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A friend of mine passed away over the holiday weekend. We had attended high school together, were distant friends through college, and spent two years as roommates back in the cities after that. When we lived together, he was attending culinary school and the roommates would have the benefit of eating food that is normally not accessible to broke post-college kids trying to repay student loans. He would concoct four course meals and we were more than happy to be test subjects. We’d declare it the best thing we’ve ever eaten and he, being his own worst critic, would inform us that it was garbage and would vow to make it better next time. He modeled himself a bit after Anthony Bourdain. He had a beat up copy of Kitchen Confidential that he constantly implored me to read. I never did. Eventually the house split up. We went separate ways and saw each other less. Everyone my age or older likely has friendships like that. I had a growing family and he was launching a culinary career that took him to Central America and Alaska for work. The relationship became just a bi-yearly message to each other on Facebook, randomly sharing a couple inside jokes and stupid obscure pop culture references. We exchanged one just the previous week. He sent a one-liner: What are we going to do about this hand twin thing? It came from a Friends episode we watched years ago. He had an ability to bring groups of people together and our house used to host viewing parties during the final seasons. The line, delivered by Joey Tribbiani in the bathroom of a casino, always cracked us up. Sharing innocuous lines like that over the years just let each other know you were thinking about them. I spent most of Sunday night reflecting on our time. I spoke with another roommate of ours who had moved out of state as well. We shared memories of the years we all lived together. I realized how much baseball fandom can imprint on our lives. He once hosted a weekend-long party at his college house in Duluth. It was epic, as the kids would say. Thinking back to the revelry, I also remember slipping away to see Matt Lawton hit two home runs in Cleveland. Another time he went to visit a girl in New York City. He returned with a small panoramic of the old Yankee Stadium that he got at a secondhand shop because he knew how much I despised the Yankees. I still have that picture and I still hate the Yankees. His family would host gatherings at their cabin in northern Minnesota. They were amazingly hospitable people. His mom legitimately made the best sloppy joes. When my daughter wasn’t even a year old, he invited us for a low-key weekend of boating and bonfires. On the drive home, as my little girl slept in the back, I listened to Johan Santana’s 17-strikeout performance on the radio. When the Twins had a weekend series at Wrigley Field, we ran into each other at the Cubby Bear, the bar across the street from the stadium. We took time to share a Cubby Blue Bomb together, update each other on our current lives, and then went back to the separate group of friends we came with into Chicago. The last time we saw each other in person I was handing off tickets to him before a Twins game. We met at The Depot Tavern and played catch up. His seats were on one side of the ballpark and ours were on the other. We vowed to meet on the concourse or somewhere after the game but neither of us followed through. You are not supposed to live with regrets yet we do. I regret not reaching out more, not making an effort to stay connected. I regret not checking in more frequently to hear about his family, fiancee, and other adventures. Thirty-nine is way too young. You feel like you always have more time: There will be some other opportunity to catch up, there will be some other chance to reconnect, or some other time to say those were amazing memories. Looking back, I admired how he followed his passion. We were just becoming functioning adults and he already knew that he wanted to run kitchens and make people happy through food. Someone shared a video of him teaching a culinary class in a Facebook remembrance, making the room laugh in doing so. In a way he did become a version of Bourdain, traveling the world and experiencing cuisine in parts unknown. Maybe now I’ll listen to him and read that book.

As a big fan of making road trips to check out Twins prospects, I’m hoping and praying that this is also a small step towards the Saints becoming a Twins affiliate once minor league ball starts back up.

If only we had a tape of our best moments. What a different world it would be.

Wes Johnson told us yesterday that they are 'stretching out' ten pitchers right now at Target Field and two in St. Paul. Berrios Odorizzi Maeda Hill Bailey Dobnak Smeltzer Thorpe Poppen Chacin Chalmers Duran He said that he would like to see the team have two long relievers when the season starts and has two weeks of a 30-man active roster, but that they haven't finalized anything at this point. That means 2-3 of those Target Field bunch will be on the active roster and 2-3 of them will continue working in St. Paul once the season starts. (I say 2-3 because Chacin may or may not have an opt-out and if he gets cut from the active roster at some point, he may or may not choose to go to St. Paul.

I've seen/heard that those three are currently at Target Field (for sure Chacin and Thielbar). Pineda is at Target Field. He will throw some before the season. When the season begins, he'll work with the St. Paul group. Wes Johnson said yesterday that their intent is to have him ready to start when he returns.

With two parts complete in the Women in Baseball series a third new perspective gets brought in relation to the game. Having checked in with a beat reporter and broadcaster, now we go under the hood and behind the scenes with a Major League Baseball licensed agent.You may not yet know Rachel Luba’s name, but you absolutely know who she represents. Former Cleveland pitcher and current Cincinnati Reds hurler Trevor Bauer met the founder of Luba Sports during his time at UCLA. In 2020 Rachel successfully negotiated the second highest contract for an arbitration-eligible pitcher in MLB history. At $17.5 million it was a number that trails only David Price’s $19.75 figure from 2015. Paving a Path Part 1: Britt GhiroliPaving a Path Part 2: Melanie NewmanThe former gymnast set out to create her own path in a very male dominated industry and is doing so by taking non-traditional steps to differentiate the experience and set herself apart. With a branding and content strategy pushing the envelope for a connection between clients and fans further on a daily basis, it’s clear to see why she’s among the brightest names in the sport. She took some time to answer a few questions, and there’s a ton to dive into: Twins Daily: Being a former Division 1 gymnast and longtime athlete yourself, it's not surprising that you'd find a career within sports. When did that path become baseball and how did you know being an agent was your calling? Rachel Luba: I was an athlete my entire life, I started gymnastics at the age of two. Unfortunately, gymnastics isn’t a career you can have into adulthood and make money off of, so I knew once I was retired, I needed to find something else to do within sports. I was always drawn towards the individual athlete rather than working for a team, which tends to be the more popular route, but for me being an individual athlete my entire life it was the path I realized that I was passionate about. In college as a student athlete myself, I became good friends with a lot of the UCLA baseball players helping them manage their daily lives and schoolwork. I enjoyed learning about their industry which was very different than anything I had grown up with in the sport of gymnastics. Learning more about it, that’s when I really decided I wanted to work in baseball. TD: With representation I'd imagine the process involves a good deal of networking as well as talent evaluation. What do you feel like drives clients to Luba Sports specifically? RL: It’s a very different type of agency compared to the many others out there. Most agencies offer plenty of services, take a percentage of the contract, and everything is the same across the board. What clients tend to end up feeling is that they aren’t necessarily getting all of those services they were promised prior to the contract. Really the money an agency generates comes from the on-field contract, and once that contract is locked in, that’s all taken care of regardless whether the player leaves the next day. My client Trevor Bauer for example, has additional services that have tied incentives for me as an agent, that then ensure the relationship extends beyond that initial contract. Players create a certain value on the field and then pay a portion of that to an agent when signing a contract. Tying it more into a service provided structure, there’s opportunity to utilize the agency in whatever way best suits the athlete’s needs. As the industry and valuations of play on the field has changed, players see a benefit to pay for the value of services provided by an agent rather than just a set percentage of their negotiated contracts. TD: Trevor Bauer is obviously the most notable player you work with. You both have worked tremendously to create revenue streams and channels of interactivity outside of the game. How important has that diversification been, and where do your creative strategies come from? RL: This is something that we have been tremendously focused on. Trevor’s five-year goal was to be the most internationally recognized name in baseball, which means we needed to start getting his brand out there and expanding his audience. One of the initial hurdles was that Trevor Bauer’s story was often originally told by the media and misrepresented who he was. He has so many different interests and we wanted to find the niche audience where he could express and explore each of those. He needed to start talking more. Without his voice, the media or whoever else, was allowed to create the stories they thought were reflective of him. Trevor is passionate about teaching, and it’s derived from his engineering background. The way in which he uses Twitter, Instagram, and now YouTube as a resource to explore that creativity seemed like the perfect match. Getting his message, values, and personality out there was the goal, and is something we’ve done a great job of thus far. TD: As a female in a male dominated industry have you felt an uphill battle to establish yourself, and is there an additional sense of pride in earning and deserving a seat at the table? RL: It’s been an uphill battle from the very beginning. People told me “that’s cute” and didn’t take seriously that this was what I really wanted to do. Some offered their “advice” in warning me this wasn’t a great path or in an effort to deter me from the decision. A mentor of mine told me that in baseball, when a man walks into a room it’s viewed that he belongs there and knows what he’s doing. When you walk into a room, it will be assumed you’re a secretary, girlfriend, or a wife. You have to prove otherwise. Whether diving in depth into analytics, having a substantial among of arbitration credentials, or something else entirely, I set myself up to be overly qualified in order to prove my worth. I feel like getting Trevor the second highest salary for a starting pitcher in arbitration validates my place, but there will always be people questioning how I got here. The reality is people will always be looking to question my validity. In a specific YouTube video, I found myself unsure of an answer (as did Trevor), and upon checking with the MLBPA, they too told me they’d need to get back after double checking they had the right information. Being a female, my uncertainty was labeled as stupid, wrong, and out of place. Absolutely there’s pride involved. It took me several days to soak it in upon landing my first client and doing my first contract. I reflected a few days later on all of the people up to this point that continue telling me I can’t or it’s not possible. A lot of work went into this and a lot of people doubted you, be proud of yourself. I’m not done though, so while there is pride, it’s just part of the process and we have a long ways to go. TD: Being that baseball is currently shelved, what does that do for the life of an agent. While being involved with the resumption of the sport at least in a secondary sense, is some of the job now playing counselor or therapist and listening to frustrations in a difficult time? RL: It’s been a rollercoaster and you never really know what the days hold for you. Whether calls with the union or discussing implications with players, each day you have a plan and then it can end up being totally different. This isn’t what I expected for my first year of starting an agency, but I’m enjoying all of the curveballs being thrown my way. Being there for your clients, whether daily life situations or the mental aspects of an unprecedented time, was certainly an additional job responsibility no one saw coming. TD: What's next for you? Is the goal to continue creating a larger brand? Expanding into different sports or forms of representation? RL: First and foremost, I want to keep growing my agency and my brand. The latter is a stress I make to players, so it’s something I remain aware of for myself and intend to be an example. I hope to grow in the baseball industry as well as branching into other sports. I want to take Luba Sports and this type of representation to other sports. My vision is that I would have different divisions for each sport all utilizing the same unique financial fee structure. TD: It's not only baseball that's on hold, and with sports paused completely, what have you been doing to keep yourself busy. California obviously lends itself to nice weather, but what are some of your favorite hobbies outside of the game? RL: I’ve been back and forth between California and Arizona. Baseball has kept me busy enough, it has not been slow, and probably has been busier than during the actual season. Lots of work, and a lot of content helping Momentum with some of their things. I’ve done a lot of foundational work for my website and agency as a whole. Working out has always been a huge part of my life and has helped to keep me sane. Follow Rachel and check out her work here. Check back in next week for the final entry in this Women in Baseball 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

While most of the Twins action and video that we will see in 2020 will come from Target Field, don’t forget that there is another group of Twins players working at CHS Field in St. Paul, keeping ready.The St. Paul Saints are the defending champions of the American Association. However, they are starting their 2020 season by playing their home games in Sioux Falls. The Twins were able to use the Saints’ home ballpark, beautiful CHS Field, for their ‘taxi squad’, the players in the 60-player pool not on the active roster. The group is far enough away and in a separate location to keep the number of people in a stadium at any given time at a minimum. The group is close enough to Target Field that if the Twins have an injury or a positive COVID test, they can easily promote a player from this group to help out during the season without shipping him on a plane across the country. . On Sunday, a day after he addressed the group at Target Field, Rocco Baldelli traveled across the Mississippi River to briefly address the group of players who make up the taxi squad, or the remainder of the 60-man player pool not on the active roster. The Message? Be ready. You never know. Later on Sunday night, Baldelli told media, “The talk went very well. I think the message is that our group in St. Paul is going to be a huge part of our season. (That) is important to know. We know the situation we’re in. We know that these are uncertain times. We also know that if we are playing in September, or hopefully even after that in October, there’s going to be one or more or many of those players on our team, and potentially contributing in a big way.” He continued, “There’s no way to ever know who those guys are going to be. But I would bet on that happening. We always want to think that things are going to work out in an optimal way. Everyone’s always going to be healthy. Everyone’s always going to perform. We hope for that. But we also know that we’re always going to have to adjust and part of our adjustments is going to be looking at our group in St. Paul, calling those names, bringing those guys in. And not just having them there as bystanders. Not just there as a support group, but actually counting on them for production and helping us win.” Baldelli noted that during this “Summer Camp” there will likely be around 20 players working out in St. Paul. That number is subject to change from day to day with guys occasionally spending time at Target Field. When the Twins regular season begins, they will have a 30-player active roster, so the others on the 60-player roster will be in St. Paul. The group was told not to be surprised if five to ten of them get MLB time this season. They were also told not to be surprised if two or three of them wind up starting games in the playoffs in the Twins make it. And like the big leaguers, they were told to follow the protocols presented to them. Follow them for yourself. Follow them for your teammates. Follow them because “we” believe that this is a special team and a special year, a year that anything, including the World Series championship can happen. Baldelli said later on Sunday, “They’ll be over there working on different things. It mainly will be just workouts because it’s hard to do much else, play competitive games and such with a number like that.” JP Martinez is leading the group in St. Paul. Martinez was drafted by the Twins in 2004 and spent four seasons pitching in the system, reaching AAA. He rejoined the organization as a pitching coach at the facilities in Ft. Myers. He spent a season as pitching coach in Cedar Rapids. Last year, he became the assistant minor league pitching coordinator, a role he really enjoyed. With Pete Maki moving up to the big league bullpen coach job for the 2020 season, Martinez is going to be given a lot of responsibility. Baldelli said, “JP will be organizing and coordinating the workouts. We’ll be talking to him a lot. We already have to get everything lined up. I will also note that it will not be a situation where we hand the schedule over to them and ask JP to simply follow a schedule. They have to make it work. Every day you’ll have to make a with the group that you have. The group is going to change obviously when we’ve got guys here with us. So JP’s going to be, not just following what we send over. When I say organizing, he’s truly going to be organizing and coordinating.” But Martinez certainly isn’t doing it on his own. Martinez’s background is in pitching, but he’ll be working with Cibney Bello and Mike McCarthy. Bello was set to be the Rochester Red Wings pitching coach in 2020. He pitched for five seasons in the Mariners organization and three more seasons of independent baseball. He’s in his fifth season in the organization and has been a pitching coach in the GCL, in Cedar Rapids and in Pensacola. McCarthy pitched six seasons in the Red Sox organization before joining the Red Wings as their bullpen coach in 2018. The position players will also be getting plenty of attention. Donegal Fergus was hired as the Twins minor league hitting coordinator this offseason, highly recommended out of UC-Santa Barbara. Billy Boyer is in his second season as the Twins minor league infield and base running coordinator. Matt Borgschulte was scheduled to be the hitting coach for Rochester in 2020. This is his third season in the organization. As far as what the players will be doing, it’s a lot like what’s happening at Target Field, just without cameras and media. The first workout there was last Thursday, but it was only for those players who had already received the results of their COVID tests. Some players were first tested last Monday, others on Tuesday, so results came in on Thursday or Friday. Most of the players walk to the ballpark. They are usually split into groups of four or five players and have different scheduled activities from hitting, to working out in the weight room, bullpens and other activities. The are using the visitor’s clubhouse, but as with the players at Target Field, they only get about five minutes to get ready and get outside. Some of the Twins top prospects are in St.Paul, but there is a lot of talent there. As mentioned, this list is subject to change. These are the players not on the 40-man roster,and some of the younger guys on the 40-man roster. Some of them are currently working at Target Field. Pitchers Jhoulys Chacin Sam Clay Edwar Colina Danny Coulombe Ryan Garton Cory Gearrin Caleb Thielbar Dakota Chalmers (40) Jhoan Duran (40) In his press conference on Tuesday afternoon, Twins pitching coach Wes Johnson said that the team would be stretching out ten pitchers who are currently at Target Field. They will also be stretching out Chalmers and Duran, building up their arm strength with the hopes of them being starters down the line. Catchers Juan Graterol Ryan Jeffers Tomas Telis Infielders Royce Lewis Drew Maggi Jack Reinheimer Wilfredo Tovar Zander Wiel Travis Blankenhorn (40) Outfielders Lane Adams Alex Kirilloff Trevor Larnach Brent Rooker Gilberto Celestino (40) Click here to view the article

Jose Berrios rattled off an exhaustive list of mechanical issues to reporters after a particularly disappointing outing late last year. He told them he wasn’t staying in his heel long enough. He wasn’t rotating his chest quick enough. His front shoulder was flying open. It was a lot of cues to think about each night on the rubber.The Minnesota Twins are loaded with the latest gadgets and technology. They have the capability of measuring foot pressure into the mound, hip speed, chest speed, arm speed, arm path, release height, release speed, breakdown which fingertip touched the ball last, spin rate, spin direction, velocity and on and on. They have a team dedicated to biomechanical science to sniff out inefficiencies. They have what amounts to a world class pitching lab to isolate the root cause of any abnormalities. There are times, however, when a player requires more than metrics. There are times when a player needs not to be told what is wrong. They need to hear what they did right. This past November Wes Johnson was a presenter at an ABCA pitching clinic. There, the Twins pitching coach shared a story about Berrios’ late season issues and how they addressed them. “He was struggling a little bit,” Johnson said of Berrios. “Struggling mentally, struggling physically. I said ‘Jose that’s it, you are meeting me in the video room today at 2 and we’re gonna go over some stuff.’” As Berrios hit a rough patch, the pitching coach took his star pitcher and showed him a supercut of all his strikeouts. No mechanical talk. No pitch selection talk. It was simply a session for Berrios to be reminded of how dominating he can be. “It spurs the conversation,” Johnson tells the crowd about the video session. “What happened was his own perception of his own potential had fallen because he was struggling. All I did was show him was no, no, you are still pretty good. I didn’t do anything.” Berrios returned to the mound. The loud contact subsided, the walks decreased, and the strikeouts returned. Velocity was ticking northward and he began to execute his pitches with more precision. He had improved. And yet Wes Johnson claimed he did not do anything. He told the coaches at the conference that in the aftermath, reporters would bombard him with questions. They wanted to know what he did with Jose Berrios to get him back on track. What was the secret? “He just got back to who he was,” said Johnson. “Knew that he was pretty good. He watched himself execute pitches. I didn’t do anything with his delivery, I didn’t do anything with his throwing.” Of course Johnson did something. What he is saying is that he didn’t do anything conventional. There were no changes to his weighted ball routine. No messing with his pitch arsenal. No additional pregame hours working through movements on the mound. Nothing that a pitching coach traditionally does. It was all about the headspace. In Trevor Moawad’s book, It Takes What It Takes, the mental skills coach detailed some accomplishments he had with some professional athletes and how they achieved those victories. One of Moawad’s main clients is Seattle Seahawks’ quarterback Russell Wilson. When the Seahawks went to Arizona for Super Bowl XLIX, Moawad compiled a video of Wilson’s extraordinary plays to help him prepare. “We started by giving Russell examples of the times when he has been at his most commanding,” Moawad wrote. “As he watched, he allowed himself to relive incredible moments when he was at his best.” The film included some of Wilson’s memorable moments in his college and professional career. It zeroed in on his posture before and after big plays. It captured the language he used on the sidelines to describe how he felt about the execution. Moawad goes further, adding that he included a song from the band The Head & The Heart that would remind Wilson that he is home in these moments. Johnson’s film session likely didn’t include a soundtrack set to an indie folk rock band but the overall intent mirrors what the mental performance coach was trying to accomplish with Russell Wilson: remind Jose Berrios that he is an elite performer. As we know, Wilson went out and threw the game-losing interception that Super Bowl. Berrios had more shaky outings later in the season. It’s not a magic elixir. Studies suggest that reviewing positive imagery before competition has helped athletes elevate their game. Researchers found that using imagery can stimulate various parts of an athletes’ brain, activating recall of a feel. By watching some performance clips the same athletes can experience those moments in great vividness. What’s more, if those images are overwhelmingly positive, such as Berrios throwing a dirty ass hook against one of the league’s better hitters, he may increase his self-confidence which can affect his future performance. He may also trigger the portion of his brain that remembers exactly how that pitch felt. So when Wes Johnson says he did nothing for Berrios, he’s simply being modest. It doesn’t mean there isn’t room for improvement. After all, the Twins have given him a new offseason workout routine, a new shape to his curveball, and have tried to get him to sit in his heel more again this spring. They hope they can continue to build him into the pitcher who can last throughout an entire season -- be it 162 or 60 games. But while there are things to work on physically, sometimes it’s best to have someone in the clubhouse reminding him what he can do right. Click here to view the article

I am rooting for Byron! I am sure i'm not alone...

Nice article, I'm starting to get pumped!

Ahhh, the pandemic!! It’s meaning to you is varied, personal and diverse. One thing I believe the nation is ready for is baseball! Let’s get the bats cracking and baseball humming. As MLB firms up its abbreviated spring season, sorting out all the COVID wrinkles, the Minnesota Twins are built for a season of this diversity. This team was assembled to win this year so let’s hope starting the season is a Twins blessing. Let’s take a look why. Before we dive into specifics, let’s look at intangibles: Experience: The Twins have a great blend of veterans and experienced youth. The shorter season should be a chance for our older 35+ players to not hit those dreaded dog days of the middle of the season and keep them fresher: I.e. Rich Hill, Nelson Cruz, Sergio Romo, Tyler Clippard, Josh Donaldson Chemistry: The Twins appear to have a great blend of personalities with jovial, yet work man like dedication. Sergio Romo is a great personality, Nelson Cruz is the consummate professional. Manager Rocco Baldelli gives his players a fair amount of latitude in preparation, keeping his required work organized and efficient. He’s known as a player’s manager and good communicator. Now the specifics: Outfield: The extra time off has allowed Byron Buxton to heal his repaired labrum and he should be ready for Game 1 of the season. Buxton’s speed is supernatural. Having him ready is phenomenal. Max Kepler is settled in as a MLB player and has proven his power. Eddie Rosario is back in left field. I see him as a dark horse MVP candidate. His streaky bat could light up an unusual shortened season, and he’s in an arbitration season. Jake Cave is a very nice utility man for all 3 OF spots. LaMonte Wade Jr offers depth if needed. Infield: Josh Donaldson is a huge signing. He solidified an already potent line up. Having him in the middle should make a huge impact. Luis Arraez and Jorge Polanco shore up the middle infield. Polanco is coming off an All-Star season taking a huge step forward last season. Arraez was amid-season call up and became a tough, tough out and an OBP machine. Miguel Sano moves to 1st Base which should be a great thing for his offense. Hopefully his COVID illness heals quickly, he reports he feels fine. Marwin Gonzalez and Ehire Adrianza return as very capable utility guys. Catcher: Mitch Garver found a power surge last year and looks to prove it. Alex Avila and the affable Willians Astudillo will back him up. Astudillo will also be utilized at a number of positions with his defensive versatility, assuming he gets back from COVID as well. Pitching: Giving Rich Hill the time needed to heal his surgically repaired labrum was huge assuming he returns to form. Newly acquired Kenta Maeda has to prove himself in the American League but should be a great addition. Jake Odorizzi and Jose Berrios firm the top of the rotation. Homer Bailey is likely the #5 starting favorite. Randy Dobnak, Devin Smelter and Lewis Thorpe offer depth and options with UFA Jhoulys Chacín as a veteran possibility. The bullpen is anchored by Taylor Rogers who seems to be hitting stride in his career. Trevor May, Tyler Clippard, Tyler Duffy, Sergio Romo are proven. If Thorpe isn’t in the rotation I see him as left hander out of the bullpen. I have optimism. The blend of talented veterans and experienced younger players is ripe. The Twins should have a real shot at a run in the play-offs. The power is proven at the plate. The bullpen and rotation is shored up for the most part. A late season addition is a real possibility. The 2 things to be cautious off, are of course the COVID dilemma shutting the team or season down further and the infield defense is a bit suspect, especially on the right side. Barring setbacks Twins fans should be excited and pumped for 2-3 months of baseball. The time is now!! Minnesota Twins

Great read, Parker. Now I just want to see him on the mound again, soon!

An eloquent eulogy and also a reminder of what is important in life and relationships. As someone about a generation advanced from you, I've experienced losing loved ones and the sudden passing of friends and it is never easy. We always look back and think how we could be a better friend or loved one and hopefully modify our ways to keep in contact with those who aren't in our immediate circle.

Really like Wes Johnson, has been great addition to coaching staff.

Mod note: Please keep the Coronavirus discussion as it directly relates to baseball. If you want to have a more general and broad discussion of the virus, please head to the Sports Bar forum where there is a thread discussing this. Thanks.

You're going to take Cruz, our best hitter, out of the lineup? Garver himself stated he'd like to catch 40-45 games. I wouldn't want to take Sano out of the lineup either.

My Condolences, Sorry for your loss. Friendship is a precious thing, we don`t know how much until we are w/o it. Some of my best memories are in baseball & MN. I took some culinary classes in college as an elective, proved to be very valuable

....are you serious? You are never going to go to Minneapolis again?

He's been at Target Field so far.

Agreed! We often hear about head coaches and managers being "players coaches." But I think sometimes that description CAN mean a negative. While their level of success varies, all coaches and managers were players at some point. The "negative" perspective of being a "players coach" is you are soft, or coddle players too much. Or, in some cases, you cater to the STAR players. But the positive side of such a coach/manager is he just GETS IT. Rocco was a top prospect, and for a short time, he was an elite player. While I'm sure he has always been a hard worker and smart guy, he then went out and re-invented himself as a coach and now manager. He can embrace analytics while also having the experience to relate to his players, having been one, and a good one, not that long ago. He seems to demand the right stuff from his players. He also understands...as part of the new direction of the FO and system...that players are individuals and not cookie cutter plug and play pieces. Yes, he had the basis of a great team and roster for his rookie season. But he and his staff did a great job of maximizing and utililizing the talent on hand. Despite a questionable bullpen early in 2019, he made the best of it. When thjngs changed, he and his staff continued to get the best out of who arrived. Injuries happened, but depth and smart usage still maximized. We shouldn't discount the FO, who appears to work in harmony with Rocco and his staff and for the moves they made. It's one thing to have talent, to bring in talent, and another thing to make it work together. And then we read and learn more and more about our skipper from articles like this and I become even more impressed. Just like a player, how much better can he and his staff be once they gain even more experience and really figure stuff out?

https://mobile.twitter.com/tlschwerz/status/1280266878515130374?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1280266878515130374%7Ctwgr%5E&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Ftwinsdaily.com%2Ftopic%2F37940-minnesota-twins-2020-schedule-released%2F There’s two weeks that don’t have two day games in there and a couple weeks that have 2 days games and a 5:10 or 3:10 start. There’s even a week in there with two day games in a row.

We could argue yet again about financial agreements vs reported language that provided a provision to re-open discussion once more data became evident. Example: fans, no fans, length of season, etc. But the discussion is Manfred himself. As stated, he was hired due to past experience as a labor negotiator. Right now, he looks far less competent, IMO, than Selig. I dont know if he's incompetent, in over his head, or just a puppet of the owners. But I'm not impressed. To be fair, I'm not impressed with the union leadership either. Since a commissioner will always be hired by the owners, and generally work at the behest of the owners, I'm not sure where you turn. For the good of baseball, I wish the owners would bring in an intelligent, savvy individual with some clout and ego who actually loves baseball. Someone who would work for them but have the fortitude to stand up to them and just openly state: "Do you want baseball? Do you want your sport to have semblance of harmony and grow? Then listen to me!" I don't know if they would do that. But it sure would be healthy and productive if they would.

If memory serves, Garver played around the diamond a fair amount (both outfield and first base) and Kepler also spent some time at first. I do agree that having a plus outfielder is much better than having an acceptable first baseman. I also remember that Levine or Falvey said that until Donaldson signed, the plan was to get Garver reps at first. I would think if there is a longish term vacancy at first, that they would try to use Mitch there at least some of the time.

From my Math Kepler played around 813 innings (including fall league and major leagues) and Garver around 516 (including fall league and major leagues) I agree I want Kepler playing RF for just about every inning this year. I would like to see Garver catch around 35 games and play in close to 50, which means time at DH or 1B.

Granted, Kepler hasn't played much first base in the majors. But I believe he played a fair amount in the minors, whereas, I suspect that Garver played very little. With that said, I don't want to see possibly the best right fielder in the game playing first base.

good article Seth, "Arguably the most important job of a manager - a baseball manager, a store manager, any leader - is to encourage communication and support and empower those you work with" I would argue that the most important job of a Manger is winning and the things you wrote are tools to help you succeed in winning. Nobody cares about that stuff if you are consistently 70 -90.

In the major leagues, Kepler has played 4.1 innings at first base. Garver has logged 39 innings, plus 6 more innings in left field.

I hate to criticize, but Weil's not anywhere near the same category of a hitter as Arraez. Wiel, is a career .263 hitter in the minors, whereas Arraez hit .331Apples to oranges as far as I'm concerned.

Sano almost certainly isn’t missing time because of the infection related to this positive test. If he is in line to miss significant time due to COVID, there is a much larger issue (reinfection, mutation, etc.). We’re likely not playing baseball anyway, in that case. But, if he happens to blow a hamstring while training in quarantine or something, they’ll go with a combination of Gonzalez and Adrianza. I don’t know if they’d go with Garver there before calling up Rooker, but that wouldn’t shock me (Avila and Tortuga at C). The real issue is going to be the ones that test positive a couple weeks from now. It’s going to happen. That said, teams are also going to sink significant resources into keeping this out of their locker room. Right now is the most vulnerable time, in terms of spreading amongst players. It’s very possible we don’t hear much about it during the regular season. At the end of the day, I think it’ll be tough for a prospect to break the lineup. A contender can’t afford the learning curve in a shortened season, a loser won’t want to waste the service time. Rooker getting some ABs is probably it realistic, but there is no way we’re seeing Kirilloff or Lewis.

The Covid sickness that hit coach Tommy Hottovy created a memorable video https://www.espn.com/mlb/ as he discussed his case - it is good to watch since so many act like the Covid-19 is just another flu. As the TD contributor Doctor Gast states - the video is mostly about the pain of separation. Should you want to know more about the survival from this virus you might want to read this San Francisco report - https://www.sfgate.com/news/editorspicks/article/What-they-don-t-tell-you-about-surviving-15347792.php or this description of the Brain Fog that comes after the virus by the American Psychological Association https://www.apa.org/monitor/2020/09/aftermath-covid-19. The choices of Ian Desmond, Ryan Zimmerman and Jo Ross not to play should be applauded for their courage just as the Twins decision to protect their oldest coaches was wise and prudent. As much as I want to see and read about baseball I do not want to read about tragedies. When we are young we all make poor decisions based on our own sense of mortality. I made climbs, ran rapids, and pushed the envelop thinking that nothing could happen to me. My son, at age 21 did the same thing, and he died as a result. Age does not protect us. Nor does physical fitness. This is a serious time and now we learn that there is a new swine flu that might follow Covid. It is frightening. And maybe time to remember how we can be chopped down by microscopic organisms in the prime of our life. Baseball players are constantly facing injury - concussions, thoracic injuries, Tommy John surgery, broken bones. The good thing about them is that they heal. Bad backs ruined careers and freak accidents like the gas that Christy Mathewson was exposed to during training. His respiratory system was weakened and resulted in contracting tuberculosis, from which he died in Saranac Lake, New York in 1925. He was only 45. Tuberculosis also took seven other players who are mostly lost to memory because their careers were too short and too long ago. We watched drugs ruin careers like Doc Gooden and Daryl Strawberry, two more who had a HOF path ahead of them. And Sandy Koufax had his amazing career stopped at its peak because of arthritis. Like so many elderly people I can only relate too well to the pain that he suffered from this debilitating disease. I remember when J R Richards suffered a stroke and had to leave the field. This great Astros pitcher seemed like a sure HOF player, a person who would hold all the Astros records - he averaged 16 wins per season his first five years. In 1980 he was 10 - 4 with a 1.90 era and he was in magnificent physical condition. In two years he was homeless and sleeping under a bridge. He went on to the ministry and preached to those same homeless individuals. It was a big fall from the top. Jimmy Piersall suffered from mental illness and a potentially great career was ruined by bipolar disorder and still he was so good he managed 17 years. When it comes to disease what baseball fan does not know of Lou Gehrig and ALS - now called Lou Gehrig Disease. The Iron Horse was toppled and dead at age 38. He seemed invincible but disease does not avoid the strong and healthy. Ross Youngs died at age 30 of Brights Disease (a kidney disease). He played 10 years with a 322 BA. Dave Parker, former Pirate and one of my favorite players lives with Parkinson's disease a serious and long term disease that impacts so many aspects of your body functions. Kirk Gibson lives with Parkinsons and Dee Gordon plays baseball with it. But this is serious and life changing. HOF pitcher Addie Joss from Wisconsin attended St. Mary's College (later part of Wyalusing Academy) in Prairie du Chien and the University of Wisconsin. "In April 1911, Joss became ill and he died the same month due to tuberculous meningitis. He finished his career with 160 wins, 234 complete games, 45 shutouts and 920 strikeouts." Wikipedia provided this list of type 1 diabetes sufferers from MLB Ron Santo, Chicago Cubs (1960–1973) and Chicago White Sox (1974) infielder, type 1, deceased (2010 at age 70). Sam Fuld, Chicago Cubs (2007–2010), Tampa Bay Rays (2011–2013), and Oakland Athletics (2014–) outfielder, type 1.[13] Mark Lowe, Seattle Mariners (2006–2010, 2015), Texas Rangers (2010–2012), Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim (2013), Cleveland Indians (2014), Toronto Blue Jays (2015), and Detroit Tigers (2016–) pitcher, type 1.[14] Brandon Morrow, Seattle Mariners (2007–2009) and Toronto Blue Jays (2010–2014) pitcher, type 1.[14] Dustin McGowan, Toronto Blue Jays (2005–2008, 2011, 2013–2014), Philadelphia Phillies (2015), and Miami Marlins (2016–) pitcher, type 1. Jackie Robinson, Brooklyn Dodgers (1947–1956), type 2, deceased (1972 at age 53). Bill Gullickson, Montreal Expos (1979–1994), type 1[15] Adam Duvall, Cincinnati Reds (2015–), Type 1 James "Catfish" Hunter, Kansas City/Oakland Athletics (1965-1974) and New York Yankees (1975-1979) pitcher, type 1, deceased (1999 at age 53 of ALS) There are more stories of Alzheimer's that may have come from concussions, cancers, and other, but finally, we should look to the Spanish Flu - "the flu took: Cy Swain, a minor leaguer from 1904 to 1914 who slugged 39 home runs in 1913; Larry Chappell, a big league outfielder for the White Sox, Indians and Boston Braves between 1913 and 1917; catcher Leo McGraw, a minor leaguer between 1910 and 1916; catcher Harry Glenn, a minor leaguer from 1910 to 1918 who spent time with the 1915 Cardinals; minor league pitcher Dave Roth, who played between 1912 and 1916; and minor league pitcher Harry Acton, who played in 1917." https://baseballhall.org/discover/1918-flu-pandemic-didnt-spare-baseball The Twins have their own tragic stories too - Danny Thompson, a promising shortstop was diagnosed with Leukemia when he was 26, in 1973. He played four more seasons and died ten weeks after his final game. Walter Bond - died of Leukemia in the closing weeks of the 1967 baseball season — a year during which he had made the Twins' roster coming out of spring training. Wikipedia entry says this about the end - "Bond made the team and batted .313 in part-time duty during the season's first month. But the Twins released him on May 15, and although Bond caught on with the Jacksonville Suns, his declining health forced him to the sidelines after only three games.[2] He entered a Houston hospital for treatment, but died there at age 29. Said his physician, Dr. Hatch Cummings: "He showed the strength of character and will that only champions possess. It was an exhibition of courage, and in the best tradition of baseball." We want baseball, but we can live without it if it comes down to a threat to players health and lives.

Your evaluation is valid and I have no problem with it. But separation is just one of many issues and that separation will increase without the disease for the players asked to go through this experiment. We will have to see how they all handle the emotional aspect. Here is an article that explores the real issues of going home after surviving covid. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/07/01/health/coronavirus-recovery-survivors.html

100+ replies to this article and nobody has said "fire Max".....

Each time. I've lost hundreds in the past couple weeks alone. I never suggested it was a steep price and your snark is entirely unwarranted. I'm simply refuting the notion that there's some underlying benefit in taking these stances. It's false.

Amazing how many people who don't want to be bothered by politics on their Twins blog were apparently forced to click on this article, skip to the end, and share a comment.