Crazy-ass idea?

[Benjamin Grimm]

Here's a 2012 infield alignment I dreamed up while driving around out West last week.

The assumption is that Jose Reyes does not come back next year.

How about a starting infield of Davis at first, Turner at second, Murphy at third, and Wright at shortstop?

[Guest Edgy DC]

All offense.

[Guest John Cougar Lunchbucket]

I don;t think Wright is headed in that direction defensively (and hopefully not offensively). Otherwise it's a good idea.

[metirish]

Nutty!.....but you were out West so......

Have a feeling Wright would not be a very good SS....

[Benjamin Grimm]

It would be a very Davey Johnson infield.

[Gwreck]

Wright is an exceptional athlete in his prime. He would do fine at shortstop.

I hate the idea only because it is the result of Reyes being gone. If Reyes does leave, however, this arrangement (with $$ spent on better pitching) is not a bad one.

[metirish]

How many excellent white SS are there today?

[Guest Edgy DC]

Me, for one.

[Gwreck]

Tulowitzki
JJ Hardy (?)

[seawolf17]

Stephen Drew.

[Guest Edgy DC]

And me.

[metirish]

You and Jamey Carroll.

[HahnSolo]

metirish wrote: How many excellent white SS are there today?

"Derek Jeter."

--Gary Sheffield

[Guest Edgy DC]

Also got Jamey Carroll, Ryan Theriot, Brendan Ryan, Cliff Pennington and half of Derek Jeter.

Ian Desmond and this Jason Bartlett guy strike me as mixies also.

[Benjamin Grimm]

For the record, I voted "Nutty, but it just might work..."

[Vic Sage]

I'm all for O over D, but folks sitting behind 1B would be scattering like cockroaches on every groundball to the left side...
I don't think Wright has either the range or consistent arm to play major league SS; if he did, they would have made that move in the minors. As for him being an everyday SS, even Davey only played Hojo & Kevin Mitchell at SS for limited stretches.

And to even contemplate taking such a risk with the defense, you'd also have to believe that (1) Muffy's performance over the last 2+ months is his expected level of production hereafter, and (2) he can't play 2b or OF. As for (1), i don't think it is, and (2) we don't know that yet.

[ashie62]

Nutty but...Need Muffy to fully recover and stay that way. Ike also for that matter.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Guys who moved from third to short as grownups.

• Ripken, of course
  
• Hubie
  
• HoJo (began at least one season as the starting shortstop)
  
• Honus Wagner, sorta (played everywhere before settling at short)
  
• Um, Judy Johnson, I think.

Happens, but it always takes a plie of guts to move a guy in that direction on spectrum, and a bigger pile of guts to be the guy.

[MFS62]

An intriguing crazy-ass idea.

Later

[Guest LeiterWagnerFasterStrongr]

You'd need a staff full of nothing but flyball and high-K dudes. So, yeah, technically, it just might work.

Holy hell, though, would there be some serious intermittent booing 'round Citi way.

[Guest Edgy DC]

Well, you get a six-run lead by the sixth, and either Duda or Murphy, whoever batted last, gets replaced (perhaps a pinch runner) by this Tejada guy, who then stays in at short, moves Wright over to thoid, and Moiphy either to the bench or to foist for Duda.

Try it in Out of the Park this winter. You'll like it.

[batmagadanleadoff]

Even if Murphy and Wright could hack (that's "hack", not "hack up") the defense, this idea could work only with someone like Sandy Alderson backing it. Sandy didn't come here to take any shit from the Wilpons: otherwise, the jackass portion of the media and fan base (or the jackass portion of the Wilpons -- as if there's some other portion besides the jackass one) would 86 this idea at the first Murphy error just like they jackassed Melvin Mora out of the six-hole and then eventually, all the way to Baltimore.

I'd love it if this could work; if Murph could recover from his latest injury.