IndianaTwin

Farmer -- still outstanding in his field!

Using Herr Kepler.

Is there a way to find wRC+ on baseball-reference.com?

Contextually in this lineup, I agree with your answer that 2022 Arraez would be more valuable than 2023 Gallo, but I don't agree with your math. I don't think its anywhere close to 2.5 times different. First, it's not apples-to-apples to compare the hit total of a guy who got 3.72 plate appearances per game (Arraez) with a guy who's gotten 2.54 plate appearances per game. Give Gallo the same number of opportunities, and those 67 hits become 98 hits. Second, while 98 is still significantly below Arraez's 173, a hit by Gallo is worth much more than a hit by Arraez. For example, 42 percent of Gallo's hits have resulted in an instantaneous run (by homer). So extrapolating, 98 hits would include 41 homers for Gallo, compared to the eight Arraez provided. Said another way, the average Arraez hit went for 1.33 bases, whereas the average Gallo hit has gone for 2.53 bases, so a Gallo hit is nearly twice as valuable. Said still another way, a runner on first has a good chance of scoring on a Gallo hit, but will rarely do so on an Arraez hit. A runner on second may score on an Arraez hit, but will almost always score on a hit by Gallo. Your 2.5 times was pretty rudimentary, so I'll go another rudimentary direction. If Arraez has a (173/98 =) 1.76 advantage in hits, but his hits are only (1.33/2.53=) 53 percent as valuable, he's only 93 percent as valuable as Gallo. (I've also ignored that Gallo has walked in 13 percent of his plate appearances, compared to Arraez's 8.3. Over the 603 plate appearances 2022 Arraez had, 2023 Gallo gets an additional 30 walks, which is fairly significant.) So again, I agree that the context tilts in Arraez's favor, but I don't think the difference is that large. Perceptually it is, because Gallo frustrates us so much with strikeouts, but last night's eighth-inning at bat is also an example of the massive woot-woots that are much more likely to come with Gallo.* *I will use much less math in the game thread.

He was already hurt and had only played in two of the last four games before the break. Apparently several days off didn't do the trick. Also from https://www.mlb.com/twins/news/twins-injuries-and-roster-moves: "The Twins' skipper said it's a continuation and flare-up of the shoulder soreness that originally presented in Spring Training and kept Miranda out of the World Baseball Classic."

From https://www.mlb.com/twins/news/twins-injuries-and-roster-moves: "Rocco Baldelli said after the game that Miranda will be placed on the 10-day IL. ... Though the Twins have not made any official indication, the expectation is that outfielder Matt Wallner will join the Twins in Oakland on Saturday."

Call it an ugly win, but it was pretty beautiful that Pagan, Balazovic, Moran and Jax combined for five shutout innings when it was vastly needed, There was nary a threat on a hit and two walks against four strikeouts.

Lots of missed opportunities offensively, but the bullpen came up huge.

Matthew Boyd is also on the 60-day IL. I think he’s done for the year.

A's announcer on Correa's strike 3: "It wasn't an egregious call, but it wasn't a strike."

Chief, check your security system. cHawk seems to have broken in and stolen your joke book.

Correa is now batting .351 in the 11 games since moving to leadoff.

Was Rooker's route as bad as it looked on the radio?

Honoring his truck-driving father, according to an interview on MLB Network's Saturday morning kids show.

FTFY

Like he said.

Yes.

You forgot bacon.

Winner, winner, S’mores Blizzard dinner!

With what you’ve got to go, you may be able to knock off several of them on a single trip.

I see a Randball’s Stu article about the anxiety in the bowels of TD’s World Headquarters, wondering how they are going to fill space if Buxton plays defense… 😄

Wait. If Buxton plays CF, what will we have to argue and speculate about?

After re-checking off Texas’s new park last summer, I’m back in the club. Much more impressive is that Mrs. IT (“I don’t like baseball, but I like some people who like baseball.”) is only missing seven. It’s not a goal for her to finish them off, but fortunately most of them are in cities that she wouldn’t mind visiting.

Don’t forget that it’s also a pain to get to if you’re driving. And expensive for parking. Even as an out-of-towner, I’ve taken to driving to a Park-N-Ride and catching the El. Two of my most miserable games: 1. When I was back in college, I went to a game in June and wasn’t yet familiar with the notion of the wind off the lake and how cold it can be under the overhang. 2. A few years ago when the Twins were there, it was over 100 degrees and I was stuck in one of the back rows of the middle level, where there was no air movement.

What I make of it is, “Stay home on nights he pitches. Sounds like you were the jinx!” 😄