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Bill James once spent an article sardonically praising Walter Matthau. For you kids looking up from your XBoxes, Matthau was the 1970's version of Billy Bob Thornton or Wallace Shawn ("inconceivable!"). When those guys are on the screen, you don't see anything else, which is both a huge blessing and a fatal flaw.
Hey! We can get Billy Bob THORNTON for our movie? Awesome! ... um.... what the deuce do we DO with him?
James' point was, of course, that there are ballplayers like that, guys who have skills and weapons that stand out even in an MLB crowd, but limitations that have you forever banging your head against the desk trying to fill out a lineup card...
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Wedge has remarked, many times, that Saunders has the skills to hit up and down the lineup. He's right. There are some players for whom no comfortable lineup slot exists. Bobby Higginson was always the guy I thought of like that: I liked him three, I liked him six, I liked him leading off.
As they say in England, where do you put Clint Dempsey? You put him on the pitch.
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A long, long time ago in a galaxy far, far away, ML hitters were sorted into two sock piles. Those who got you R, like Rickey Henderson, and those who got you RBI, like Jose Canseco. (Ichiro's demise has been somewhat exaggerated -- not invented, but exaggerated -- because people have forgotten that, because of his superb baserunning, he retains some ability to score runs, leading off in front of quality hitters, and they've forgotten that Safeco ballplayers have to get their numbers adjusted. Playing in Fenway, Ichiro would still score a hundred runs.)
Michael Saunders as Run BATTER-INNER has impressive skills: he's on pace for 45 doubles and close to 20 homers. With a fast runner on 1B, say Ichiro or Ackley, Saunders is more likely than anybody to rip a line drive that rolls between the outfielders. If you wanted to Choo him over to Cleveland, you could bet on him for 100 RBI next year.
Michael Saunders as Run SCORER-HIMSELFER also has impressive skills: he's on pace for 60 walks, he's batting .271 in Safeco which is .300 in Cleveland, and has a .337 OBP which is .360 in Cleveland.
He is on pace for 25 SB's, with few caught stealings, and on a long single he eats the ground between 2B and 3B in about eight giant strides.
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The problem is that Saunders' RBI ability is camouflaged: he doesn't hit forty homers. And his R ability is camouflaged: he stands 7 foot 3, does not sport a .400 OBP or 50 SB line, and he swings oddly through fastballs right down the middle (yes, the hole in his zone is CENTERED pitches).
He is just a young player who is quite good at both R and at RBI, and who doesn't at all look the part of either one.
Logic dictates that you use him wherever he's needed. Jay-Z has filled this team with lefty RBI men (Smoak, Carp, Seager, Montero*, Jaso, Liddi*), so Saunders would logically settle in as a #2 hitter. Score you 90 runs and drive in 75 from that spot. Of course, your #2 guy is supposed to be the guy who strikes out the least ... is this where we came in?
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At least we can settle the issue of Saunders' position. He's a center fielder, and a good one. Oh, wait... maybe he's a +10 runs left fielder. Hold on, if he's in left, that 120 OPS+ is no longer imposing...
Clint Dempsey has become the first American-born soccer player who is arguably a top-100 player. Unfortunately, he doesn't quite score enough to play striker, doesn't pass quite well enough for attacking mid, doesn't quite tackle well enough to play back farther, doesn't quite have enough pace for the wing... weird thing is, his team wins. More than it is supposed to. Where do you put Clint Dempsey?
You put him on the pitch. Wherever you have a need at the time. Roving All-Stars: the 21st-century player.