Fact: Joe Maddon’s glasses make him 2% smarter.

Joe Maddon and the Rays fired the first shot of the postseason by the surprise announcement that rookie Matt Moore will start game 1 of the ALDS. The move is a huge-risk, huge-reward, roll of the dice that could decide the series.

Moore could be excessively nervous. He could fail to get out of the first inning, crippling the Rays by forcing innings out of an already exhausted bullpen.

He could strike out 15, giving the Rays an early series lead, and setting the stage for James Shields in game 2.

Who knows.

The consensus among scouts is that Moore is the top pitching prospect in baseball, and a near lock be a front-line starter in the Majors. His stuff is described with my favorite, but overused adjective, “electric”. He has nine innings of Major League experience, including one previous start among three appearances. He struggled in his first two appearances out of the bullpen, and dominated in his only start.

So, naturally, he is the pick to get a critical start against one of, if not the best, lineups in baseball.

It’s impossible to predict what we will see tonight. How close Moore is to his ceiling is To Be Determined, but we might have a better idea 12 hours from now.  Nonetheless, I think Maddon is making the right move by challenging the status quo, gambling with destiny, and introducing the fear of the unknown to what otherwise would have been a decidedly Rangers advantage in game 1.