And they're off...

SF Giants Minor Lines, April 1-2, 2023

On a cool, breezy Saturday morning, with snow covering the Rocky Mountain peaks that form the picturesque backdrop at Smith’s Park in Salt Lake City, Heliot Ramos stepped to the plate and banged a hard ground ball up the middle for a single. And the 2023 minor league season was off and running.

It was supposed to get out of the starter’s blocks the night before, but icy and snowy conditions canceled the opener — leaving many to wonder why Sacramento, which plays in one of the few locations in the PCL that is actually warm this time of year, was opening the season on the road.

I suppose the answer is that it’s just a three-game mini-series, and Sacramento will be back at Sutter Health park for the start of their first six-game series on Tuesday. Still, there’s always a bit of culture shock when moving from an Arizona spring to the chillier climes that most teams call home.

It’s an abbreviated first Minor Lines of the year, while we wait for the other three affiliates to get going at the end of this week — but some baseball is better than no baseball! So let’s see what there is to be seen on this first Monday morning of the new year.

Picturesque! See?