Does a set defensive position really help offensive production?

[This article is posted by Polka Bill, tell Polka and other fans what you think by joining Pittsburgh Pirates forum now! ]

It’s been suggested that having a player mentally prepared to enter the season as the starter at one position will help them with their offensive production.

I don’t buy it.

At least not at the major-league level.

I can understand wanting to draft a player and have them come up through the minor-league system at one position so they learn everything they can about what it takes to be a major-league at said position. But position moves have to be made to get your best prospect to the majors as soon as they are ready. Neil Walker was moved from catcher to 3rd because that position is his best bet for making it to the majors as soon as he’s ready. Jose Castillo was moved from SS to 2nd in the minors because Pokey Reese got injured and he was the best prospect to come to the majors in case of an injury to a middle infielder. And don’t you think it would have made some sense in having Ryan Doumit and Brad Eldred shag some fly balls in the outfield when management realized that to get their bats to the majors, a position change might be needed.

At the major league level, these men are the best of the best. So does it help the mentality of players to hear that Xavier Nady is our right fielder, Freddy Sanchez is our 2nd baseman, Jose Bautista is our starting 3rd baseman, and that’s that, end of discussion?

That might work for your teams that can afford to pay the best of the best to come in and start at a designated position . But for teams like our Pirates, it doesn’t work. When Jose Bautista got hurt last year with the lacerated hand, did it not make the most sense to move Freddy back to 3rd and let Castillo start at 2nd? I thought so, I think most thought so, but because Freddy was dubbed our 2nd baseman, we were told it was better for him to stay at 2nd and continue to improve there. But at what cost? Castillo was your starting 2nd baseman for 3 years, Freddy played lights out at 3rd the year before. Doesn’t seem like the best choice for the entire team.

How about Xavier Nady. He played an outstanding 1st base after the trade that brought him to the Pirates at the trade deadline in the Ollie Perez deal. He showed that, when healthy, he can also play left and center, and to know that he’s also played a little 3rd only excites the fans more. But, the Pirates are saying they want Nady’s mind at ease, for him to know he’s their right fielder and not worry about position hopping. Seriously? Does that really help, knowing that it might be better for the team to be prepared to make a position move?

But what about our players still without a position, like Ryan Doumit, a switch-hitting power bat that is blocked in right and 1st. Well, he wouldn’t be blocked with a little position shuffling to get your best eight men on the field. If that means Freddy goes back to 3rd, or Nady grabs his infield glove, or Doumit grabs his catchers mit, the object is to win, not to pamper the players.

Is it really that big of a deal for a major leaguer to be told “Hey pal, we’ve got an injury or we’re not getting the production from a certain position, we need you to go there because you’re better than the back-up.” You’d think these players would be more than willing. Are they? Will management allow this to happen? That’s to be determined.