rwilfong86

Japan. He can join forces with La Tortuga

If he is anything close to healthy he is my pick to be the leadoff guy this season.

The front office did what they thought was best to win a division last season but I can never understand trading for a pitcher who was on the IL right before the deal. If he has a great 2023 people will forget about what they gave up for him. Let's hope that's the case.

I'll take 16-12. Hopefully they can get out to a hot start like last year and keep building

I was looking forward to seeing him play in AAA for a full season to develop, he's never really had a chance to learn and grow without his limitations under the spotlight in MLB games.

The Vazquez signing was a lowkey big win for the Twins, lots of attention on Gallo, Correa, Taylor and the Lopez trade but this signing was a huge upgrade. Jeffers can be a solid backup but they needed a guy like Vazquez.

The difference between Castillo and Mahle is the timing of the injury list stint. One started the season on the IL, the other was on the IL just a couple weeks before the trade deadline.

I'll be watching this as much as I can but I worry about injuries.

Mahle had been hurt going into the trade, was on the IL with a shoulder strain on July 6 with the Reds. That should have been a red flag. https://www.redlegnation.com/2022/07/06/cincinnati-reds-place-tyler-mahle-on-the-injured-list-with-a-shoulder-strain/

I watched the replay again and checked where they were lined up in the 4th on the pitch before Gallo and I think you're right if it was hit any softer it probably would have been caught in the shift but this is where the hit in the 5th went through. Probably an out in 2022.

The hit in the 4th would probably have been caught last year if the infielders were allowed to stand in the grass. The hit in the 5th went through the hole between first and 2nd where the 3rd infielder on that side would have played last season.

Kepler! Woohoo!

Gallo is loving the shift change

I wouldn't be surprised but I hope that isn't the case. Between Mahle, Gray, Lopez, Maeda and Ryan, Mahle is the one I think will go down first with an injury that causes him to miss significant time.

Agreed. I hated that they dealt him but it's gonna take 30 starts from Mahle for this trade to not be an L.

Hopefully it's more of a precaution than anything major, his bat is one they need in the lineup.

The Royals have been a riddle to me my whole life. I live 45 minutes away from KC so I've seen more Royals games than any other team in my life. At 37, I've seen the Royals make 2 playoff appearances (2014, and 2015) and they went to the World Series both times, and if you want to add 1985, the Royals have went to the World Series the last 3 times they made the playoffs. They've developed quite a few players who became stars and were traded just before they became stars. But their one constant is the lack of pitching. I remember the day Yordano Venture died, the Royals fans around me were devastated, he was the closest thing they had to an ace since the early days of Zach Grienke. I think if this team could have the stars all align circa 2014 they could make a deep run but it would mean most of their top prospects actually pan out again and I just can't see that happening twice in a decade.

Cleveland.

Seeing Nick Gordon make an out on the basepaths today feels like deja vu.

I hope you're wrong too. Jorge has some challenges inside of his family that I think affected him more than what he would say last season. A full off-season and spring training in the organization will give his confidence a boost, I hope.

https://www.mlb.com/news/jorge-lopez-pitches-scoreless-inning-vs-red-sox?partnerID=mlbapp-android_article-share I've said since the beginning of the off-season that Jorge Lopez has a solid bounce back. Hopefully his performance yesterday is a sign of things to come.

Whoever between Lopez, Gray, or Ryan that looks better in spring training.

Thielbar is a guy that is easy to root for.

Since last season I've had this fear that this injury will be career threatening.

I forgot about the Willi Castro signing, another Puerto Rican in the system. All together I think it was a good win to start things out.