Riverbrian

Maybe... He's had a rough start but so has Correa and others. The interesting part is what do the Twins decide to do in the near term and as the season goes along.

It's not a lot of effort. The only conclusion drawn from 6 games is that the Twins decision makers came out of the off-season and spring training with the players they have elected to give playing time to day one. That is their evaluation system saying... France over Miranda? Are they saying that... so far it looks like it. Now that Julien is healthy and Castro slid from 2B to 3B (Two games in a row now) What happens with Miranda? Is Julien the starting 2B against Right handers now that he is healthy. Did Castro slide from 2B to 3B to accommodate the health of Julien? Neither of us know the answers but they will tell us via utilization and more information will be released tomorrow with the starting lineup. Yes... Lewis getting hurt is a major factor and his return will be a big change in context and we will watch how utilization adjusts to that change and who is sent down to accommodate his return. Will Lee even join the big club when he is healthy? I don't know but we will find out and more information will be acquired in how the club ranks their assets. This thread may be a big waste of time or something that could be used as reference in June but my hope is that it will be something that provides insight into who the Twins placed their initial faith in day one who still has that faith on the 100th day.

We do differ on this. I don't oppose static positions and the benefits of knowing it like the back of your hand. BTW... I don't know the back of my hand all that well so I'm not sure where that phrase comes from. It's just that... I'm seriously not afraid of player movement because it happens all the time as managers on all 30 teams try to get their best lineups on the field and that will always be a combination of offensive and defensive contribution. That player movement often isn't disastrous while often not perfect. I think defensive problems are due to the defensive talent that we employ as opposed to position changes or comfortableness. If you want a better defending team... roster better defenders. If you have bat only guys on your roster... you gotta put them someplace. I think a good defender can be a good defender at other spots within reason of course... I wouldn't take Nolan Arenado or Matt Chapman and move them from 3B when they are the best in the business at that position. I think a bad defender will be a bad defender at his comfortable spot or other spots within reason of course and I'm not comfortable looking at small size zone ratings to determine who is bad or good. Any argument that Player A is a great SS and a poor 2B won't get very far with me. Julien is a below average defender. It's what he is. I think his bat is above average so he's gotta play somewhere if you want the bat. I get that reps will always be helpful but the majority of reps will be achieved in practice because not enough reps will occur in the games themselves to get them flying right. Also... If Julien is our 2B and Castro is our 3B. Castro isn't really deployed as utility until he is moved to another position to cover where another hole opens up. This means Miranda will have to be a bit of utility at both 3B and 1B to get playing time unless France is a 162 game guy. While France has been looking alright thus far... I'd be pretty mortified if France was a 162 game guy. Gasper will also have to move around a little. He's already played LF for 4 innings and even caught a couple of balls out there so we got multiple utility options beyond Castro. Some degree of player movement is just plain impossible to prevent. But... I'll compromise. Julien at DH with Miranda at 1B and France available to come off the bench against Hader if necessary? Today... we will have Gasper, Miranda Vazquez and Kiersay to pinch hit against Hader in the ninth and I hope it doesn't come to that. The other solution is to just beat them by a comfortable margin and keep Hader from mattering in the ninth inning. I really like this option. Or else it's grab a bat time for Miranda, Gasper or Vazquez when Wallner or Larnach or Julien come to the plate in the 9th inning down by a run. I really like the option presented in the last paragraph. In the end it is what it is.

Lineup is out and It's Julien at 2B on game one. Castro at 3B and Miranda on the bench. We may not have a rotation and that could be tough news for Miranda. That's one point earned for Chief. If you collect 100 points... you will get 50% off at any of the participating closed Red Lobsters around the country.

I like your guess. I wouldn't mind Julien getting a start at 1B or DH this weekend in order to have France available off the bench in the 9th against Hader if we are down a run or two. Miranda hasn't necessarily displayed talent against left handers thus far. I get reverse splits are a mirage but I like France for that role in case it is necessary.

At 8;50am on April 3rd, 2025. Our Twins are both first and last at the same time. Umm... Also 2nd, 3rd and 4th.

Agreed... Rocco sticks with his guys. Plays the long game typically and that's why I created that other thread to track it. For the past two years at least... There has been a pattern to Rocco's utilization. There is some sense in sticking with your guys. Correa started the season 0 for a million and cranked out two nice hits yesterday like the 0 for a million didn't matter anymore. Truthfully it really didn't matter anymore because he's 0 for 0 at the start of every game and that light switch can be found at any time. I don't mind a rotation and I also don't mind getting some playing time to everyone especially early in the year because I think playing time should be a competition and I don't care about the size of the contract when it comes to that competition. I don't mind slumping players getting the occasional start but overall... I would simply prefer that he let anybody hitting hot keeping hitting until they cool off. Two players fit that description for me right now. Bader and Castro. Everybody else can rest if need be.

Houston will be throwing 3 right hander starters at us. The Stros Bullpen has 3 left handers... One of those three is the closer... Josh Hader. It's good to keep in mind that they have a left handed closer when considering bench moves late in a close game. Now that Julien is healthy. Bader, Julien and Miranda appear to be in a rotation of sorts for one spot against Right Handed Starters using Castro to combine 2B, 3B with LF, RF and the DH spot to rotate the playing time. Is it a rotation of sorts? I'd bet on yes but too soon to tell. Gonna have to keep watching the lineups. If Miranda is sitting today. It isn't a rotation. If Miranda is playing today. It could be a rotation. Right now... I don't think Gasper is part of that rotation. Looks like he took the place of under the weather Julien in that rotation in game two of the year. I'm guessing that Gasper is playing the role of short side at 2B. The Catchers are rotating equally every other day behind the plate. Everything else has been pretty settled.

Julien or Miranda is the only question. I think he will go with Miranda at 3B. The other 8 are close to locks. I think the opening day lineup in St. Louis will be used for opening day at Target Field. Larnach or Wallner at DH would also be a slight question.

Its the home opener. I checked the standings this morning. I noticed that we were in first place in the AL Central. Others will notice that we are in last place in the AL Central.

8th inning I assume. Let me think on that. Normally I don't like giving up the out and Julien on deck with high strikeout percentages. With that scenerio I wouldn't bunt. However... there was a lefty warming in the bullpen which probably meant Gasper was going to pinch hit. Gasper is supposed to be a contact guy... so maybe. Of course... Gasper did pinch hit and strike out against that left hander. I'll say this... normally I don't like giving up the out. However... if Rocco would have called for a bunt there. I would have appreciated it because they didn't bunt all year until the end of September when they were desperate for runs to stay alive. If you are going to starting bunting in September like your life depends on it. Maybe you should do some bunting in April, May, June, July and August. So... After all of that hamster turning the wheel in my brain. Rocco starting bunting when he was desperate last year. It shows that he thought he needed it. Maybe he should try some bunting in advance of that desperate moment. I wouldn't have but perhaps they should have.

Indeed. It will be interesting to watch and what they do will again tell us how they assess the players. I think chances are someone will hit the IL in the meantime. If everyone remains healthy... Lewis goes right to every day 3B work and the question becomes how are France and Miranda utilized at 1B because it looks like DH is going to be utilized as part of a rotation for Larnach, Wallner and Bader playing time. Julien will probably have to slide into that mix as well. I'd guess that Lee goes to St. Paul because I think they are going to give Castro a run at 2B. If Lee goes to the big club... it will tell us that they BELIEVE in Lee and his time is NOW. I think Gaspar keeps his job unless Lee takes it from him. Castro has to play OF against left handers and Gasper is the only choice for 2B when Castro does that. Keirsay would be my guess for the player sent to AAA to make 26 man space for Lewis. This is the stuff I'll be watching and noting all year long. Who do the Twins believe in and how do the players they believe in actually perform.

I agree... I love that Wallner and Larnach were allowed to stand in there against the left handers. I prefer my pinch hitting to happen in the later innings not the mid innings. I prefer my defensive replacements to come in later innings not the mid innings. I was heartened. Wallner and Larnach being allowed to stand in there is two years too late in my opinion but yes indeed... I was heartened by the very things that you point out. I also loved the Julien attempt... we have been watching station to station baseball on the base paths for too long. I don't care if it didn't work... I loved the attempt. Kiersay pinch running when he did and Bader entering as a defensive replacement when he did made sense. It just felt... less... scripted... for lack of a better word.

I lost 10 pounds once. Thankfully, it didn't take long to find them. A couple of years from now... If you are playing baseball trivia and you get this question: What two baseball players lost a combined 25 pounds in March of 2025 due to illness. If you get that question... you'll know the answer is Betts and Julien.

We have a Julien on the lineup card. Wasn't feeling well to start the season. Must be feeling better now. We will have to watch how Julien, Gasper and Bader divide up playing time against right handed hitters. It appears that Correa, Buxton, France, Castro and Miranda are the five every day players... at least so far they are. It's possible that a short side platoon dude doesn't exist on this roster and it is also possible that Mickey Gasper is a short side platoon dude. What happens to Gasper's playing time against right handers now that Julien is healthy?

Absolutely agree. The first week of games is not going to be reflective on an entire season. However, what game one will tell you is one very important thing. How does the front office assess the players they have? We have no idea what they think... all that data collected.... we have no idea what the data is saying. We don't know but they will tell us what they think by who they play on game one of the season and who they continue to play and in what situations as context changes. This thread can serve as a time stamp as the season goes along. It will help us follow the bouncing ball.

I didn't hear that news. That's important context.

I wouldn't store that knowledge anywhere... that's for sure. Just posted it because I started with a stupid throwaway title and then decided that it would be a good thread to keep going throughout the year for those inclined to keep track of the progression from how the team felt on day one about players and how the utilization changed or didn't change as the context changes as the season progresses. The Day One Lineup says a lot about how the team feels about the players. How will these chosen ones look in June? How will they be utilized?

Truth be told... I'm not that worried about depth anywhere and worried about it everywhere at the same time. Injuries are going to happen... the team will have to adjust, cover and keep playing through it. Depth will be needed... we will find out if we have it.

This year the Braves picked by many to win a difficult NL East are 0-5.

The lack of depth at SS is no more scary than the lack of depth at C, 1B, 2B, 3B and CF. We may have a development issue.

I've changed the title of this thread to "Roster Utilization". I hope this thread can stay relevant all year. If it does stay relevant. It can show us things like: A. Who the Twins assessed to be important entering the season. B. Who the Twins assess to be important as the season progresses. C. Do the Twins provide opportunity to Vets even when struggling. D. Roster context while roster space and utilization is occurring.

You are not watching the same team. The team you are currently watching would have to improve significantly just to reach the level of play of the team that went 12-26 over their last 38 games. This team... any team is capable of improving significantly. It's a long season but... Wow... It couldn't have been a worse start.

The Mets lost their first 5 games in 2024. They went 12 - 3 in their next 15. The Astros lost their first 4 games in 2024. Went on to 7-15 over the next 22 games. Both teams made the playoffs. I was sleeping in roller coaster design school but some rollercoasters start with a drop. There is plenty of roller coaster to come. With that said. Jeez, they could not have come out of Ft. Myers worse!!! .436 Team OPS thus far. Lowest in all of MLB. This is the result of facing the following starters. Gray, Fedde, Pallante and Perez. Also 7.31 Team ERA thus far (only the Brewers are worse after their opening against the Yankees). No hitting + no pitching = a losing streak. I hope this doesn't last too long.

In regards to original intent in 2025. The collective mind of the Twins organization. We now know that it will year number 3 of all left handers must sit against left handed pitching. We also know that Julien and Kiersay have now made two garbage time appearances and we also know that Correa and Buxton come out in garbage time. We also know that Gasper has made two starts. So we can assume that Gasper came out of spring training ranked higher than Julien and Keirsay and Martin in the Twins organization. Conclusion: Gasper has a role... Kiersay has a tiny role, pinch running defensive replacement and Julien doesn't have a role. When/If Lewis comes back. Julien probably is sent down because he currently has no role while Kiersay has that pinch running role. When/If Lee comes back. Who knows if Lee starts in AAA or the Majors. The Twins will reveal how they feel about Lee when Lee is healthy enough for an unveiling. And of course... injuries can always happen to others before Lewis and Lee are ready to return. Martin is in AAA waiting a call up if that happens. Actions speak louder than words. These are the actions thus far.