Sano won't play 3B AT ALL this year.

[Vanimal46]

 

You reveal your cards this early so that your players know what is expected of them.  Sano spends all of his fielding drills with the OF instead of splitting time with the IF.  If you don't reveal your cards and reporters notice Sano is not taking defensive reps at 3B, they are going to keep asking the questions and it becomes a distraction to the team.  If you don't want to reveal your cards early and have Sano take reps at 3B, you are just wasting his time if you have no plans to play him there.  Might as well have Rosario take reps at 2B just in case.

 

Its not like other teams are going to game plan around whether Sano is in RF or at 3B.

 

If you really think its about strategy, then maybe the strategy is raising the value of Trevor Plouffe.  Maybe there are teams out there sniffing around Plouffe thinking the Twins have Sano at 3B and thinking they can get Plouffe on the cheap.  If the Twins convince those teams that they are committed to Sano in RF, those teams make make more significant offers for Plouffe.

I suppose I can see that. I think that's pretty tunnel visioned of the team to not promote versatility with their players, but it could be the case that they only want them to focus on one thing. 

I don't agree with your paragraph about raising the value of Trevor Plouffe. If Sano is indeed a FT OF, the depth on this team at 3B just dropped off a cliff. There's a very slim chance now that Plouffe is traded. 

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

Sano is going to be playing those 20 games no matter what.  The real question is are we better off Nunez playing or a guy who had a .630 OPS in AAA last year.

Is he?  In the article I linked, Molitor is "most concerned" about Sano's health as he transitions to full-time outfielder.  I suspect he may see more days off than you expect.

 

And if it's not directly Nunez over Sano for those 20 games, it is Nunez over Sano/Park/Arcia/Vargas/etc (guys who would take Sano's spot while he covers 3B), and while each has their flaws, you would be able to take your pick of the hottest bat at the time, not necessarily locked in to Arcia if he's performing at 2015 levels, etc.

 

Not to mention, with Nunez at the primary backup, this will probably make us more likely to let Plouffe play through an injury too.  Maybe Plouffe will start 150 games at third with a 100 OPS+, when he could be starting 140 with a 110 OPS+.

[tobi0040]

 

Is he?  In the article I linked, Molitor is "most concerned" about Sano's health as he transitions to full-time outfielder.  I suspect he may see more days off than you expect.

 

 

The interesting thing about Sano's health is that you now put the biggest two organizations assets next to each other in the OF.  One goes about 265 and the other tends to run into things.

 

Kind of like the top few guys at a company on the same plane.

 

 

[clone52]

 

Devils advocate here, but what if the other side of the coin becomes true, and Sano isn't a competent OF at all and becomes Arcia 2.0? Then do we force a Plouffe trade to get him back at 3rd? What if Park is lighting it up in the DH spot? Bench him to put Sano in at DH? Bench Mauer and put Sano at 1st? (this is said in jest...we all know Mauer wont get benched no matter what his level of play is)

 

Then we do what so many people have been advocating all winter.  Trade Plouffe for pennies and put Sano at 3B.  Its entirely possible that will happen.  No need to assume it will happen and create a hole in the OF that needs to be filled with a guy who had a .532 OPS in the majors last year or a guy with a .650 OPS in AAA last year or a rookie. 

 

Lets be honest.  Sano is a risk in RF and a risk at 3B.  Nobody really knows for sure if he can handle either position full time.  I grant you, he is a bigger risk in RF than at 3B.  However, by taking the risk in RF, you fill the hole in your lineup with a proven commodity rather than Danny Santana, Oswaldo Arcia or Max Kepler.  Even though Kepler is a very promising prospect, he still has no time in AAA and you don't have a sure thing with Eddie Rosario on LF who could be due for a big sophmore slump.  Plus, Buxton didn't set the world on fire last year and might take awhile to adjust to the majors in CF.

 

Lets say Buxton improves a little, hits .250 with a .650 OPS.  Lets say Rosario's BABIP drops to a more reasonable .300.  Lets say Kepler comes in and has a good rookie season with a .725 OPS.  You'd be looking at a Twins outfield with an average OPS of .685.  That would make the Twins one of the worst, if not THE worst hitting outfield in baseball.

[clone52]

 

Is he?  In the article I linked, Molitor is "most concerned" about Sano's health as he transitions to full-time outfielder.  I suspect he may see more days off than you expect.

 

And if it's not directly Nunez over Sano for those 20 games, it is Nunez over Sano/Park/Arcia/Vargas/etc (guys who would take Sano's spot while he covers 3B), and while each has their flaws, you would be able to take your pick of the hottest bat at the time, not necessarily locked in to Arcia if he's performing at 2015 levels, etc.

 

Not to mention, with Nunez at the primary backup, this will probably make us more likely to let Plouffe play through an injury too.  Maybe Plouffe will start 150 games at third with a 100 OPS+, when he could be starting 140 with a 110 OPS+.

 

Vargas is not going to be playing RF (most likely).  Park is definitely not going to be playing RF.  If Sano moves to third, you will be replacing him with Arcia, Danny Santana or Kepler if you decide you don't want Kepler being an everyday player in AAA.

[Pardon My Dinger]

Whatever. I was pretty sure he'd be a good 3B. If fat Pablo can do it (and he can--he's a good 3B), then Big Mig can do it.

 

Having said that, I'm all done with the caring. Just let the kid be large and DH.

[Shaitan]

 

This point was mentioned by RiverBrian, Brock, and others, and it's worth mentioning again. I just don't see the advantage of Molitor giving a statement like that. At the end of freaking February.... Even if it's not true, this is the time of year where it's supposed to be duckies and bunnies, "We have a ton of guys competing for every spot on the field, so much versatility in our lineup, blah blah blah." 

Why reveal your cards this early in the season?   

Because, ultimately, what he says in February won't matter come April-October. It's just a press conference.

[Shaitan]

 

If it does end up being a disaster, then Molitor is going to have to make some tough decisions.

I think if it's a disaster, the decision is an easy one. It's if it's only a mediocre result where it's a tough decision.

[mazeville]

First, if the Twins are intent on playing Sano in RF, this is the right move. Put him in RF. Don't have him play 3B. Nothing unreasonable about this whatsoever.

 

People like me should probably get past the Plouffe thing. But to me the issue isn't about Plouffe, per se, but about roster balance. 

 

Plouffe plays third. Sano plays third. Plouffe is an average third baseman overall, which is why his value on the open market is not that strong. Sano has MUCH more potential and will be cheaper for the next few years. The team also has players who could step into third in a pinch if Sano doesn't work out, so the idea that there aren't backup options is a false narrative. 

 

Meanwhile, the team has this backlog of outfielders, even after the Hicks trade. Oswaldo Arcia, his 2015 notwithstanding, has the potential to produce just as much as Plouffe. And he's a lot cheaper. If Arcia doesn't work out, there is Max Kepler. 

 

The money the team would save from replacing Plouffe with, effectively, Arcia or Kepler could have been spent on a reliever. 

 

I get that the return just isn't there for someone like Plouffe. But keeping legacy players who are starting to cost more money when there are better and cheaper options because you can't get a return just doesn't make that much sense. Plouffe was a 2.5 WAR player last year, which was 15th in the league -- decidedly middle of the pack during his prime.

 

The biggest danger isn't somehow damaging Sano -- though it is frustrating to see a team focus on a player learning third base throughout his minor league career only to suddenly switch him to OF simply to keep a 2.5 WAR player. 

 

The biggest, rather, is the risk in losing someone like Arcia who has a ton of potential. And everybody on here knows that the moment the team puts him on waivers, someone else will pick him up and he will become the modern day version of David Ortiz. 

[Seth Stohs]

 

Seth, teams rarely if ever publicly say a player "can't" do something.  That's a negative judgement of their abilities.  So you're asking for an impossible level of evidence here.

 

Teams often imply the above behind a statement that a player "won't" do something.  I think that is what we are seeing here with Sano.

 

Equally difficult to provide evidence that they believe he can't do it when they have a defensive 3B (who can hit a bit too) who is better defensively. 

[clone52]

 

First, if the Twins are intent on playing Sano in RF, this is the right move. Put him in RF. Don't have him play 3B. Nothing unreasonable about this whatsoever.

 

People like me should probably get past the Plouffe thing. But to me the issue isn't about Plouffe, per se, but about roster balance. 

 

Plouffe plays third. Sano plays third. Plouffe is an average third baseman overall, which is why his value on the open market is not that strong. Sano has MUCH more potential and will be cheaper for the next few years. The team also has players who could step into third in a pinch if Sano doesn't work out, so the idea that there aren't backup options is a false narrative. 

 

Meanwhile, the team has this backlog of outfielders, even after the Hicks trade. Oswaldo Arcia, his 2015 notwithstanding, has the potential to produce just as much as Plouffe. And he's a lot cheaper. If Arcia doesn't work out, there is Max Kepler. 

 

The money the team would save from replacing Plouffe with, effectively, Arcia or Kepler could have been spent on a reliever. 

 

I get that the return just isn't there for someone like Plouffe. But keeping legacy players who are starting to cost more money when there are better and cheaper options because you can't get a return just doesn't make that much sense. Plouffe was a 2.5 WAR player last year, which was 15th in the league -- decidedly middle of the pack during his prime.

 

The biggest danger isn't somehow damaging Sano -- though it is frustrating to see a team focus on a player learning third base throughout his minor league career only to suddenly switch him to OF simply to keep a 2.5 WAR player. 

 

The biggest, rather, is the risk in losing someone like Arcia who has a ton of potential. And everybody on here knows that the moment the team puts him on waivers, someone else will pick him up and he will become the modern day version of David Ortiz. 

 

I disagree about the Twins backlog of outfielders.  If Buxton reaches his potential quickly and if Rosario doesn't regress in his second season and if Kepler is ready to be an everyday MLB OF with now AAA experience and if Arcia bounces back from 2015, they would have a solid outfield.

 

However, if Buxton is merely mortal and takes longer to acclimate to MLB and if Rosario doesn't improve his strike zone and see's his high BABIP drop and if Arcia doesn't rebound from 2015 and if Kepler struggles in the jump from AA to the majors with no AAA time, the Twins could have one of the worst hitting outfields in the major leagues.

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

Vargas is not going to be playing RF (most likely).  Park is definitely not going to be playing RF.  If Sano moves to third, you will be replacing him with Arcia, Danny Santana or Kepler if you decide you don't want Kepler being an everyday player in AAA.

If Sano sees any appearances at DH, it's more complicated than that.  Any player, including Park and Vargas, could cover his DH starts and free Sano for 3B duty.

 

And given what Molitor said about being "most concerned" about Sano's health, it seems likely he will see some appearances at DH this year, for rest if not injury protection.  His bat is just that good.

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

Equally difficult to provide evidence that they believe he can't do it when they have a defensive 3B (who can hit a bit too) who is better defensively. 

I wouldn't say equally difficult, no.  They've expressed concerns about his fielding, his size, and his conditioning in the past, and now we have a statement from the team that he "won't" play any 3B in 2016 except for emergency purposes.  Those aren't definitive pieces of evidence, but they are pieces of evidence that probably outweigh simple statements from his minor league days that he could handle the position.

 

I'd say it's more likely they view him as a poor defensive 3B than the prevailing alternative theory, which seems to be that playing ~20 games at 3B this year, a position he's played throughout his entire pro career to date, will be too much of a distraction and/or health risk for him.  If anything is a distraction and/or health risk, it would be the sudden move to RF.

[jimmer]

What might have been a good idea is if they had decided to alternate Mauer and Sano between 1b and DH and then sign a guy like Fowler to play a corner for two years. Then they wouldn't have needed Park, and Sano wouldn't be in the OF.

[clone52]

 

If Sano sees any appearances at DH, it's more complicated than that.  Any player, including Park and Vargas, could cover his DH starts and free Sano for 3B duty.

 

And given what Molitor said about being "most concerned" about Sano's health, it seems likely he will see some appearances at DH this year, for rest if not injury protection.  His bat is just that good.

 

Allright, I'm getting confused.

 

I thought we were talking about Sano playing RF versus 3B.  Not RF versus DH versus 3B.

 

Really, we're talking about who is going to play 3B for the 20-25 games that Plouffe does not play 3B.  Lets assume that that Sano plays 'somewhere' in those 20-25 games.  

 

Option 1:  Sano plays 3B.  Santana, Kepler or Arcia play RF.

Option 2:  Sano plays RF.  Nunez plays 3B

Option 3:  Sano plays DH.  Never mind, that is stupid because you'd have Nunez and Santana/Arcia/Kepler in the lineup with Park/Vargas/Plouffe all sitting on the bench.

 

In Option 1, you are filling a spot in the lineup with a guy with a 2015 OPS of .532, a 2015 AAA OPS of .650 or a rookie who has no playing time at AAA.

 

In Option 2, you are filling a spot with a guy who had a 2015 OPS of .758 and a career OPS as a utility guy of .696.

 

I would rather have Nunez in the lineup than Santana or Arcia easily.  If it were a full time job, I'd rather take a shot with Kepler, but it makes 0 sense to  have Kepler on the Major League Roster as a sub and its a big risk that he's ready to be an every day major leaguer.

[Seth Stohs]

 

I wouldn't say equally difficult, no.  They've expressed concerns about his fielding, his size, and his conditioning in the past, and now we have a statement from the team that he "won't" play any 3B in 2016 except for emergency purposes.

 

I'd say it's more likely they view him as a poor defensive 3B than the prevailing alternative theory, which seems to be that playing ~20 games at 3B this year, a position he's played throughout his entire pro career to date, will be too much of a distraction and/or health risk for him.  If anything is a distraction and/or health risk, it would be the sudden move to RF.

 

I don't think anyone has said he would or could be a Gold Glove 3B, but we know Trevor Plouffe is the starting 3B, and he is one of the better defensive 3B in the league. There's no reason for them not to play Plouffe most every day at 3B. And, if he's just getting a day off every other week (pretty normal), then it's better not to alter everything else. Gives Nunez a start there once every other week. Utility guys need to play some, and Sano remains in RF. 

[Seth Stohs]

 

What might have been a good idea is if they had decided to alternate Mauer and Sano between 1b and DH and then sign a guy like Fowler to play a corner for two years. Then they wouldn't have needed Park, and Sano wouldn't be in the OF

 

Yup, but Park is a guy they really like and have watched a lot and feel can add needed offense. And, his posting timeline was in early November. 

[mazeville]

 

I disagree about the Twins backlog of outfielders.  If Buxton reaches his potential quickly and if Rosario doesn't regress in his second season and if Kepler is ready to be an everyday MLB OF with now AAA experience and if Arcia bounces back from 2015, they would have a solid outfield.

 

However, if Buxton is merely mortal and takes longer to acclimate to MLB and if Rosario doesn't improve his strike zone and see's his high BABIP drop and if Arcia doesn't rebound from 2015 and if Kepler struggles in the jump from AA to the majors with no AAA time, the Twins could have one of the worst hitting outfields in the major leagues.

 

Buxton doesn't have to hit much to have some real value in the outfield. And I think the "if" with him is overstated a bit. He has performed at every level of the minors.

 

The backup on Rosario is Kepler. Arcia has a ton of power. Are there risks in having a young outfield? Absolutely. But there are risks all over the Twins' lineup and on the pitching staff. Brian Dozier is a fairly big IF at second base. Phil Hughes is a big IF on the starting staff. The entire bullpen is loaded with IFs. And the outfield with our without Sano is full of IFs. 

 

This organization has a lot of outfielders. It really didn't need to add one in Sano.

[alarp33]

 

I don't think anyone has said he would or could be a Gold Glove 3B, but we know Trevor Plouffe is the starting 3B, and he is one of the better defensive 3B in the league. 

 

Where are you getting this from? Neither the eye test, nor any stat backs this up?

 

He has turned himself from a way below avg fielder, into a competent one, even an "average" 3B.  I have no idea where people are getting that he's one of better guys in league from. 

[clone52]

 

Buxton doesn't have to hit much to have some real value in the outfield. And I think the "if" with him is overstated a bit. He has performed at every level of the minors.

 

The backup on Rosario is Kepler. Arcia has a ton of power. Are there risks in having a young outfield? Absolutely. But there are risks all over the Twins' lineup and on the pitching staff. Brian Dozier is a fairly big IF at second base. Phil Hughes is a big IF on the starting staff. The entire bullpen is loaded with IFs. And the outfield with our without Sano is full of IFs. 

 

This organization has a lot of outfielders. It really didn't need to add one in Sano.

 

I would say the question on Buxton is "when", not "if".  I've very confident he will be a great player.  I just imagine he'll still have struggles offensively this season.

 

If the backup to Rosario is Kepler, then who is your RF?  Plus, Kepler really should get at least half a season at AAA before jumping to the majors.  Without Sano in the OF, they have a high risk of having a very pathetic outfield offensively in 2016.  Putting Sano in the OF in 2016 really helps out the OF and you know 3B is going to be at least average offensively and defensively.

 

Now in 2017, if Buxton, Rosario and Kepler all pan out, its a different story and maybe Sano moves back to 3B.

[Vanimal46]

 

Allright, I'm getting confused.

 

I thought we were talking about Sano playing RF versus 3B.  Not RF versus DH versus 3B.

 

Really, we're talking about who is going to play 3B for the 20-25 games that Plouffe does not play 3B.  Lets assume that that Sano plays 'somewhere' in those 20-25 games.  

 

Option 1:  Sano plays 3B.  Santana, Kepler or Arcia play RF.

Option 2:  Sano plays RF.  Nunez plays 3B

Option 3:  Sano plays DH.  Never mind, that is stupid because you'd have Nunez and Santana/Arcia/Kepler in the lineup with Park/Vargas/Plouffe all sitting on the bench.

 

In Option 1, you are filling a spot in the lineup with a guy with a 2015 OPS of .532, a 2015 AAA OPS of .650 or a rookie who has no playing time at AAA.

 

In Option 2, you are filling a spot with a guy who had a 2015 OPS of .758 and a career OPS as a utility guy of .696.

 

I would rather have Nunez in the lineup than Santana or Arcia easily.  If it were a full time job, I'd rather take a shot with Kepler, but it makes 0 sense to  have Kepler on the Major League Roster as a sub and its a big risk that he's ready to be an every day major leaguer.

You're really honing in on the fact that Arcia had a bad year last year. It's no secret that it was awful, but conveniently left out of your post is the fact he was a 20 HR hitter in 2014 and a career OPS of .741 in the MLB... I'm not the biggest fan of Arcia either, mainly because of his boneheaded plays in the field, but it's not like this kid's career is toast. 

You're also honing in on the fact that Nunez had his best year of his career last year, which is great for a utility player... But is it going to continue with extended playing time? Didn't work out too well for the Yankees. I also don't trust Nunez to be a defensive upgrade at the position even over Sano... SSS I know, but in his Twins career, he's had 21 starts at 3B with 5 errors. That doesn't scream confidence to me. 

[mazeville]

 

I would say the question on Buxton is "when", not "if".  I've very confident he will be a great player.  I just imagine he'll still have struggles offensively this season.

 

If the backup to Rosario is Kepler, then who is your RF?  Plus, Kepler really should get at least half a season at AAA before jumping to the majors.  Without Sano in the OF, they have a high risk of having a very pathetic outfield offensively in 2016.  Putting Sano in the OF in 2016 really helps out the OF and you know 3B is going to be at least average offensively and defensively.

 

Now in 2017, if Buxton, Rosario and Kepler all pan out, its a different story and maybe Sano moves back to 3B.

 

RF is Arcia. My entire original comment was mostly about Arcia. He hit 20 homers and had a .752 OPS in 2014. And he has a career OPS of .807 v. righthanders. Did he have a bad 2015? Sure. But he remains a potential force in the lineup. 

[clone52]

 

You're really honing in on the fact that Arcia had a bad year last year. It's no secret that it was awful, but conveniently left out of your post is the fact he was a 20 HR hitter in 2014 and a career OPS of .741 in the MLB... I'm not the biggest fan of Arcia either, mainly because of his boneheaded plays in the field, but it's not like this kid's career is toast. 

You're also honing in on the fact that Nunez had his best year of his career last year, which is great for a utility player... But is it going to continue with extended playing time? Didn't work out too well for the Yankees. I also don't trust Nunez to be a defensive upgrade at the position even over Sano... SSS I know, but in his Twins career, he's had 21 starts at 3B with 5 errors. That doesn't scream confidence to me. 

 

I hope Arcia bounces back and if he does, thats a great thing.  That would let them shop Plouffe, move Sano to 3B and give Arcia RF full time (or at least a great platoon).  That would be a best case scenario for the Twins.  Can you imagine a lineup of Buxton, Dozier, Mauer, Sano, Arcia

 

Next, I specifically posted Nunez's career OPS of .696 because he did have a great year last year.  Thats still better than what Santana would provide, likely better than what Arcia will do unless he gets his head on straight and likely better than what a rookie with no AAA experience playing a couple days a week could do.  Also, why are you talking about extended playing time for Nunez?  We're talking about 20-25 games at 3B along with filling it at SS and 2B occasionally.  He's been a career utility guy which is what he would be doing next year.

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

Allright, I'm getting confused.

 

I thought we were talking about Sano playing RF versus 3B.  Not RF versus DH versus 3B.

 

Really, we're talking about who is going to play 3B for the 20-25 games that Plouffe does not play 3B.  Lets assume that that Sano plays 'somewhere' in those 20-25 games.  

 

Option 1:  Sano plays 3B.  Santana, Kepler or Arcia play RF.

Option 2:  Sano plays RF.  Nunez plays 3B

Option 3:  Sano plays DH.  Never mind, that is stupid because you'd have Nunez and Santana/Arcia/Kepler in the lineup with Park/Vargas/Plouffe all sitting on the bench.

 

In Option 1, you are filling a spot in the lineup with a guy with a 2015 OPS of .532, a 2015 AAA OPS of .650 or a rookie who has no playing time at AAA.

 

In Option 2, you are filling a spot with a guy who had a 2015 OPS of .758 and a career OPS as a utility guy of .696.

 

I would rather have Nunez in the lineup than Santana or Arcia easily.  If it were a full time job, I'd rather take a shot with Kepler, but it makes 0 sense to  have Kepler on the Major League Roster as a sub and its a big risk that he's ready to be an every day major leaguer.

At the same time, you seem to be making this more complicated and more simple (comparing 2015 OPS figures) than it actually is.

 

Sano will get days off from RF, that is sure.  Plouffe will get days off from 3B, that is sure.  On those days that Plouffe gets his days off, I'd like the option to shift Sano to 3B and use Arcia (or Kepler) in RF, OR you could use Nunez at 3B if you like.  If Sano gets "days off" at DH, you'd have the further option to use Vargas or Park in his place at DH, OR you could still just use Nunez at 3B.  And if you've got Nunez at 3B, you'd have the option of pinch hitting for him and shifting Sano there, even if Plouffe was unavailable.  If you've got Sano at 3B and a late lead, you'd have the further option of shifting him to 1B or RF or wherever you were willing to de-prioritize defense.

 

The point is, options.  You could see who is hitting best (and/or fielding best) at the time and go from there.  If you really trust the 2015 numbers, you might be right, it could be Nunez.  But it might not be, the complete records of Arcia and Park make a compelling argument otherwise.

 

I've understood since at least November that Sano wasn't a big priority at 3B, and I have no problem with that.  The idea that he's only an emergency option, what Molitor said yesterday, seems unwise, though.

[clone52]

 

RF is Arcia. My entire original comment was mostly about Arcia. He hit 20 homers and had a .752 OPS in 2014. And he has a career OPS of .807 v. righthanders. Did he have a bad 2015? Sure. But he remains a potential force in the lineup. 

 

In an ideal world, it might work to sit Plouffe on games against strong RHP, put Sano at 3B and Arcia in RF.  However, we don't really know how Arcia will perform when only playing a couple times a week.  We know exactly what we are getting with Nunez, who is used to playing that way.

 

Also, those games when we are facing a tough RHP are also the games you might want to rest Sano or Park.

[clone52]

 

At the same time, you seem to be making this more complicated and more simple (comparing 2015 OPS figures) than it actually is.

 

Sano will get days off from RF, that is sure.  Plouffe will get days off from 3B, that is sure.  On those days that Plouffe gets his days off, I'd like the option to shift Sano to 3B and use Arcia (or Kepler) in RF, OR you could use Nunez at 3B if you like.  If Sano gets "days off" at DH, you'd have the further option to use Vargas or Park in his place at DH, OR you could still just use Nunez at 3B.  And if you've got Nunez at 3B, you'd have the option of pinch hitting for him and shifting Sano there, even if Plouffe was unavailable.  If you've got Sano at 3B and a late lead, you'd have the further option of shifting him to 1B or RF or wherever you were willing to de-prioritize defense.

 

The point is, options.  You could see who is hitting best (and/or fielding best) at the time and go from there.  If you really trust the 2015 numbers, you might be right, it could be Nunez.  But it might not be, the complete records of Arcia and Park make a compelling argument otherwise.

 

I've understood since at least November that Sano wasn't a big priority at 3B, and I have no problem with that.  The idea that he's only an emergency option, what Molitor said yesterday, seems unwise, though.

 

Options are good.  However, when you are weighing all the potential lineups you need and options you need, I just don't see the need for an option of Sano at 3B.  Obviously the coaches have looked into it and don't see it as an option they need and prefer to have Sano concentrate on RF.

 

Letting a young player concentrate on a single position isn't just about having them comfortable defensively.  Its also about them not having to think about too many things and letting those distractions affect them offensively.

[clone52]

 

RF is Arcia. My entire original comment was mostly about Arcia. He hit 20 homers and had a .752 OPS in 2014. And he has a career OPS of .807 v. righthanders. Did he have a bad 2015? Sure. But he remains a potential force in the lineup. 

 

 

I don't know if you're a WAR guy, but even in 2014, Arcia was barely above 0 WAR offensively and defensively.  Nunez has been a slightly positive WAR guy for the Twins and is already comfortable not playing every day.

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

I don't think anyone has said he would or could be a Gold Glove 3B, but we know Trevor Plouffe is the starting 3B, and he is one of the better defensive 3B in the league. There's no reason for them not to play Plouffe most every day at 3B. And, if he's just getting a day off every other week (pretty normal), then it's better not to alter everything else. Gives Nunez a start there once every other week. Utility guys need to play some, and Sano remains in RF. 

"Better not to alter everything else"?  Sano is being moved to a position he's never played in his life.  Starting a game every other week at his natural position is child's play compared to that.  Heck, it's probably the minimum required to keep him as an option in case Plouffe was unavailable for multiple games, something you'd probably endorse but something that Molitor seems to be precluding (his "injuries hit us hard" condition implies emergency scenario to me, at least a DL stint and possibly a 60-day DL stint as another poster suggested).

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

He played nine games at third, Dave. That's not SSS, that's irrelevant data and tells us nothing.

Yeah it's SSS but it's not irrelevant. In those 9 games you saw Sano lay out for a ball. Plouffe almost never gives up his body for a ball to his right.

 

http://m.mlb.com/video/topic/29387502/v316475183/sea-min-sano-makes-a-diving-stop-to-rob-gutierrez

[Otto von Ballpark]

 

I hope Arcia bounces back and if he does, thats a great thing.  That would let them shop Plouffe, move Sano to 3B and give Arcia RF full time (or at least a great platoon).  That would be a best case scenario for the Twins.  Can you imagine a lineup of Buxton, Dozier, Mauer, Sano, Arcia

Arcia might not even get an opportunity to bounce back, the way the roster is currently constructed.  Spot starts for Sano at 3B would actually be a way to get Arcia a few more opportunities early, without taking away opportunities from Park.

 

And just because you can shop Plouffe doesn't mean you will actually move him.  If the 3B market in July is basically the same as it is now, why bother?  I'd rather keep him, and just have more options for working him, Sano, and Arcia (or Kepler, if he comes up by then, or Park/Vargas if they show they belong) into the same lineup, which is made more difficult when you promise non-emergency 3B starts to Nunez.