Keegan Matheson

But this lineup is built around Vladdy hitting for power.

If he's doing that, then George Springer in the leadoff spot.

Whoever's at number two, the bottom of the lineup, where they try to make a mess and be aggressive.

All of that looks so much better when Vladdy's hitting for power.

It helps the identity.

Right now, I still think they are searching for that identity from last year, or maybe it's a new one.

They haven't found it yet.

And when Vladdy does something, everyone else tends to follow.

So I think if Vladdy starts playing to his identity, which is the dude who can hit the ball further than anyone else in this building, everyone will follow.

Yeah, we talked to Alec Manoa there an hour or two ago, and he was detailing, guys, the injury he dealt with in spring training where one of his fingernails fell off, and it sounds about as gross as it is.

He was detailing how it happened, which I won't put everyone through here, but he's back, he is healthy, and Alec Manoa, guys, is the ultimate lesson about being excited about pitching prospects, right?

You go back to 2021 into 22, he's a top three Cy Young finisher.

Not only was he good, he looked like that old school, that throwback workhorse, you know, a guy who might throw 200 innings, which nobody does anymore.

Manoa looked like that guy.

And he had the moxie.

He had the swagger that everybody loved.

But it's easier to pull that off when you are one of the best in the league.

And his last couple of years here, it didn't land.

The injuries got in the way.

So I'm excited to see him get a fresh start.