One Fan's Opinion: Cleaning the Clubhouse in Three Steps

[Sherry Cerny]

The Twins season is over, but change to the roster is just starting. There are three things that the Twins are able to do to start the off season out right. 

(Editor's Note: Before we get started, join me in welcoming Sherry to the front page. This is her first promoted article. You have likely seen some of her writing on the Twins Daily blog pages. In her first front page article, she's got some ideas for the Twins front office.)

After an arduous baseball season from the Twins, the fans are left with one question: “what’s next?”.

We have all been asking ourselves that question since the Twins took a nosedive in May. Plagued with injury and ailment, the Twins limped through the summer trying to find their stride while also bringing up and sending down player after player.

There seemed to be no relief. As players such as Josh Donaldson, Byron Buxton, Max Kepler, Luis Arraez, Mitch Garver, and Jorge Polanco healed and made their comeback so did the overall growth, demeanor and mindset of the team to finish out the season strong. While the Twins were nowhere near a run for the playoffs, let alone the Wild Card, they played as if they were and left the fans with a hopeful taste in their mouth as the season closed.

So, what is next? There are a few things I can think of that will instantly make a difference. 

#1 No More Andrelton 

First things first, Andrelton Simmons' contract is officially up as soon as the World Series is complete! Let’s be honest, this was one of the worst Twins acquisitions, maybe not of all time, but for sure in the amount of time that I have been a fan, which is a fairly long time.

I recall when the Twins gave him the contract, I was irate. I got blown to bits on Twitter for my “bad take” and he was a “gold glove winner”. (blah, blah, blah.) I am not an elite baseball mind, but I do have a serious appreciation for usable talent. Simmons was not that. Sure, on paper he looked good. His baseball-reference stats show that from 2016 through 2020 Simmons had a solid batting average. He was hitting .283 on average over those seasons, basically his tenure with the Angels. During those years he stayed above .250. As much as I didn't want to, I did count 2020 in the stats, but it was a shorter season, fewer games, so his batting average is going to look/be a little better.

What caught my eye was his errors, he had 49 errors over four years. This year, Simmons was tied for sixth out of 22 shortstops in errors. I know that shortstops tend to make the most errors on the team, but I am not sure what made the Twins think that he was going to be anything but a train wreck.

What made this even more frustrating was the fact that the Twins have players who could have played shortstop and got paid less. I am not advocating for Billy Beane baseball, but with assets like Jorge Polanco, Luis Arraez and Nick Gordon, it was really disappointing to have someone like Simmons in the line up, especially in the second half. It's a collective sigh of relief that Simmons is becoming a free agent. 

#2 Rebuild the Rotation 

Next... to the mound. The pitching (or lack thereof) has been the biggest thorn in the Twins' side. Thanks to trades and bold moves the Twins acquired some young arms that are going to be around for quite awhile if the front office plays their cards right. Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober, John Gant, Ralph Garza Jr, and Griffin Jax have breathed new life into the rotation, providing solid innings, more strikeouts and confidence that the front office may be actually understanding the assignment.

The one thing that teams in the playoffs have is solid pitching. Having a good starting rotation and bullpen is important. There is less stress, leaving the line up to have enough energy to do their job and hit dingers. While there was a lot of anger due to trading Nelson Cruz, there has been less frustration with the pitching which came as a result of the trade. If there are going to be any changes in the rotation, acquiring at least two or three starters that they will leave in through the sixth inning would be beneficial.

I am not sure what Rocco Baldelli and Wes Johnson thinks they are doing pulling guys in the sixth inning. This isn’t college baseball with a lot of depth. This is the big leagues, where guys are conditioned for longevity. The new guys that were brought in learned in a different system, potentially with different techniques and philosophies. Wes Johnson has not had a chance to  them yet. 

The class of Free Agents looks like a platter for the next season and there is some amazing talent could be acquired, such as Zack Greinke, Clayton Kershaw Marcus Stroman, Noah Syndergaard, and Max Scherzer. While we all have differing opinions on who is less effective, any of these pitchers would be a good buy in a 2 or 3 starter spot while we look in house for our #1 starter.

#3 Bring Back the Boomstick 

The third thing would be bringing back Nelson Cruz to finish beefing up the batting line up. Cruz will be a free agent after his playoff run with Tampa Bay.

That was a trade that sucker-punch to the fan base. While I personally was sad to see him go, the trade was one that the front office could not pass up. The return is exactly what this team needed. I can’t imagine that bringing back Cruz was not brought up in the clubhouse prior to the trade, but the tears, hugs and words spoken by the team surrounding the trade mean his teammates would love for him to come back. He, like the rest of the squad, definitely struggled a bit in the beginning of the season.

The 41-year-old has shown few signs of slowing down or falling apart outside a thumb sprain early in the season. Since being in Tampa Bay, he has continued to soar and could help get the Rays to the World Series. His presence with the bat and in the clubhouse are something you rarely find, and it may be a fight to get him back.

We saw this with Miguel Sano. Nelson Cruz was a guiding force into Sano's performance with the bat, and it's one relationship that has created a life-long bond. In reality, Cruz’s numbers are too good to ignore, as well as his ability to bring a smile and cohesion to the clubhouse. His impact on Sano was so great that the day Cruz was traded, Sano honored him by wearing his pants in that night's game.

“The pants brought Sano a little bit of luck. He went 1-for-3 with a walk, double and run scored in his Minnesota Twins’ 3-2 loss to the Angels” writes Jesse Johnson of USA Today Sports.

One thing is for sure, Nelson Cruz has always been and will always be a class act, even going out of the way to meet the pitcher that took his place in the clubhouse. You can’t replace a person like that. 

These are just a few of the things that would help the team see not only a higher finish in the standings, but also the potential to return to the playoffs.

I love the old adage - “Offense wins games, Defense wins championships." I believe it’s true. If the Twins would be able to get a solid pitching staff, a defense that was less messy, and consider bringing back Nelson Cruz, that would be a start to creating a winning team for the 2022 season. 

 

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[TopGunn#22]

Nice Article !!  I especially liked the link to the next 3 years of potential free agents.  It's good for reference.  While I would love to bring Nellie back and there is no doubt him hitting 3rd or cleanup would benefit our lineup, I believe all significant resources need to be used toward beefing up the pitching.  The Twins (like ALL baseball teams) compete when they PITCH.  When they don't pitch, it doesn't matter how good the lineup is, historically, they will struggle.  And any resources left after they improve the SP's and BP should be used for a RH outfield bat  (Mark Canha or if they go big, Starling Marte) and a stop gap SS (Iglesias, Galvis etc).

[4twinsJA]

Nice article Sherry. agree with you on Simmons. It has been a trend with this FO to think an aging player will return to prior performance level- get one more good year. Rotation also agree, need to sign a couple of FAs with one being top of rotation quality. Cruz, I agree with his positive influence on team, but question if he can continue to perform at a high level considering his age. 

[Karbo]

Nice article, and I totally agree with you. With the number of pitchers that have quality history behind them that would probably accept a short term "prove it" contract there should be an opportunity to get a decent 2 or 3 starter. Maybe sign a big quality FA starter, and trade for another? Then get someone who can serve as a decent closer and hopefully have enough money left over for Nellie. His overall stats with Tampa were down enough to maybe bring the asking price down a little to work it out.

[ashbury]

On 10/10/2021 at 5:20 AM, Sherry Cerny said:

What caught my eye was his errors, he had 49 errors over four years. This year, Simmons was tied for sixth out of 22 shortstops in errors. ...

but with assets like Jorge Polanco, Luis Arraez and Nick Gordon...

49 errors!!!! That's terrible!  With a glove like th- .... wait, across 4 years?  12 errors a year?  For a shortstop?

If SS errors are your thing, you won't enjoy a return of Polanco to the most visible defensive position - he made 18 and 22 errors in his two full-time stints at the position (and he committed 17 this season, mostly at 2B).  Gordon was error prone in the minors and the team showed reluctance to even try him there this year. Arraez... no. Just no. 

We need range in a shortstop, and an arm.  Simmons touched the ball over 500 times this season, as did every full-time shortstop in the majors - his rate of plays made per inning was second in the AL among full-timers (though in years past, he usually would be #1).  The number of errors that get charged are a drop in the bucket to a shortstop's total picture, in part because the official scorers are directed not to call an error on every play-not-made for statistics-keeping purposes.

I'm not going to defend Simmons. He was "only" 31 but played like an old 31. He has slipped defensively to only better than average, and his bat is impossible to support no matter how good the defense - no player can save enough runs to make up for the black hole he was in the lineup.  He was below replacement-level and won't be missed IMO.  But I like to make roster decisions based on the full resume a player brings, not the superficial aspects.

 

Oh, and, Welcome To Twins Daily.   I wound up doing a little deep-dive on one of the supporting points you made, but overall I like the ideas you raised in this article.

[mikelink45]

I enjoyed this, but would not bring Cruz back.  I have proceeded through the misery and disappointments that aging creates and I think we have enough history to know that Cruz is on the downward slide - as much as I loved to see him in the lineup, it is time to more on.  

So glad you stuck a pin in the Simmons is an elite fielder balloon!  No more needs to be said.

Pitching is everyone's guess.  I really want the stress on our young prospects - not Jax, Gant, Barnes - they are not in my SP rotation thoughts, but there are many others in the minors who are ready and need to grow in the bigs.  Old pitchers like Greinke, Kershaw are not my wish.  I want a young steady player with years ahead of him - kind of like Berrios.  Oh well.

[Paul]

Sad that Simmons has fallen so far. I was a huge proponent of his. But now I agree he’s done. 
If Cruz would return as the hitting coach I’d have him in a heartbeat with a lifetime contract. But when his eyesight catches up with his age that precious clubhouse dynamic he brings will shift directions. As much as I love him I say no. But the club needs to find that cohesiveness he created somewhere. I’m sure, like the rest of the country, there’s division in that clubhouse. The teams that conquer that will have an edge. 
Pitching. Good pitching costs lots of money. Good pitchers have figured out how to be successful with life’s normal distractions and noise. Good pitchers on good teams have proven they’re not a significant negative on the clubhouse dynamic. Those are the ones I would target in free agency. I don’t know yet if Wes is the guy yet, but he has a proven record in college. He figured it out there. So odds are good he’ll figure it out here.

 

 

[RpR]

5 hours ago, Sherry Cerny said:

#1 No More Andrelton

 Luis Arraez and Nick Gordon, it was really disappointing to have someone like Simmons in the line up, especially in the second half. It's a collective sigh of relief that Simmons is becoming a free agent.

I love the old adage - “Offense wins games, Defense wins championships." I believe it’s true. If the Twins would be able to get a solid pitching staff, a defense that was less messy, and consider bringing back Nelson Cruz, that would be a start to creating a winning team for the 2022 season.

LOL, yep Arraez, I would love to see more games where Twins lose without giving up a hit as Arraez throws the ball into right field, BRILLIANT.

You like the adage but would use Keystone Cops for infielders, LOL ?

You are correct on Cruz.

[Sousy]

Agreed on the Simmons debacle.

I would be in agreement with the FO, though, should they go out and find another SS in free agency for all of the conventional wisdom reasons (Polanco & the ankles are happy and productive at 2nd, Arraez’ knees aren’t great to have at SS, Gordon just doesn’t seem to have the natural arm strength to be a dependable player there.)

I also don’t think the team should press too hard / give up too much to bring Cruz back. There’s a glut of corner / DH kind of guys now and a lack of center depth and pitching; I’d rather the team spend effort and resources on the latter. However, I’m totally on board with offering him whatever coaching job he wants when the time comes if that’s what he wants to do.

[Stew]

You are right on about Simmons. Also probably can get Cruz back for 9 or 10 mill Also see if we can do the same deal with Tampa trading Donaldson. We can get same production from another former twin in Escobar for half the money.

 

[tarheeltwinsfan]

Wait a minute folks. Simmons had the 6th highest fielding percentage in the American league at SS in 2021. . He made some awesome plays at SS. He also made some heads up plays at SS. However his batting was pathetic. His swings looked like my high school teammates.  I don't want him back either, but my reasons have nothing todo with his fielding percentage. 

[tarheeltwinsfan]

3 hours ago, ashbury said:

49 errors!!!! That's terrible!  With a glove like th- .... wait, across 4 years?  12 errors a year?  For a shortstop?

If SS errors are your thing, you won't enjoy a return of Polanco to the most visible defensive position - he made 18 and 22 errors in his two full-time stints at the position (and he committed 17 this season, mostly at 2B).  Gordon was error prone in the minors and the team showed reluctance to even try him there this year. Arraez... no. Just no. 

We need range in a shortstop, and an arm.  Simmons touched the ball over 500 times this season, as did every full-time shortstop in the majors - Andrelton's rate of plays made per inning was second in the AL among full-timers (though in years past, he usually would be #1).  The number of errors that get charged are a drop in the bucket to a shortstop's total picture, in part because the official scorers are directed not to call every play-not-made an error for statistics-keeping purposes.

I'm not going to defend Simmons. He's "only" 31 but played like an old 31. He has slipped defensively to only better than average, and his bat is impossible to support no matter how good the defense - no player can save enough runs to make up for the black hole he was in the lineup.  He was below replacement-level and won't be missed IMO.  But I like to make roster decisions based on the full resume a player brings, not the superficial aspects.

 

Oh, and, Welcome To Twins Daily.   I wound up doing a little deep-dive on one of the supporting points you made, but overall I like the ideas you raised in this article.

I agree with Ashbury.  SS needs range and a rocket arm. By the way, I don't know how to measure this but, looking at the games on my computer at MLB.COM,  I thought Simmons' arm was very good. But then I'm having a cataract removed Thursday, so that may have affected my judgment. When the doctor told me I had a cataract, I told him there must be a mistake, I drive a Jeep.

[Otwins]

Twins have options this off season.  If you can trade Kepler, Kiriloff or Sano for pitching then absolutely bring Cruz back. Cruz has been our most consistent bright spot the last few years.  Otherwise I am in the pitching needs to be the priority crowd. Enjoyed your article. Thanks

[old nurse]

To call Simmons even a bad signing is to ignore a lot. He wasn’t even the signing that worked out the worse this year. To forget about the likes of Nolasco, Correa, or Park is a good thing unless the topic is worse signings ever. The mistake they made was at the trade deadline when the Yankees were interested in him. The team must have wanted Gil back. 

Bringing Cruz back works if the clutter at the corners get moved.  

[stringer bell]

I think the Twins need improvement from the shortstop position on offense, but the defense at short has to be acceptable. Simmons was more than acceptable in the field, but the numbers show how bad he was with the bat. If the brain trust believes either Martin or Lewis can seize short it might make sense to save some money and sign a stopgap. I don’t want to see Simmons with the Twins any more. 
 

Considerable capital needs to be expended on a starting pitcher or two (one acquired by trade, one free agent?). 
 

Finally, no on Cruz. He’ll be 42 at midseason and he hasn’t torn it up for Tampa. But the real reason he’s no longer a fit is that they have several guys who can rotate as DHs and really can’t afford to carry a DH only IMHO. 

[Sherry Cerny]

Hi Everyone - I really like all the responses here and I am 1. really thankful you all took time to read it and 2. you left your honest thoughts. I am excited to continue my growth with writing and all of you!

[rv78]

I believe the Twins got what they wanted out of Simmons, Defense. Anything from his bat was gravy, unfortunately it was more like water. Had he hit .250 or .260 they and us would have been thrilled. With Lewis and Martin probably 1 year away yet another 1 year stop-gap SS will be needed. Please don't put Polanco there, he belongs at 2B. I'd really like to see Arraez get more reps at 3B spelling Donaldson and have JD get more AB's at DH to save his legs. With that scenario a reunion with Cruz is highly unlikely or appropriate. Especially if they keep Sano for 1B/DH and Kirolloff getting time at 1B as well. As for Gordon I'd like for him to be the main utility guy. Him as a full-time SS won't fly and for all we know his bat might not be any better than Simmons was. Let's see what he can do getting a full season under him first. As for the hole Simmons creates in the lineup it wasn't much worse than the holes created by Sano and Kepler. 

The rotation is a mystery once you get past Ober and geeze I even hate to say it, Ryan, but I'm sure they are both locks going into next year. It's been talked about but I'd like to see Pineda brought back. Then you've got to look at outside arms that will make a difference if you are serious about contending in 2022. Will the FO spend the money needed to bring in 2 top quality arms? Cause only 1 won't be enough. And then will those 2 top quality guys even want to come here? We all know how Free Agents look past this organization. It might take a trade to get the arm/s they need and at what cost? Where is the depth in the minors that would allow a fixture in the lineup to be traded? 3B Miranda is the most likely guy close to MLB ready which means Donaldson or Arraez are expendable. Both have baggage with Donaldson's contract and Arraez's limited fielding ability, however beyond Polanco, Arraez could be a good enough, not great, fit for some other team at 2B. 

As for Cruz, it is intriguing to bring him back but it will only make sense if Donaldson and Sano are both traded. 

[Sousy]

5 hours ago, Otwins said:

you can trade Kepler, Kiriloff or Sano for pitching

No.

[old nurse]

1 hour ago, Sousy said:

No.

If Houston wanted Kiriloff and would give up Luis Garcia. It takes quality to get quality. If only the Twins still had a Brian Duensing to make the deal work

[Rosterman]

The whole point of Simmons, known to be a weaker hitter, was defense, combining him with Donaldson at third, Polanco at second, and Buxton in centerfield. Donaldson gave us 91 games. We know how Buxton fared. Also, the Twins were probably hoping for much more from Dobnak (a ground ball pitcher) as well as Happ and Shoemaker needing sparkling defense behind them. If the Yankee rumors of wanting the defensive Simmons, I wonder why the Twins didn't pull the plug.

 

Come 2022 the Twins need to focus on players playing their position. Who's on first? Is it Sano or Kirilloff. Or is Kirilloff in the outfield until Larnach plays his way back on the team. Is Garver the main catcher, or does he get bats as a DH (or 1B guy). If he is going to play elsewhere, then the Twins will need a "third catcher." Is Donaldson prepared to play all-the-time at third, or better suited to split time at DH. If so, then who plays third - Arraez, or Miranda? Right now the Twins have three potential guys who can DH when the time happens, or play a position on the field. Sadly, Cruz is strict DH. Although it would be nice to follow him on his remaining two-year run to reach 500 home runs, sadly the Twins can probably do without him - unless they decide to move any or Sano (replaced by Kirilloff), Donaldson (replaced by Miranda), and Garver. Heck, I say move all three and hope you get a closer and a strong candidate for the top of the rotation, and bring back Cruz. If the Twins do tank again, someone will take Nelson off your hands yet again for a couple of dynamite prospects.

 

I was disappointed in the Twins bot getting Balazovic to the majors, and NOT having a looksee at Strotman. They allowed Barnes and Jax to flounder, so much so many of us naysayers wonder why they would hold a 40-man spot, then we go back and look at the numbers of names like Perkins, Hawkins, Eddie G, even Vila when they first came north to Twinsland. Even if the Twins wave a blank check in front of the top arms, I suspect none of them would come to Minnesota if they get massive offers elsewhere. So, the Twins have to explore a trade.

 

Or maybe they will get lucky on a Rule 5 choice (sic).

 

[TheLeviathan]

Starters getting pulled in the 6th is pretty much par for the course now.  The Twins aren't doing anything the rest of the league isn't doing as well.  That's just the modern game and how they protect arms.

Nice article - I agree strongly on Simmons.  He was a putrid offensive player whose one calling card is no longer elite, just good.  You can find "good" shortstops that aren't slap-hitting .500 OPS guys.  You damn sure don't have to pay them 10M and bring a bunch of other issues along with them.

The team has too many no-field hitters as is.  As much as I love Nellie, this team isn't the right fit for him.  They'll need to look for leadership inside the current locker room.

[Brandon]

12 hours ago, tarheeltwinsfan said:

Wait a minute folks. Simmons had the 6th highest fielding percentage in the American league at SS in 2021. . He made some awesome plays at SS. He also made some heads up plays at SS. However his batting was pathetic. His swings looked like my high school teammates.  I don't want him back either, but my reasons have nothing todo with his fielding percentage. 

THis is what I was thinking on Simmons too.  His defense is fine.  I expected him to lose a half step in the field.  I did not expect his offense to crater.  His offense was historically bad.  I was thinking of an ops in the .660 - .720 range.  He was well below that even.  I figured he would get pinch hit for at times or maybe lose a few starts in the field and be the late inning defensive replacement during some offensive slumps and be the #9 hitter.  but again I thought he will hit significantly better even if that meant he was still a below average hitter.

I will be honest though.  I would be ok with bringing him back on a low cost with incentives deal if we do not sign a high profile high offensive SS over the winter.  Maybe 5 million guarantee with up to 5 million more with so many plate appearances.  1 that means we signed Buxton to an extension and 2 it means the Twins are planning on 1 of Lewis or Martin to take over SS when ready.

[old nurse]

6 hours ago, TheLeviathan said:

Starters getting pulled in the 6th is pretty much par for the course now.  The Twins aren't doing anything the rest of the league isn't doing as well.  That's just the modern game and how they protect arms.

Nice article - I agree strongly on Simmons.  He was a putrid offensive player whose one calling card is no longer elite, just good.  You can find "good" shortstops that aren't slap-hitting .500 OPS guys.  You damn sure don't have to pay them 10M and bring a bunch of other issues along with them.

The team has too many no-field hitters as is.  As much as I love Nellie, this team isn't the right fit for him.  They'll need to look for leadership inside the current locker room.

47 games pitched by prospects that did not pitch in a season the year before. Oakland used 5 starters for most of the season. Surprise!!!!!!! They lead the major league  in starting pitcher IP. 

[Aerodeliria]

Look at Simmons' WAR in the field and it's clear to me that we got more or less what we wanted. At the plate, he was a disaster. He struck out quite often in key situations where if he at least made contact, it would have helped. 

 

If it means putting Polanco at SS, then, I would rather re-sign Simmons... having a minus WAR at SS does not bode well for the team.

[MABB1959]

Any money spent on bringing Cruz back would be worth it.  He can hit and is a great presence for the team overall.   They can afford him and should not cheap out.   Many people like exciting players and don't look at numbers.  He is an exciting player as is Sano, Polanco and maybe Donaldson.  The new AAA guys should be brought up so we non-stat fans can get to know them and get excited again.  

I did not mention Buxton.  I think it would be a fatal error to ticket sales to trade him this off-season but at next season's trade deadline they will need to trade him.  Unless a miracle happens I think the will be gone.  They may up what they offered before but they won't go as high as needed and cannot afford to wait until the 2022 off season and let him walk.  Oh such a dilema, we waited so long for Berrios and Buxton the big stars and they added Cruz and Donaldson to make it even more exciting but sadly it did not happen and now Berrios is gone.  

[Major League Ready]

5 hours ago, old nurse said:

47 games pitched by prospects that did not pitch in a season the year before. Oakland used 5 starters for most of the season. Surprise!!!!!!! They lead the major league  in starting pitcher IP. 

The Rays have been among the lowest IP from SPs and they have 100 wins in the AL East.  They have been using this model very successfully for a while now.  I prefer SPs that can give you 7 but there is more than one way to succeed.

[Brandon]

On pitching.  I think the starters will be able to go deeper into games next year.  I think this year the Twins decided to be cautious and limit several pitchers to 80 pitches per start as a way to manage stress on a pitchers arm after not throwing the previous year.  I also think the Tins will resign Pineda and get 1 more starting pitcher.  There are 5 starting pitchers who are top pitching prospects at AA and AAA last season.  Our rotation shapes up as:

• FA starter
• Pineda
• Ober
• Ryan
• Dobnak/ Gant

We also have Balazovich, Winder, Sands, Richardson-Woods, and Duran are all likely to be in AAA in short order if not at the start of next season.  Canterino could be in AA as well.  That is 6 starters who are knocking on the door to the majors next season.  

And Maeda will be back at some point after the all star break.  So there needs to be some opportunity available to the younger starters to get a spot in the rotation next season.  

As far as Cruz goes,  I am on board with bringing him back on next season.  I do think he will regress at some point.  And if it is next year, we have plenty of options to give him rest so we can set him up with good match ups.  I also think his power will age well regardless.  so lets see what happens next season.  I would like to see him hit number 500 with the Twins.  I also want him to reach over 100 of them as a Twin too.  He is about 2 seasons away from being a border line hall of famer.  Would like to see if he can set himself up to be a worthy candidate.  

[old nurse]

1 hour ago, Major League Ready said:

The Rays have been among the lowest IP from SPs and they have 100 wins in the AL East.  They have been using this model very successfully for a while now.  I prefer SPs that can give you 7 but there is more than one way to succeed.

Tampa was the only team to have success with that model. Boston was mediocre but not in the bottom 1/3. Tampa was also the only team to succeed with a low payroll. It is an outlier mode;

Levi commented on the low IP as a Baldelli managing style. That was not quite true. This year he had to manage with what he had without blowing out arms in the future as so many had not pitched in games

[Major League Ready]

1 hour ago, old nurse said:

Tampa was the only team to have success with that model. Boston was mediocre but not in the bottom 1/3. Tampa was also the only team to succeed with a low payroll. It is an outlier mode;

Levi commented on the low IP as a Baldelli managing style. That was not quite true. This year he had to manage with what he had without blowing out arms in the future as so many had not pitched in games

This is difficult to assess.  It appears to me it's a conscious plan with Tampa.  Do these other teams have low IPs from their starters because they are simply bad?  Has Tampa found a market inefficiency in SPs that don't excel when expected to go 6 plus but are good the 1st couple times through the order.  Have they adapted strategies and pitching sequences to succeed with this type of pitcher?  Jax appears to be this type of SP to me.  I think he would do better in the BP or in a stacking concept.

[Minny505]

There's a good chance Simmons will be one of the three finalists for the AL Gold Glove in 2021. He won't win it, but being a finalist in an age where metrics are used instead of the eye test means he was pretty rad on defense.

I still think as a backup, short-side platoon SS, he would be an asset. His numbers against LHP are quite respectable, and with the glove, would make him a valuable asset when used correctly. I just think he's going to want to start somewhere.