Baseball fans, the best time of the year has arrived—Opening Day of the 2025 MLB season! With spring training wrapped up and rosters set, it’s time to see where some of Southwest Florida’s most notable baseball stars are starting their seasons. Some are ready to shine on day one, while others will have to wait for their moment.
One of the biggest storylines this season is Chris Sale’s return to Opening Day prominence. The Atlanta Braves ace and FGCU alum earned his first Opening Day start since 2019.
“I feel good. I feel ready,” Sale said during Spring training workouts.
After a stellar 2024 season that saw him win the Cy Young, Gold Glove, and Comeback Player of the Year awards, Sale is looking to build on his success.
“I honestly just tried to replicate last offseason as much as I possibly could,” Sale said. “To be able to kind of show up here in the same way I was last year. So, hoping to just kind of run it back and do the same thing.”
Tampa Bay Rays pitcher and Cape Coral grad Shane McClanahan was set to make a long-awaited return after Tommy John surgery, but he recently encountered a setback. Feeling discomfort in his arm on the mound during the Rays' game hosting the Red Sox, McClanahan was diagnosed with nerve irritation in his triceps, delaying his comeback.
“I still want to go out there and compete,” McClanahan had said at the start of Spring Training about returning to the lineup this year. “Obviously, I want to win again for this team, but there are different things I’ve picked up in the last year and a half or so. Just lessons to help me learn this year.”
Former FGCU pitcher Kutter Crawford, who led the league with 33 starts for the Boston Red Sox last season, will begin 2025 on the injured list with knee soreness.
Bishop Verot grad Blaze Alexander also finds himself sidelined after straining his right oblique during spring training with the Arizona Diamondbacks. He will start the season in Triple-A Reno, aiming for a midseason return to the big leagues.
Alexander's brother, CJ Alexander, was optioned to the Athletics' AAA Las Vegas team in March of 2025. The Red Sox optioned Estero-native Josh Winckowski to the AAA Worcester Woo Sox.
Changing titles this season, Bishop Verot alum Daniel Vogelbach is hanging up his cleats but not leaving baseball entirely. Vogelbach will be taking on a role as an assistant hitting coach with the Pittsburgh Pirates, where he played for a brief stint in 2022.
Meanwhile, Naples grad Johnny King is just getting started. Drafted 95th overall by the Toronto Blue Jays in 2024, King begins his pro career in the Florida Complex League.
“Since I was a little kid, I wanted to play in MLB,” King said. "But I never thought it would be out of high school."
As the 2025 MLB season gets underway, these Southwest Florida players will be the ones to watch. Whether they’re shining on Opening Day, battling injuries, or taking on new roles, one thing is clear—each of them has something to prove this season.