The final week before pitchers and catchers report to Spring Training has been filled with all sorts of math. There are PECOTA projections and FanGraphs playoff odds — whatever your favorite flavor of projection system, they’re all there for you, and they’re all extremely helpful.

There’s so much to learn from each of these projections, and I’m smarter having read all of them. I’m sure you are, too.

But … but … well, I can’t help but wonder if digging in too deeply into projections the week before pitchers and catchers report is to somewhat miss the point of Spring Training. After all, Spring Training isn’t about cold hard facts and calculations. It’s about hope! It’s about all your players coming into camp in the best shape of their lives, it’s about every team being tied for first place, it’s about the season being fresh and new and full of infinite possibilities. It is, more than anything else, about optimism.

So, as we head into pitchers and catchers week — the Cubs will become the first team to open camp on Sunday — let’s lean into some optimism. Here are some best-case scenarios that we want to see happen, people and teams taking their best steps forward. Here’s to hope!

Mike Trout stays healthy all year

Is there anything that the baseball world would love to see more? Trout has played more than 82 games only once since 2019 — the year he won his third and most recent MVP Award — losing time to the pandemic-shortened season and a wave of injuries. Last year was particularly dispiriting, with Trout seeing the field only 29 times and not playing a single game after April 29. It should be pointed out that he was excellent for those 29 games, putting up a 140 OPS+ and hitting 10 homers. But it has been a long, long time since we saw Mike Trout be Mike Trout for anything remotely resembling a full season.

The Angels are doing what they can to put a better team around him and keep him healthy. For one thing, you can expect him to play a lot less center field this year, a move that’s probably long overdue. And while the ultimately goal is to finally get him that first postseason victory, for now, we’ll settle for just 125 games played or so. That isn’t too much to ask … is it?

Justin Verlander wins enough games to put 300 in sight

Verlander has won Rookie of the Year, an MVP Award, three Cy Young Awards and two World Series rings, and therefore would seem not to have much left to accomplish. But one of his stated reasons for continuing to pitch, even though he’ll be 42 when the season starts, is that he wants to win 300 games. It’s an historic milestone and one that is difficult to imagine being reached again, considering how baseball is played now. It’s possible no other pitcher will approach it for a long, long time, if ever.

So you can see why Verlander would want to take aim at it. He’s currently at 262 wins, which is still, all told, pretty far away. But if he has an outstanding year with the Giants and gets, say, a third of the way there, or even a little more, it will be mean that Verlander still has a chance … and, just as exciting, that vintage Verlander has returned. Verlander won a Cy Young, and 18 games, as recently as 2022. It’d be fantastic to see that again.

Jackson Holliday and Jordan Walker make good on their potential

Heading into last season, it sure looked like these two were future stars in the making. Walker, after a slow start in 2023, finished that season strong and had a lineup spot waiting for him in St. Louis. Holliday was the No. 1 prospect in baseball and, when he was called up by the Orioles on April 10, looked primed and ready to become the best hitter in a lineup stacked with them.

But both hitters ended up disappointing. Walker only hit .201 with five homers and spent most of the year at Triple-A; Holliday was even worse at .189 and was in Norfolk more than he was in Baltimore as well. These guys are both still so young, though: Walker is 22, and Holliday’s 21. You can still see them becoming the stars we all thought they would be. But you’d like to see it soon. There is nothing like a superstar discovering himself. Here’s hoping these two do just that this year.