The Twins' Opening Day lineup is bizarre.
We'll be hearing from Paul Molitor soon to hear about the decision-making process, but here's my first view:
- Brian Dozier: He may be comfortable as a leadoff hitter but he's the team's most accomplished hitter and most experienced quality player. He belongs in the 3 hole.
- Robbie Grossman: He is one of the Twins' best at getting on base, so this technically makes some sense, but this decision has some unintended lineup consequences.
- Byron Buxton: I think he'd be better of batting leadoff with his head and the bases clear. He profiles as a future No. 3 hitter, but this feels like too big a jump for someone who has had one good month in the big leagues.
- Joe Mauer: He is not a cleanup hitter. Not even close. His on-base percentage makes him a logical No. 2 hitter, or you could hide his lack of power at the bottom of the order. Cleanup? Nonsense.
- Miguel Sano: Mauer's lefthanded bat does break up Buxton and Sano, which is logical in and of itself. Sano should be batting cleanup but he didn't earn it last year.
- Jason Castro: I'd rather see Max Kepler here, but we're nitpicking at this point.
- Jorge Polanco: This is fine.
- Kepler: Sure.
- Eddie Rosario: Why not?
Mauer in the cleanup spot is the least-logical of these decisions. He hasn't had a .400-or-better slugging percentage since 2013. He's not a cleanup hitter, so why pretend he is?
No live shows at Hell's Kitchen this week but we'll post our full lineup at MNSPN.com, including Roy Smalley on the Twins.
We'll resume live shows at Hell's Kitchen next week once we know the Wild's playoff schedule.
@Souhanstrib
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