..........

Whoop!  Sudden development, as Figgins takes the 6 spot in the intrasquad.  

Reminds me of a Robert A. Heinlein novel, where you've got a table for two.  Suddenly, a dark red spot appears on your dinner partner's chest, his head settles into his spaghetti ... the staff hustles the man away by the elbows, and re-sets the table in 30 seconds.  More wine, sir?  

Funny the way a homer and a double can get the staff bustling around, isn't it.  Vinnie knocks the fences down at 1 p.m., and a freshly-minted shortstop glove is in Figgy's locker at midnight.  Jack, I love you, man.

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

SSI is on the record as taking the under, the very under, on Ryan's games played for 2012.  And for 2013, 014, 015 ..... 2068.  

Whitey Herzog took over the Cardinals and had a minor star playing SS, Garry Templeton.  Templeton was, we read in The White Rat, a prima donna and an unreliable commodity.  Whitey said, quote, I've got to have a shortstop I can count on, and traded a boatload (Templeton and Sixto Lezcano) for an unappreciated Ozzie Smith...

SSI doesn't like where this is going, this thing about Ryan sleeping with his neck in semi-traction every night.  Stop me if you've heard this one!  They've had allllllll winter, and spring training has started, and oh yeah!  He should be ready in a day or two, and

Bah humbug.  Just call the game on account'a rain, before somebody gets hit by the baseball.

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I never understood in the FIRST place why Chone Figgins wasn't a shortstop.  He's got the arm for third, right?  I'll guarantee you the guy can throw as hard as Omar Vizquel ever could.

He'd have been a bat-first shortstop, but a good one, I'll bet you.  Has anybody ever moved to short at 34?  Well, utility players move to increased duties at SS all the time.  Seager's doing it now.  

Well, Pete Rose was a big left fielder from ages 26 to 33, and then he moved in to the very demanding position of third base at the age of 34.  He was in the top 5 in the MVP voting the next two years.  Lemme go look for other precedents ....

It is generally undesirable to move a veteran toward the right of the defensive spectrum.  This doesn't mean that the general principle carries the absolute inviolability of a law of physics. 

By the way, Figgins has played 27 major league games at shortstop, with 4 errors and a range factor solidly above average.  The last time was in 2006.  Why the Angels didn't see him as a shortstop, it would be interesting to hear.

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

Does this bring back the "confusion factor," their asking Figgins to play a new and very challenging position?  

Well, we have good reason to believe that the coherency factor comes from Figgins' leadoff spot, that reason being Figgins' own statement.  At this point, you've got to believe that Figgins would appreciate 600 PA's at leadoff, even if he were playing center field.

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ULTIMATE 513-RUN-HUMILIATION MULCHIFIER

Don't know how many runs these guys would score in a year's time, but the year-end total would not have a 5 in front of it.

.........

A bit of whimsy on some of that, but not as to Figgins playing short.  We know, we know.  The appearance at SS about versatility, not about Figgy starting at SS.

But here's hopin'.  If it turned out that the M's were comfortable with that, they could save themselves some disillusionment on Ryan's 2012 season.  Not to mention a shot at a Vinnie Catricala movie.