Fan Fuel: Lawrie at second base is a terrible idea

Fan Fuel's Evan Wansbrough explains why the Toronto Blue Jays considering moving Brett Lawrie to second base is a terrible idea.

BY EVAN WANSBROUGH – FAN FUEL BLOGGER

The Toronto Blue Jays moving Brett Lawrie from third base to second base is a terrible idea, and here’s why: he’s not Robbie Alomar.

As a third basemen Lawrie already has legacy-guy potential. He could be Jeter in five years in terms of leadership and relative consistency for the ball club. He could be Alomar. But not at second base.


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He’s already the most exciting defensive third basemen in Blue Jays history. Hell, he’s already one of the more exciting defensive third basemen in baseball. The guy’s problem is that he’s a loose cannon and has demonstrated an impressive proneness to injury that, while troublesome, is more likely attributed to his foolhardy exuberance, than bad luck. He’s not Bryce Harper, he’s not cursed – he just needs to chill out.

Putting him over at second would certainly do that. Fewer chargers, shorter throws, a lot less foul territory to navigate blindly while tracking a pop up to record an out that should have been a strike at worst. But those are his bread and butter. That’s why we love the guy. He’s not exactly Jeter at the plate yet. He’s not exactly Pujols off the field. He makes third base an extreme sport and that’s what makes him exciting. Don’t discourage it.

When a player comes out and starts creating outs where outs have no business being made, a ball club has gotta embrace that. Nurture it. Direct it, if necessary. That’s why you got DeRosa. But don’t neutralize it. Don’t sterilize it. Don’t soak the poor guy’s jock in saltpeter just because he’s making a few hyper-ambitious decisions on the field.

Brett Lawrie has potential to be the best Blue Jays third basemen of all time. It’s not too late in his career to rule out Hall of Fame candidacy. But do you see him going in as a Blue Jays second baseman? Move him to second base and he’s never going to be the best second baseman in Blue Jays history. He’s not Alomar. And I don’t think Lawrie has the makeup to deliver the same brand of baseball in a terminal second-fiddle role.

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