11 players who made good first impressions

Opening Day is one of the best days on the baseball calendar for many reasons.

To many players, it’s a way to make an immediate impact for their new team and impression on their respective fan bases. Whether it was a player making his MLB debut or someone playing their first game in a different uniform, there was no shortage of impressive debuts.

Here are the best 2024 Opening Day debuts.

Corbin Burnes (Orioles debut)
W, 6 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 11 K

Talk about an introduction for Burnes. The three-time All-Star and 2021 NL Cy Young Award winner struck out 11 hitters in six innings while allowing just one runner to reach base. Burnes retired 18 of the 19 Angels batters he faced, with Mike Trout’s first-inning home run being the only blemish. Burnes’ 11 strikeouts were tied for the second-most in an Opening Day start (Mike Mussina in 1998) in franchise history, behind only Dave McNally’s 13 strikeouts in 1970.

Juan Soto (Yankees debut)
1-for-3, 1B, 2 BB, RBI, OF assist

The Yankees acquired Soto to produce like one of the best bats in baseball and pair a fearsome duo with Aaron Judge. Soto delivered on that front in his first Yankees game, reaching base three times via two walks and a single. There was a bonus, though. Soto threw out the would-be game-tying run in the ninth inning, which helped secure the Yanks’ first win. Soto might not be known for his defensive prowess but he threw out 10 runners in ‘23, tied for ninth-most in the Majors.

Wyatt Langford (MLB debut)
1-for-3, BB, RBI

After an unprecedented run to the Majors, Langford's debut went as well as you could have planned. Last year's No. 4 overall pick in the Draft and MLB Pipeline's No. 6 prospect, Langford was immediately slotted in the middle of the lineup for the reigning World Series champions. Langford drove in the Rangers' first run of the game on a sac fly, recorded his first career hit on an infield single and was intentionally walked in a pivotal spot late in the game.

Tyler O'Neill (Red Sox debut)
1-for-3, BB, solo HR, 2 R

O'Neill's performance played a key role in Boston's 6-4 victory over the Mariners on Opening Day. His solo shot to right-center provided a valuable insurance run, doubling the Red Sox's lead from one to two in what ended up being the game's final run.

O'Neill isn't just on this list for what he did in Seattle, though. Combining this outing with his 2020-23 seasons with the Cardinals, O'Neill has now homered in five consecutive Opening Day games. That's the longest streak by any player since at least 1900, breaking a tie with three other players -- coincidentally all catchers, including Hall of Famer Yogi Berra.

Josh Hader (Astros debut)
1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K

The Astros brought Hader to Houston on the largest contract ever signed by a relief pitcher to serve as their closer. His club debut didn't come in a save situation -- the Astros were trailing by a run when he entered in the top of the ninth -- but he offered a preview of what is to come over his next five seasons in Houston. Hader, facing tough customers in the Yankees' four through six hitters (Giancarlo Stanton, Anthony Rizzo and Anthony Volpe), struck out the side on 13 pitches.

Frankie Montas (Reds debut)
W, 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K

Montas struggled in his short time with the Yankees, posting a 6.35 ERA in eight starts following a Deadline trade in 2022 and making just one appearance last year due to injury. In his first start with the Reds, Montas put all that behind him and showed the type of promise we saw when he was with the A’s. The 31-year-old righty is not far removed from a dominant 2021 season when he had a 3.37 ERA in 32 starts and finished sixth in AL Cy Young Award voting. The Reds could be in for a big season if Montas returns to that form.

Colt Keith (MLB debut)
1-for-4

The top prospect in the Tigers’ system according to MLB Pipeline (No. 22 overall), Keith recorded his first career hit in his second plate appearance. The Tigers expect big things from Keith, who played second base and batted sixth in his debut. There was even a bit of bad batted ball luck for Keith, who recorded two hard-hit balls (95-plus mph exit velocity) that resulted in lineouts. Expect plenty of loud contact from Keith, who could be an all-around offensive force for the Tigers.

Brent Suter (Reds debut)
2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K

The Cincinnati native had a heck of a debut in his first game in a Reds uniform. The veteran left-hander retired all six batters he faced while striking out four. Known more for his ability to limit weak contact and avoid free passes, Suter’s four punchouts were tied for the most in any outing of two or fewer innings in his career. One of those strikeouts came on a 69.6 mph changeup against the Nationals’ CJ Abrams.

Edward Olivares (Pirates debut)
1-for-1, pinch-hit solo HR

Olivares only stepped to the plate once in his first game with Pittsburgh, but he made the most of it. With the Pirates trailing 5-2 to start the seventh inning, and the Marlins having southpaw reliever Andrew Nardi on the mound, manager Derek Shelton chose to pinch hit the right-handed Olivares in place of lefty Rowdy Tellez. The move proved to be a shrewd one, as the former Kansas City Royal cranked a 413-foot solo shot to left-center. This sparked a comeback in what went on to be a 6-5 Pittsburgh win in 12 innings -- the longest Opening Day game since MLB adopted the automatic runner rule in 2020.

Nick Ahmed (Giants debut)
2-for-3, 2 RBI

In an offseason where the Giants signed Blake Snell, Jung Hoo Lee, Jorge Soler and Matt Chapman, Ahmed shined the brightest on Opening Day. The longtime D-back signed a Minor League deal with the Giants late in February and won the full-time shortstop job over top prospect Marco Luciano. While the Giants lost their opener to the Padres, the 34-year-old Ahmed kept the team in the game with a pair of run-scoring hits.

Eugenio Suárez (D-backs debut)
2-for-4, 2 RBI, R

Suárez was merely one cog in the machine for Arizona on Thursday night, but that machine was operating on such a preposterous level that it still warrants inclusion for Suárez here. To refresh your memory, the D-backs scored 14 runs in the third inning of their 16-1 win over the Rockies. Among other historic feats, this represented the most runs scored in any inning on Opening Day since at least 1900, and the most runs scored in any inning in any game in Arizona's franchise history. Suárez certainly did his part in the extravaganza, having two separate plate appearances end with an RBI in the inning (one single, one sac fly).