I had a short debate this weekend with one of my co-workers (if you guessed it was Tom Mix, then you be right!) over the prospects of Joe Benson making the Minnesota Twins roster this spring.
Benson has the tools. He has power. He has speed. But he struggled in his September call-up with the team.
Anyway, the debate quickly shifted to Ben Revere, who grabbed headlines and attention with his glove.
All too often I hear baseball fans say that the Twins would be wise to move Denard Span, who has been the subject of trade rumors with the Washington Nationals dating all the way back to last summer. And I can understand the sentiment. Having two starters – Justin Morneau being the other – battling concussions at the same time puts a club on thin ice before a game has even been played.
Like many Twins last year, Span did not enjoy a particularly strong 2011. His OBP – the primary measuring stick for a leadoff hitter – was at .328, pushing his career total to .361. But Revere’s was only .310 last season. That’s not a huge drop from Span’s number last season but a massive drop from his career number.
Even if we’re not going to discuss Span, the idea that Revere is ready to assume the leadoff spot in the batting order is risky at best.
But his defense is no joke. The highlight-reel plays are great. Strictly in terms of the numbers, Revere was a premier defensive outfielder last year. FanGraphs lists his UZR/150 (Ultimate Zone Rating per 150 games) last season at 14.4 (zero is considered average). Among outfielders with at least 900 innings played, he ranks behind only fellow speedsters Brett Gardner (29.5) and Jacoby Ellsbury (15.7).
In short, the pitch-to-contact rotation needs Revere playing. But Twins manager Ron Gardenhire would be best advised to place the youngster in the No. 9 spot and cross his fingers on Span’s health. This could be the worst possible time to consider moving Span anyway, assuming the Nats are even remotely still interested.
Why not Revere in Center and Span in Left?