I always feel like a child needs to be introduced to every position since you never know when someone has to fill in ya know? Plus i went from an uncoordinated kid, to running a 4.4 throwing in the low to mid 80s on the mound when i was a freshman. I wish i actually worked harder and on all positions when i was younger. Though I agree with the fact it does depend on the Child's skillset. Like my brother, with his natural speed CF made a ton of sense (though he was pretty legit at SS)
Well let's see here... Palacios hasn't been to bad in the OF, Mercado is our 4th OF, no complaints about Miller, Gimenez, JRam. Rosario hasn't been great while Clement I feel like has been better than his numbers. Chang hasn't done anything... Lavastida didn't look so bad behind the plate. Jones and Freeman haven't had the ABs yet this season, while Tena, Rocchio are at AA and I feel bad for Arias at AAA... Don't forget about Straw who the Astros asked to play 2B/SS and Plesac who played some SS in the past (Plesac played some SS in high school, 1B and LF in college)...
Honestly when you draft, you profile the skillset and plan accordingly. Freeman has mostly.played SS, but everyone projected him at 2B long term. We projected Arias at 3B if we didn't have JRam since he has a lot more natural power and size than the other SS candidates. I mean if Gimenez wasn't a solid defense at SS, he would have been moved to CF since he has a ton of natural speed. You take the best player you think you can sign and figure our where he belongs as he ages an goes up the ranks. You draft the characteristics you want with the bat, athletic profile etc and figure out later where exactly they belong.
If you are going to have Straw, Kwan, and Palacios in the OF with Mercado as the 4th OFer then we're stuck in the mud. We'll be a middling scrappy team that gets bludgeoned to death in the playoffs if we make it. Grand idea and all, but this isn't the 70's where SP go 8 or 9 innings making it easier to string hits together.
-Palacios has a nice bat but no power.
-Miller is a 2B/utility that got forced to play 1B when there was nobody else. He should be our 2B.
-Gimenez remains a MIFer. He wouldn't have been moved to CF because we have Straw. He needs to be our SS every day.
-Rosario remains a MIFer with substandard defense and a decent bat. He's a bottom of the order hitter due to his poor OBP skills.
-Clement is a utility player that doesn't usually suck up the place with his bat and is pretty sound defensively. You don't want him anywhere fulltime.
-Plesac? He was drafted as a SP and is a SP. Nice try.
-Arias can play 3B because of his arm and glove. He won't be because we have JRam extended so he's piled on with all the other MIFers.
-Rocchio and Tena are MIFers rotating with each other at SS and 2B.
-Freeman is more of the same. Good bat to ball skills, but doesn't impact the baseball much.
-Lavastida was a 3B that converted to C while in college. He was drafted as a C and doesn't belong on your list of MIFers.
Get Fanmil on track, Lavastida back up, Gimenez at SS, Miller at 2B, and a RFer that can hit the ball with authority and I'd be a happy camper. Naylor has laid claim to 1B and should never put an OF glove on again IMO. I would happily ride or die with:
C- Lavastida/Maile
1B- Naylor
2B- Miller
3B- Jose
SS- Gimenez
LF- Kwan
CF- Straw
RF- ?
DH- Franmil
4th OFer- Mercado or Palacios
UIF- Clement
Rereading this made me think of the scene in Wolf of Wall Street when they're on the boat and have to get to Switzerland before going to England and then back to the states. "We'll take the boat to Switzerland, catch a plan to England for the funeral, and then fly back to the states in 3 fucking days. That's the plan". Then he smacked the captain on the ass. I need the captain in my presence.
