Thoughts on Manny @ SS and Beckham @ 3B ??

[Can_of_corn]

1 minute ago, Beef Supreme said:

Super Utility worked out very well for former shortstop Ben Zobrist.

And Beckham sure took to the role when Tampa tried it with him last year!

[mdbdotcom]

50 minutes ago, Tx Oriole said:

Wonder what Earl would say to Manny? Might tell that Primma Donna that baseball is a team sport. Buck and DD need to learn that too. Or be reminded of it. 

Earl would have moved him to SS years earlier and moved or traded JJ.

[Can_of_corn]

Just now, mdbdotcom said:

Earl would have moved him to SS years earlier and moved or traded JJ.

Or simply not extended him. 

[Frobby]

2 hours ago, 25 Nuggets said:

The other MLB organizations can't be that stupid, right?  Of course they know he can play SS.

To me this just comes across as an appeasement, nothing more.  But whatever.  It seems pretty obvious Manny is going to be shopped at the deadline so pray to whoever you want that he stays healthy.

They know he can play it, but they don’t know how well he can play it over a full season.    Neither do we.

I probably would have left him at 3rd, but I’m also kind of excited to see how he does at SS.   He started 43 games there in 2016, and the advanced metrics were mixed on how he did (-3 Rtot, +3Rdrs, +1.9 UZR).      I’d like to think he can do a little better than that after preparing in the offseason and then getting more experience under his belt as the year progresses.    It’ll be interesting to watch.    Seeing how Beckham does at 3B will be interesting too.   

[Beef Supreme]

6 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

And Beckham sure took to the role when Tampa tried it with him last year!

Beckham had been unhappy with Tampa's management for five years.  I am not advocating that he play a utility role, but people are capable of growth. I would bet that Beckham is feeling a lot better about his role in Baltimore as a thirdbaseman than he had been feeling in Tampa, especially after being displaced by Hechaverria and Brad Miller. I can understand why he was unhappy about taking a backseat to those two.

[Aristotelian]

Hahah, for years there has been an annual thread on shifting Manny to SS to maximize his value. Now they are doing it and it is a conspiracy to increase his trade value. I think it's pretty clear they don't like Beckham at SS and Manny is the best option for the most important position on the field. 

[Frobby]

9 minutes ago, Can_of_corn said:

Or simply not extended him. 

Earl wasn’t a GM.    And he said one of the big reasons he retired the first time was he hated making playing time decisions about players who had been valuable contributors who were starting to lose it.    

[wildbillhiccup]

49 minutes ago, Aristotelian said:

Hahah, for years there has been an annual thread on shifting Manny to SS to maximize his value. Now they are doing it and it is a conspiracy to increase his trade value. I think it's pretty clear they don't like Beckham at SS and Manny is the best option for the most important position on the field. 

It’s really not “clear” because Machado is older (and bigger) and we have no idea how Beckham will take to 3B or if he’s even a full time player. The only way moving Machado to SS would clearly make them a better team is if they had a proven 3B on their roster, which they don’t.

[Aristotelian]

1 hour ago, wildbillhiccup said:

It’s really not “clear” because Machado is older (and bigger) and we have no idea how Beckham will take to 3B or if he’s even a full time player. The only way moving Machado to SS would clearly make them a better team is if they had a proven 3B on their roster, which they don’t.

I don't know about Manny but it is clear to me that Beckham is not a great SS. Moving Manny to SS could make the O's better if he is better at SS more than Beckham is worse at 3B. 

[weams]

2 hours ago, Frobby said:

Earl wasn’t a GM.    And he said one of the big reasons he retired the first time was he hated making playing time decisions about players who had been valuable contributors who were starting to lose it.    

Yes. Absolutely. And Free Agency is a game that he had not mastered. 

[theocean]

2 hours ago, Beef Supreme said:

Beckham had been unhappy with Tampa's management for five years.  I am not advocating that he play a utility role, but people are capable of growth. I would bet that Beckham is feeling a lot better about his role in Baltimore as a thirdbaseman than he had been feeling in Tampa, especially after being displaced by Hechaverria and Brad Miller. I can understand why he was unhappy about taking a backseat to those two.

Definitely. Also, it's probably a lot easier to accept a position change in deference to Manny Machado than Brad Miller.

I'm excited to see what Beckham can do this year. I think he could really have a great year for the O's.

[LookitsPuck]

I think it's a smart business move.

It makes Manny happy, so good for morale.

And if he excels at SS (where he's only played 43 games at the MLB level over the last 6 seasons)? It shows contenders at the trade deadline that he's a stud at both 3B and SS instead of them guessing of whether he can still play it a la ARod. 

[Norfolk orioles]

Can't wait to watch manny half ass grounders all season long to protect himself and his value in free agency.

 

Great decision, I'm sure this will end well! 

[Frobby]

8 hours ago, wildbillhiccup said:

It’s really not “clear” because Machado is older (and bigger) 

Is Machado really significantly bigger than he was in 2016, when he started 43 games at SS?    I don’t think so.    He’s 25, not exactly ancient.    

[wildbillhiccup]

4 hours ago, Frobby said:

Is Machado really significantly bigger than he was in 2016, when he started 43 games at SS?    I don’t think so.    He’s 25, not exactly ancient.    

Older is older and 43 games is a far cry from 100+. Maybe this works out in the long run, but it's a risky unnecessary move unless the team believes that Beckham is a below average option at SS and that he will be much better at 3B. Like I said in my first comment, I'd have no problem with this experiment if they had a proven option at 3B on their roster.