Monday, July 1, 2019

Thoughts from the weekend

Dick-n-Bert were so busy being outraged Sunday by the "snub" of various Twins for All-Star designation that they almost missed the outcome of the game in front of them.

I'm not disturbed at all. The All-Star Game, particularly in this era of constant interleague play, is about marketing and player bonuses. I can give that a big yawn with a clear conscience.

Mitch Garver isn't an All-Star because he's not even this team's primary catcher. Jason Castro has started 39 games behind the plate, Garver 31, Willians Astudillo 13. This has been, I think, beneficial to the team, but its sufficient to keep Garver off the All-Star roster.

If there's a legitimate snub to whine about, it's on the pitching staff, with neither Jose Berrios nor Taylor Rogers getting named.  But given that the Orioles, Tigers and Blue Jays had to have somebody on the roster, it's not surprising that they ran out of room.

Rocco Baldelli has handled this lineup all year with an eye to limiting fatigue. Giving pretty much everybody four days of July vacation plays into that well.

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A nice start Sunday from Lewis Thorpe, who got the ball because Kyle Gibson pitched a little in that 18-inning game earlier in the week.

Thorpe was returned to Triple A after the game, which is not surprising. He's got a future. I'm not sure that it's with the Twins -- I can see him being the major chip in a trade for a controllable established starter -- but he's going to be in a major league rotation, probably as early as next season.

No accompanying move was immediately announced, but I expect it will be a pitcher.

It almost certainly won't be Gabriel Moya, the lefty who spent much of 2018 on the big league roster and was a frequent "opener" down the stretch. He was outrighted off the 40 man roster with a Triple A ERA in the sevens. Ouch.




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