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Esteury Ruiz was traded to the Marlins this week. Why does this matter to me? Ruiz is fast. He stole 67 bases for the A's in 2023. He stole 62 in the minors last year and 85 in 2022. And so of course, no power? Wrong. Far from Judge-ian numbers but he has 73 career minor league homers and a .290 career batting average. If it were the 80s, Ruiz would be on an NL roster. But with only 4-5 bench players per team per game in today's baseball, Ruiz isn't a lock.
There needs to be a place in MLB for Ruiz and the "specialists". The answer? Either reduce pitching roster slots or increase bench player/active roster spots by 2. Allow specialists to specialize. But how? Allow re-entry. Wait? What? Is this softball? The re-entry rule would allow teams to use bench players once per game, at any point, to enter for a player who can re-enter at any point afterwards. Starters can return to the lineup once per game. Replacement players are "burned" once they come out of the game. They are no longer available. BUT, it would make room for speed demons, pure hitters and one-dimensional power hitters. It would keep everyone guessing and open up opportunities for optimizing offensive situations. The rule would not apply to pitchers.
An example. Its the 6th inning and you have a rally going. You're down by 2, the bases are loaded and you're at the 9th spot in the order. You have Luis Arraez on the bench. You pinch-hit for your fleet-footed, defensive-wizard of a shortstop and you insert Arraez. You let him bat and he singles and the rally continues for a bit. You decide to shift players and leave Arraez at 1st to get another at bat. He grounds out and you pull him for your defensive-wizard and end the game with defense but you managed to optimize Luis Arraez by giving him 2 at bats in 3 innings in a 9-inning game.
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> I'm working from a Starbucks. We're in that limbo area of the year. After Christmas. The machine has slowed down. The engine is idling. Vacations abound. Relationship prioritization. Sensible rest.
I have never liked this time of year. I like the sound of a strong engine. When it stops, I'm forced to reflect. I get antsy. Agitated. I feel an emptiness. Ideally, I should reflect upon the year. Write down notes. Take a rest. See what can be improved. Take many deep breaths. Prioritize Relationships. Take a vacation. Get some sensible rest. But I'm not sensible. I am governed by my own engine that still has me perplexed. I am not ready to stop my engine even if the world's idles.
New Years, to me, is just another obligated celebration. Its meaningless other than the 4th character of YYYY doing a ++. I don't live in the flow of culture or society. I am separate. Either by choice...or not.
So yes. I am working. I am doing what I do on May 3rd or September 27th. I did this on Christmas Day and will do it on New Year's Day. I did this on my birthday and will do it on every holiday and every day and every cruise and on every road trip.
And now I wait anxiously for the whir of the world's engine to start once again.
