It has been a number of years since I have been this excited about the beginning of a new baseball season. I can’t wait for it to begin and it starts tomorrow. There are a number of rules changes that I think will make baseball more fun to watch. There are so many changes in the game this year from bigger bases, shift limits, the pitch timer, limits on throws to first base, and more. The extra-inning rule with the so called “Ghost Runner” was made permanent and I really don’t like that rule at all but you have to take the bad with the good.
One of the other changes that MLB made that I think is fantastic is the schedule change, the number of games still stays at 162 but every team will face every other team at least six times during the regular season so fans will get to see the best players in the game in their home ballpark for a minimum of three games, unless of course they are injured.
Then there are our home town Minnesota Twins who I think are set to earn back the AL Central Division title in 2023 that has eluded them since 2020 and that was only in a 60-game season. The Twins were swamped with injuries last season and finished 78-84 and in 2021 they finished with a 73-89 record. Can they win 15 more games in 2023 than they won lost year? I think they can.
So why do I think that a team that finished three games under the .500 mark can win 93 games in 2023 and win the AL Central Division championship? Pitching, it is all about pitching and the Twins are deeper in starting pitching then they have been in many years. The Twins don’t have that so called Ace that they can count on to win every time they send him to the mound but they have pitchers that know how to pitch. The starting staff of Pablo Lopez, Sonny Gray, Joe Ryan, Tyler Mahle, and Kenta Maeda makes up one of the best starting rotations in the league if and I grant you that is a big if, they can stay healthy. Plus, the Twins have Bailey Ober, Louie Varland and some other youngsters knocking on the door if any members of the starting five need a break. Another key to the pitching is that the starters need to go deeper in games and save the bullpen arms which also are pretty good.
Manager Rocco Baldelli and the Twins Front Office needs to let the players play the game. Analytics is fine and dandy but the game is played on the field with human beings and not on a computer and you need to let them play. Personally I dislike Baldelli as the Twins manager and have called for his dismissal in the past but he is well suited for how this front office operates.
Personally I think Baldelli goes over board in being a players managers and goes over board in protecting them. The players are grown men and should be allowed to play the game and they are certainly mature enough to speak up when they need a rest. You know who the best players are and you ride those horses until they tell you they need a day off. In the business world your best employees carry the load and get paid the way they do because they carry the load. Baseball today handles their best players like pansies and is afraid to work them the way they should because they might get hurt. They need to look around because the players today are being rested more than ever before and they are also injured more than ever before.
I have watched a lot of Twins Spring Trainings over the years and I don’t think any Twins manager has run such easy “country club” spring trainings like Rocco does. The Twins players seem to spend a lot of their spring training days standing around chatting in small groups. You hardly ever see players running further than 90 feet and they don’t do that but a couple of times. Workouts under Baldelli start much later in the morning then under previous managers. When I arrive at the ballpark around 10 AM, I see very few players on the field, they are just starting to get on the field around 10:15 AM or so. I don’t have access to the locker room so I have no idea when they actually show up.
I like this Twins team and I think they can be pretty good, that is if the FO and their manager let them.
I agree with you on the rules changes, John, especially the clock rule. I’ve watched that rule for the last few years in the minor league games near me. It has put the game back on a tolerable pace.
I have been a Red Sox fan for 65 seasons now. Every Opening Day has always been special. Even with a 42 degree day with a windchill factor of 23, it still means that we are closer to summer when the call “Play Ball” comes out of the umpire’s mouth @ 2:10 today.
Both your Twins and my Sox finished 78-84 last year. You have faith the Twins are going to win. I see the Indians and White Sox giving you a run for the money. I wish I had the same faith in my Sox. Don’t feel good at all for this season. That’s the beauty of baseball. 162 games is a great equalizer. The Twins come into Fenway early this year. I will probably catch one game of the series like I did last year. Good luck for 2023.
Thanks Paul. I really do have high hopes for the Twins in 2023 and I understand how you feel about the Red Sox. I also think it will be a down season for them but I still think you have some good players. As a matter of fact my fantasy team has two Red Sox starters. Verdugo is one of five outfielders and Turner is my third basesman. Baseball is a funny game though and you never know, sometimes your team is hit by injuries and sometimes it catches fire. We are still in Cape Coral but will be heading back for Minnesota this week-end and should arrive later on Tuesday. Take care and good luck to your Sox, except of course when they play the Twins.