Let's Overanalyze the Opening Day Lineup!

[USAFChief]

2 hours ago, IndianaTwin said:

So last year the complaint was that the lineup was always loaded up with lefties against RHP and vice versa. 

Huh?

 

[nicksaviking]

3 hours ago, chpettit19 said:

Over how long of a period of time? Rocco and the current regime isn't exactly known for quick hooks on veteran bats.

Based off of Margot and Gallo? September. 

[arby58]

2 hours ago, DJL44 said:

If Lewis is healthy, he's playing 3B and batting 5th. That's the only change I see happening.

That would make sense, as batting him fourth has three consecutive RH hitters. 

[arby58]

9 minutes ago, nicksaviking said:

Based off of Margot and Gallo? September. 

If he has an April like Gallo's in 2023, the Twins will be very pleased.

[rv78]

28 minutes ago, Possumlad said:

 

I think Rocco's just dispositionally risk-averse - volatility and unpredictably seem to make him very uncomfortable.

One very odd consequence is that I believe he genuinely prefers consistently, predictably bad players vs. better, slightly higher-volatility players. Based on the evidence, he would absolutely take a consistent, predictable 0.680 OPS over a more volatile 0.780 (particularly if the 0.680 was a veteran "playing their role").

Not sure if he even knows that about himself, but I think it's why we give reliably bad players huge numbers of ABs every single season. This year it will be Bader and France. As long as they're predictable, it won't matter if they're bad. He likes playing guys whose offense he can write off in advance - much more predictable & comfortable.

If this is truely how he thinks, it only means one thing and that is, he is a bad Manager.

[arby58]

33 minutes ago, Possumlad said:

 

I think Rocco's just dispositionally risk-averse - volatility and unpredictably seem to make him very uncomfortable.

One very odd consequence is that I believe he genuinely prefers consistently, predictably bad players vs. better, slightly higher-volatility players. Based on the evidence, he would absolutely take a consistent, predictable 0.680 OPS over a more volatile 0.780 (particularly if the 0.680 was a veteran "playing their role").

Not sure if he even knows that about himself, but I think it's why we give reliably bad players huge numbers of ABs every single season. This year it will be Bader and France. As long as they're predictable, it won't matter if they're bad. He likes playing guys whose offense he can write off in advance - much more predictable & comfortable.

Where's the statistical 'evidence' for this? What are the 'better, slightly higher-volatility players' that Rocco has passed over? 

[IndianaTwin]

28 minutes ago, USAFChief said:

Huh?

 

As in, the perception of over-platooning. 

[Old Twins Hat]

Anyone else unable to access MLB At Bat and the new Twins streaming service?

[mikelink45]

Does it matter?  Maybe this is our rainy day platoon.

[mnfireman]

On 3/27/2025 at 11:33 AM, nicksaviking said:

9. Harrison Bader, LF
Hopefully we will not see Bader starting in an outfield corner against a right-handed starter too frequently. 

And of course he has a Double and an HR with 2 RBI....

[Riverbrian]

20 hours ago, IndianaTwin said:

So last year the complaint was that the lineup was always loaded up with lefties against RHP and vice versa. Now we complain that aren't enough lefties against the RHP, since Julien, Gasper and Kiersey are on the bench? After all, we could have Kiersey for Bader in left; Gasper/Julien to 2B, with Castro shifting to 3B and Gasper/Julien for France, leaving just Buxton, Correa and Jeffers batting righty. 

Damned if you do, damned if you don't.

Not really. I can only speak for myself but I'm pretty loud on the subject so those last year complaint echoes come from fingertips a lot. 

My complaints come from different directions and one sentence won't put it in a nutshell. However, in regards to your post on last years complaint... in my mind it was the absolutely consistent hiding of our young left handed hitters... not right handed hitters. Right handed hitters were deployed.

It was the rostering of questionable right handed hitters in order to shield them. It was the continued searching for them this off season.  

In regards to this topic yesterday's lineup. Again speaking for myself.

I liked the left handed spacing of Wallner 1, Larnach 4 and Castro 7. He was clumping his left handers together last year and practically guaranteeing a left handed reliever and a pinch hitter(s) when that part of the order came around. Yesterday makes more sense to me because two right handed hitters surrounding Wallner and Larnach makes it difficult for the opposing manager to deploy the left handed pitching that knocks them out of the game. The only logical spot for a manager to deploy the left hander against that lineup was where Marmol deployed a left handed pitcher yesterday. Castro followed by Miranda. Castro and Miranda both struggled against lefties last year. If Marmol wanted to go after Wallner with a lefty. He had Correa and Buxton behind him. No complaint from me. 

This may surprise some as well... but in regards to the lineup yesterday. I liked that Julien and Keirsay didn't automatically get in the lineup against the right hander. That tells me that Rocco did what he thinks is his best lineup and he didn't just do his strict platoon thing and just put the lefties in because they are lefties. 

In a weird way... I actually saw progress. I'll reserve judgement because we got season yet to go.