ToddlerHarmon

An inspired choice, that somehow meets the eye test, despite having an everyday shortstop providing very good defense and offense. Maybe that's because base hits are like catching the ball at first base: hard to argue that making it happen is a rare skill, but it does have to happen. And this season, Luis did so, while two thirds of the lineup couldn't.

Somehow, both the default roster and options missed Jovani Moran.

Interesting that there are only a couple F's in the Calvin Griffith era, when the Twins had regularly awful attendance. But the late 90s and early 2010s were horrifying, so no argument here.

The very definition of an elite talent. Well-deserved, and happily well-contested

He's 25. He is who you rebuild around.

Tiebreaker: Pagan appearances

Seven long and brutal examples that don't even touch the availability issues of Sano, which are about to culminate in the end of his Twins career with nothing but brief flashes of brilliance. And then there's the significant injury history of Polanco, Arraez, Larnach, and Jeffers. Of home-grown core players, only our banjo-hitting right fielder is a source of confident availability. The word "experiment" implies that we will learn something from the outcome. I hope so.

To give the other side of the coin, we have likely and possible drops, just ar a glance: Archer Bundy Fulmer Pagan Cave Contreras B Hamilton Sands? C Hamilton? Leon? Palacios? Sano? Garlick? That's 7-13 spots. Lots of room to protect, and keep a few of the above ?s Although I should note that C Hamilton or Leon would probably be replaced by a FA catcher

I think the big question is: what are we trying to fix? MLB is losing in the national imagination, and thus the value of their national broadcasts and merchandise, although it still sells a staggering number of tickets: twice the seats of NBA or NHL arenas, for twice the number of games, and of course 10 times the number of games as the NFL. IMO, capturing the national imagination seems to hinge on: contending teams appearing regularly in almost every market (the NFL achieves this, the NBA and NHL still struggle), stars that transcend fandom to reach the popular culture (NFL and NBA succeed here), and great stories (MLB still has this appeal, but their stories require attention span, whereas having a captive audience for the big stage makes this an easy thing for the NFL). I don't think it has much to do with who wins the championships, and it should be noted that recent non-MLB dynasties (Patriots, Warriors, Lightning) don't map to the biggest markets. Rather, you have too many *sizeable* MLB markets with only occasional relevance in contending for even the playoffs (Chicago (x2!!), Miami, Dallas, Philly, DC). No, I think the competition issue to be solved is that the payroll imbalance creates too small a margin for error at the bottom, and too easy a route to relevance at the top. Revenue sharing and caps are the obvious ways to correct this, and they probably don't need to be as "flat" as other leagues' schemes. The *conversation* issue is different, and ironically, might be best solved by shrinking the regular season schedule and the roster sizes, giving the best players more per-game playing time while protecting those same stars from breaking down over a long season. Another angle is to improve the longevity of the biggest stars, and keeping them with the same team, which might be addressed by "Bird rules" and, again, a shorter season.

The new core is in? Arraez, Jeffers, Kirilloff, Gordon, Miranda, Lewis, Wallner, Celestino, and Larnach are all under 27, and 7 of them now have significant MLB experience. Yes, Celestino, Gordon, and Jeffers may all be stretched as starters. So, you keep Polanco and Buxton, and add a starting catcher

Too bad for Pagan that every reliever has to face three batters.

It would be huge if this is the start of something big for Moran. The suddenly crowded rotation has to have someone who can perform in the bullpen, right? Archer, in a regular piggyback role (every three or four days, and whoever the starter is gets a short day?) Winder or Bundy or Ober, if the innings start to pile up?

This article is a great synthesis of a lot of the thoughts out there. Well written and compelling. Thank you!

Um, every single member of the starting lineup had either multiple hits or an XBH, or both, on the way to a 11-1 laugher behind Bundy's 8 solid innings. Welcome to predicting single-game outcomes, lol

If it were TK or Gardy managing, I would be happy that the Twins have a 13th position player that doesn't require much playing time and has a defined, and definitely limited, role that he fills well, even if that role requires some versatility. With Rocco managing, Twins fans have to hope that every guy on that bench can play almost every day, because he probably will. Which isn't necessarily a knock on Rocco, but it is probably not a role you want for Gordon. All that said, with Lewis injured, even if Kirilloff comes back, Gordon is still the best 13th man the Twins can field right now.