Berardino: Dozier Looks Slick at Second Base

[DaveW]

Dozier and/or Plouffe in particular.

 

What are you talking about? Dozier and Plouffe could become the next Cano and A-Rod (in his prime) and the Twins would still most likely have a huge hole at SS moving forward. Unless you somehow think Florimon or Escobar are a legitimate option moving forward.

[DaveW]

Yupper, they're not exactly loaded in the middle infield, and there aren't any immediate reinforcements knocking down the door.

 

Also the SS free agents next year are well.....wow...just awful.

[johnnydakota]

This is the season for the Twins to figure out what they have. Carroll will fill the hole that fails(hopefully no more than one). Twins are running auditions for next year and 2015. If they happen to be better than expected this year great, but finding what they have is the main mission. Floriman is just getting the first shot at SS, just as Dozier is getting the shot at 2B. Hope they both make it, but do not expect it. Dozier has an extremely short time to prove it as the next wave will be here by 2015.

 

Wasnt that what we did in 2012?

[jokin]

Wasnt that what we did in 2012?

 

Rinse, lather, repeat....

[jokin]

Also the SS free agents next year are well.....wow...just awful.

 

The Twins would never go that FA route for anyone meaningfully impactful, anyway. I would like them to try to repeat their trade with the Brewers in acquiring Hardy-

 

trade an excess OF for a proven-sure-fielding, albeit with power, yet value-diminished rehabilitating, mid-20s SS- from a team looking to shed a soon-to-be unaffordable asset.

[ericchri]

I just don't expect much from Florimon, but as a fan I hope he proves me wrong. I think Carroll is our best SS option, but they're running the "kids" out there this year to see if any of them can hack it (pun semi-intended). I'd probably rather see Escobar get the start, with Carroll as the utility to start the season and Florimon in AAA, but all the talk makes that seem unlikely. Rumors of Escobar taking a little practice to be a possible emergency catcher make it seem near-impossible. Pretty sure you don't take a guy you think can start at short and have him work on playing catcher just in case.

 

The real thing to watch is does Danny Santana start the year at AA, and how does he perform? Not sure he's going to be any more of a hitter than Florimon or Escobar, but for now he seems like our best chance for a young, quality starting SS (i.e. not a utility or AAAA playing due to lack of better options) in the near future.

 

As for Dozier, I'm pretty hopeful about him at 2B. Good reports just add to it a little.