Shortstop has been a hard position to fill for more than a decade for the Minnesota Twins. Have they found the answer in Jorge Polanco?
It seems to be well documented over the years, the Minnesota Twins struggle to find a consistent starting shortstop. 2017 has brought another opening day shortstop, but Jorge Polanco has also brought some surprising production and steadiness to the 6 spot on the scorecard.
Going into Monday night’s game against the Cleveland Indians, Polanco was slashing .302/.348/.442. Added into that slash line is 1 home-run, 5 runs, and 5 RBI’s. Being 43 at bats into the season, no one is sending Polanco to the All-Star game, but I believe the Twins have to be excited about what he has done so far.
One of the big questions coming into the season was how Jorge Polanco would field his position. Especially since before his big league call-up last season, Polanco was exclusively playing second base.
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It seems to this point that the Twins have to be pleased with his production on the defensive end as well. 97 defensive innings in, Jorge Polanco has committed one error for a .979 fielding percentage.
Polanco was also able to flash some nice range this weekend against the Chicago White Sox. (Video provided by MLB.com)
It is fun watching Polanco succeed at a position that, since 2005, has been the definition of inconsistent and underwhelming. And so far, he looks to have the ability to stick at shortstop. This really eases the panic produced by prospect Nick Gordon’s move to second base.
Jorge Polanco looks like he can hang in the majors for now. He is also simply fun to watch. Let us hope it stays that way.