7 things that stand out from Opening Week

You bet we overhype these early games. That’s also natural because we’ve missed baseball and are thrilled to have it back in our lives almost every single day for the next seven months. That’s also because -- to quote the late and wondrous Joaquin Andujar -- “You never know.”

Did you see the A’s winning 97 games in 2018? None of us did. How about the Rays winning 90? Nope. Nor did many of us predict that the Braves would make their first postseason appearance in five years.

So who are we to say that the Mariners and Padres can’t surprise in 2019? Anyway, here are seven things that have caught our eye -- and might be a heads up of what’s ahead -- in this opening week:

1. A’s ability to find starters

How often do we need to be reminded that Billy Beane and David Forst -- the A’s top baseball executives -- are very good at what they do? Last season, they pieced together one rotation, then another on their way to the postseason.

Here we go again. Right-hander Aaron Brooks made his first Major League start in four years and tossed six shutout innings in a 7-0 victory over the Red Sox on Monday. Oakland’s rotation -- the one thing we all doubted -- has a 2.13 ERA through its first seven games. Brett Anderson, Frankie Montas, Mike Fiers, Marco Estrada and Brooks are making a combined $12.62 million in 2019.

Bonus A’s note: Khris Davis has homered five times in seven games and is one of the too-early frontrunners for the American League Most Valuable Player Award. Since Opening Day in 2016, he has hit 14 more home runs (138) than any other player (Giancarlo Stanton ranks second with 124).

2. The Rays are even better than last season

While the offseason focus was on offensive upgrades, it’s the pitching that could carry the Rays to an AL East title. They’ve allowed 10 runs in five games and allowed one in three straight contests against two 2018 postseason teams (Astros and Rockies). Manager Kevin Cash rolled out the opener Monday with Ryne Stanek pitching an inning and Ryan Yarbrough the next 4 1/3 in a 7-1 victory over Colorado. The Rays are 33-23 (.589) when using an opener the last two seasons.

Bonus Rays note: Those offensive upgrades are working out well. Tampa Bay’s middle of the order hitters -- Ji-Man Choi, Brandon Lowe, Yandy Diaz and Kevin Kiermaier -- were 7-for-13 with two homers, six RBIs and six runs scored Monday.

3. The kids are back at it

Nationals center fielder Victor Robles, 21, is hitting .455. Mets first baseman Pete Alonso, 24, is batting .412. San Diego’s Eric Lauer, Chris Paddack and Nick Margevicius have allowed one earned run between them. At 23, Lauer and Paddack are the oldest. Maybe you’ve heard that baseball is trending younger and younger, that teams are fast-tracking their kids because they’ve discovered that the best ones will adjust quickly. Juan Soto, Ronald Acuna Jr., Ozzie Albies and Rafael Devers almost seem like established veterans; all are 22 or younger.

4. Brandon Hyde may have this whole managing thing down

Baltimore’s rookie manager was in the middle of a couple of wild clubhouse celebrations after unexpected victories over the Yankees last weekend. This came after a Spring Training in which he won his players over with his communication skills, smarts and personality. And then Monday, he had a tough one. He walked to the mound with a smile on his face in the seventh inning and removed a young starter, David Hess, who had pitched 6 1/3 no-hit innings. Afterward, Hyde said precisely the right thing: “I hated to do it. For David’s health, and for one of hopefully 30-plus starts, it was the right thing to do.”

5. Mariners are scoring and scoring and scoring

Beware of the quiet ones, they’re sneaky -- in a good way. Maybe Mariners general manager Jerry Dipoto never believed this would be a year for his team to take a step back and reset after all. What Dipoto may have done is infuse his team with youth and energy, while possibly keeping it competitive in the AL West. The Mariners are fourth in the Majors with a .910 OPS and have scored at least six runs in six of their seven games. Tim Beckham, Ryon Healy and Domingo Santana all have an OPS above 1.000.

6. Josh Hader is insanely good

He has struck out eight of the 13 hitters he has faced, including an immaculate inning -- nine pitches, three strikeouts -- against the Cardinals on Saturday. His velocity was off a bit Monday in Cincinnati and he gave up his first baserunner of the season. No matter, he still got his third consecutive save to close out the Brewers' 4-3 win.

7. Astros bullpen

OK, we knew the Astros rotation might be otherworldly good and that the offense would be as good as almost any in the big leagues. So far, it’s Houston’s bullpen that has been the strength of the team with a 0.79 ERA and 16 strikeouts in 11 1/3 innings. Late-inning relievers Roberto Osuna and Ryan Pressly have allowed one baserunner in 4 1/3 innings with five strikeouts.