This is your ultimate guide to the 2017 season: the milestones that can be reached, key dates to know, the series to get ready for and big games to plan your summer around -- or at least set your DVR to record. We can predict this much right now: It's going to be an unpredictable season. There will be familiar stars and new ones and surprising contenders out of nowhere. Rest assured ... it will be dramatic. Enjoy.
April
April 2: Opening Day! An ESPN tripleheader kicks off the season with Yankees at Rays, Giants at Diamondbacks and Cubs at Cardinals. The Cubs are trying to become the first to win 100 games in back-to-back seasons since the 2004-05 Cardinals and the first repeat champions since the 1998-2000 Yankees.
April 3: Opening Day again! This day features 12 games, including Padres at Dodgers. Bob Feller has the only Opening Day no-hitter in MLB history, but maybe this is the year that changes. Clayton Kershaw has pitched a shutout on Opening Day (in 2013). The Padres owned the lowest team batting average in the majors last year.
April 5: Chris Sale's Red Sox debut. With Cy Young winner Rick Porcello starting Opening Day and David Price beginning the season on the DL, expect Boston's new lefty to get the ball against the Pirates here.
April 9: If Giancarlo Stanton connects perfectly off a 100 mph Noah Syndergaard fastball, will it land on (A) the runway at LaGuardia (B) the Queensboro Bridge or (C) center court at Arthur Ashe Stadium? Find out when the Marlins visit the Mets (ESPN). According to the ESPN Home Run Tracker, Stanton had the two longest home runs of 2016, at 495 and 490 feet.
April 10: Cubs' home opener versus the Dodgers in an NLCS rematch. It's also magnet schedule giveaway night. Circle Oct. 24, Cubs fans. That's the start of the World Series.
April 12: The Cubs get their rings. Two days after the home opener, the party at Wrigley continues with another night to celebrate the champs.
April 13: Milestone alert! Matt Holliday enters the season five hits short of 2,000, so this should give us a milestone to check off in the opening weeks. Others who could join the 2,000-hit club: Jose Reyes (1,972 hits), Adrian Gonzalez (1,954), Victor Martinez (1,936), Nick Markakis (1,889) and Brandon Phillips (1,863).
April 14: The Braves leave decrepit, old Turner Field for their shiny new digs of SunTrust Park with their home opener against the Padres.
April 15: Jackie Robinson Day. This season marks 70 years since Jackie Robinson's Brooklyn Dodgers debut. People sometimes don't know how great he was as a player. The highest single-season WAR by a second baseman, since integration: (1) Joe Morgan, 10.9, 1975; (2) Robinson, 9.7, 1951; (T-3) Morgan, 9.6, 1976; (T-3) Robinson, 9.6, 1949.
April 16: Cardinals at Yankees (ESPN). The two teams with the most World Series titles have played just nine interleague games against each other.
April 22: Miguel Cabrera needs four home runs to reach 450, and Adrian Beltre needs five. It would be cool if they pass Jeff Bagwell and Vladimir Guerrero (who both finished with 449) for 38th all time on the same day.
April 23: Nationals at Mets (ESPN). The Nationals went 12-7 against the Mets in 2016, but the Mets were 11-8 against the Nationals in 2015.
April 30: Cubs at Red Sox (ESPN). This is the finale of a three-game series many see as a World Series preview. Just think: There are kids in preschool who have never seen the Red Sox win a World Series.
May
May 1: The first series between the Rangers and Astros. The Rangers have won the past two AL West titles in large part because they went 28-10 against the Astros.
May 3: Vin Scully ceremony at Dodger Stadium before the Giants take on the Dodgers.
May 7: Yankees at Cubs (ESPN). Former Evil Empire versus new Evil Empire. Ahh, come on, Cubs fans, own it.
May 14: Mother's Day. Also, Derek Jeter Night at Yankee Stadium as the Astros play the Yankees on ESPN. The shortstop will have his No. 2 jersey retired and a Monument Park plaque dedication.
May 20: Projected date when Albert Pujols becomes the ninth player with 600 home runs. Ahead of him on the list: Sammy Sosa (609) and Jim Thome (612).
May 21: Rangers at Tigers (ESPN). The Tigers might be early sellers on J.D. Martinez and Ian Kinsler if they get off to a slow start.
May 23: Projected date for Kershaw's 2,000th career strikeout. Eight pitchers have reached the mark before their age-30 seasons, including former Dodgers Sandy Koufax and Don Drysdale.
May 24: Bartolo Colon turns 44! In his first MLB game, Colon faced Eddie Murray, who was a teammate of Brooks Robinson, who began his career in 1955. That's 62 years of baseball history with just two degrees of separation.
May 26: Rougned Odor. Jose Bautista. Rangers at Blue Jays. You might want to pay attention.
May 27: Frank Robinson statue unveiling in Cleveland. Let's just hope the statue is properly draped in a mid-1970s all-red Indians uniform.
May 28: The Brewers are giving away a bobblehead that features Robin Yount riding a motorcycle. Me want.
May 29: Holiday baseball! Memorial Day. Games include Yankees at Orioles, Nationals at Giants and Dodgers at Cardinals.
June
June 2: The Reds set an MLB record for most home runs allowed in 2016. The Braves visit them at the bandbox in Cincinnati. This is your best bet for a Bartolo Colon long ball.
June 3: Projected date of Adrian Beltre's 3,000th career hit, based on 1.10 hits per game (he was at 1.14 in 2016), plus a few games for him to sit out.
June 4: Jason Heyward's former team battles Dexter Fowler's former team. Cardinals at Cubs (ESPN).
June 5: The start of a three-game series between the Nationals and Dodgers. This is a good time to point out that Bryce Harper hit .194 against teams that finished 2016 with a winning record.
June 10: Projected date of Gary Sanchez's 53rd game. He hit 20 HRs in 53 games last season. If he does that again, I think they'll put a plaque for him in Monument Park by the end of the month.
June 12: First day of the MLB draft. Vanderbilt outfielder Jeren Kendall and California prep shortstop/pitcher Hunter Greene are potential 1.1 picks.
June 15: Projected date Justin Verlander passes Dwight Gooden for 50th place on the all-time strikeout list. Verlander could be in the top 40 by season's end.
June 18: Father's Day. Just don't tell dad how much the beer costs.
June 20: Championship parade confetti snow globe giveaway night at Wrigley. Rumor is the "confetti" is made from remnants of Joe Maddon's beard.
June 23: Pirates at Cardinals. This is a three-game weekend series to help decide the NL Central runner-up. I kid, I kid. Don't get too cocky, Cubs fans.
June 26: The start of a home-and-home, four-game set between the Angels and Dodgers. Mike Trout is 2-for-11 with four strikeouts in his career against Kershaw.
June 28: Will Jose Quintana be pitching for the White Sox or the Yankees when the two teams meet?
July
July 4: More holiday baseball! Mets at Nationals, with a rare 11 a.m. ET start. Plus Giants-Tigers, Blue Jays-Yankees, Red Sox-Rangers and Rays-Cubs in the Joe Maddon Bowl.
July 7: A three-game Pirates-Cubs set closes out the first half. The Cubs killed the Pirates last year, winning 14 of 18 and outscoring Pittsburgh 114-73.
July 9: Futures Game in Miami. Baseball's owners meet to discuss their stock market investments.
July 10: Home Run Derby in Miami. Please, let Ichiro participate.
July 11: All-Star Game in Miami. Everyone gathers to celebrate Jeffrey Loria's selling the Marlins.
July 16: Yankees at Red Sox (ESPN). A rare Sunday night broadcast from Fenway between these old rivals.
July 20: Projected return of David Ortiz's comeback. Just kidding! More likely scenario: Red Sox are looking for a DH or first baseman before the trade deadline.
July 22: The prized bobblehead giveaway of the year: Noah Syndergaard pitching in a Thor costume. But it's for only the first 15,000 fans. It would kind of ruin your day to be fan No. 15,001, especially when you learn you'll be getting a leftover Jason Bay bobblehead from 2012.
July 23: MVP Kris Bryant hit just one home run in 19 games against St. Louis in 2016. Cardinals at Cubs (ESPN).
July 25: Standings check. Are the Royals close, or will they be trading free agents Eric Hosmer, Mike Moustakas and Lorenzo Cain?
July 28: Clayton Kershaw versus Madison Bumgarner? They've met 10 times, including three times in 2016 (and MadBum went yard off Kershaw).
July 30: Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Come see Bud Selig get inducted! Or Jeff Bagwell, Tim Raines and Ivan Rodriguez.
July 31: Non-waiver trade deadline. Lots of relievers get traded! Biggest name who could be dealt: Andrew McCutchen.
August
Aug. 2: Projected date of Robinson Cano's 300th career home run. Only Jeff Kent (377) and Rogers Hornsby (301) have hit 300 while primarily playing second base.
Aug. 4: Nationals at Cubs series begins. Over/under on number of times Joe Maddon intentionally walks Bryce Harper: 3.5.
Aug. 5: Jeff Bagwell Hall of Fame ceremony in Houston.
Aug. 7: Mike Trout turns 26. Trout had more hits before turning 25 than Pete Rose (the all-time hits leader), more home runs before turning 25 than Barry Bonds (the all-time home runs leader) and more runs before turning 25 than Rickey Henderson (the all-time runs leader). I've heard he's pretty good; I guess so!
Aug. 11: It's Edgar Martinez weekend in Seattle: bobblehead night on Friday, jersey retirement ceremony on Saturday and replica jersey giveaway on Sunday. Now vote this man into the Hall of Fame!
Aug. 12: The Rangers retire Ivan Rodriguez's jersey. Fans give him a squatting ovation. (Sorry.)
Aug. 13: Projected date Carlos Beltran becomes the 37th player with 1,600 career RBIs (Adrian Beltre and Miguel Cabrera should reach that mark by this point as well).
Aug. 14: A four-game, home-and-home Subway Series begins in the Bronx. The Yankees lead the all-time series 62-46 (not including the 2000 World Series, which Mets fans pretend never happened).
Aug. 18: The Mariners begin a 12-game road trip to Tampa, Atlanta, New York and Baltimore. They play 20 of 27 games on the road in August. Can you predict when the Mariners will fall out of the playoff race?
Aug. 19: Michael Cuddyer inducted into the Twins Hall of Fame. This would be a great time for an Eddie Guardado joke, but he's already in!
Aug. 20: Cardinals versus Pirates in the MLB Little League Classic at Williamsport, Pennsylvania. Expect a lot of home runs with those 205-foot fences ... Oh wait, they're playing in a minor league stadium. This should be a lot of fun with a crowd full of Little Leaguers.
Aug. 25: The date everyone realizes the Orioles are probably going to outperform the computer projections.
Aug. 31: The last date players can be acquired and still be eligible for postseason rosters.
September
Sept. 1: Most likely no-hitter date! No-hitters happen more often in September than in any other month -- and the Dodgers just happen to play the Padres here. Kershaw and Rich Hill both allowed a sub-.200 average in 2016, but we're going to predict it's Julio Urias who does the trick.
Sept. 2: Red Sox at Yankees. Chris Sale, welcome to a pennant race.
Sept. 4: Even more holiday baseball! Labor Day. Division check-in day: Yankees-O's, Giants-Rockies, Cubs-Pirates, Astros-Mariners, Blue Jays-Red Sox.
Sept. 6: Roberto Clemente Day around the majors.
Sept. 10: Bryce Harper hit his final home run of 2016 on this date. What's your over/under for 2017?
Sept. 12: Mets at Cubs. Could be the date Kyle Schwarber hits his 50th home run and jumps back over .400 while also throwing out two runners trying to steal. Wait, who am I kidding? The Mets would never attempt two stolen bases in the same game.
Sept. 16: Can the Cubs clinch this early again? (Prediction: No.)
Sept. 20: Trout slams 32nd HR (projection!), becoming eighth player with 200 through his age-25 season. The others: A-Rod, Eddie Mathews, Jimmie Foxx, Mel Ott, Mickey Mantle, Frank Robinson, Albert Pujols.
Sept. 22: Final series between the Nationals and Mets. Here's a fun stat from 2016: Max Scherzer had a 3.35 ERA against losing teams ... and a 2.20 mark against winning teams.
Sept. 24: The Dodgers have won four straight NL West titles. How sweet would it be clinch another against the Giants?
Sept. 25: Wild-card race check-in. The big series starting this Monday could include Blue Jays-Red Sox, Astros-Rangers, Giants-Diamondbacks, Cubs-Cardinals, Braves-Mets and Marlins-Rockies.
Sept. 29: The final weekend of the regular season begins. Big series could include Astros-Red Sox, Pirates-Nationals, Mariners-Angels and Blue Jays-Yankees.
Sept. 30: The Mariners clinch a playoff berth! AL MVP Mitch Haniger slugs his 38th home run as James Paxton wins his 20th. (Wait, did I write that?)
October
Oct. 1: The final day of the regular season. Maybe this is the year we finally get a five-way tie for the wild card!
Oct. 3: The postseason begins.
Oct. 24: The World Series begins. Official prediction: Nationals over Astros.