The 2022 baseball season is upon us. Each season, hope springs eternal as we go into the campaign just knowing that *this* season will be our season. It sure felt that way on Opening Night as the teams lined up, sang the anthem, and heard “Play Ball!” for the first time.
Then the actual games were played. And it wasn’t pretty for the Jumbo Shrimp. Here’s where we stand after Week 1 of the 2022 season:
Facing the Worcester Red Sox on the opening homestand was always going to be a tough task, no matter what. The WooSox feature three of the Red Sox’ Top 10 prospects and came ready to play.
Ultimately, the overall offensive strength of the WooSox, combined with good pitching, meant that they managed to take five of six from the Shrimp, though the Shrimp did manage to stay in most games.
Although Max Meyer looked sharp on Opening Night, he was one of the few Jax pitchers who really stood out on the week. The less said about the bullpen the better, but suffice it to say that it needs to sort itself quickly.
The Jacksonville batters fared better, but only slightly. Newly-arrived Charles LeClerc was the stand out for the Shrimp this week, batting .538 with 2 home runs. Lorenzo Quintana, Peyton Burdick, and fan-favorite Lewin Diaz also had strong starts for the Shrimp.
I think the team has been strengthened up the middle with the arrival of Erik Gonzalez. I watched him many times when he played in Cleveland. His bat was a little iffy, but his glove was always solid.
As for the rest of the Opening Day roster for the Shrimp, the team sent these out literally ten minutes before first pitch on Opening Night:
The Jumbo Shrimp will try to right the ship this week when they visit defending International League (ok, Triple-A East) Champion, the Durham Bulls. It will be a tough task, but you have to beat the champ if you want to be the champ yourself. Good luck to our boys. Crustacean Nation is behind you!
The Catch 
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