Do the Twins Have a Shortstop Development Problem?

[Obsvr]

I think it's worth noting that while Keith Law is the most well regarded name that people turn to, it's somewhat impossible for him to have his finger on the pulse. 

He has 30 teams to cover and roughly 600+ prospects to keep tabs on.  When it comes to the Twins, i'd place WAY more faith in the staff here and their opinions/rankings over what Keith Law or some other national scribe thinks.

[jorgenswest]

I think Polanco’s 4.1 WAR is the second best season by a home grown SS bested by Versalles MVP season, Cardenas and Smalley each had a season better than 4.1 WAR and Smalley matched it once.

Maybe it is a matter of failed recognition rather than development. The Twins may have the SS answer in the clubhouse. This an era of shifting and fewer balls in play suits a bat first SS. I think the ceiling on Twin wins in 2022 is greater with Polanco at SS. Perhaps the floor is lower with the increased injury risk but the ceiling on wins matters way more than the floor.

[twinstalker]

Probably.  But the real issue is that the Twins have a shortstop identification problem.

[Linus]

First off the real problem is that it is really hard to be an above average MLB SS. the attrition rate for prospects at this position is always going to be way higher than elsewhere. 

Having said that Lewis was the first pick overall in the draft. If he can’t play above average SS in the bigs then this pick was a bust. If he can’t play short his best value might be in CF as trade bait.