We’re almost a month into the Major League Baseball regular season, and while the standings look like a creation from another topsy-turvy universe — perhaps your favorite team is one of the projected contenders currently floundering far below .500 — we’re taking a beat to step behind the scenes.

Following recent stories about player group chats and tax returns, readers had more questions about big leaguers’ lives. Let’s get to the answers.

The questions have been edited for clarity.

Which away stadium do players despise playing at? And for what reason … intimidating atmosphere, poor facilities, etc.? — Chris D.

After poking around for an afternoon, I came to two conclusions: It’s hard to “despise” any setting where you’re treated like a big leaguer, but this is certainly a common clubhouse debate.

Players’ takes about road cities and stadiums are subjective — and often deeply petty — so it’s hard to make a definitive claim without a group of players rating each place across several categories.

Good news: We’ve got just that.

In one clubhouse last year, this debate turned into an unscientific survey. Players graded each MLB team’s setup in three areas: stadium ambience, facilities and the city itself. The Athletics and Tampa Bay Rays, in temporary homes at the time, were excluded. The big loser in this ranking — and it wasn’t particularly close — was the Baltimore Orioles, who ranked bottom-three in all three categories, including worst in facilities. The visiting clubhouse is outdated, and the weight room is in a hallway, next to some garbage chutes.

Top MLB road destinations

The Cubs were first in stadium ambience, and the Chicago White Sox last. The Texas Rangers were first in facilities, and the Orioles last. The Padres were first in road city, and the Minnesota Twins and Reds tied for last.

I hope this answers your question, Chris. Players don’t seem to despise road cities because the atmosphere is intimidating; they care more about whether the clubhouse is cramped, if the food is good, and if the crowd has juice on a lazy Tuesday. Even a player on another team who agreed Baltimore’s facilities are lacking added, “Love the hotel, though.”

What is a player’s routine after a game? It’s 10 p.m., you just finished playing. Are there workouts? Where do they eat? What time do they go to sleep? — Aaron M.

A few players lift after the game, but most of that is done pregame. A pitcher who appeared in the game might even do a quick lift during the game. A postgame meal is provided after each game, and most players eat that — either in the clubhouse or on their way out. It used to be that players would stick around the clubhouse longer to hang out and play cards, but these days most, especially those with families, clear out as soon as they fulfill their media obligations.

Once back at home or the hotel, many players need a while to wind down. Exhausted body, wired brain. It’s recommended they keep the lights low and rehydrate. They’re not all nocturnal creatures, but because most days they don’t need to be back at the ballpark until early afternoon, there’s time to sleep in. (Getaway days are a different story.)

Typical bedtime after a night game ranges from midnight to 2 a.m.

How often do clubhouse fights/arguments actually happen every year? — Will C. 

Is it a bummer if I tell you it’s rare these days?

It’s hard to keep reporters from sniffing out significant scuffles, so I think you’re hearing about most of them. Minor squabbles happen all the time, but if we set the bar at shouting matches that grab the collective attention of the clubhouse?

“Like, never,” one player said.

“Maybe one every two years?” another guessed.

It’s exceedingly rare for players to come to fisticuffs — a third player mused that it seemed to happen more in the past — so most clubhouse fights are just wars of words.

You get off a night game and then have an afternoon game the next day before travel. What is that change in the routine like? What time do you get to the ballpark on most days? — James

Players try to get to bed earlier the night before a getaway day — ideally coming off a late afternoon game, not a night game — and wake up early. There’s a big bag plopped in front of every locker that they’ll hurriedly pack after the game. Players mill about, sipping coffee and getting pregame treatment. It’s not the worst, just an early morning. The people you should feel bad for are clubhouse attendants, some of whom arrive as early as 5 a.m. on getaway days.

Players typically report to the clubhouse around 9 a.m. for a 1 p.m. game, and 1 p.m. for a 7 p.m. Teams don’t take attendance right when the clubhouse opens, but players are aware of what time they’re expected to stretch, so they’ve got to be on time for that.

How many free shirts, sweatshirts, hats, etc., does a big leaguer get? — Mike T. 

The amount of swag is grotesque.

It’s truly unquantifiable, as it ranges greatly depending on a player’s star power. A player with a large social media following will see a wild assortment of deliveries appear at their locker: sneakers, spikes, hoodies, beanies, bats, gloves, random electrolyte drinks. Some are sent by their sponsors, but the bulk comes from companies hoping to endorse them. There are piles of boxes that they often never open.

All of that is on top of the items every player gets. In spring training, players get a set of team-issued swag. Every time the team unveils a new uniform — say, a City Connect jersey — another wave of gear arrives. Every ballpark giveaway, from T-shirts to bobbleheads, is provided to players, too. Then comes the spur-of-the-moment stuff. A player has a viral moment? A team embraces a new rally item (like a parking cone)? Design a shirt! In short, players get whatever free stuff they want, and then some. Legend has it that Max Scherzer goes through several caps each start. Do the math on how many he’s worn in his 19-year MLB career.

Young players embrace the freebies more than veterans. At some point, you realize you don’t need more random stuff. At the end of the season, teams put donation boxes in the clubhouse. Most distribute the donated items to their academies in the Dominican Republic or to Latin American youth teams. Still, much is saved. A veteran hitter could have dozens of gloves and scores of leftover bats occupying storage space at home.

How far in advance do teams know which umpires are assigned to their games? Such info could help plan their ABS challenge strategy. — Rich D.

Teams typically learn their assigned umpiring crew one series out (sometimes two), at which point the assignments are still subject to change. Players don’t often focus on this information until the start of the series.

Starting pitchers definitely take the home-plate umpire into account when preparing for a game. They want to understand where they might get a couple of extra calls. That part isn’t new and isn’t going away; even if hitters get one or two of those “stolen” strikes reversed, they have to risk a challenge to do it. What is new is that pitchers can now focus on spots where an umpire tends to squeeze them. They’re a little less afraid to nibble in those areas now, knowing that even if an umpire misses the call, it could be corrected.

Some of these day games look brutal on TV. Do sunburns ever mess with a player’s ability on the field? (Yeah, I’m a pale dude.) — Chris W. 

I tried, but unfortunately couldn’t scrounge up stories about sunburns hindering a player’s performance. Sunscreen strategy varies greatly from player to player, but here’s what I learned. In spring training and day games, players tend to apply sunscreen before batting practice or pregame stretch. For those in the bullpen or dugout, a light hoodie is usually the play rather than slathering sunscreen.

Does MLB designate specific hotels in each city for visiting teams to use or do the teams pick? How are those hotels picked, and how far in advance are they booked? — Aaron M.

The short answer is that teams pick their preferred hotels, generally returning to the same ones year after year, and traveling secretaries book the hotel blocks late in the offseason.

A more thorough answer is that it’s a bit of a circus. There are few cities, if any, where all visiting teams stay at the same hotel. These are very valuable clients for hotels, as you can imagine, and so traveling secretaries are constantly courted by hotel reps. It’s a full-on recruitment. Sometimes a simple agreement is struck, with the traveling secretary easily securing a hotel block at an establishment they’ve used for decades. Other times, it gets as achingly complex as you’d expect reserving 60-plus rooms at a five-star hotel might be.

In the playoffs, traveling secretaries are often asking for massive hotel blocks for upcoming series … but they may not even advance! Because having no guarantee the club will arrive is bad for hotels, they might strike a deal — like at least two playoff teams did last fall —  in which the hotel secures a postseason block in exchange for the team staying there during the next regular season.