A Cry For Better Days: Shortstop

The Twins absolutely needed to allow their surprising rookie to validate his performance, but now that fact is that he simply hasn't. Heading into the heat of the summer, Minnesota has a very important decision to make.

Looking at the baseball field as a whole, two positions can lay claim to a higher importance in the field than most; center field and shortstop. Both roles act as a field generals of sorts and typically are manned by some of the best athletes on the team. Minnesota finds itself in a position where its shortstop ranks among the league's worst in several defensive categories, and is offering little value elsewhere.

After slashing an inflated .319/.353/.472 (mostly due to an unsustainable .400+ BABIP) in 2014, Danny Santana owns a paltry .226/.244/.305 slash line in 2015. He's walked just twice on the season, while accumulating 45 strikeouts. Despite being regarded as a speed threat, he has stolen just four bases while being caught three times (after being caught just four times in 24 attempts in 2014).

On the defensive side, he's made 11 errors (just two in 34 games at SS in 2014), is worth -10 DRS (defensive runs saved), and owns a -5.1 UZR (Ultimate Zone Rating). In sum, Santana is currently worth -0.7 fWAR (Wins Above Replacement) after posting a 3.3 value a season ago.

You absolutely had to expect a certain level of regression to hit Santana. His 2014 was otherwordly in context. What he's doing into 2015 however isn't regression. To put it simply, he's fallen off of a cliff. At this point, the Twins are nearing a crossroads where they must make a decision, and there are really only two options to consider. The first comes from within.

Jorge Polanco debuted with the Twins in 2014, making the leap from Single-A Fort Myers. Over the course of five games, he got eight plate appearances and collected a double and triple for his only two hits. This season in Double-A Chattanooga, he's continued his hot streak. The everyday shortstop for the loaded farm team, Polanco owns a .323/.355/.435 slash line. He's hit four home runs, driven in 24 RBI, walked 10 times, and struck out in 30 times. His nine errors are somewhat indicative of his arm strength (or lack thereof), and his fielding is something he will need to continue to refine (35 errors in 119 games at SS in 2014).

Suggesting a Santana for Polanco swap would not necessarily mean that the latter becomes the immediate starter. There's no doubt that Eduardo Escobar would need to be given the chance to run with the role first. A defensive upgrade over Santana, and potentially even Polanco, Escobar has flashed ability on his own. In coming over to the Twins after Minnesota dealt Francisco Liriano to the White Sox, Escobar has played a super utility role. Allowing him to focus solely on short, be removed from a DH spot, and give the Twins infield some stability, Escobar might thrive. His nine errors are somewhat indicative of his arm strength, or lack thereof, and his fielding is something he will need to continue to refine (35 errors in 119 games at SS in 2014).

If not, Minnesota could take a long look at Polanco as the starter sometime in the near future, but it may not rectify all of the issues. There's reason to believe Polanco could be a better hitter at the big league level, but he too could cede too many runs for the pitching staff's liking. That leads us to option number two, going outside of the organization.

Looking at what the Twins will do with promotions in 2015 and beyond, there's no shortage of logjams. From players like Polanco and Max Kepler, to pitchers like Stephen Gonslaves and Chih-Wei Hu, the Twins have plenty of other prospects not named Miguel Sano or Byron Buxton. Knowing that they may not be able to advance all of them through the system in it's current state, it may be time to deal some assets for immediate help.

Defensively, shortstop is a position that the Twins need to be sound. You probably need to go back to 2001 and Cristian Guzman for the last time you could point at the Twins having a true asset at the position. In going for a splash, the Twins could target a player like Andrelton Simmons to fill their vacancy... not the aged All-Star that Troy Tulowitzki is. Or they could target someone who would not command as much as the Cubs would require for Starlin Castro.

Undoubtedly, I'm not one to usually suggest trade scenarios; it's just not something I'm well versed in. That being said, Minnesota could pursue that scenario on their own should they deem Polanco not the immediate answer. No matter what happens, the thing that remains most clear is that Danny Santana is not the option to roll with currently.

As the summer draws on and this team jostles for position, it will be in how the next few weeks play out that determine how the Twins position themselves for the stretch run.

- Ted Schwerzler

Off The Baggy

@tlschwerz