Mangini is all-world terrible at 3B. His hope for a ML career is for him to IMPROVE enough with the glove to be Russ Davis (50 patience points, Decent power, .260-.280 bat). Because he's LH he might get a small bump in average for that.
I don't think his bat plays at 1B full-time, and it's tough to be a backup corner IF with a stone glove. At least if he played 1st he wouldn't get to airmail as many throws, though - that's a plus.
Unfortunately Tui and Liddi are both nearly as bad with the leather - NONE of them should be a starting 3rd sacker unless they club for a country mile's worth of OPS. I could live with Glaus-level D (which ALL those guys currently only aspire to reach) if they were posting .850 OPS numbers in the bigs from the position.
Doc thinks Tui will - I don't.
In a thread about Chone, somebody brought up all our options for the 3rd sack that are currently in the minors and how he might be blocking them. The problem is, only Triunfel can field the position adequately and he'll never hit for enough power or take enough free passes to first to be a good 3B option.
Tui, Tenbrink, Liddi and Mangini are all various versions of awful glovemen. Their bats are going to have to make it worth the horrorshow at 3B...or will have to make it worth it to move em to first or the OF.
I like Tenbrink's chances to put up something like an Austin Kearns line and play OF. I don't like Mangini's chances to pull off a Russ Davis though I'd be glad to be wrong - I've liked his bat potential since before we drafted him. Tui is still reminding me too much of Mike Morse for my comfort (tho Mike is doing well this year) and Liddi....gah. The kid just doesn't hit righties, and while LH guys with large platoon splits can get away with it, it's far harder to do as a RH hitter. He's already seen 1500 ABs against RHP and is putting up a consistent mid-.700s against them. I don't see the growth left there, and I don't think he's gonna make it that way.
But I don't know that ANY of em are destined for 3B jobs in the bigs unless they improve with the leather in a significant way.
~G
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