Moving Brett Lawrie to second base:
| Good idea |  35 (31.53%) |
| Bad idea | 76 (68.47%) |
111 votes | 8 featured comments
The way I see it is this:
Lawrie is solid defensively at 3B - we know that. His bat, however, is below average for the position (at this point). So we try flipping him to 2B, where he can hit like his is now and provide better value if he can prove he can play defense there as well as he does at 3B. If he fails defensively, shift him back to 3B and hope the bat develops.
Lawrie is solid defensively at 3B - we know that. His bat, however, is below average for the position (at this point). So we try flipping him to 2B, where he can hit like his is now and provide better value if he can prove he can play defense there as well as he does at 3B. If he fails defensively, shift him back to 3B and hope the bat develops.
I can't see the Jays putting E-5 back at 3B. He was awful there. Everyone remembers this, or has blacked it out of their memory entirely, right? Nearly destroyed him and us.
I can't see them moving Bautista back there either (I guess Chipper Jones managed it, but not many players move to easier positions and then back to 3B) - he's older and slower now.
So who plays 3B? If it is one of the guys already playing 2B - why bother with the move? Could this indicate a trade in the offing? I find it a baffling move, obviously...
This move doesn't make a lot of sense to me, but that they are toying with it does I think tell us something important about what the Jays think of Lawrie's potential as a hitter (ie, his bat won't play at third).
Top quality 3B players are easier to find/acquire than top quality 2B players. That's why A.A. acquired Izturis, DeRosa, to an extent Bonifacio and Kawasaki. Until A.A. acquires a 3B-man, Izturis and DeRosa will be fine there.
Is it possible the Jays have been pleased with Negrych's defense at 3B and see him as someone that can step in there?
It's possible. If that is true, the likelihood that you will see any significant defensive improvement overall by switching Negrych and Lawrie is still very low. My guess is that the club wants to (theoretically) maximize its trading acquisition targets by having Lawrie able to play both second and third base. If so, it's a poor strategy.
It's a tough move to evaluate, because, on its own, it makes no sense. I have to assume that there's something else going on behind the scenes on this one.
I agree with Paul D. Maybe Bautista has volunteered to move back to third if Lawrie can play second? Maybe the Jays want to go with a Cabrera-Rasmus-Pillar outfield in the second half? It's a bit puzzling.