A month ago, the answer was clear. The Twins would have been happy to go into the season with a platoon at 3B. Brendan Harris would play against left-handed pitching. Brian Buscher would play against right-handed pitching. And the Twins were right, that combination would have been an adequate duo, at least with the bat. Defensively, it was another story.
The Twins spent the last couple of months negotiating with Scott Boras, and just two weeks ago, the Twins signed Joe Crede, the former White Sox 3B, to a 1 year deal with a base salary of $2.5 million and incentives that could make the deal worth as much as $7 million. If he reaches those incentives, the Twins will be happy to pay it.
That would mean that the Twins got a lot of plate appearances from Crede who has played in a combined 144 games over the last two seasons because of back injuries. He had back surgery late in the 2007 season. He came back in 2008 and played well enough during the season’s first half that he was named to the All-Star game. But then he missed most of the second half of the season and had a second back surgery.
The Twins and the Crede camp hope that the second surgery corrected things. If so, the Twins will get a right handed bat with home run power. In terms of batting average and on-base percentage, the Twins may have been better with the platoon. But when it comes to defense, there is no comparison. Crede is an excellent glove guy.
If Crede is not healthy the full season, the Twins still have Harris and Buscher around and they would compete well. At $2.5 million, the risk for the Twins on Crede is quite low.
The fact that it was a one year contract is great on several counts. Again, it limits the Twins risk. It means that 2009 is a contract year for Joe Crede, and he will want to stay healthy, and he will want to play well. But the cupboard is not bare at the 3B position in the Twins minor league system.
Along with Brendan Harris and Brian Buscher, there are several other 3B worth watching in the Twins system:
Matt Macri – the Notre Dame alum spent time with the Twins last year. At AAA Rochester, he played all four infield positions. He has some pop in his bat.
Trevor Plouffe – The first of three Twins first round picks in 2004 out of high school, the former childhood teammate of Delmon Young is on the verge of making it to the big leagues. He plays more SS but he also played a lot at 3B in 2008.
Luke Hughes – The Australian jumped on the scene with nine April home runs at AA New Britain, and carried it throughout the season. He would play because of his bat, which still has more to work on, because his glove work is not strong.
Danny Valencia – Valencia is well rounded. He can hit for average and power, and he plays a very strong defensive 3B. He will start at AA New Britain, but he is nearly big league ready now.
Deibinson Romero – the huge and very young Romero was added to the Twins 40 man roster after the 2008 despite missing significant time twice while playing in Low A Beloit. A tremendous talent, Romero has to be considered in the Twins future.
Joe Crede solidifies a position of perceived need for the Twins. He could provide the Twins all they need at 3B. The risk is low, and there are plenty of options to fill the gap if he were to be injured again.
3B is now a position of strength in the Twins system.
Topics: Brendan Harris, Brian Buscher, Danny Valencia, Deibinson Romero, Joe Crede, Luke Hughes
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There were a couple other reasons we needed Crede.
1) We have a plethora of lefties in the lineup, with only DYoung and Cuddyer as solid rh options to bat between/after M&M and Kubel. Neither of them is a solid option.
2) Our HR power was lacking last year, without any hint of getting a lot more from any current players.
3) We needed a third Joe, because Mauer and Nathan wasn’t enough!
The right-handed power point is a good one. If healthy, Crede could hit 20-25 homers for the Twins… Harris likely would only hit 12-15 (if he were given the same number of at bats).
I think Cuddyer will start out hitting fifth, with Crede 7th (if Mauer is playing) just because Crede isn’t a good hitter for average or on-base skills.
In the end, Young will be the best of all of them.
The Twins definitely have a strong J theme.
We will score more runs this year. X-factor; a healthy, relaxed Jason Kubel.