Quake Griffin wrote:Turner didn't look good at SS with my eye test.
I bet my bottom dollar that Barney can cover SS better than he does.
like Turner backing up 2nd n 3rd.
true Barney is the better defensive shortstop than Turner.
but it is also possible that looking at our roster Barney starts his season backing up Erisbel in AAA, although Barney will get the call up before Erisbel.
here is why.
we typically start the season with 12 pitchers and 13 position players, which breaks down to 2 catchers, 5 outfielders, and 6 infielders.
catchers we know. Grandal and AJ
5 OFers are : Crawford / Joc / Puig / Ethier / and the 5th guy.
6 IFers are : Gonzo / Kendrick / Rollins / Uribe / Turner / and the 6th guy.
those last positions for 5th OF and 6 IF comes down to 3 guys for two remaining jobs. first candidate to make that list is Scott Van Slyke. Scott however, can be slated as an IF or OF because he can cover all 3 OF ( poorly for CF, but) and 1B. knowing Gonzo's age, his versatility, and the heavy bat he carrys, SVS is a shoe in.
so there is 1 spot left. this is where things get a little interesting and I think strong spring training may end up dictating what happens here. here me out.
Joc is a lefty, and he will most likely win the starting CF position. our 4th OF is Ethier who is worthless against a left handed pitching and simple logic says we would probably rest the rookie if he struggles against lefties and he will. there is one right handed OF who can play better defense than Ethier. remember the name Heisley? I see him as the platoon mate for Joc and Ethier will become the primary 16 million a year pinch hitter for this team as a left handed bat, pairing with Scott Van Slyke as the right handed pinch hitter.
so, Barney becomes IMO the odd man out due to his lack of hitting. however, this arrangement could change quickly as you have mentioned, if Rollins is injured for a long time and we need an everyday defensive SS. if that happens, I believe Barney and Erisbel are the replacements in case of Rollins being on IR and not a part of the opening day roster.
if I am wrong, I would assume that Heisley bombed the spring training and the Dodgers are opening the season with Ethier then SVS as our spare OFs and we are rolling with Turner and Barney as spare IFers, which is also a strong possibility. I say it is 55 to 45 and it could go either way. but if I was Freidman and Z, I would much rather have a potent L / R pinch hitting combo waiting for those crucial late innings every game than use one of them for a platoon with automatically means you will have redundant pinch hitters.
but in the end I think it is Heisley's job to lose.
ehhhhh f it.