Michael Cuddyer: outfielder, leader, magician…and author

Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

Michael Cuddyer has done it all since he arrived on the Colorado Rockies two years ago. He has hit baseballs with great success, to the tune of a batting title in 2013. He has been a leader on a level only imagined when the Rockies’ front office started their long, endless search for men to improve their clubhouse culture.

He has designed salty motivational t-shirts. He is a photographer. He does magic tricks.

Now, Cuddyer is showing off his authorial skills. This week he wrote a piece for MLB.com about the beauty of Opening Day.

"That’s the coolest part about Opening Day. I still have the same feeling 30 years later as I did that first Opening Day — and [I’m] fortunate enough to have an Opening Day 30 years later.Every Opening Day, you’re filled with a lot of emotions — excitement, obviously, nerves of the unknown. That’s especially true in the Major Leagues, when you have 162 games and everybody starts at 0-0. Everybody’s win-loss record pitching is 0-0. Everyone’s batting average is .000. Everybody starts fresh with a clean slate. It’s unknown how the season is going to go, unknown health, unknown everything. You get those nerves, no matter how long you’ve played this game or how many Opening Days you’ve had. You get that fear of the unknown, which is also a really cool feeling.”"

If that doesn’t take your excitement up a notch for Opening Day, well then I don’t know what to say to you.