Handbook Preview: Dan Hayes on Recharging the Batterymate

When The Athletic venture was first announced a few years back, I was excited to the core. Their model just made so much sense to me – subscription-based premium content, from destination writers. It was exactly where I felt sports journalism needed to go. I know all too well the fickleness of ad-based revenues, and the painful trade-offs that must be made in terms of user experience to actually monetize it. This was the future.

Beyond the hope it gave me for digital sportswriting, The Athletic's advent also enthused me for a more basic reason: Twins coverage was going to get a major jolt of energy. As big-name hires popped up for various local beats, I waited eagerly to see who would be tabbed for the Twins, envisioning all sorts of fun possibilities.

When the news finally came, I gotta admit: I was nonplussed.

Who is this Dan Hayes guy? I've never heard of him. He's from Chicago? He spent a half-decade covering the friggin WHITE SOX?! I dunno about this...

Fortunately, my initial reservations proved to be laughably misplaced. Dan soon became a regular must-read for me. He covers stories the other mainstream outlets miss (an aspiration that basically willed Twins Daily into existence), and he's a tremendous writer, bringing an excellent mix of reporting, analysis, and wit.

Those strengths are fully on display in his feature for the Handbook, entitled "How Rest, Recovery and Rocco Won Over Mitch Garver." The lengthy piece features viewpoints from Garver, Rocco Baldelli and Thad Levine, and explores the very deliberate handling of a 2019 catching corps that set the major-league record for home runs.

Here's a quick excerpt from his story:

The third-year catcher’s showing vaulted Garver past Jason Castro this season in the team’s catching hierarchy. Yet even as the Twins are now faced with a decision on whether or not to bring back Castro, who is headed to free agency, Garver is clear about where he stands – he either wants Castro back or someone else competent enough to share the catching workload.

“There were times throughout the season where you were like, 'Man, I kind of want to play right now,’” Garver said. “I feel good whether I'm hot with the bat or we're winning a bunch of games and we're on a roll. Those are the days you want to play more. But when you get to the end of the season, you realize how appreciative you were of that extra rest and being able to feel good when it got toward the end of the season.”

Rocco’s rest and recovery model isn’t going anywhere.

In the full Handbook, you'll learn much more about the strategic thinking behind this model, and how it affects the coming winter's decision-making equation.

It's a great sampling of what Dan Hayes brings to the table. I subscribed to The Athletic shortly after he came aboard and haven't regretted it since; that investment feels all the sounder now that our guy Aaron Gleeman has joined him on staff. If you can spare the monthly six bucks, I highly recommend it.

Unsolicited plug aside, we really appreciate Dan lending his skills for this product, and can't wait for you to get the full scoop. Preorder your digital copy now and you'll receive it early.