The Monday print column concerns Marwin Gonzalez, the Twins new multi-position regular, and how he's fit into the lineup.
Twins fans of a certain age have seen this act, or something like it, before. Cesar Tovar in the late 1960s played pretty much every day while splitting starts between second base, third base and the outfield.
He may be remembered for the 1968 gimmick game in which he played all nine positions, but he was truly a multi-position regular:
1966: 73 starts at second base, 27 at shortstop, 16 in center.
1967: 60 starts in center, 56 at third, 31 at second. (Tovar that year played 164 games in a 162-game schedule, an iron-man feat made possible by two ties.)
1968: 67 at third, 29 in center, 15 in left, 20 at short, 12 at second.
1969: 65 in center, 33 at second, 14 at third.
And those are just the positions at which he had at least a dozen starts in a season.
Tovar was essentially locked in as the center fielder for 1970, and he was predominately an outfielder the rest of his career. The Phillies did shuffle him around in 1973 in a part time role.
Showing posts with label superutility. Show all posts
Showing posts with label superutility. Show all posts
Monday, March 4, 2019
Thursday, September 7, 2017
Contemplating Eduardo Escobar
I haven't noticed Dick Bremer yakking about "superutility" players nearly as often since the Twins cut Danny Santana loose earlier this year. It was a reflexive reaction from the TV play-by-play guy whenever Santana got on the field, which was way too often.
Bremer doesn't have the same reaction to Eduardo Escobar, which is
What is the difference between a utility player and a superutility player? Well, what is the difference between Ehire Adrianza and Ben Zobrist? Playing time. Zobrist can hit (or at least he has a well-established track record of hitting; he's not been nearly as productive this season); his managers -- largely Joe Maddon -- make a point of getting him in the lineup on a regular basis even if not at the same position every day.
Zobrist this year has started at three different positions (second base, left field, right field) nd picked up a few innings at two others (first base and shortstop). Adrianaza has started games at five different positions (short, third, second, left and first). But Zobrist has more than 400 plate appearances, Adrianza just cracked 150 on Wednesday.
Utility players are versatile. Superutility guys are regulars without a set position. Superutility guys hit well enough to get lots of at-bats in the top half of the lineup, and they field well enough to get some of their playing time at an up-the-middle position. But they don't field so well that the manager is going to just make him the every day centerfielder or shortstop.
Which brings us to Escobar. "Eddie the Stick," as the Star Tribune's LaVelle Neal often calls him on Twitter, hit cleanup Wednesday (and drove in three runs). He has compiled 400-plus plate appearances so far, getting starts at third base, shortstop, second base and even designated hitter, has set career high for homers and RBIs and is nearing a career high in runs scored.
Escobar is playing third a lot right now because Miguel Sano is sidelined, but Paul Molitor was finding ways to get him into the lineup frequently before that, often against lefties (the switch-hitter is hitting much better from the right side.) The only lineup slot he hasn't started in at least once is leadoff.
This is Escobar's third season of 400-plus plate appearances for the Twins; he has another with 377. That's not really superutility usage. But it's close.
Bremer doesn't have the same reaction to Eduardo Escobar, which is
- a blessing, because as far as I'm concerned, Bremer uses the term far too loosely; and
- too bad, because Escobar is a better fit for the term than Santana ever was.
What is the difference between a utility player and a superutility player? Well, what is the difference between Ehire Adrianza and Ben Zobrist? Playing time. Zobrist can hit (or at least he has a well-established track record of hitting; he's not been nearly as productive this season); his managers -- largely Joe Maddon -- make a point of getting him in the lineup on a regular basis even if not at the same position every day.
Zobrist this year has started at three different positions (second base, left field, right field) nd picked up a few innings at two others (first base and shortstop). Adrianaza has started games at five different positions (short, third, second, left and first). But Zobrist has more than 400 plate appearances, Adrianza just cracked 150 on Wednesday.
Utility players are versatile. Superutility guys are regulars without a set position. Superutility guys hit well enough to get lots of at-bats in the top half of the lineup, and they field well enough to get some of their playing time at an up-the-middle position. But they don't field so well that the manager is going to just make him the every day centerfielder or shortstop.
Which brings us to Escobar. "Eddie the Stick," as the Star Tribune's LaVelle Neal often calls him on Twitter, hit cleanup Wednesday (and drove in three runs). He has compiled 400-plus plate appearances so far, getting starts at third base, shortstop, second base and even designated hitter, has set career high for homers and RBIs and is nearing a career high in runs scored.
Escobar is playing third a lot right now because Miguel Sano is sidelined, but Paul Molitor was finding ways to get him into the lineup frequently before that, often against lefties (the switch-hitter is hitting much better from the right side.) The only lineup slot he hasn't started in at least once is leadoff.
This is Escobar's third season of 400-plus plate appearances for the Twins; he has another with 377. That's not really superutility usage. But it's close.
Saturday, February 20, 2016
Tony Phillips, 2B, LF, 3B, SS, DH, RF, CF -- and RIP
Tony Phillips, a multiposition player who played in more than 2,000 games over his 18-year career and had only one season as a true regular at one spot, died this week. He was 56, which means he was younger than me, which probably should bother me more than it does but apparently bothers me enough to drag it into this first paragraph and leave it in.
Anyway: Phillips emphatically fit my definition of a "superutility" player, which is tighter than the definition that the Twins beat writers appear to employ. They use the term for somebody who plays outfield and infield; I reserve it for players who not only play in both infield and outfield, but who hits well enough to be a lineup fixture while fielding well enough to play at least one up-the-middle spot at least part time but not so well so to be a full-timer there.
That's Ben Zobrist in today's game. That's Cesar Tovar for the Twins in the late 60s (in 1970 he became the full-time centerfielder.) And that was, emphatically, Phillips in the 1990s, after he left the Athletics.
It could have been Michael Cuddyer with the Twins in the previous decade, but Ron Gardenhire clearly didn't trust him enough as a second baseman to give me more than token time there, Right field, yes; first base, yes; second base or center field, only in an emergency. That's not a superutility guy, in my view.
The Google search I employed this morning on Phillips's death to check exactly when he died (Feb. 17, although the news didn't break until Friday) led off with two -- New York Times and ESPN -- that emphasized the he made the play that ended the 1989 "earthquake" World Series, which is a nice bit of trivia but isn't really what makes Tony Phillips,baseball player, memorable. It was the versatility and the mid-career sea-change as a hitter.
With Oakland, where he spent the first eight years of his career, he was a league-average hitter. With Detroit, he started drawing 100 walks a year, and that made him one of the best leadoff men around, even if Sparky Anderson seldom played him at the same position two days in a row.
We're going to see chatter about Danny Santana as a superutility candidate this spring. He's out of options, he's spent most of his major league time at center and short, he spent much of the winter ball season as second base in the Dominican. But in my mind, he's not a superutility guy if he's not getting 500 or more at-bats while shifting all over the diamond.
The players who can do that are rare indeed.
Anyway: Phillips emphatically fit my definition of a "superutility" player, which is tighter than the definition that the Twins beat writers appear to employ. They use the term for somebody who plays outfield and infield; I reserve it for players who not only play in both infield and outfield, but who hits well enough to be a lineup fixture while fielding well enough to play at least one up-the-middle spot at least part time but not so well so to be a full-timer there.
That's Ben Zobrist in today's game. That's Cesar Tovar for the Twins in the late 60s (in 1970 he became the full-time centerfielder.) And that was, emphatically, Phillips in the 1990s, after he left the Athletics.
It could have been Michael Cuddyer with the Twins in the previous decade, but Ron Gardenhire clearly didn't trust him enough as a second baseman to give me more than token time there, Right field, yes; first base, yes; second base or center field, only in an emergency. That's not a superutility guy, in my view.
The Google search I employed this morning on Phillips's death to check exactly when he died (Feb. 17, although the news didn't break until Friday) led off with two -- New York Times and ESPN -- that emphasized the he made the play that ended the 1989 "earthquake" World Series, which is a nice bit of trivia but isn't really what makes Tony Phillips,baseball player, memorable. It was the versatility and the mid-career sea-change as a hitter.
With Oakland, where he spent the first eight years of his career, he was a league-average hitter. With Detroit, he started drawing 100 walks a year, and that made him one of the best leadoff men around, even if Sparky Anderson seldom played him at the same position two days in a row.
We're going to see chatter about Danny Santana as a superutility candidate this spring. He's out of options, he's spent most of his major league time at center and short, he spent much of the winter ball season as second base in the Dominican. But in my mind, he's not a superutility guy if he's not getting 500 or more at-bats while shifting all over the diamond.
The players who can do that are rare indeed.
Friday, September 5, 2014
Danny Santana, superutility player
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| Danny Santana has been a fixture in the leadoff spot, but he has started just 20 games at shortstop. |
Santana did start at short on Wednesday. On Thursday, however, he was back in center field. Which led to (knowledgeable) fan reaction such as this:
Danny Santana has the speed & arm to play shortstop for Twins. Jury is out on instincts & decision-making. Can't find out while playing CF.
— Parker Hageman (@ParkerHageman) September 4, 2014
I've made similar points about Santana's use over the past month or more. But something occurred to me this week, also in conjunction with the September callups: While we in Minnesota haven't seen Santana play shortstop regularly, the Twins organization has.
I'll guarantee you, the Twins have on file (either electronically or on paper) report upon report from minor league managers Jack Mauer, Jeff Smith and Gene Glynn (each of whom has managed Santana during the past three years) about his defense.
In talking this week about September callup Doug Bernier, Ron Gardenhire mentioned that when the Twins called up Santana earlier in the season, it was Bernier who was "recommended" for the call. That recommendation, I infer, came from Glynn, who had both players at Rochester.
Theory: The Twins already have a pretty good idea about Santana's "instincts and decision-making" at short, and about his reliability and consistency on the routine plays. That idea is: You don't want him playing the position six days a week.
The Twins are never likely to say that out loud. They're not going to publicly belittle his talents, and besides, Eduardo Escobar could sprain his ankle on Saturday and pretty much force the Twins to deploy Santana at short.
But if my theory is correct, Santana might be the kind of "superutility" guy Gardenhire suggested during spring training that he was looking for, a player he can use in the manner that Tampa Bay uses Ben Zobrist: in the lineup everyday, but moving from position to position.
The Santana we've seen this year at the plate is certainly productive enough to carry a key offensive role. The Santana we've seen in the field is good enough to get by at up-the-middle positions, but not a truly high-caliber glove man. And a key to Zobrist and other superutility types: They hit enough to stay in the lineup.and field well enough to play a key position but not so well that they can be a regular there.
I can envision Santana, when Byron Buxton arrives to take over center field, shifting to left for the bulk of his playing time, but getting a few games at shortstop and center to give the regulars there a day off. That's the kind of flexibility Zobrist gives the Rays, and that Michael Cuddyer used to provide for Gardenhire.
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