And, In fact, I think that Manny would make a great defensive 1b too. Just being great defensively at the position doesn’t mean that is where you should play. You need to have the bat to carry you there, as well.

If there is any position on the infield where this team has something resembling depth, it is second base. Of all the potential Second base candidates, Burriss has both the weakest bat as well as the most chance of being able to play SS (which is quite likely tied with 3rd as our biggest positional black hole).

Bursiss’ bat is going to be lacking for a 2b. It could, however, be sufficient at SS.

It makes, by far, the most sense to play Buriss at SS this season and see if he can stick there. If so, and his production at the plate continues it’s current place, I think that makes him a pretty decent young player.

At 2b, regardless of his defensive prowess, his Bat will always make him below average.

You need to make a LOT of brilliant plays @ 2b to make up for a .311 slugging percentage. Probably an unrealistic #.

Of all the “potential” 2b we have, he has by far the most impressive track record.

2007 ML OPS+? 84

Career MiL OPS? .849

For comparison,

Burriss: .684
Denker: .826
Velez: .792
Ochoa: .656

If any of these guys were putting up the numbers Frandsen put up last year (.269/.331/.379) we would be all excited about our future 2b. (Wishing he was showing a little more power, but happy w/ average and OBP)

If Frandsen can recover from his injury, he is far and away the leading candidate for the 2b job (closest is Denker). He’s not the future of the franchise, but he certainly is the most likely future 2nd baseman.

(All the more reason playing Burriss there is stupid)

Burriss at SS. Ochoa at Util. Thanks.

I suppose this is a possibility

That the "Master Plan" is to see Frandsen @ 3b next season, with Burriss leading the pack for 2b.

Perhaps this explains the thought behind trying Castillo @ 2b.

That still leaves a huge hole SS however, and I think Frandsen is a little light hitting for a 3b. Combining that w/ Buriss 2b puts a heavy requirement on the C, SS, and 1B in order to achieve average infield offensive production.

Frandsen 3b and Buriss 2b wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world (and would be better than Castillo 3b Frandsen 2b) but I also don’t think it is ideal.

I would rather look @ someone like Crede for 3b for the next 3 seasons.

outside options for 3B next year. Sabean thinks this team can move up to .500 and compete in a weak division for the title next year by simply adding one power bat. With Lewis holding down LF from the 3 or 5 spot in the order, and the rest of the outfield apparently set for 2009 (ugh), and Molina here through the remainder of his contract, that leaves either 1B or 3B to add power. They seem to be leaning towards 3B for the upgrade, no matter what they do at SS and 2B.

I don’t think they would gamble on Crede or even Blalock, but I do think they are considering Beltre at 3B as the one tweak they would make to the offense for next year, depending on the cost back to the Mariners. I don’t think you will see either Frandsen or Castillo at 3B next year.

I’m preferring Dunn, even though Tex is a better player. I’m just betting that Tex is going to sign a deal for something in the range of 150m or so, while Dunn isn’t a highly regarded player. If we could get Dunn for something like 20 times 3 with a 20 million option or 5 million buyout, it could really work out.

But none of this matters until the 3rd base problem is sorted out.

I agree with the Giants that Manny Burriss could become the best defensive second baseman in the game. I mean he’s ALREADY darn good there. His cover on the bunt to Rich Aurilia avoided a play that had disaster written all over it. He came a LONG way to get to the base, using his great speed, but setting the play up by getting a GREAT jump toward first base even before the ball was actually bunted.

That said, I am quite worried about his hitting—especially from the left side. Manny has no pop, and both infielders and outfielders could play him shallower than they do, without paying much of a power price. The hit he got yesterday was nicely hit. But if the right fielder were playing 25 to 50 feet more shallow as he probably should be, the ball might have turned into an out.

Kevin Frandsen can hit - and the last month of last season he actually was achieving his stated goal of waiting for more pitches he could drive. As Kevin’s number of pitches seen per plate appearance went up, so did his average and his walks. He doesn’t hit well enough to play third base, but he probably fields well enough to play second - IF his hitting holds up. I’m not worried about his batting average. It is his secondary skills I worry about.

I figured the long-term second baseman would be Nick Noonan, but I am now concerned by his very poor K/BB ratio at Augusta. Nick LOOKS like a hitter to me, but I think he needs to make the same adjustment Frandsen and to some extent Nate Schierholtz made - have the patience to look for more balls he can drive. It’s either that or cut way down on his strikeouts. His high number of strikeouts and lack of patience to wait for walks are likely to translate into an unacceptable OBP at the major league level - unless he makes some changes, hopefully including a bit more power.

So now I’m learning toward the just-signed Conor Gillaspie for second base. Conor is now a third baseman, of course, but he is considered to have the athleticism to play second. And his good bat with so-so power would play better there.

The Giants haven’t given up on Angel Villalona at third base, so Gillaspie could be an exciting option for the keystone. Start that duo, them bring in Burriss for defense and either move Angel to first base or sit him.

And if Gillaspie or Noonan has difficulties against southpaws, Burriss would make a nice platoon partner. Manny CAN hit lefties a little.