Thoughts for a Wednesday

 1. 'Let's see if Tyler Freeman can play outfield' - Hey, nothing wrong with this but this guy has been in this organization for years now and the middle infield logjam has been present for multiple years now.  One would have guessed that they would have thought of this sooner.   But, still, I LOVE that they are thinking versatility.  Like I said in a previous post, Arias looked VERY comfortable (to me) in LF last year.  

2. Daniel Espino - Here's hoping the best for this young kid.   Sounds better now.  Have to ask myself why no one asked WHEN the 8 weeks started until later.  I also have to ask whether the imaging that was done in January looked any different than the imaging done last year when he was first symptomatic and if imaging was even done last year.  I mean, it's imaging.  Generally non-invasive unless they have to use contrast agent, which I don't believe is typical for joints.  I think all the pitchers should have yearly MRIs of their shoulders and elbows just to see if anything is slowly creeping up or is latent.  But that's just me.  I mean, they are only investing millions of dollars in salaries on these guys.  Why should we protect that interest.

3. The preparation for Tito's opening speech to the team - Works on it all winter.  Works on it the night before instead of going to dinner with the coaches.  Cooks himself pasta instead.  Undercooks the pasta, breaks a tooth.  Can't sleep, gets in at 3:30 in the morning to work on it more.  Spills coffee on his speech.  So nervous he is sweating bullets before the speech.  WOW!  All I can say is that I hope this is the line in the sand where the bad luck and malaprops end this year.  Not saying another word on this subject. :-)

4. 2022 Draftees minor league placements - The minor leaguers haven't even reported but never too early to think about where these guys will start their pro careers.  More on this in a future post.

5. The batting order for 2023 -  Again, too early to tell because you don't know about injuries but here is my proposed lineup:

1. Kwan

2. Gimenez

3. Ramirez

4. Gonzalez

5. Bell

6. Naylor

7. Zunino

8. Rosario

9. Straw

Moving Rosario down is due to his penchant to hit into DPs and to expand the zone.  I like him in front of Ramirez but my frustration with his approach last year and the DP thing puts him down the order.   In addition, I tried to not put high OBP guys right in front of guys who hit into DPs.  I also considered that Gonzalez needed some protection.   The only inherent glitch in my lineup is that we have 3 right handed batters at the bottom of the order and 2 left handed batters at the top of the order.  Other teams could exploit that.  Plus, we don't know how Gimenez will do as a #2 hitter.  Will it mess him up?  Seems pretty good if we swap out Naylor for a RH hitter like Freeman or Arias as I would be OK with either of them hitting 6th as neither appear to be high DP guys or high OB guys meaning they would fit well behind the high OB guy Bell and the high DP guy like Zunino

Here is the lineup I think Francona will use, at least to start:

1. Kwan

2. Rosario

3. Ramirez

4. Bell

5. Gimenez

6. Gonzalez

7. Naylor

8. Zunino

9. Straw

While this lineup is more lefty/righty balanced, I still think it is a rally-kill waiting to happen.  Kwan gets on and Rosario rolls over one.   A couple of guys on in the first and Bell grounds into an inning-ending DP.  Naylor and Zunino don't run well but hitting behind Gonzalez that won't matter as Gonzalez is a low OB guy.  I don't know if this lineup protects Gonzalez and I think he needs to be protected.  Straw and Kwan hitting after Naylor and Zunino is probably not an issue as both Naylor and Zunino are not high OBP guys and Straw and Kwan are table-setters.  Plus putting Naylor this low could mean a seemless transition if we rest Naylor for Freeman or Arias against some lefties.

Lots of permutations and I hope Francona takes advantage of the analytics.  This lineup has to maximize EVERYTHING since it has no power.  This starts with not giving up two outs on one swing of the bat, putting guys on base for the middle of the order and, finally, protecting our young, inexperienced hitters, giving them good pitches to hit.