\u2014and the fact that this will be his last season just gives him even more to play for.\n\n3. New Rules\n\n Rule changes in baseball are sort of like the Halley's Comet of sports: They almost never happen, and people freak the hell out when they do. This year, we're getting two of them, an improvement on instant replay and, the big one, a ban on collisions at home plate. The first is a sensible update, and should finally marshal baseball into the twenty-first century. Under the new rule, a team gets one challenge for the whole game. If they get it right, they get a second one (there's never a third). If they get the challenge wrong, then that's all she wrote. Any other challenges will be at the umpire's discretion. Not only will it result in more accurate calls, but the new rule adds an extra element of strategy, like it does in the NFL.\n\nSome may balk at the the ban of collisions, but fact is it's unnecessary to the game and, often, highly dangerous. Just ask former catcher Mike Matheny, one of the rule's biggest proponents. He was forced to retire after being affected by multiple concussions suffered at the plate. Just take one look at the situation in the NFL, if you have any doubts.\n\n4. The Last Drops of the Juicing Era\n\n After battling it out with Major League Baseball over his punishment for steroid use, Alex Rodriguez finally withdrew his lawsuit against the MLB, Commissioner Bud Selig, and the players' union last month, and accepted the prescribed 162-game suspension. With A-Rod now benched for the season, hopefully this closes the door on the steroid era, one of the blackest in the history of baseball. Rodriguez\u2014previously considered one of the best players of his generation\u2014is one of fourteen players suspended in the Biogenesis scandal, and if his punishment, the stiffest ever for doping, deters other players from cheating and finally cleans up the game, it will certainly have been worth it.\n\n5. The Young Guns: Hitting\n\n Youth movements are a good thing in sports. Young players generate excitement with their upside, and tantalize us with their talent. Last year's phenom Yasiel Puig certainly proved that, as he swung at everything, rocketed throws into the dugout from right field, and generated a buzz at Dodger stadium like no player since Fernando Valenzuela.\n\nHis was only the latest name to inject excitement into the MLB. The Angels' Mike Trout tops that list, with the Nationals' Bryce \"Clown Question Bro\" Harper not trailing too far behind. In 2012, his first full season in the league, Trout hit .326 with 30 home runs, and was only barely nudged out by Miguel Cabrera for league MVP. Trout continued his dominance through 2013, and by all accounts looks to be the real deal for many seasons to come. Atlanta's Freddie Freeman, who hit .319/.396/.501 last year, joins his fellow teammate Jason Heyward, who hit 27 home runs in 2012, and Miami's Giancarlo Stanton, who last year swatted 24 home runs and logged a .845 OPS, as three exciting 24-year-old hitters to watch this season. The youth movement definitely is on.\n\n6. The Young Guns: Pitching\n\n Not to be outdone by their offensive counterparts, a handful of young pitchers are currently chalking up All-Star caliber performances as well. We've already mentioned Kershaw but he isn't alone. Last year, 22-year-old Michael Wacha made his Major League debut with the Cardinals, hurling his way to 4-1 record and a 2.78 ERA. He'll be a player to watch this year in his first full season with the Cards. As will Miami's Jose Fernandez who last year, at the tender age of 20, went 12-6 with a 2.19 ERA in his first Major League season. Pittsburgh's Gerrit Cole and San Francisco's Madison Bumgarner, 23 and 24 respectively, will be two to keep an eye on this season as well. And of course, let's not forget Stephen Strasburg, the 25-year-old Nationals hurler who, playing his fifth season in the Majors, is something of a veteran. Although he missed half of 2010 and most of 2011 after undergoing Tommy John surgery, Strasburg is still an enormous talent, and will be worth watching in the coming season.\n\n Of course, young talent can be fickle, but that's half of the fun of watching the game. Who knows which player will come from out of nowhere to outshine all of the preseason coulda's and shoulda's? And whatever happens, with such a ridiculously talented pool of veterans, young guns, and storylines, to choose from, there should be no shortage of fireworks this season."^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.gq.com/story/6-reasons-to-care-about-baseball-this-season>