Starting 2B/SS combinations used so far this spring (including the rained out game):
5 -- Punto/Everett
3 -- Harris/Casilla
2 -- Harris/Tolbert
1 -- Casilla/Harris
1 -- Casilla/Everett
1 -- Harris/Basak
0 -- Harris/Everett
Consider yourself warned.
This entry was posted by ubelmann on Monday, March 10th, 2008 at 6:40 pm and is filed under Guest Writers, MLB, Minnesota Twins, ubelmann. It is one of 616 entries by the author. We are no longer accepting Letters to the Editor on this post. Why?
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When Black Friday comes
I'm gonna dig myself a hole
Gonna lay down in it 'til
I satisfy my soul
Here's a fresh pot.
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I'm sure Gardy is just wanting to see some of these youngsters in action for himself, while...GREAT GOOGLY MOOGLY, THAT'S PUNTO AT THE TOP OF THE LIST!
*dead faint*
I think you guys are overreacting. It's not as if Gardenhire came out and said that Punto was the starting SS back in September or anything....Wait, he did?
From scouting reports and the notes in the newspaper, I fully expect Harris' glove is going to keep him from being a regular on this team. And I won't disagree that Casilla could use more time at AAA, so that leaves PUNTO POWER at 2B.
I'm just trying to lower my expectations for opening day.
I just edited this to add the Harris/Everett combo, which I intended on including in the first place.
I see that Machado was reassigned to the minor league camp. I thought he had to be on the active roster or offered back?
Nope, he was on the roster last year.
I thought he was on the 60-day DL, and I thought that didn't count. Huh.
I don't think the 60-day DL counts, either.
Machado was taken off the 40-man roster a while ago. At that point, he was offered back to whoever, but they didn't bite.
I think that's right, having scoured for an interpretation of the secret rules. I suppose he wasn't all that attractive with a torn labrum.
I don't mean to be snarky, but didn't you write an article a couple weeks ago advocating Punto as the starting second baseman? Has Gardenhire been browsing the WGOM?
I did write that, and maybe Gardy does read the WGOM. Maybe Gardy writes for the WGOM. Maybe I am Gardy. Maybe he feels a lot of peer pressure from the organization to follow his gut when he really wants to follow the numbers.
In all seriousness, I'm perfectly okay with Punto as the starting 2B. I just think that most Twins fans see that as a remote possibility, when all the signs so far point to him as the leader in the clubhouse (so to speak.)
My only fear is that Gardy won't actually pinch-hit for Punto as much as he ought to. But really, this is one of those cases where the manager doesn't make that big of a difference. Harris and Punto are pretty equal in value overall, and if he's just going to plug one in every day to play all nine innings, then he can't make a bad choice. (Conversely, he can't make a good choice, either.) It would make sense to start Harris every now and then--against a lefty starter or maybe with one of the fly ball pitchers on the mound--but even then, I'll probably wind up complaining about the lineups more than it actually matters.
Of course, there's an old saying in Tennessee, I think it's in Tennessee I know it's in Texas, "Fool me once, shame on, shame on you. Fool me twice, you can't get fooled again."
There's another saying that defines insanity as "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."
Perhaps management's hindsight needs corrective lenses.
I believe the second half of the aphorism is "won't get fooled again!"
Who's on first. What's on second. I Dunno's on third.
There's another saying that defines insanity as "doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results."
If Punto's hurt, then he shouldn't be out there. But when he's healthy, he's not as bad as he was last year.
Noted: Harris and Everett are equal with the most appearances (6 each), it's just that they never played together.
The key here (I think) is that Ron Gardenhire has noted in the past, and it is conventional wisdom, that it is important for middle infielders to get used to playing with one another.
It could be that, in an expanded version of ubelmann's earlier suggestion, Punto + Everett will be the starting defensive duo, and Harris + another infielder will be the replacement offensive duo... I have no idea who that other infielder would be, at this point, though.
Personally, I'd like to see Harris take some reps at third base. Maybe he's even worse defensively there, but he played a lot of 3B in the minors, and there promises to be a lot of playing time available at the spot because Lamb sure isn't going to play everyday (and he's no great shakes defensively either). And he's a better platoon partner there than Buscher, although historically Lamb doesn't have huge platoon splits (although perhaps he's been protected a bit, not being an everyday player).
Harris could be a good platoon guy at any of the 3 spots -- he raked against LHP in Tampa last year (.345/.411/.486) and also in 2006 at AAA. (In 2005 he was roughly even against LHP and RHP at AAA.)
I agree that I'd like to see Harris getting time at 3B. Even if he's not a whole lot better at fielding 3B, it's a less important defensive position than 2B or SS. On this team, he is best suited to be a bench player and spot starter against LHP. Traditionally, backup infielders are guys with good gloves, but not many teams have the no-hit infielders that we have.