Minnesota Twins vs AL Central at Second Base
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How do the Minnesota Twins compare to their AL Central competition at Second Base?
With the return of All-Star second baseman Brian Dozier, the argument could be made that the Minnesota Twins’ most productive position on the roster is second base.
This also goes for the rest of the American League Central as several teams send out current or former All-Stars on a daily basis, making second base perhaps among the deepest in the division.
But the real question remains, which team has the best overall second baseman? Do defensive metrics outweigh the importance of offensive performance? Is experience more important than youth? Which team has the best outlook at the position for the future?
Minnesota Twins
Dozier’s 2015 campaign allowed him to show off his abilities in all facets of the game. Not only was he an All-Star, but he set career highs in homers (28), RBI’s (77), hits (148) and doubles (39).
He was also a finalist for the Gold Glove award, showing off that he was not only a prominent offensive presence but a strong fielder as well.
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What comes after Dozier, however, is where things get a bit murky. And rightfully so. Dozier is fully entrenched at second base and has played well enough to ensure his place with the Twins for quite some time.
The Twins’ depth at the position could be made up of any combination of Danny Santana, Eduardo Nunez or even Jorge Polanco if need be.
However, the one thing all three of these players have in common is their listed position is shortstop, so they would be playing more of a utility role making second base one of the Twins’ most productive yet weakest in terms of true depth.
And if anything happened to Dozier, there would then be a huge drop off in terms of production but that argument could be made for any of the other teams in the division.
Next: The Rest of the AL Central
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Chicago White Sox: Newly-acquired Brett Lawrie has spent most of his career at third base but is currently listed as the starting second baseman due to All-Star Todd Frazier joining the Sox this past offseason.
Cleveland Indians: A breakout performer in 2015, Jason Kipnis hit a career-high .823 OPS while making the All-Star team.
Detroit Tigers: The oldest and most experienced team in the Central features perhaps the most prolific player in Ian Kinsler. Kinsler’s glory days may be behind him but he is still a consistent producer after hitting .770 OPS with 11 homers.
Kansas City Royals: There weren’t many weaknesses with the reigning World Series champions last season but second base clearly was one of them as Omar Infante hit just .552 OPS with two home runs 44 RBI’s in 124 games.
1. Detroit Tigers
Kinsler’s days of 30+ home runs may be long gone but that hasn’t prevented him from remaining a constant threat for extra base hits or really becoming a better overall hitter. Defensively, Kinsler also remains one of the steadiest at the position and brings plenty of experience with several postseason appearances including two trips to the World Series. It was close between our No. 1 and No. 2 teams but Kinsler remains a steady force at the position and takes this spot.
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2. Minnesota Twins
It really was a bit of a toss-up between Kipnis and Dozier but the deciding factor was Dozier’s power and run production. Dozier solidified his spot as one of the top second baseman, not only in the Central, but the majors. Sure, his OBP was low (.307) but you can’t argue with his slugging, RBIs and defensive production.
Next: Indians, White Sox, Royals
Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
3. Cleveland Indians
Kipnis had a resurgent 2015 season after a difficult 2014 campaign. However, his power, run production and steals haven’t returned to his 2012 and 2013 totals. He stole 12 in 2015 as opposed to 30 in 2013. He did post the best OBP mark of his career with a .372.
4. Chicago White Sox
Lawrie’s stats have been pretty consistent throughout his career but the reason we find him and the Sox at No. 4 is due to his 80 career games at second base out of a total of 522 games played through five seasons. It’s possible his move to being a full-time second baseman will work out well for the White Sox but his lack of time spent at the position gives us a small sample size to work with.
Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports
5. Kansas City Royals
Despite a ludicrous campaign by the Royals’ fans to get Infante to the All-Star game, the champs find themselves at No. 5 here. Infante is riding the wave of his weakest season of his career after hitting .552 OPS with two home runs and 44 RBI’s. The Royals also feature Christian Colon who has a career OPS of .743 while also showing signs of being a strong fielder but he has only 152 at-bats and 64 career games on his resume making it difficult to predict his effectiveness.
The position looks to be among the deepest and youngest in the division. Time will only tell who winds up as the best but one thing will remain certain, it will be a fun race to watch for years to come.