What to Take Away From the First Weeks of the 2014 MLB Season

The moment millions of fans waited for took place just a couple of weeks ago, and that was the opening day of the 2014 Major League Baseball season, which took place in Australia. The day is so beloved that former-Cardinals' great Ozzie Smith partnered with Budweiser and made a petition to have Opening Day become a national holiday. As the season rolls through, many different headlines emerge out of the shadows, some for better, and some for worse. Here are a few things that can be taken away after the first two full weeks of this season:

Bang For Their Buck: The Miguel Cabrera and Mike Trout Signings

Major League Baseball teams have been known to dole out the big bucks to their star players, with no maximum on how much the contract can be worth. This has led to contracts like Alex Rodriguez's 10-year, $275 million, or the recent signing of Robinson Cano by the Seattle Mariners, for 10-years, totaling $240 million. Within the last week, two more names have been added to list of top contracts in all of sports; Miguel Cabrera of the Detroit Tigers, and Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels. Ironically, these two are regarded as the top two players in all of baseball.

Best Athletes of 2013

Basketball:

The best player in the NBA is clearly LeBron James. After winning back-to-back MVP’s and NBA Championships it seems almost impossible to not label LeBron as the best player in 2013. In the 2012-2013 season, LeBron averaged 26.8 points, 8 rebounds, and 7.3 assists per game. This year he is averaging 25.5 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 6.5 assists per game. Almost remarkable numbers from a player at his position, but we have all come to expect that from LeBron.

On the women’s side I’d have to say the best player of 2013 was Candace Parker. Parker was the 2013 MVP of the WNBA, so it is hard to really argue that she wasn’t the best player in her league. Parker averaged just below 18 points per game with 8.7 rebounds and 3.8 assists. In the playoffs, Parker averaged 25.7 points per game with 8.7 rebounds and 1.3 assists.  Although Maya Moore also had a great season, Candace was able to edge her out in the race to be MVP, which earns her my pick as the best WNBA player of 2013.