For the first time in seven years, Minnesota Twins fans have something else to get angsty about — and it’s something that actually matters.
The team announced its postseason roster for Tuesday night’s Wild Card game — 25 men, one game, win-or-go-home — and to the surprise of a lot of fans, it did not include Miguel Sano.
The roster includes 11 pitchers, three catchers, six infielders and five outfielders.
Devising a Wild Card roster is a bit unusual, since it is not like a regular-season roster in that multiple starters aren’t technically needed. However, each team has more than one — for instance, the Yankees have C.C. Sabathia and Sonny Gray behind Luis Severino — for multiple reasons.
The first and least desirable reason is in case of injury. If a starter was to get a blister or get hurt warming up, length is needed in a pinch. Additionally, it allows managers to have a quicker hook for effectiveness reasons or just to avoid issues associated with seeing a batting order three or four times through.
The other thing to consider is that since these games are winner-take-all situations and bound to be tight games by just a few runs, they may also go into extra innings. Protection is needed there as well.
To that end, the Twins are protected with not only Adalberto Mejia but also Dillon Gee. They also have Buddy Boshers to take on a tough lefty late in the game — most likely a hitter such as Greg Bird, Didi Gregorius or Brett Gardner — after limiting them to just a .224/.258/.397 line this season.
Having three catchers might seem a bit unusual, but having Mitch Garver on the roster might be more about having a late-inning pinch-hit option for Max Kepler in the event he’d be facing Aroldis Chapman. Kepler hit just .153/.213/.240 against lefties this year, while Garver hit .290/.408/.530 in 120 plate appearances against them between Triple-A and the big leagues. We can’t be sure that Garver’s numbers will come close to translating from Triple-A, but it’s still almost certainly a better shot that he’d do damage than Kepler.
None of the rest of the roster is all that controversial. Ehire Adrianza gives the Twins some depth across the infield and as a possible late-inning defensive replacement. Zack Granite can come in as a pinch runner, and with some maneuvering could replace Kepler in the outfield if he needs to be lifted for a better hitting matchup. In the absence of Sano, Kennys Vargas is the next best option for a one-time, try-to-put-one-in-the-seats sort of deal.
Would there have been value in having Sano on the roster instead of an 11 pitcher, even for “intimidation” purposes? It’s hard to say. Even just Sano’s presence as a possibility might have altered how Joe Girardi would have managed, and that’s before considering that it’s possible to have had Sano stand in the on-deck circle with no intention of having him hit.
But that’s the beauty of the game — anyone can have an opinion and second guess decisions. The only thing that matters is what happens inside the white lines.
It should be a fun ride. Buckle up.
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