Monday, November 28, 2005

Jeter or A-Rod to play CF?

Well, according to Reuters, Torre is considering moving either Jeter or A-Rod to CF for 2006. Could this just be lip service to downplay the need for a CF (like Cashman's "we can go with Bubba" statement)?

The oddest quote:

New York manager Torre said he has considered the merits of converting either Jeter or Rodriguez, who has been playing third base since joining the Yankees, but has not raised the subject with either of his star players.

"We've thought about it," Torre said in an interview with Reuters on Monday.

"We just haven't made a commitment to that. We haven't broached it with the shortstops."

Uh, the "shortstops"? I don't think I've ever heard Torre use that phrase to desrcribe Rodriguez and Jeter. A-Rod has also said that he doubts he could jump back to short with his added bulk, much less centerfield. Maybe Nomar at third to complete the trinity?

It's an interesting scenerio, but I honestly can't imagine Torre asking his 2 time defending gold glove shortstop and captain to move to center.

My guess is this is just a smokescreen. Yes, it's fascinating, but what happens if Jeter can't handle CF? What situation has been created then? While I think Jeter could handle it, it's a huge risk and it would be very difficult to replace the offensive production the Yankees have been getting from the left side of the infield. I can't imagine them signing Furcal as a replacement SS.

This issue (Jeter to CF) has been a hot topic on blogs and messageboards ever since the Yankees acquired Rodriguez. I've never taken a strong stand on the issue, and I'm still not convinced. To me it's theory vs. reality. In theory, Jeter could plug the CF hole, and the Yankees would have the option of acquiring either a SS or 3B to replace him in the infield (Mueller, Garciaparra, etc) until perhaps Eric Duncan is ML ready (even though he's projected to be a 1B and not 3B at this point). However the risk - having your marquee player fail miserably at a new position - to me at this point overrides the reward. The reality of the situation is there is a potential disaster, much more so than a Michaels/Giles/Matsui/Wilkerson in CF. The idea is great for a fantasy team or in MVP 2005, but in reality I just see it as too big of a potential risk.

However, the article was written by this guy:

so take it as you will.

posted by Mr. Faded Glory @ 10:07 PM   0 comments







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