MLB Roundtable: Breaking down the biggest early-season headlines

With the opening week and a half in the books, theScore's MLB editors answer some of the biggest questions around the game.

What has been the most impressive individual performance so far?

Vlad's three-homer game: Nothing can stop Vladimir Guerrero Jr. from putting on a show - not even a mangled finger. The AL MVP runner-up went 4-for-4 against the Yankees with three round-trippers, two of which came after Aaron Hicks spiked him at first base. The Blue Jays superstar proceeded to smash his second of two blasts off Gerrit Cole with blood on his jersey. Guerrero refused to leave the game, even though he eventually needed multiple stitches. He finished with 14 total bases - the second-most in Blue Jays history. - Tom Ruminski

Kwan's opening weekend: Talk about making an entrance. Cleveland Guardians rookie Steven Kwan became an instant superstar during his first week in the majors, reaching base a record 15 times in his first four contests. At one point, the 24-year-old reached safely in nine consecutive plate appearances, highlighted by a 5-for-5 performance at Kansas City with four runs scored. Kwan didn't strike out until his sixth game, and he's been rung up only twice in 37 plate appearances. Obviously, he won't continue to reach base at an .857 clip all year, but Kwan's run highlighted what's great about baseball. At any given time, and on any given day, anyone can become a star. He was one of the most exciting parts of opening weekend. - Simon Sharkey-Gotlieb

Clayton Kershaw's near-perfecto: The three-time NL Cy Young winner kicked off 2022 on the right foot, tossing seven perfect innings against the Twins on April 13 before manager Dave Roberts removed him due to pitch-count concerns. Over those seven innings, the southpaw struck out 13 batters, including Byron Buxton three times. Kershaw's FIP for the contest was a ridiculous minus-0.62. - Bryan Mcwilliam

Speaking of Kershaw, was Roberts right to remove him from a perfect game?

Unfortunately, yes. Look, we can stress over the fact that we missed a chance at watching one of the best pitchers of all time cement his place in history, but our collective outrage is nullified by one simple truth: Kershaw was totally fine with it. Following the game, the future Hall of Famer said: "I've thrown 75 pitches in a sim game, you know? I hadn't gone six innings, let alone seven." While fans are hung up on the 100-pitch threshold, that's an arbitrary round number used as the contemporary benchmark for pitchers who are fully stretched out - which Kershaw wasn't, and he'd already blown by his expected innings workload in chilly Minnesota. Sadly, zero active pitchers have thrown a perfect game. That will stand for at least a little bit longer. - Michael Bradburn

Absolutely not. Kershaw has done everything imaginable in his illustrious career except throw a perfect game. He had everything going for him, especially the pitch count. Kershaw said all the right things after the game, but what else would you expect from a 15-year veteran? The stars were aligned for him to make history, but the opportunity was taken away because of the tiny chance it could help the Dodgers win the World Series in the fall. Sometimes the pregame plan has to be tossed in the trash, and unfortunately for baseball fans, Roberts wasn't willing to change the script. - Ruminski

Aside from Kershaw turning back the clock, what has been your favorite thing about the season so far?

Justin Verlander: After almost two years on the sidelines, the old dog hasn't missed a beat in his return from Tommy John surgery. Verlander has been brilliant for the Astros through two starts, sporting a 0.69 ERA with 15 strikeouts and only three walks. It's early, of course, but he looks like the player who won a Cy Young in his most recent full season. Verlander is a true superstar, and even now, as one of the sport's elder statesmen, he's still a household name. Baseball as a whole is better off when he's making an impact on the mound. - Sharkey-Gotlieb

The Giants' rotation: San Francisco is off to a fast start, thanks in large part to the performance of its starting pitchers, who boast a 2.22 ERA as a unit. Carlos Rodon is healthy and has been dominant in his first two turns, leading the league in strikeouts. Logan Webb announced his arrival in the 2021 postseason and appears poised to reach another level with a 1.29 ERA in the early going. Injuries will be a concern, but Alex Cobb is averaging a career-high 94.6 mph on his fastball, which could enable him to rack up strikeouts. - Josh Goldberg

The unlikely stars: While Guerrero, Nolan Arenado, and Jose Ramirez continue to show why they're among baseball's elite, it's pretty cool to see players like Kwan, Jeremy Pena, and Connor Joe doing damage. Nobody could get Kwan out during the first five games of the season, Pena is off to a better start than Carlos Correa, who he replaced with the Astros, and Joe has been an early bright spot for the Rockies thanks to an astonishing .361/.465/.667 slash line. - Mcwilliam

Enough of the good. Who has been the most disappointing player early on?

Carlos Correa: The star shortstop has just six hits, including one homer, in 38 plate appearances after inking a three-year, $105.3-million contract. Correa's lack of offensive production has contributed to the Twins losing six of their first 10 games. It's obviously still early, and he'll likely turn things around. However, it'll be interesting to see what happens with Correa, who can opt out of his deal after this season, if Minnesota falls out of contention by the trade deadline. - Ruminski

Marcus Semien: After setting the single-season record for home runs by a second baseman with 45 last season, Semien is struggling to start his first campaign in Texas. The 31-year-old is slashing just .128/.190/.179 with zero homers and a pair of RBIs in nine contests. The Rangers handed Semien and Corey Seager $500 million combined this offseason to lead the team back into contention, but there's plenty of work to be done - starting with Semien rediscovering his All-Star form. - Goldberg

Julio Rodriguez: This isn't the first time a rookie has struggled in the bigs, but Rodriguez has looked completely overmatched thus far. MLB's No. 2 prospect began the year with a ton of hype, but he has struck out in 45.7% of his at-bats while only managing an 11 wRC+, .125 batting average, and .031 isolated power. - Mcwilliam

We're coming off an offseason with an elite free-agent class. Looking ahead, which impending free agent would you extend and for how much?

Aaron Judge (9-year, $300M): Judge appears headed for the open market after he couldn't agree on an extension with the Yankees before Opening Day, but New York shouldn't have let it get to this point. Yes, there are risk factors associated with giving a long-term deal to Judge, who'll be entering his age-31 season and has struggled with injuries. But he's also an extremely marketable superstar who makes an impact on both sides of the ball. The richest team in baseball shouldn't play a game of chicken with the face of their franchise. The Yankees have the financial muscle to not only afford the deal Judge wants but also to survive the final years of that contract if he declines. - Sharkey-Gotlieb

Trea Turner (10-year, $300M): The Dodgers star looks comfortable back at shortstop after playing second base upon his arrival via trade in 2021. His contact skills are a perfect fit in this star-studded lineup hitting behind Mookie Betts and Freddie Freeman. An extension will be costly, but after allowing Seager to depart for Texas, Dodgers president of baseball operations Andrew Friedman should back up the Brinks truck to keep Turner in the fold for the rest of his career. - Goldberg

Xander Bogaerts (7-year, $175M): What more could you want from a homegrown star? Bogaerts has flown under the radar for the better part of his 10-year career despite winning four Silver Sluggers and two World Series in Boston. It's a foregone conclusion that he'll opt out of the remaining three years and $60 million left on his contract, making him one of the top free agents this winter. Bogaerts isn't a Gold Glove defender, but he's capable at the position, and his bat more than makes up for what he lacks with the glove. The 29-year-old is also durable, having missed just 29 games over the last three seasons. And while it may not show up in the stat sheet, Bogaerts' development into a clubhouse leader can't be understated. After failing to work out a long-term deal with Betts, resulting in an eventual trade, it feels like it would be a mistake to watch another superstar leave Boston. Like with Jon Lester before him, the organization truly might not realize what it had until it's gone. - Brandon Wile