Outside The Confines: The countdown is on

It may come as a surprise, but we blinked and January is over. Wednesday will be the first day of February (and Thursday we’ll know the groundhog’s verdict on how much longer winter will last), but more than another month of winter, the start of February means one thing and one thing only:

Spring Training is starting soon.

Pitchers and catchers will report in the next two weeks, and then full squad workouts will begin. It’s a thrilling moment, the first time we get to see the players new and old reporting to spring training field, seeing offseason acquisitions in their new uniforms, and soak in that Arizona (or Florida) sunshine over the TV, even when we’re digging ourselves out of knee-deep snow.

Let’s get into today’s links while we get excited over the month ahead.

• Mike Petriello tries to determine how the new Comerica Park fences will affect the Tigers.
• Davy Andrews brings us a new stat (of a kind) looking at batters who have almost aged out of use, but can still hit against opposite-arm pitchers.
• Former AL All-Star Ray Herbert has passed away at age 93. (AP)
• Kennedi Landry takes a gander at how bright (and hopefully fruitful) the future of the Rangers is looking.
• Generations of greats.

• Michael Bauman takes a look at the first Cuban WCB team to have major-league players on the roster.
• Chad Jennings has eight vital questions for the 2023 Red Sox. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Bradford Doolittle takes a stab at figuring out how the 2023 rankings might look.
• Will Leitch has put together a list of six teams you might want to consider jumping on the bandwagon for. (The Cubs are included!)
• Tom Verducci places bets on some former stars looking to bounce back in 2023.
• Joe Mauer is (no surprises here) heading for the Twins Hall of Fame. Story by Dan Hayes. (The Athletic subscription required.)
• Thomas Harrigan figures out which teams have the best rotational depth.
• The Braves are standing by Brian Snitker through 2025. (AP)
• Tom Verducci and Matt Martell determine the winners and losers of this year’s Hall of Fame voting.
• Elizabeth Muratore shares why the BBWAA’s award to Sarah Langs couldn’t be more fitting.
• Don Cichalski does a historical deep-dive into whether or not a John Denver song got Billy Martin fired.
• 59 now...

And tomorrow will be a better day, Buster. Make it so.