Joey Self

Gordon also proved in that series that putting him at second base was not a great option.

Yeah, but I couldn't spell his name...

Uh, not start Archer or anyone else that you know is not able to go a starter's load? If the order came from above him, then it's on the GM. That said, I traveled 15 hours last September to see the Twins play the Guardians Guardians in a five game set. When I made my plans to go, it was quite possible that the winner of the series would be in the driver's seat for the division title. In those five games, I saw Ober, Winder, Ryan, Gray and Varland start. I'd been watching all year, seeing how the starters were hurt and guys that didn't need to be there, were. Add to that an outfield of Cave, Celestino, and Wallner, and I knew the Twins were in trouble (they lost all but Ryan's start). And THAT said, my thoughts were directed more to 2023 than 2022. The mindset when the game starts needs to be to get as much from the starter as the game dictates, and not to use players that can't go deep. One exception is when an opener is appropriate, but even that presupposes the next man up is going to burn up some innings. JcS

THIS! I understand--and like the research behind--the analytics on pitchers facing an order a third time. But since I've been watching the game--1966--pitchers went deeper into the game with regularity if they weren't getting shelled. JcS

Ok, I'll bite: Why doesn't Joey Gallo count?

First thing I thought of when I saw this was "do not line up too many left handed hitters in a row, even against a righty." These days, since a pitcher has to face three batters, a lefty reliever needs to be sure of seeing at least one right handed batter. Polanco in the midst of some lefties would do that--and of course, provides a left handed bat when a slew of righties are due up. JcS

Not sure how any of us could have a semi-intelligent guess as to how to answer the question before he throws in spring training. And as I shoot for at least semi-intelligent, I'll wait.

I get 2021 was a disaster, but let's not forget that the Twins were in the division race as Labor Day approached in 2022. I drove from Western Arkansas to Cleveland to see them play the 5 game series with the Guardians in mid-September, but when I made the plans to go, I thought that series was going to be much more important than it turned out to be. Twins lost 4 of 5, but with guys like Cave, Celestino, Wallner, Contreras, and Billy Hamilton in the outfield, Gordon playing out of position at second, and four rookie starters in the series (Ryan, Winder, Ober and Varland), I couldn't really have expected much more. The injury bug bites all teams, but it bit the Twins hard last year while they were in first place. JcS

I'm not too interested in the batting title, but rather comparing his BA and OBA to the league averages, and how productive his outs were--strikeouts don't move runners, but some outs do. And I knew he was playing hurt in the second half of the season. JcS

I thought about this overnight. I still don't like it. JcS

Anytime I see a trade like this, I am reminded of the mindset of selling stocks. If I dump 100 shares of Apple, someone is buying them. I sell because I think they are going down, the buyer thinks they are going up. Some here think Arraez peaked last year. I don't, and obviously, the Marlins don't, or they wouldn't have traded for him. He's 25, and I have no reason to think that he won't do even better at the plate in the next 10 years than he did this year. BUT...I realize the Twins front office has to evaluate what his upside is as opposed to what they get for him, and *I* am not bothered by the $$$ that are in play. Still, all that said, I agree with the lady in THE PRINCESS BRIDE:

As a proponent of the electronic strike zone, I do not want Altuve and Judge having the same zone. The computer should be able to make that adjustment, or a human make it. JcS

It is, but (and I don't have to tell you this), it is a grind. I didn't realize how much I enjoyed NOT listening to people tell me how they have screwed up, or how much someone else had harmed them, until I got to stop doing it. I am 64, and would have gotten out of the representation game as soon as I thought I could; I may continue the ALJ gig until I die! :) JcS

And even if it isn't perfect, the pitchers and the batters will soon figure out where the ABS is CONSISTENTLY wrong. It's the umps that have a moving zone over the course of the game, get fooled by catchers yanking the ball into the zone or give the vets calls the rookies aren't getting that are the biggest problem. The computer won't care what the score is, who is at the plate or what the catcher does after the ball crosses the strike zone. I'm more than ready for it. JcS