I Don't Know... Third base!

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

Alonso taking grounders at third, Snooze reports.



Great idea, Johnny Luncbucket reports

[Benjamin Grimm]

That's... interesting. Has he ever played third base before at any level?

[MFS62]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: That's... interesting. Has he ever played third base before at any level?

I think he has worked out there as a pro and may have played it in high school.

Yes, interesting. (insert Arte Johnson gif here)

Later

[Edgy MD]

That would be incredible.



I don't particularly think it's going to work, and at this stage in camp, he may just be hanging out there, but I'm all for experiments in versatility. I computer managed a version of the 1969 Mets and gave Clendenon a half a dozen starts over there. I think all righthanded firstbasemen should be looked at as potential fake thirdbasemen as well.

[Johnny Lunchbucket]

He played in Kollege some evidently. I'm sure he won't be Brooks Robinson out there but if I'm honest with myself his performance last year hasn't convinced me he'll necessarily be Pete Alonso at first either

[Benjamin Grimm]

I'm wondering which is a greater vulnerability: Alonso at third or Smith in left field? If Alonso plays third better than Smith plays left, then you can get someone like Pillar to play in the outfield.



I suspect, though, that Alonso is extremely unlikely to become the regular 3B, but might be able to play there in a pinch.

[Lefty Specialist]

I just get the feeling that after a couple of games with Pete at third we'd be begging to have JD Davis back.

[MFS62]

Benjamin Grimm wrote: I suspect, though, that Alonso is extremely unlikely to become the regular 3B, but might be able to play there in a pinch.

As they used to say in my old neighborhood, "It can't hoit".

I could see it in a shift situation against a dead pull lefty hitter. You move a third baseman who has more range than Alonso to first and move Alonso to third.

Later

[Lefty Specialist]

It's not ideal defensively, but your best lineup is obviously Dom in left, Pete at first and JD at third. Lindor is going to get a lot of exercise this year. And Pillar, Villar and Guillorme are going to get a lot of late-inning defense time.

[Fman99]

Lefty Specialist wrote: It's not ideal defensively, but your best lineup is obviously Dom in left, Pete at first and JD at third. Lindor is going to get a lot of exercise this year.

Agree with this.

[Frayed Knot]

Fielding at 3B isn't a lot different than 1st -- less subtlety maybe but with more chances plus with a lot more throwing involved. I don't know that we have any idea of what kind of an arm Pete has but, assuming it's not Steve Garvey awful, it's worth a shot.

[smg58]

I've got no problem with seeing if he can handle it. Right now the bar is JD Davis, which is not high.



It's worth pointing out that The Fielding Bible has Smith in left field going from -5 runs saved in 90 innings in 2018, to -2 in 219 innings in 2019, to 0 in 161 innings last year. So I don't think getting him out of the outfield is a matter of need; he hurts the team quite a bit less in left than Davis does at third.

[Benjamin Grimm]

The other part of the calculus is that getting Smith out of the outfield allows Nimmo to move to a corner spot and someone else into center. That would help the defense (assuming that Alonso is capable at third base) but how much of an impact on the offense would it have? JD Davis is probably better than he's been getting recent credit for.



It's good that they're looking for ways to be flexible. I wonder whose idea this was? The manager? The acting GM? Sandy?

[Edgy MD]

Too bad Alonso didn't see any Spring Training innings at third. This might have been just the time to put this wild-assed lineup assignment to the test.

[Edgy MD]

This was Potentially the Spring Training I've-Got-to-File-Some'n'' Non-Story of the Year.



Would have loved to have rolled him out at third this afternoon.



It seemed like everything the first inning or so was hit to left. Dom has shown hustle and improvement out there, but his throws sure reminded me that he's as a guy that's just got to hit and hit in order to justify an outfield assignment.

[bmfc1]

They can sign Freddie Freeman as a FA and move Pete to 3B.

[nymr83]

=bmfc1 post_id=79194 time=1633346285 user_id=73]
They can sign Freddie Freeman as a FA and move Pete to 3B.

[bmfc1]

I was #jk about the move but it was interesting to speculate.

I hope that Bryant didn't fall in love with the Bay Area.