Thread: Article: Ranking the Twins Bench Options

If they take 3 catchers: I would rank the bench options:

1. Carroll (Dozier starting)
2. Parmelee (Morneau DH and Doumit bench/OF)
2. Rivera
3. Towles
4. Butera

If they don't necessarily take 3 catchers, I would rank them:

1. Carroll
2. Hollimon
3. Parmelee (Morneau DH)
4. Rivera
5. Burroughs (but his defense bothers me)
6. Chang
7. Dinkelman
8. Florimon

I don't see Benson making the team unless someone is injured.

Burroughs came into spring training with the reputation of being a pretty good fielder at 3B... can perceptions really change with a handful of spring training innings at the hot corner?

Originally Posted by Seth Stohs

Burroughs came into spring training with the reputation of being a pretty good fielder at 3B... can perceptions really change with a handful of spring training innings at the hot corner?

His UZR ratings were high when he was younger and with the small sample size of 2011. His Total Zone Ratings were always low (last season with SSS was -3 runs.) Good ol' fielding percentage: .956 (Valencia's career is .955, Nick Punto's is .958 exactly equal to Brian Buscher's) So, I am not sure about reputations, but he looks pretty stiff out there...

"the worst case scenario with only 2 catchers results in the forfeiture of the DH for the remainder of the current game."

And really, is letting the pitcher have a couple of at bats really all that much worse then Butera?

Originally Posted by Todd G

"the worst case scenario with only 2 catchers results in the forfeiture of the DH for the remainder of the current game."

And really, is letting the pitcher have a couple of at bats really all that much worse then Butera?

No, this is better than wasting ABs on Butera. Some of our pitchers can at least bunt -- "handle the bat" as Gardy likes to say.

It would also make that game's moment a very special and exciting one. I never get excited when Butera is at the plate.

Originally Posted by nicksaviking

I'm not sure why the team would go outside the organization either, unless they plan on getting a long term solution for 2B or SS. Utility infielders are a dime a dozen. None are going to be a significant upgrade to the current options, the nature of the backup infielder demonstrates that they are already a substandard major league option to begin with. In school, no one argues with the teacher to try to improve their grade from a D to a D+, it's just not worth the effort.

On a side note, with questions about Carroll's range (and age) why did the team so adamantly stick him at SS and Casilla at 2B? Casilla has never proven to be a poor SS and he seems to be more comfortable there offensively. Last year his OPS was 67 points higher when he played SS, his carreer OPS is 55 points higher at SS than it is at 2B. And if the Twins though JJ Hardy's range hurt the groundball pitchers, what's going to happen when they expect Valencia to make up the ground that Carroll can no longer reach? Carroll would be much more useful at 2B. I must be missing some obvious issue because this current arrangement seems illogical and I have heard absolutely no discussion on a switch.

I agree completely!