Rookies explode; ABS drama

Chase DeLauter, 24, opened the regular season with a.353 average (6-for-17), four home runs, five RBIs and a 1.059 slugging percentage across four games, leading the majors in homers and total bases (18) to earn AL Player of the Week. (mlb.com) (mlb.com) DeLauter became the first player in Cleveland franchise history to hit multiple homers in his regular-season debut and one of four players in MLB history to homer in three consecutive regular-season games to start a career, joining Munetaka Murakami, Kyle Lewis and Trevor Story. (mlb.com) (mlb.com) Sal Stewart went 7-for-10 (.700) in Cincinnati’s opening series with a home run, three doubles, three walks and a 2.069 OPS, and he became the first Reds rookie to collect three hits on Opening Day. (espn.com; si.com) (espn.com) MLB noted the pair are two of only six rookies to win Player of the Week in Opening Week since 1974, and it’s the first time rookies from both leagues were honored in the same week since August of last season. (mlb.com) (mlb.com) On Opening Night José Caballero recorded the first-ever ABS challenge attempt (which he lost), while Francisco Álvarez executed MLB’s first successful ABS challenge during the Mets’ opener when a called ball was overturned to a strike. (mlb.com; si.com) (mlb.com) ABS-produced drama followed: the Reds’ Tyler Stephenson won a challenge on Opening Day, the system overturned dozens of calls across the first weekend, and Twins manager Derek Shelton was ejected after protesting the timing of an Orioles challenge that turned a potential tying walk into an out in the ninth. (usatoday.com; espn.com; startribune.com) (usatoday.com) Teams signaled challenges with the new double-tap to the helmet, the league is measuring the ABS strike zone on a plane 8.5 inches behind the plate with top and bottom set at 53.5% and 27% of a player’s height, and early totals show dozens of overturned calls as managers rapidly adapt in real time. (espn.com; mlb.com) (espn.com)