koufax37 said:
The platoon WMB and Drew idea and move X around I think is a lot better in cyberspace than on the infield. To do that to a rookie is extremely difficult and to do it multiple times within a series seems near impossible. You want him to be a superstar, not a utility guy.
The team had Bogaerts splitting time pretty evenly between 3B and SS when he was called up this season, and he spent about 1/5th of his AAA games at 3B as well.
I don't think it's a safe assumption that the FO views Bogaerts moving between 3B and SS as a hindrance to his development into the superstar they're hoping he'll become. Being over-matched at SS and carrying that frustration with him to the plate is just as valid an armchair psychologist angle to take for hindering his development as the defensive shifting back and forth.
Red(s)HawksFan said:
400+ PA to each of those three means what, ~750 PA for Pedroia? I know he's a gritty gutty hard-nosed player, but they can't go into the season expecting Pedroia to play every inning of every game. They need to have a utility guy who can take some innings/games at 2B here and there, and there's no room for him if you're rotating those three guys through the two positions on the left side of the infield.
It's not a matter of the quality of the players or how easily playing time could be divided, really. It's just not efficient roster construction to have Drew, X, and WMB on the same roster at the same time.
WMB was the emergency 2B at a few different points during the 2013 season and all through the playoffs. He is by all accounts a very good athlete. His value right now is at an all time low and what he needs to re-establish that value is ML at bats. Him going back to AAA and raking isn't going to dispel the notion that he's a AAAA guy who can't hit ML quality off-speed pitches outside.
So the Sox options for him right now are:
1. Sell low in a trade, bring Drew back.
2. Send him to AAA, block him with Drew, let Cecchini run him down building a log jam, and have Brock Holt as the UI, a mediocre at best defender who can't really play SS at the ML level and isn't likely to hit better than WMB.
3. Go into 2014 with WMB inked in as the starting 3B with Brock Holt as the UI while Cecchini is likely a year off still, so it's sink or swim time.
4. Start using that athleticism to diversify his defensive skill set and get his bat into the lineup at more positions, letting him prove it at the ML level without risking wins.
I'm ok with 3 if Drew can't be had for a reasonable price, but I don't see why it makes sense to choose options 1 or 2 if they can get Drew back on something like a 2 year deal for reasonable money.
WMB would have all of spring training to work on playing 2B, and while he's at it 1B. That gives you the best 25 man roster, and having both WMB and Carp on the bench gives a pretty powerful RH/LH tandem for pinch hitting needs.
The utility IF on every team in baseball gets quite a bit of playing time and they're usually pretty horrible at the plate. If we're talking about ways to pick up production and therefore wins I'd argue it is an excellent place to start. On top of that, this kind of plan has legitimate SS depth on the ML roster whereas going with pretty much any current UI options (such as Brock Holt) results in a backup SS who we really don't want to see cover the position for more than a game or two.
KillerBs said:
I am only really interested in having Drew as a back up infielder, even super sub, albeit one who plays a lot.
Drew can't be the super sub. He'd be the best defensive SS, he's the oldest of the three triangle guys, and he's the one with the least positional flexibility to date in his career.
WMB is the guy you move around. He's got the physical tools to handle any position but SS and C in the infield. He's already done some work at both 2B and 1B last season. He's also got the most potential to flash a bat you'd be ok with playing at 1B or DH should the current starters there get hurt. Lastly, he's got the small side platoon split that pairs with Drew's own splits.
