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If there was a Cy Young vote after 60 games last year Odo would've gotten some votes too.

This short season could really help Berios, we shouldn’t see his 2nd half fade with no second half.

I believe the next contract will call for home run derbies to replace games and we are ready.

I'll be honest, I've been battling this same inner conflict myself. As much as I love baseball, I recognize it's no more than a sports exhibition and I personally find all the poetic waxing about how it'll "reunite the country" or whatever to be silly. But, players aren't taking these risks "to enable a farce." They're doing it to advance their careers and provide for their families. And while one might say most of 'em can afford to take a year off (some really can't), there are so many more people beyond players whose livelihoods are dependent on this game. So, I don't begrudge you for feeling as you do, but that's something I've been weighing in my own mind.

Also, through 11 starts another Twins pitcher was 7-1 with a 2.95 ERA. His name is Martin Perez. I guess that's exhibit A of what a small sample size 60 games is and how regression to the mean may not necessarily happen in 60 games. Hey, maybe Luis Arraez will hit .400 for the season.

I'm sympathetic to the concern about a short bad streak burying our team. OTOH every other good team in the majors faces this same risk. And, if I'm hoping for a post-season juggernaut, I want my guys to be ones who answer the bell every time it rings - the playoffs are a string of short series each of which could bury our team. So in practicality, I'm putting this special 60-game risk out of my mind.

I've been trying figure out how to say what I want to say about all this. This might not quite be it but here goes anyway. First, a 60-game season with only some of the top-line players is a farce. To attempt to give even a hint of legitimacy to this is totally disingenuous, to put it nicely. Second, the health of the players, of thousands upon thousands of support personnel, and of their families is being placed at risk. And for what? To enable a farce. Third, the political/social situation in our country weighs much more heavily on me right now than the lack of baseball. I frankly don't give two ****s whether baseball resumes or not and this is from someone who has been a true Twins fan through thick and thin for 58 years. I wish the season had been canceled two months ago. That said, I can't wait until real baseball is back. I ardently hope that can happen beginning on opening day in March, 2021.

I know FanGraphs tabbed Sabato as a bat-only player and weren't super high on him. It's certainly a high bar, but there were plenty of people on here that were initially unhappy that the Twins signed a bat-only player in Nelson Cruz. Then again...Tyler Austin. Here's to hoping Sabato's bat is more Cruz than Austin!

Larnach should have been inclujded as a college bat, but at the same time, he's just such a good all-around hitter that he doesn't fit that same profile. I don't know. As for Sabato, I looked at a few pre-draft mock drafts. I think Baseball America had Sabato going 14th overall. I saw him in the late teens in another one. I think on draft day, Jonathan Mayo had him going #27 to the Twins. So I don't think he was an over-draft at all. Jeremy Nygaard reminded me on Twitter that Sabato is a draft-eligible sophomore, so he had two more years of eligibility.

Dang this is a good point. Odorizzi after the team's first 60 games (12 starts): 8-2, 1.96 ERA, 0.96 WHIP. He probably woulda won the thing.

Avila is a powerful left handed bat. Garver will get plenty of rest. I would think something like 45 games for Garver- 15 Avila So glad that the conversation can turn to actual baseball stuff. But for some reason I still feel like the season may not happen.

While we’ve waited on baseball to return, an enhanced focus has been placed on many important cultural causes and discussions. Although the negatives for baseball have taken place at the bargaining table, it’s within the game itself that this topic derives.Women remain underrepresented across the sport, but there’s more than a few that have made their mark on the game, and it’s through their abilities we can see a necessary need for greater inclusion. Wanting to gain perspective from individuals in multiple different roles, I sought out to tell stories from the clubhouse, broadcast booth, and the farm. Talent doesn’t recognize gender, status, ideology, or any other form of societal discrimination. When it comes to Major League Baseball, plenty of females have created synonymous personalities with what we’ve come to expect from an overall experience. Sony made Heidi Watney its go-to presence on MLB The Show. Alexa Datt and Kelly Nash are staples at MLB Network. For Twins fans it’s the duo of Audra Martin and Marney Gellner that are routinely invited into our living rooms. The talent is rich, and it runs deep. Highlighting that and kicking off this four-part series is none other than The Athletic’s Britt Ghiroli. An impressive resume and immediate tie to Baltimore precede her, but coming off a World Series year of coverage the Nationals writer has plenty of stories to tell. Twins Daily: Was it always baseball for you? Graduating from Michigan State, did you know right away that this was the sport you wanted to cover? What role did the game of baseball have in your life prior to your career? Britt Ghiroli: I get asked a lot if baseball is my favorite sport and – to be honest – it wasn’t at the time. I would stay up late at night watching hockey or football with my dad, and European soccer on the weekend mornings. But I fell in love with the stories and the nature of covering baseball, there’s so many nuances and so much access compared to football or basketball, that I’ve never regretted that decision. Don’t get me wrong, I’ve always been a baseball fan and I’m from a big baseball/softball family and we all did the travel teams – my sister played at the University of Pittsburgh – but this job enhanced my appreciation of it. It was sheer luck that the internship I got was with MLB.com and I’m eternally grateful they picked me. I was an athlete my entire life, all the way up through college where I was a swimmer at Michigan State. Once I got there I realized two things: 1) I wasn’t nearly as good of a swimmer as I thought and 2) I better have a plan for my life because women’s swimming isn’t a sport with a future to pay your bills. Michigan State has an excellent journalism program and that’s what I always wanted to do – write. I used to write little stories growing up and have always been a pretty big reader and fan of long-form writers like Gary Smith. Plus, I’m abysmal at math. While swimming, I juggled a few internships which got increasingly harder with classes, but the experience was critical. At first, I thought TV was the way I wanted to go and I did work as a PA (production assistant) for Fox Sports Network in Detroit, which started as an internship and continued as a freelance gig. I also helped out the Big Ten Network when they’d come to town for a big game. I kept writing when I could and worked part time at the Lansing State Journal. It was a lot of grunt work, taking phone calls and filling in tiny box scores about high school games for that day’s paper, but I was also afforded the opportunity to pitch the occasional feature. That, and several other internships helped lead to MLB.com. Obviously, the MLB.com internship was the one that led me to covering baseball full-time and never leave :-) TD: Spending a decade with MLB.com you got to show off your abilities covering multiple beats. Establishing yourself with the Orioles, you quickly became one of the household names when it comes to bylines. What about covering daily action do you do to differentiate yourself? BG: Got on Twitter! Seriously, it was just starting when I got on the beat and I quickly embraced it. I still remember the other beat guys making fun of me for it but it really helped me build up a big network. A lot of those fans, of course, are Orioles fan who now really don’t like that I went to the Nationals... TD: As a female you represent a group that's not nearly proportionate in terms of voices within the industry. Is that a driving force to you? Is there something about the way you do your job that you feel like an additional impact can be made? BG: I don’t think it’s ever been a driving force. I wasn’t raised in a household where sports were for boys- my dad had four daughters and we were all tomboys. My mom is also a big sports fan. I never thought, “I should be a sports writer and try to bring a female voice in!” I just thought it was the coolest job in the world. Most days, I still do. I will say, there are a lot more females now than when I got into this in 2008. I understand it’s what sets me apart a lot, but I spent years trying to shake the stereotype that I was someone’s token female hire, you know? It’s always irked me when I had a close relationship to a guy or got a scoop that some people will always equate it with my gender. I’ve sort of just realized that no matter what I do, good or bad, I’m going to stand out. I always tell young female reporters that any advantage you have it cancelled out. Some people are going to be nicer to you and want to talk to you because you’re female. And some guys aren’t going to be nice or want to talk to you for that very same reason. A lot of the bull**** I thought that came with being a female - what you wear, for example - I thought would go away in my 30s. It hasn’t, but I do care a lot less what someone thinks. If it’s 100 degrees and humid, I’m wearing a tank top and it’s not to flaunt myself or hit on a guy. It’s because it’s 100 degrees and humid. As for additional impact, I look to women like Alyson Footer and Susan Slusser, who have made space for ME. I’d love to get to a point where I do an entire interview and my gender never comes up. TD: While being a beat reporter is essentially a version of storytelling, what about your creative process has made such compelling pieces each time you hit the keyboard? BG: That’s nice of you to say! I’ve been fortunate to have some really great mentors. The best part about being at The Athletic, and I’ll get into that more later, is the freedom you get to really go beyond the nuts and bolts of a baseball story. I was told once your lede should be the first thing you go home and tell your mom, or husband or friend about the person. What is it about that player or moment or game that everyone needs to know? Now, how can you make them care about it? That’s what I try to do. Fans now already know so much. They know the score and the stats. They may have even watched the post-game interviews. To be different, you have to add color and humanize things. You have to go beyond the “how did you feel out there?” questions, and that’s what I try to do. TD: Moving from worst to first in a sense, what was the experience (and rollercoaster) of covering the 2019 Washington Nationals like first hand? It's not your first World Series, but it might have been the most improbable. BG: It was pretty crazy. I remember a lot of people early on sort of joking, “You should have stayed in Baltimore!” because of the Nats early record. The 2008 Rays, which I wrote about recently may have been a little more of an underdog story (though they lost the World Series) but the turnaround in D.C. was truly made-for-the-movies stuff. I remember laughing the day they got Parra, we were in Milwaukee and I joked to my editor to print the World Series tickets. But, truly, you could have. He was such a positive infusion for that team. People love to say clubhouse chemistry is overrated because they can’t see it or come up with a metric for it. But that team needed Parra. They were always talented. They just needed to start to believe they could turn it around. I’m not sure it hit me, like really hit me, until they started to come back in Game 7 in Houston. Up to that point, you kept thinking they were on the ropes and eventually going to lose. But that game, I remember being like, ‘My god, they are gong to rally.” It was unbelievable. TD: Being at The Athletic now, what makes the newest outlet in the game arguably one of the best. It was a meteoric rise for the company, and it's more than just the top tier talent they've brought in. BG: They let you be an adult. People will often ask me about switching teams and, for me, it was never about the Orioles versus the Nationals. It was the chance to get out of my box. I’ve written about powerlifting, grief, memories on the beat, sexism, being yelled at, retirement and mental health. I’ve done Ravens stories and Bruins stories. I’ve never once had someone tell me, “No, you cover the Nationals.” They encourage you to think about different story ideas (especially now!) and they aren’t afraid to take big swings. The Athletic could go under tomorrow and I still wouldn’t regret taking the job. It was scary to leave MLB, it’s a great job and I still have a lot of friends there, but I needed to sort of be pushed out of the nest. To be pushed out of my comfort zone. And that’s exactly what The Athletic has done. TD: We're all worse off being without baseball right now, and the hope is we'll have something resembling a season soon. What have you been doing to keep yourself busy? BG: I am currently trying to plan Take 2 of my wedding. (Our original day was in May and cancelled). So, that’s been interesting to plan from another state. I wake up every morning and read all about two things: baseball updates and the COVID cases in Colorado. (We live in Maryland.) My fiance and I met at the gym so we are very active people. He was a kicker in football and has taken that back up. He’ll knock them out from 50 yards and I’m just trying to make an easy extra point attempt. Work-wise, I’m still writing, it just looks a little different. I recently started a series about each year I’ve been on the beat which has been a lot of fun to do look back and reminisce. It’s easy to fall into the negative trap right now with baseball, so that’s been a nice reminder that this sport is pretty great and matters to a lot of people. Follow Britt and check out her work here. Check back in next week for entry number two in this four-part series. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

In 2006, after 60 games, the Minnesota Twins were 27-33. They were fourth in the division, and 10 1/2 games out of first place. Under the parameters of the planned 2020 season, they'd have been dead in the water.Of course, as we now know, that '06 team ended up with 96 wins, the second-highest total (behind 2019) of any Twins team since the 1970s. Over the next 60 games, those pesky piranhas went 43-17, moving from seven games under .500 to 20 above. Given our recency bias as fans, it can be easy to fall back on the image of this current Twins club as an impervious regular-season team that will weather any circumstance and emerge on top. It's a valid perception, really. The 2019 Twins were amazingly consistent and slump-proof. Their longest losing streaks of the season were four games (once) and three games (once). It was the second winningest team in franchise history – a charmed season the likes of which we rarely see. Realistically, we can't expect things to go quite so smoothly again, even though the group is mostly intact (and even bolstered). While the 2006 team is obviously an opposite extreme in terms of variance, it's a more conventional example. Ups and downs are inherent to this game. It is extremely common for teams to overperform or underperform in a two-month sample. In fact, it's more or less expected. And 60 games is a helluva short season. In '06, Tony Batista was still the Twins third baseman after 60 games and Juan Castro was still their shortstop. Meanwhile, you can basically triangulate the turning point in Justin Morneau's MVP campaign to Minnesota's 60th game, against Baltimore, where he homered twice and drove in five. Before that day he'd hit .235/.295/.444; from then on he'd go .364/.414/.616. For a variety of reasons, the 2020 Twins figure to be much less volatile than that scrappy bunch from 14 years ago, in part because they're much more soundly built, and not featuring the likes of Batista, Castro, and Rondell White as planned Opening Day starters. But there's no assurance that injuries or poor performance wouldn't have manifested in the early part of a full schedule, and now that reality looms extra large, should the season proceed as the league intends it to. For a more pertinent example as it relates to this year's team, let's look at Mitch Garver in 2019. There was one 60-game stretch for the Twins (5/11-7/19) where he started only 23 times, and made 121 plate appearances, missing three weeks in the middle with an ankle sprain on top of the ample rest he saw as part of the team's strategy. Garver's production when on the field during this stretch (.250/.331/.528, 8 HR, 34-to-10 K/BB, 0.8 fWAR) was solid but certainly paled in comparison to his season in full. This goes to illustrate how one single injury, and typical rest patterns, can significantly reduce the impact of key players over such a sample. But it also brings to mind an interesting question about how managerial philosophies might differ in this proposed 60-game mad dash. Rocco Baldelli and the Twins were quite purposeful about how limiting Garver's work behind the plate in 2019, and they clearly expressed their intent to do the same in 2020. But with far fewer games (all heightened in importance), and reduced concern about preserving players like Garver late into a marathon season, will the Twins soften on this stance? The concentrated nature of the schedule will also need to be taken into account. It's one of many subjects that will be interesting to ponder, as we now (finally) have the ability to discuss a defined plan and timeline for returning to play. There are plenty of other matters to work through before that can actually happen, but as things stand, Major League Baseball and its players appear united in their commitment to making this strange, shortened sprint of a season happen. The Minnesota Twins, with their abundant depth, flexible talent, and cutting-edge management, are well poised to dominate such a format, with results that could harken back to that 2006 club upon hitting its stride. Should it all come together as hoped, we can't wait to experience all the unprecedented twists and turns of this wild ride along with you. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

For those that might have missed it, the Twins Daily minor league writers recently held a draft of players in Minnesota’s farm system. When all was said and done, six teams of 16-players were selected, and we reached out to FanGraph’s Dan Szymborski to run the ZiPS projections for each roster. The results may surprise you…A few notes on the numbers below, these are career numbers and not a single season total because many of the prospects are very early in their professional careers. It was intriguing to see each writer’s strategy play out over the course of the draft as team’s had to balance prospect status and future value. Szymborski doesn’t typically like to do individual player profiles when things are this uncertain because it’s hard to look past just the numbers. Below you will see the team total for fWAR from ZiPS projected over the course of their careers. It also showcases one standout performer on each team. ZiPS loves pitchers as evident by the top-four team’s best player being a pitcher and this didn’t even include the top two pitching prospects in the Twins system. 6. Seth Stohs Top Player: Royce Lewis- 9.8 WAR Overall WAR: 20.7 Top Picks: Brent Rooker, Matt Wallner, Dakota Chalmers Other Players: Taylor Grzelakowski, Parker Phillips, Michael Helman, Wander Valdez, DaShawn Keirsey, Carlos Aguiar, Luis Rijo, Bailey Ober, Sean Poppen, Derek Molina, Javani Moran, Charlie Barnes Seth’s Thoughts: Drafting first is tough because, yes, you get the top player, but then you have to sit and watch as ten more players get taken before you can pick again. That said, I feel quite comfortable taking my chances with Royce. As you know, I am a bit of a prospect guy, so while the 2020 ranking may not look great for me, I will certainly take my chances with the prospects that I picked throughout the draft, and by about 2025, we are going to be really good! 5. Cody Christie Top Player: Trevor Larnach- 6.2 WAR Overall WAR: 33.2 Top Picks: Blayne Enlow, Ben Rortvedt, Misael Urbina Other Players: Victor Heredia, Charles Mack, Spencer, Steer, Wander Javier, Jacob Pearson, Ricky De La Torre, Jorge Alcala, Tyler Wells, Anthony Escobar, Steven Cruz, Evan Gillespie, Tyler Watson Cody’s Thoughts: I had the lowest overall top player but looking at the other top players and it’s easy to see why. If Trevor Larnach finishes his career with a lower overall WAR than Griffin Jax, the Twins have a long-term position player problem on their hands. Enlow has a chance to be one of the best pitchers in the organization and Rortvedt is the best catcher outside of Jeffers. If Larnach and Urbina hit their potential, watch out for my squad. 4. Ted Schwerzler Top Player: Griffin Jax- 9.9 WAR Overall WAR: 41.9 Top Picks: Jordan Balazovic, Matt Canterino, Keoni Cavaco Other Players: Chris Williams, Trey Cabbage, Travis Blankenhorn, Edouard Juilien, Max Smith, Ernie De La Trinidad, Jimmy Kerrigan, Trevor Casanova, Cody Stashak, Ryan Mason, Ben Gross, Jake Reed Ted’s Thoughts: I actually love that Jax projects as the highest contributor among my team. I was somewhat surprised he wasn't selected in the Rule 5 draft this winter as I think he can hold down a rotation spot for a big-league club right now. Balazovic is the flashy arm with upside, but Jax is probably among the safest picks I made. At just shy of 42 total WAR, I feel good about my squad having solid long-term development opportunities and a bit less volatility than Seth could experience. 3. Jeremy Nygaard Top Player: Devin Smeltzer- 15.4 WAR Overall WAR: 48.4 Top Picks: Jhoan Duran, Gilberto Celestino, LaMonte Wade Jr. Other Players: Kidany Salva, Zander Wiel, Anthony Prato, Drew Maggi, Will Holland, Emmanuel Rodriguez, Jared Akins, Chris Vallimont, Yennier Cano, Zach Neff, Benjamin Dum, Austin Schulfer Jeremy’s Thoughts: No surprise that Smeltzer is my top-projected player as he already has had some MLB success. Also, no surprise that I'm higher than Ted, Cody and Seth because, well... 2. Matt Braun Top Player: Lewis Thorpe- 14.9 WAR Overall WAR: 52.1 WAR Top Picks: Ryan Jeffers, Jose Miranda, Cole Sands Other Players: Gabe Snyder, Yunior Severino, Yeltsin Encarnacion, Gabriel Maciel, Willie Joe Garry Jr., Tyler Webb, Luis Baez, Bryan Sammons, Hector Lujan, Ryan Shreve, Adam Bray, Cody Laweryson Matt’s Thoughts: I’m quite happy with my placement. I can now say that I fully support Dan and his projection system because it must be well done if it liked me so much! I’m a big Thorpe fan especially so it’s nice to know that more advanced systems than my own feelings agree in his potential in MLB. 1. Steve Lein Top Player: Randy Dobnak-18.2 WAR Overall WAR: 53.7 Top Picks: Alex Kirilloff, Edwar Colina, Nick Gordon Other Players: Caleb Hamilton, Albee Weiss, Seth Gray, Jordan Gore, Akil Baddoo, Mark Contreras, Andrew Bechtold, Josh Winder, Moises Gomez, Tom Hackimer, Andrew Vasquez, Alex Phillips Steve’s Thoughts: When's my championship belt arrive? Hah. In all seriousness though, I tried to place a bit of a premium on proximity to the majors when making my picks, even taking a few guys who have already made their debut, and that may have helped me with ZIPS projections. Also rewarding for me to see the top overall player was Randy Dobnak, who I said when I picked him in the second round that it may have been a surprise to some. It was not for me, because I know just how good he's been rising to the majors. What do you think of the ZiPS results? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY — Latest Twins coverage from our writers — Recent Twins discussion in our forums — Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email Click here to view the article

I’m really not looking forward when we inevitably normalize a player testing positive for covid and added to the IL. Followed up with discussing the strategy of who will take their spot in the lineup. Makes me very uneasy to be frank.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but expanded playoffs are not in the plans right now, yea? That was part of a proposed deal that players and owners couldn't reach agreement on. Which is not to say they couldn't still agree to implement it between now and the season, but right now I think we're looking at the standard 10-team format.

I still want him being a little cautious. Having him play deep and come in on balls was the right idea, even though he still got hurt in Cleveland. Just stop fighting the walls.

Having Rich Hill from day 1 helps. Berrios, Odo, Hill, Maeda and Bailly/Dobnak is a pretty good 5. Better once Pineda is added. That alone should prevent long slumps. And our line-up is loaded if the 1B isn't in legal trouble.

That batting average and walk rate bode well. Just like I want a pitcher to have "stuff" rather than velocity I like hitters to have more than just power.

Something to also ponder is Byron Buxton's defense. He's a game changer out there. In a 60 game season it creates an interesting dynamic. Every single game matters. Because of that, I don't want him playing cautiously out in center. On the other hand, every game matters so we can't afford to have him missing a few days here and there for minor injuries, or worse.

Does anyone know how many regular play by play or color commentators that are female in baseball now? It is great that many reports are out there for women, but what about in the booth calling the game. I know Bert will have the job with Twins until he does not want it, but with the rotation of retired players why not have some females in the booth? Why has it always been a man that calls the game, until very recently? I am looking forward to first female coach. The other major sports have some, no head coaches but assistants, and starting to get some in front offices I believe too. So many females get silenced in sports because the too long held belief that men know more about sports. The talk shows are starting to have more female input, time to get more coaches and more in the regular booth calling games.

I liked the drill he talked about. I think maybe Twins should make Buxton do that. I am happy about the quote of the hitting plan. Hit strikes hard and don't worry about walks. Mitch Garver took that and ran with it this past year. There was many stories of Twins swing at first pitches, that also backs up the swing hard at strikes approach. Many times the first pitch is the best one you will see, so why take it just to work the count. Look your spot and let it swing, take anything else. Here is to hoping the kid has the true power. His bat is what will make him a player. In terms of where he falls on lists, who cares about those lists. So many people are wrong on those lists, just like so many of us are wrong at our guesses of who will do what.

Thanks for this information about Sabato, Seth. When drafted I had read that the Twins took him earlier than most had him slotted for. Based on that, I expected he would be signed well under slot. So I was surprised when the rumors surfaced that they would need to go over slot. Are you aware of those early stories that the Twins took him earlier than most expected? When reading what you and others have written the past few days, he sure looks like another good pick by the Twins. You mentioned several sluggers drafted early by the Twins above. You didn't include Larnach. Do you not consider him a slugger like Rooker, et. al?

There hasn't been any official word on that, but my completely unfounded guess would be any current suspensions are not altered in any way.

Great article and can’t wait for the season! But, “Garver's production when on the field during this stretch (.250/.331/.528, 8 HR, 34-to-10 K/BB, 0.8 fWAR) was solid...” .859 OPS from catcher = solid? Wow has he set the bar high.

1977, 1979, 1984 are candidates, too, though I'm too lazy to look it up. Edit: 1977: 24-11, 42-31, 67-48 were local maxima before finishing 84-77 (35-25 after 60) 1979: 22-8, 53-42, finish 82-80 (32-28 after 60) 1984: 18-15, 54-49, 67-58, finish 81-81 (28-32 after 60) 1972: 23-12, finish 77-77 (33-27 after 60)

Apparently its 10 games each against division foes, 4 games each against the NL Central. We won’t lose to the Yankees this year (in the regular season at least)!

Doc, IMO, one side or the other bares more blame. They either had an agreement to negotiate terms if fans were not present or they did not. If not, why were the owners presenting options at less than full prorated salaries. If there was no agreement to negotiate terms without fans present, the owners are not only at fault, they should be held accountable for games lost and be required to pay the players for those games missed as a result of their "bad faith" approach. If there was an agreement to negotiate terms if fans were not present, the MLBPA basically elected to ignore the parts of the agreement that were not in their best interest. If there was an agreement to negotiate terms in the event fans were not present, the owners offers and actions are perfectly reasonable. If such an agreement was in place, to say the MLBPA's handling of this situation was in bad faith would be putting it mildly. One side ignored the March agreement. That side is at at fault. I hope a legal action is filed because whichever side ignored that agreement should be held accountable. The facts will be transparent if legal action is taken.

Despite a global health crisis, it isn’t a pandemic that has ultimately thwarted the resumption of Major League Baseball in 2020, no instead it’s those directly involved with the game. Regardless of fault, fans are on a roller coaster ride they never signed up for, and it’s hurt the sport substantially. Today the Major League Baseball Players Association will vote on whether they’ll accept or reject Major League Baseball’s proposal for resumption of play. 38 voting members will give a yay or nay with a majority vote needed to cement a decision one way or another. The expectation is that the proposal will be rejected on the grounds of not wanting to lose an opportunity to grieve the circumstances in court. What we really have is posturing, and it’s what we’ve had during so much of this process, and what baseball labor negotiations have become synonymous with. Owners and players don’t trust each other at all, and it’s why every renewal of the CBA ends up coming with a significant possibility of lockout. It wasn’t until recently that Rob Manfred and Tony Clark got in a room together to has things out. Both sides came out of that meeting with different understandings of what took place, and it only furthered a battle that has played out with public barbs being fired back and forth. Regardless of the structure imposed by the current deal, it would seem to be a non-starter for players in that acceptance represents failure of sorts. I’ve long operated with the belief that there will undoubtedly be baseball in 2020 (barring a shift in circumstances regarding the virus), but that I have no idea what it would look like. The initial suggestion of a full season seemed laughable, but so too does the suggestion of an implemented 48-game playthrough. We’re obviously much closer to the latter than former at this point, and it’s because of all the feet dragging that we’re here. Siding with the players should be an easy choice in this whole battle, but the reality is that both parties have dug in so harshly what we as fans are left with is a bastardized version of what could’ve been. Finances tied directly to games played left us with one side looking to cut down the calendar, and the other trying to recoup as much of their income as possible. It isn’t a matter of what we want to play at this point, but instead what the calendar will allow for. So again today, when there’s a vote on whether the season should start under a certain set of conditions, we’ll likely be left waiting. One side’s disagreement will shoot down the opportunity for an official announcement, and like the many weeks and days of vast importance before it, the day will again be wasted. Tomorrow and going forward Rob Manfred, who has failed miserably in providing any direction or leadership while instead allowing his sport to burn, will need to decide whether or not he’ll implement a season. The players agreed to that possibility back in March, and it’s a scenario that makes all too much sense not to fulfill. Then again, we’ve crossed plenty of these bridges already throughout this process and they all still remain smoldering. I still believe we’ll have baseball in 2020, but the waiting has turned away many future fans forever, and it’s cost the current one’s significant amount of trust for ultimately no necessary reason. For more from Off The Baggy, click here. Follow @tlschwerz

Covid at the Bat The outlook wasn't brilliant for the Mudville nine that day: The score stood four proposals down, with one idea more how to play , And then when Clark died with the first, and Manfred did the same, A pall-like silence fell upon the patrons of the game. A straggling few got up to go in deep despair. The rest Clung to the hope which springs eternal in the human breast; They thought, "If only Manfred could but get a whack at that— We'd put up even money now, with owners and union both at bat." But Clark preceded Manfred, as did also Buster Olney’s take, And the former was a hoodoo, while the latter was a cake; So upon that stricken multitude grim melancholy sat, For there seemed but little chance Covid would let us bat. But Players let drive a single, to the wonderment of all, And Manfred, the much despised, tore the cover off the ball; And when the dust had lifted, and men saw what had occurred, There were players taking practice safe at parks and a-hugging third. Then from five thousand throats and more there rose a lusty yell; It rumbled through the valley, it rattled in the dell; It pounded on the mountain and recoiled upon the flat, For Covid, mighty Covid, was grabbing at the bat. There was ease in Covid’s manner as he stopped them in their place; There was pride in Covid's bearing and a smile lit Covid's face. And when, responding to the cheers, he lightly doffed his hat, No stranger in the crowd could doubt 'twas Covid at the bat. Ten thousand eyes were on it as players rubbed their hands with dirt; Five thousand tongues were silence when they rubbed it on their shirt; Then while the writhing pitcher wiped the virus that hung upon his hip, Defiance flashed in Covid's eye, a sneer curled Covid's lip. And now the leather-covered sphere came hurtling through the air, And Covid stood a-watching it in haughty grandeur there. Close by the sturdy virus the ball unheeded sped— "That ain't my style," said Covid. "He tested positive!" the doctor said. From the benches, black with people, there went up a muffled roar, Like the beating of the storm-waves on a stern and distant shore; "Kill him! Kill the doctor!" shouted someone on the stand; And it's likely they'd have killed him had not Covid raised his hand . With a smile of unChristian charity great Covid's visage shone; It stilled the rising tumult; the game would not go on; It signaled to the Phillies, and once more the Blue Jays flew; But Covid still ignored it and the doctor said, "that’s two!" "Fraud!" cried the maddened thousands, and echo answered "Fraud!" But one scornful look from Covid and the audience was awed. They saw his face grow stern and cold, they saw his muscles strain, And they knew that Covid wouldn't let us play ball again. The sneer is gone from player’s lips, their teeth are clenched in hate, He pounds with cruel violence his infection upon the plate; And now the owners hold the ball, and now they all let go, And now the air is shattered by the force of Covid’s blow. Oh, somewhere in this favored land the sun is shining bright, The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light; And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout, But there is no joy in baseball —mighty Covid has struck them out. AND HERE IS THE ORIGINAL - MY APOLOGIES TO MR THAYER Casey at the Bat Ernest Lawrence Thayer - 1863-1940 The outlook wasn't brilliant for the Mudville nine that day: The score stood four to two, with but one inning more to play, And then when Cooney died at first, and Barrows did the same, A pall-like silence fell upon the patrons of the game. A straggling few got up to go in deep despair. The rest Clung to the hope which springs eternal in the human breast; They thought, "If only Casey could but get a whack at that— We'd put up even money now, with Casey at the bat." But Flynn preceded Casey, as did also Jimmy Blake, And the former was a hoodoo, while the latter was a cake; So upon that stricken multitude grim melancholy sat, For there seemed but little chance of Casey getting to the bat. But Flynn let drive a single, to the wonderment of all, And Blake, the much despisèd, tore the cover off the ball; And when the dust had lifted, and men saw what had occurred, There was Jimmy safe at second and Flynn a-hugging third. Then from five thousand throats and more there rose a lusty yell; It rumbled through the valley, it rattled in the dell; It pounded on the mountain and recoiled upon the flat, For Casey, mighty Casey, was advancing to the bat. There was ease in Casey's manner as he stepped into his place; There was pride in Casey's bearing and a smile lit Casey's face. And when, responding to the cheers, he lightly doffed his hat, No stranger in the crowd could doubt 'twas Casey at the bat. Ten thousand eyes were on him as he rubbed his hands with dirt; Five thousand tongues applauded when he wiped them on his shirt; Then while the writhing pitcher ground the ball into his hip, Defiance flashed in Casey's eye, a sneer curled Casey's lip. And now the leather-covered sphere came hurtling through the air, And Casey stood a-watching it in haughty grandeur there. Close by the sturdy batsman the ball unheeded sped— "That ain't my style," said Casey. "Strike one!" the umpire said. From the benches, black with people, there went up a muffled roar, Like the beating of the storm-waves on a stern and distant shore; "Kill him! Kill the umpire!" shouted someone on the stand; And it's likely they'd have killed him had not Casey raised his hand. With a smile of Christian charity great Casey's visage shone; He stilled the rising tumult; he bade the game go on; He signaled to the pitcher, and once more the dun sphere flew; But Casey still ignored it and the umpire said, "Strike two!" "Fraud!" cried the maddened thousands, and echo answered "Fraud!" But one scornful look from Casey and the audience was awed. They saw his face grow stern and cold, they saw his muscles strain, And they knew that Casey wouldn't let that ball go by again. The sneer is gone from Casey's lip, his teeth are clenched in hate, He pounds with cruel violence his bat upon the plate; And now the pitcher holds the ball, and now he lets it go, And now the air is shattered by the force of Casey's blow. Oh, somewhere in this favoured land the sun is shining bright, The band is playing somewhere, and somewhere hearts are light; And somewhere men are laughing, and somewhere children shout, But there is no joy in Mudville—mighty Casey has struck out. This poem is in the public domain.

Nicely done. Yes, the clock's running out. I've felt all along that the health protocol issues were being largely overlooked. Sadly, I think that in any attempt at a baseball season (or facsimile) now, the distractions would overwhelm the baseball. With guys testing positive, how can it even be considered?

I'll take any 6'6" lefty with a K:BB ratio of nearly 3. Sweany has an interesting profile to try to build upon.