CLEVELAND – For now this year, let’s move directly to your questions, which have been edited for clarity.
Can you drop the case of Amed Rosario? The winning groups keep their core and are inspired by it. This obsession with promoting your players and replacing them with untested ones if you can get a potentially decent halfway comeback is what the losers think. -Mickey E.
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You’re going to hate Shane Bieber’s argument next winter. If you don’t think that’s how the Guardians (and many teams) work, then I don’t know what to tell you. I write an occasional article about it because that’s what the main offices consider it, not because I have a clause in my contract with The Athletic that gives me a bonus if the rate is changed.
If Rosario had 3 years left in control of the team, it would not be a discussion. They would keep it. If the team is in rebuild mode, it wouldn’t be a discussion. They would industrialize it. Instead, we have nuances.
That doesn’t mean they’re going to deal with it, I wrote last week why it’s quite unlikely, just like they didn’t during the summer, despite a lot of talk about it in the weeks leading up to the deadline.
Who plays the most shortstop games in 2023?- Mike L.
[Look Mickey in the eye] Amed Rosario.
Zack, all over the internet, I keep seeing message after message and tweet after tweet about how Oscar Gonzalez is going to back off and Myles Straw is over and Cal Quantrill got lucky. Please give us five reasons why the Guardiac Kids will be BETTER next season. than to go back. -Nathan T.
1. José Ramírez: in health, with greater alignment coverage and gear change limits.
2. Bieber, a year ago he retired from his shoulder injury and is now armed with the confidence of knowing he can thrive without throwing 95 mph.
3. Josh Bell. He’s good.
4. Aaron Civale, no interruptions. I still think he can pitch like he did in the early part of 2021, when he emerged as a frontline starter.
5. They are no longer beginners. Well, some of them. Lighting fixtures might not be as bright. The nerves may not be as debilitating. The task ahead will not be so difficult. I don’t know if all this will contribute to a higher record, and some young players will certainly run into bumps, but it will be a more formidable team. They may not devote 800 appearances on set to Owen Miller, Oscar Mercado and Ernie Clement, after all.
What is a “production coordinator”? -Chris W.
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It’s the fantasy name for Jason Esposito, who joins the Guardians’ main league attacking training team. He replaces Justin Toole, who has been the club’s hitting analyst for the past few seasons but went to the Mariners’ director of player development. Esposito will lend a hand. Chris Valaika and Victor Rodriguez, as well as a video to detect the opposing starting pitcher each night. As a coach of Double-A Akron and Triple-A Columbus hitters in recent years, Esposito has worked with many of the Guardians’ young hitters. Will Brennan, for example, credited Esposito with helping pave his way to the primaries.
How will the rule changes in 2023 have a quick effect on goalkeepers’ playing taste?—Jonathan O.
The release clock, limits on withdrawal attempts, and larger bases put more emphasis on stolen bases, helping the Guardians, who ranked third in the majors in stolen bases and third with an 82% success rate. As Bell said, “changes in the game seek to publicize groups like the Goalkeepers. “
Bell seems to think he’ll take advantage of shift restrictions and said “a lot of lefties have been waiting for this moment for a long time. . . You have a runner on first base, you roll a ball and they reward you. “And now it’s the first and third instead of a double-play ball with the delay.
Defensively, Andres Gimenez’s Golden Glove defense at the current base deserves to pay off, as the days of placing three defenders on one side of the infield are over. Having a first baseman with some success will also be valuable, which can put pressure on Bell. and Josh Naylor to cover more ground. And with stolen bases encouraged, receivers will have greater responsibility. Mike Zunino has been well above the league average by getting rid of career runners.
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Every team begins a new season by saying, “Our purpose is to win the World Series. “In your opinion, what is the (unofficial but realistic) purpose of the Guardians for 2023 in relation to their prospects (talent, resources, etc. )?Do they agree to win the department and everything else is just the icing on the cake?Thank you for your tireless efforts to delve into this wonderful franchise and give us your take on Cleveland goalkeeping!—Johannes G.
It’s been three-quarters of a century since they won a title. Shouldn’t it be your realistic purpose to end this drought?By his point, though, I think a deeper playoff run is waiting for and serves as validation that last fall was no coincidence. The Guardians have constant their main weaknesses this winter, and while the list is rarely foolproof, there’s no explanation for why they can’t get the updates they want until the industry deadline.
Will Josh Naylor play boxing after his injury?—RJW.
Manager Terry Francona came out several times this winter to mention that he would at least like that to be an option.
They’ve talked about using this glut of customers on exchanges to other spaces for the past two years, but they seem reluctant to pull the trigger. What’s going on?— Michel T.
One of the points to be resolved is the schedule of the starting pitcher of the organization. Evidently, there is no certainty that Bieber will be a Guardian beyond 2024. Triston McKenzie emerged as a front-row starter last season and Quantrill is a workaholic, but who else the team can be sure of in the short term. ? They’ve been reluctant to bring in the hundred more sensible customers Daniel Espino, Gavin Williams and Tanner Bibee into trades because they know they’ll want them to help usher in Cleveland’s next big rotation, and they’ll want that transition. Be as transparent as you can imagine sometime over the next two years. That’s not to say all 3 are long-term aces, odds could imply there will be one, but with height limits, it’s possible they’ll eventually upgrade to Bieber or Civale or Zach Plesac. That doesn’t explain why there’s always a surplus of players in midfield, but teams (which include Oakland in Sean Murphy’s talks) have been obsessed with Guardian pitching.
How can the Goalkeepers use Will Brennan next season?-George T.
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As the first outfielder in line for a lot of playing time, Steven Kwan, Myles Straw or Oscar Gonzalez either miss or land on the injured list. For what it’s worth, FanGraphs’ Steamer projection formula predicts a 115 wRC for Brennan, which means an offensive performance 15% above the league average. FanGraphs’ ZiPS style is rarely so pleasant, projecting an OPS from Array687.
Would you rather look to improve the back of the starting rotation or look for another bat (e. g. Bryan Reynolds)?I prefer to do the upgrade myself, as I do not accept it as true with Plesac or Civale. —Jacob M.
The Astros still have initial pitch depth, and that shouldn’t replace Justin Verlander’s move despite the move. The Yankees added Carlos Rodón to an already solid roster that includes Gerrit Cole, Nestor Cortes and Luis Severino. The Mariners are sneaky loaded with Luis Castillo, Robbie Ray, Logan Gilbert and George Kirby. The Blue Jays feature Alek Manoah, Kevin Gausman and now Chris Bassitt. The White Sox are waiting for rebounds from Lucas Giolito and/or Mike Clevinger to complete a rotation that includes Dylan Cease, Lance Lynn and Michael Kopech.
It’s all on paper and pitchers back and wonder every year, maybe Cody Morris will emerge as a reliable force for Cleveland, for example, however, teams that stand in the Guardians’ way in the AHL employ headlines that wouldn’t appear. Out of position on a mound in October. It’s one thing for the Goalkeepers to expect Civale or Plesac to enjoy a rebirth, but it may be up to them to have some other certainty at the most sensible moment or in between. rotation. They can win this missing piece in July if they prefer, and they have the publicity ammunition to outperform other competitors.
Given that it’s Hall of Fame season, have the Cleveland Guardians invested anything in a player like CC Sabathia in the Hall of Fame, or in particular Kenny Lofton?will there be a ceremony?-James K
Sabathia, who will land in the poll in two years along with Ichiro Suzuki, is expected to one day enter Cooperstown as a member of the Yankees. He spent 11 seasons in New York and 8 in Cleveland. I think goalkeepers would celebrate a rite for him this summer, though. He maintains ties with the organization and visited it a few times last season. not in the Hall of Fame: Curt Schilling, Max Scherzer (will change), Verlander (will change) and Roger Clemens.
Lofton is elected through a committee. (And it deserves the highest consideration, despite falling in the polls in its first year in 2013. )In fact, he would constitute Cleveland, having spent 10 of his 17 seasons with the franchise (and no more than one season elsewhere).
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Induction into the room is the requirement for the club to withdraw a number. Retired from Cleveland: Earl Averill (3), Lou Boudreau (5), Larry Doby (14), Mel Harder (18), Bob Feller (19), Frank Robinson (20), Bob Lemon (21), Jim Thome (25) and Jackie Robinson (42). Only Harder, who pitched for the team for 20 seasons, is not in the Hall.
Something about Daniel Espino’s state of health?-David W
Espino returned to his local Panama after the season to receive physical therapy. He is expected to go to Arizona to complete his offseason training, and the organization expects him to “be perfectly fit for spring training,” according to team president Chris Antonetti.
As we approach 2023, is there anything worth sharing about what will be done for the site next year?Is there an adjustment to the percentage of on-call coverage?-Bill L.
A year ago, we were in the early stages of a 99-day lockout. In the end, there were debates about the change of call, Ramirez’s long career and how many blows from Bradley Zimmer we had to endure. One was delicate to cover this team. (And my wife and I had our first child on the way, which added a private layer of complexity. )
All of that is a thing of the past. Spring education is just around the corner, unbelievably, and the Guardians have well-deserved high expectations. They burst onto the scene last year, unexpected for anyone who didn’t have a locker in this clubhouse. But now is the time when we really got to know those new faces. I am a planner and I can honestly say that I have never had more projects, more fun ideas and big changes planned before a new year. Yes, we will end the countdown for Cleveland Baseball, which fell victim to the rapid turnaround from shutdown to the new season last spring. I have several trips booked for the beginning of the year to tell stories that want to be told. Of course, we will analyze and talk about the list until we can all say Pilkington 10 times faster. More than anything, I will continue to do my best to bring the scenes to you, to shed light on the people on and off the court, and the idea processes any and all resolutions on the diamond and in the front office. Whether you’re making it from Arizona, Seattle for the season opener, Progressive Field, or anywhere in between, the purpose is to make sure you’re reading policy that you can’t get anywhere else.
Talk to others in the new year.
Note: Approximately two hundred questions were sent for this mail bag. If I haven’t responded to yours, you can email me at [email protected]. Sometimes I avoid adding secure questions because I plan to address them in detail in a long separate article.
(Top photo: Raymond Carlin III / USA Today)