Hunter McCall

Agreed, probably could’ve mentioned Gonzalez at the right field position!

Both are true in my opinion! Good thought!

Great question! My top 5 starters would be: 1. Dylan Cease 2. Shane Bieber 3. Triston McKenzie 4. Pablo Lopez 5. Lucas Giolito Top 3 relievers: 1. Emmanuel Clase 2. Jhoan Duran 3. Liam Hendricks As far as Max Kepler, it may not always look pretty, but he positively contributes to the Twins. He also benefits in this exercise from a very weak right field group.

The AL Central is considered one of the weaker divisions in Major League Baseball, but that doesn't mean the division lacks top-end talent. Image courtesy of © Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports Heading into spring training, I put together an all-star team comprised of the best players at each position in the AL Central. Here's what I came up with. Catcher Winner: Christian Vazquez MIN This position was a fun one to compare. With Yasmani Grandal, Salvador Perez, and newcomers Christian Vazquez and Mike Zunino, it was tough to pick the best overall catcher out of the bunch. Vazquez got the edge over the rest because of his defensive ability. In 2022, Vazquez was among the league's best defensive players, accounting for 11 DRS. In comparison, Grandal had -5, Perez -4, and Zunino -2. At the plate, Grandal and Zunino are coming off down years, so it is hard to call either the best at the position. As for Perez… read on. First Base Winner: Josh Naylor CLE First base is arguably the worst overall position in the AL Central. The position is chock-full with youngsters like Alex Kirilloff, Spencer Torkelson, Vinnie Pasquantino, and Andrew Vaughn, who could be excellent baseball players in the future. However, after a 20-home run season in which he produced 1.8 WAR, the 25-year-old Naylor gets the edge over the rest of the field in 2023. Second Base Winner: Andres Gimenez CLE What a year it was for Andres Gimenez. 7.6 WAR and sixth in the MVP voting. Gimenez made significant strides in his game last year and cemented himself as one of the best second basemen in MLB. Jorge Polanco is the only other noteworthy second baseman in the division. While he is probably a top 10-second baseman in the MLB, he is still notably behind the skillset of Gimenez. Shortstop Winner: Carlos Correa MIN The new $200M man put together another stellar season in 2022, earning himself a hefty contract extension that could span the rest of his career. MLB Network ranked Correa as the second-best shortstop in all the MLB, right behind the Phillies' new addition Trea Turner. Bobby Witt Jr.'s future is bright, but for the moment, the best shortstop in the Central award belongs to Correa. Third Base Winner: Jose Ramirez CLE Third base was the biggest no-brainer of all. Jose Ramirez is among the best players in the league and has been providing top-level talent for Cleveland since 2016. There are some talented third basemen in the Central, but none were even close to Ramirez, a perennial MVP candidate. Left Field Winner: Steven Kwan CLE Steven Kwan had an excellent rookie campaign for the Guardians, producing 5.5 WAR, finishing third in the AL Rookie of the Year race, and winning a Gold Glove. Kwan was a contact machine, drawing two more walks than strikeouts. Andrew Benintendi comes in second place here as the only other noteworthy left fielder. Center Field Winner: Byron Buxton MIN Buxton is one of the best baseball players on the planet when healthy. He has every tool one could hope for in a star player. The only problem is Buxton has had a hell of a time staying healthy. Since he became an everyday player in the MLB in 2016, Buxton has played more than 92 games only once. Despite the minimal playing time, Buxton still has put up better numbers than the rest of the division and was ranked the second-best center fielder by MLB Network. If Buxton was to play 130 games, he could push for an MVP award. Right Field Winner: Max Kepler MIN Right field is another relatively weak position. Kepler gets the edge here over the field. An elite-level defender, who has shown flashes with the bat, Kepler produced 2.1 WAR in what was considered a down year in 2022. Kepler is also a candidate for positive regression at the plate in 2023 with the banning of the shift. Designated Hitter Winner: Salvador Perez KC While Perez doesn't have it defensively behind the plate, he can still swing the bat with the best of them. Perez hit 48 home runs in 2021, and while injuries limited his production in 2022, he still produced 23 home runs, 76 RBIs, and 2.7 WAR. Starting Pitcher Winner: Dylan Cease CHW One could argue for Shane Bieber, but Cease was undoubtedly better in 2022. Cease was unstoppable, producing 6.4 WAR, second in the Cy Young voting, and 22nd in the AL MVP race. Just entering his prime, Cease should only get better in the coming years and terrorize the division for years. Relief Pitcher Winner: Emmanuel Clase CLE Emmanuel Clase is nightmare fuel for opposing hitters. Clase wrapped up 2022 to the tune of 42 saves, a 1.36 ERA, and 2.8 WAR. He was voted MLB Networks' best relief pitcher, so it was hard not to choose him as the best relief pitcher in the AL Central. However, I should also mention another relief pitcher who produced 2.8 WAR in 2022 and has similarly nasty stuff. Jhoan Duran put together quite the rookie year for the Twins and should continue to thrive in his role in the back end of the bullpen. Totals CLE: 5 MIN: 4 CHW: 1 KC: 1 DET: 0 Debate on! Where do you agree? Where do you disagree? Let me know in the comments! View full article

My brother, it’s not that serious. Just relax my friend. I didn’t mean to upset you, but also, you must understand that when you comment on my post insinuating that I’m wrong and my thought process is stupid, I’m going to respond and start conversation. I’m not attacking you personally, and you’re entitled to your opinion. Much love my friend.

Hey man, you commented on my article. I also responded to your post with the wOBA and wRC+ stats as well. Also, OPS is a valid stat that is often looked at to determine a player's overall effectiveness at the place. Go be a Negative Nelly somewhere else. Good vibes only my brother.

He recently started swinging again and said that he still feels soreness, however it is significantly decreased from before. It sounds unencouraging, but with the surgery he had, I don't think we have enough information to determine whether or not it's going to hamper him in two months. It could be general soreness caused by the surgery. According to the article that made the statement, this is a good sign, but the way it was worded just seemed a little scary to most Twins fans who read it (myself included).

Well, I think best case is we get 2019 or 2021 Gallo, which is an all-star player, but I hear what your saying. Very low risk flyer!

As a Joey Gallo supporter, I must defend him at all costs;) As far as Kirilloff's wrist, it's a giant unknown. He has admitted he is still worried about it, which means we're all worried about it. Who knows if it will ever be great, which is a shame. Hopefully 6 months from now we're talking about how incredible he has been, but he must stay healthy.

I personally believe the game is more exciting than it has ever been. The young stars of today's game provide fans with non-stop excitement. The numbers would also indicate that the game of baseball as a whole is more popular than it has been. I personally believe that just because the style of today's game is different than the days of old, it doesn't take away from the joy I have watching it! I will continue to love baseball, and I enjoy watching it evolve!

You hit the nail right on the head! That is what I am encouraging fans to do. Instead of hating Joey Gallo right off the bat, give him a chance to show his skill set. On paper it may not be what you have traditionally liked to see in the past, but it's a skill set that can help the Twins win baseball games! I believe in Joey Gallo, and the contract is a very easy contract to stomach for the Twins.

Exactly! Low-risk, high-reward!

Hello, just want to clear a couple things up. I didn't compare BA to OBP. I said OPS was a more reliable statistic because it combines a players OBP with their SLUG. This is a far more accurate way to assess who is helping your team than batting average. There is so much more to the game of baseball than batting average. I understand getting hits is important and obviously helps. The main point of my article was to explain that Joey Gallo has his flaws (low BA, high SO rate), but he also does a lot really good. Just give him a chance is all I am saying.

There's no doubt Gallo will be what he has shown to be in the past. I think the average will get a slight boost with the banning of the shift, but for the most part, he is what he is. I think I would hesitate to compare Gallo to Bundy and Archer. Both Bundy and Archer were well past their prime when the Twins took a shot on them. Gallo isn't. He is coming off one bad season in a volatile environment in New York. He isn't even 30 years old yet. This is why I think it's reasonable to expect a productive season out of Gallo. Again, if he is not good, they have options to replace him.

I get it! Batting average is still a stat we staple to every player for better or worse. I understand the obvious positives of putting the ball in play. As I stated before, Joey Gallo is going to come with some downsides attached to him. The low batting average and high strike out rate have been consistent throughout his career. However, my main point is, try to at least appreciate the things he does well!

I really appreciate it! I'm glad I could have a positive impact on the way you perceive the game! There are many ways a player can bring value to a team. If you are trying to learn more about the advanced stats, Fangraphs offers a ton of different analytical stats and a quick description to what all of them mean. My favorite page to view is BaseballSavant. It's very easy to view and understand. This is the page that Carlos Correa eluded to a few times in interviews throughout the season. I encourage you to check them out if you're interested! Thanks again for the comment!

I hear you. I'm just hoping we also get to witness 40 home runs, and plenty of game saving plays by him to make up for his flaws! Like I said, if he's terrible, the Twins have the depth to replace him.

Not trying to be condescending, for that I apologize. I just don't agree with criticizing him before he even plays a game for the team. My point throughout the article remains, there are many ways to contribute to success besides batting average and a low strikeout rate.

I hear you. As I mentioned, there will be an appalling number of strikeouts. It might be frustrating at times, but when the guy is good, he's among the best in the league. The amazing thing is, he contributes great numbers over the course of a full season all while batting .200. I will beg the question, was a Sano strikeout more or less infuriating than a Gio Urshela ground ball double play? Neither are ideal, but I grew to love Gio despite consistently ending rallies with his inning ending double plays. Just like with any player, you take the good with the bad, but the Twins got Gallo for a marginal price, so the low-risk, high-reward aspect makes it worth while imo.

As mentioned, Gallo's batting average will be very low. I could see it going up a bit with the banning of the shift, but try not to focus on the batting average. Try to focus on the power, productive at bats, and defense. Joey Gallo does a lot of stuff really well, one thing he has never done is hit for average. Don't expect that to change.

That's great then! In 2021, Joey Gallo had a wOBA of .354, and a wRC+ of 122. We can again compare these numbers to Luis Arraez's 2022 numbers since he was the batting average king. In 2022, Arraez had a wOBA of .350 and a wRC+ of 131. My point remains, consider changing the way you view players just because you don't like the way they provide production. All stats confirm that Gallo is capable of providing a large impact for a modest price. Not a lot to gripe about.

Maybe you need to consider changing your book. Look at OPS and WAR instead of BA. Batting average just doesn't tell enough of the story. Joey Gallo is a good player capable of producing for the Twins, but you have to give the guy a chance and understand what he does well.

Why is batting average the only stat that matters? As highlighted above, Joey Gallo will do a lot of good things for this baseball team. In 2021, Gallo contributed 4.2 WAR, which is just 0.2 WAR less than AL batting champion Luis Arraez had in 2022, all while hitting .199. His excellent plate approach, power, and defense will all help the Twins win in 2023. All I ask is that you give him a chance to at least play baseball before you decide you hate him.

I think it was possible that they considered him as an option to fill in at 1B to give AK a rest, but I have no doubt that the plan all along has been to play Gallo nearly every day and play him in the outfield often. I think that remains the plan, and even if AK goes down, I think they find a way to keep him out there as much as possible. His defense is just too valuable to not play him out there often. I definitely think Gallo plays games at 1B this season. We'll probably also see Miranda and possibly Kepler over there as well at times. There's enough defensive flexibility on this team for them to adjust to an injury should one arise. You are right though. Every time I hear about Kirilloff's wrist I cringe. I sure hope they can get it figured out sooner rather than later because when he's healthy, he is a phenomenal talent!