cooldude

This is my take as well. We were all crushed by the "right-sizing" decision as fans, and it's not hard to imagine how that would feel for the players. The bad culture, the ****** play, it all seems to have started there. As Craig Arko said, it all flows top down from ownership. They built this.

Okay, my bad. When I read your comment . . . "OPS is a nice stat but there is a lot of baseball that happens away from it. Someone needs to get on base when those OPS guys step up to the plate and do that OPS thing." . . . I read it as a criticism of OPS because you feel that "a lot of baseball" is not measured by it—with your example being that "someone" needs to get on base (as if "those OPS guys" don't). If that wasn't what you meant, cool. I'm no new-stats evangelist, but I do think OPS does a pretty good job of showing the big picture of a hitter's production, and I think it does a good job of showing why someone like Arraez is overrated. Heck, *I* overrate him. I love watching him hit. I miss having him on the Twins. I miss that kind of baseball--balls in play, lots of opportunities for the defense, when striking out was considered a sin, etc. I think a lot of us on this board feel the same way, and Arraez is a refreshing reminder of that older, more exciting style of baseball. But in terms of pure production, if you want to give your team the best chance to win, you generally want guys with higher OPS. Period. That's what I was reacting to in your comment. I don't buy that an offense needs this mix of high-OPS guys and some other kind of guys who have low OPS but contribute by hitting the other way or laying down awesome sacrifice bunts or hitting .320 with no power and no walks.

Exactly. I didn't say it was *only* about getting on base. I was just pointing out that when you said "Someone needs to get on base when those OPS guys step up to the plate and do that OPS thing," it didn't make sense. You're implying that someone with a high OPS doesn't get on base, when they obviously do. That's how you get a high OPS. Let's not pretend that OPS is some one-dimensional stat. Its purpose is to provide a more holistic view of offense. Higher OPS = better all-around hitter.

OPS is literally about getting on base. It stands for "on-base plus slugging."

I like the idea of picking up Polanco's option and having him make a Carew-like shift to 1B since he's getting older and less athletic than he used to be, and because the consensus seems to be that Julien has turned himself into a good (good enough?) second baseman to leave him there. Polanco-Julien-Correa-Lewis would be a helluva infield.

He looks like the dad on Pretty in Pink.

I love the idea of Maeda, Paddock, or Varland in the BP for the playoffs. Always look forward to these weekly updates--thanks, Nick!

Seems like a fair question. I seem to remember early in the Falvey/Levine era that they were saying the next frontier in analytics was health--how to keep players healthy and on the field. (Maybe I'm mis-attributing this to them and it was someone else; anyone else remember this?) Anyway, it does seem like health, rest, figuring out how to keep players on the field as much as possible has been talked about a lot these past years, but as we all know the results have been mixed at best. COVID and the short spring training have been factors, of course. It would be interesting to look at how the team has performed in terms of IL days compared to other teams. Not just the raw number of IL days, but how quickly players come back, how IL stints relate to rest days, how IL stints relate to bullpen usage. Someone smarter than me has probably already looked at this.

Did you guys use a trash can for a strike zone? Just need to hear that "tick" on the edge and your backdoor slider was a strike.

Isn't there a lot of doubt about whether Lewis can stick at SS? It seems to me that this offseason, with so many excellent SS available, is a good time to find the guy to man that position for the next 5 or 6 years.

These are great!

I think what you missed is that the article is merely suggesting Polanco should bat lower in the order, not in the top four. It is not suggesting that everything rides on his bat.

Having your blue-chip SS prospect out for the year sure makes it harder.

The owners take on the risk (such as it is) AND the reward. If it is an unexpectedly great season, the players don't get any extra salary--any extra wealth generated goes into the owners' pockets. And, as Tom points out above, every season is a great season for the owners. Last year was less great, but I'm not crying for the owners.

I don't think I've ever commented at TD, but I've been reading this thread with growing sadness and feel compelled to add my two cents. That's a natural feeling, isn't it? When you see something that riles your sensibilities, you want to speak up. I don't have a platform like Nick does, and in fact nobody cares what I think on this matter. And yet it's not stopping me, just like it hasn't stopped anybody else here from commenting. The point is: It's not about "virtue signaling" or trying to feel superior. It's about hoping to make a difference by adding your voice. If you think "our country is broken" is a hollow left-wing bromide, then I don't think you're really paying attention. Look at the anger of the protestors. Look at how fed up they are. People are not going out to make their voices heard at the risk of being arrested, shot at, or even killed, just because of the awful murder of George Floyd, or just for a lefty talking point. They are genuinely outraged and scared for their futures because they live with that violence from the cops every day. They see it all the time. It's more than Chauvin and it's more than a few bad apples. It's systemic. So of course people want to speak up. By the way, it is a well-known fact that Minneapolis has one of the most racist police departments in the country. Please note: I am not saying every Minneapolis cop is a racist. From what I've read from people who know, who have studied this, it is a minority. But they have created the dominant culture, an us-vs.-them culture, that prevents good cops from speaking up. This culture is spearheaded and protected by the police union, which is led by noted racist Bob Kroll. Commenters here have asked why Democratic mayors, city councils, and governors have not been able to make a difference, and the answer is that the police union is extremely powerful. More powerful than the MLBPA, I'd wager. To many, the thin blue line is a symbol of that insulated, racist, dangerous culture. Maybe Kepler knew that. Maybe he didn't. I don't know. But after he found out, he had a choice to make, and he chose to blow it off as NBD. That is his prerogative! As someone said above, it's a free country. I don't blame him for not wanting to get involved--it's messy. You might piss some people off. I know people tend to get triggered (sorry) when you remind them of their privilege, but not getting involved IS a privilege. Going to a sports site to avoid news about this broken nation is a privilege. And if you can see the suffering and anger and injustice all around you, and like Max Kepler or Nick Nelson you have a platform, you can use your privilege to avoid it or you can use your platform to add to the chorus of voices trying to make change. Using your voice isn't virtue signaling, and if you think it is, that says more about you than it does about anyone else. It says you can't imagine speaking up for change with a genuine desire to see change. And that bums me out. We need more empathy right now. Thanks, Nick, for your post. People are angry, and not everyone is being civil, but much of this discussion has been for the good.

How is Arraez's arm? Does it play at 3B?