Q.  How serious is the switch at this point?

A.  Larry LaRue had an interesting point.  The old soldiers are used to this kind of "look-see" taking place later in training camp. 

To arrive the first day, and find Jose Lopez at 3B from the word Go, had the air of a switch that they were serious about sticking with.

............

Word is that Lopez will play at least the first week of games at 3B.

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Q.  What is the determining factor?

A.  Gathering info from round about, it's clear that putting Chone Figgins at 2B is a non-issue.  Figgins would be at 2B if Jose Lopez can make it work at 3B.  JLo is the determining factor.

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Q.  And can Lopez play 3B?

A.  One of the beat writers opined that, the first day, to him Jose Lopez looked very, very unhappy taking balls at 3B.  The question isn't Lopez' hands; Lopez has excellent hands.  The question is, if you hate playing there, it's just not going to work for anybody.

This writer reported that Lopez had no clue that he was going to be switched, in fact that the administration had assured everybody that there would definitely be no switch -- and then Lopez walked into camp, was sat down, and told he was moving.

SSI takes this characterization with a grain of salt, but the writer went on to note that big leaguers don't like to be treated that way.

............

But another writer / announcer, one constantly in the locker room, said that Lopez was very cheerful about the move, asked for extra ground balls, was enthused about how Figgins looked at 3B, etc.

This person said, actually Lopez is glad to be at 3B, because the one move that he dreaded was the move to first base.  "That was the one thing the org ever asked Jose to do, that I didn't see him very enthusiastic about."  Huh.

..............

Dr. D will plump for the second interpretation, and Dr. D gingerly predicts that Jose Lopez will be playing 3B on April 6th against the A's.

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Q.  Who's the winner here?

A.  The biggest winner would be .... drumroll ...Jose Lopez.

The buzz is that, around major league baseball, Lopez' mediocre footspeed, and low BB's, are seen as dreary negatives for a second baseman.

But hold on a second:  put Lopez at 3B, and all of a sudden his hands are plus, his arm is plus ... and he's got nice power.

It's based on 2B/3B stereotypes, but perception is reality.  At 2B, people might be a bit mmeehhhh on Lopez, but at 3B all of a sudden the $3M Lopez has shiny curb appeal.

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Q.  And would the M's be better?

A.  My good bud the Rotochamp follows a lot of sharp cookies in finding the defensive add questionable, and the drawbacks considerable.

But SSI is a huge fan of the move.  I think it unlikely that Figgins is actually a Gold Glove 3B; I think that's just the stats hiccuping.  And if Figgins can play the much more demanding 2B position, OBP .400, and cut off balls up the middle, great.

I also see Jose Lopez as a truly plus 3B -- an ex-SS with butter-soft hands who could easily become one of the five best 3B's in baseball.

I would expect a significant increase in the team DER if the two were switched.  I'm rooting hard for the switch.

Cheers,

Dr D