Imagine if the Washington Nationals had started this way last year.

Come to think of it, the Nationals were supposed to start this way last year. Start this way, finish this way, play all year this way.

"The boys are playing as good as you can possibly play," broadcaster F.P. Santangelo said on MASN when the latest Nationals win ended Friday night.

A fan was struck by a foul ball and taken off on a stretcher Friday at Tropicana Field during the seventh inning of the Tampa Bay Rays' 1-0 loss to the Chicago White Sox.

Major League Baseball has honored Jackie Robinson's breaking of the color barrier every April 15 since 2004, and the tradition will continue Friday with a special celebration involving all 30 teams.

Robinson became the first African-American to play in MLB on April 15, 1947, making Friday's event the 69th anniversary of that historic moment.

Normally, we play "Fact or Fiction" with the latest rumblings and speculation floating around Major League Baseball. But with the rumor mill still emerging from a short (but well-deserved) post-spring training nap and teams still trying to figure out exactly who they are, that's not an option this week.

Boston Red Sox third baseman Pablo Sandoval lost his starting job entering the 2016 season due in large part to weight issues, and the two-time All Star's former trainer attributes it to an eating problem.

Few things excite Mike Trout like the weather. Give him a good storm, and you can see lightning bolts in his eyes.

During a blizzard last winter, he phoned in a report to the Weather Channel. In appreciation—or, perhaps, out of sheer amusement—the network promised to send him a weather balloon.

You know what they say about $240 million contracts. It's amazing how quickly they can go from looking like money well spent to money wasted and back to money well spent again.

Philadelphia Phillies relief pitcher Daniel Stumpf was suspended 80 games Thursday for his first violation of Major League Baseball's policy against performance-enhancing drugs.

The Phillies released a statement following the suspension and made a corresponding roster move:

One of the most exciting parts of any new MLB season is watching the next wave of stars arrive on the scene with breakout performances.

Whether it's a rookie making a major impact in his first season or an established MLB player taking that next step, there are always a handful of emerging stars each year.

The tricky part in the early-going is deciding whether a hot start over the first couple weeks is the real deal or significant regression will follow in the days and weeks to come.

The minor league season may only be just over a week old, but there have already been a number of impressive performances put forth by some of baseball's most highly touted prospects.

But not all impressive performances are of the head-turning variety—and they don't all belong to baseball's top young talent.