CLEVELAND, Ohio – Baseball teams, when facing tough draft decisions, often prioritize athletic middle infielders, figuring they can adjust positions later. This strategy, while common, can leave fans frustrated, especially when their team has more pressing needs elsewhere.
The Draft Ideology: Prioritizing Potential
A long-standing baseball draft strategy focuses on athletic versatility, even if it means delaying solutions to immediate roster gaps.
- The principle of drafting athletic middle infielders is a time-honored tradition in baseball.
- Teams believe a player’s hitting ability is the most valuable asset, nonetheless of initial position.
- The Cleveland Guardians’ recent draft pick of Travis Bazzana sparked discussion about this very strategy.
- Historical examples within the Guardians organization demonstrate the success of this approach.
the topic was recently discussed on the “Terry’s Talkin'” podcast, sparked by a listener’s question regarding the Guardians‘ decision to draft second baseman Travis Bazzana with the first overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, despite a clear need for outfielders. Bazzana has faced injury challenges over the past two seasons while progressing through the Guardians’ minor league system.
“Playing second and short in the major leagues is probably the hardest job, right? Maybe catcher,” host David Campbell said. “But we’ve seen through the years how manny guys like Jackie Robinson started a
position and then moved. Larry Doby was a shortstop. They said, ‘put him in the outfield.'”
Doby ultimately became a Hall of Fame outfielder and a key contributor to Cleveland’s 1948 World Series championship team after successfully transitioning from the infield to the outfield.
Pluto explained doby’s success: “You know why it worked? because Larry Doby hit.”
Pluto also cited other examples from Cleveland’s history: “Rick Manning was signed as a shortstop. He became an elite center fielder.” And more recently: “Jose Ramirez… played left field in 2016.Look it up.”
Ramirez eventually settled at third base, but only after experimenting with multiple positions. As pluto recalled, manager Terry Francona discussed with Ramirez, asking what he wanted to achieve that year. Ramirez responded, “I want to play one position,” having previously played third, short, second, and left field.
The Guardians accommodated Ramirez’s request, establishing him at third base. “But you know why jose is great? He hits.”
Sometimes, the most effective way to address an outfield need is to draft a second baseman who can hit – the optimal position can be resolute later.
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