There are few days to which I look forward more than MLB Opening Day. I’ve long considered it a holiday. My buddies and I would take off work and barbecue a bit of everything before first pitch, drinking all day. But this year’s been a lot different for all of us. Of the three of us, two lost jobs this year. But hope springs eternal with the start of Spring Training, which came to a sudden halt due to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. That’s why this MLB Opening Day has me especially hopeful, despite my best fantasy player contracting COVID-19.
MLB Opening Day is a day of hope, especially this season in the time of Coronavirus. In a 60-game MLB season, virtually every team has a chance. Hell, the defending World Champion Washington Nationals weren’t even a playoff team after 60 games last year. Meanwhile, my Minnesota Twins were tied with the Los Angeles Dodgers for the best record in baseball.
Don’t get me wrong, players are going to get sick. There is no bubble protecting them like there is in Florida for MLS and the NBA. Mike Trout is going to miss extensive time to attend the birth of his child because of the precautions COVID-19 requires us all to take. Plenty of players will be putting in 45-game seasons, and the team with the deepest “taxi squad” might end up winning it all. That’s why my money’s on the Twins.
The Twins’ taxi squad is outta sight. Royce Lewis was recently ranked 15th amongst all MLB prospects by Bleacher Report‘s Joel Rueter, with Alex Kirilloff coming in 30th. Both are on the Twins’ taxi squad, as is Brent Rooker, one of the best hitters to ever come out of college. Bleacher Report‘s David Kenyon profiled him as an under-the-radar prospect capable of a “Yordan Alvarez-like” year.
Just because these players aren’t on the Twins’ roster for MLB Opening Day doesn’t mean they won’t play an important role during the season. Players are going to get sick and hurt, and missing two weeks this season is the equivalent of missing more than 40 games in any other season. Therefore, the quality of a team’s taxi squad could be the difference between making and missing the playoffs, or advancing in and being eliminated from the playoffs. And the Minnesota Twins have a pretty good taxi squad. As for my fantasy team, I’ve never been more satisfied with a draft, but I still have no fucking idea what to expect.
