Roger Arrieta
Now that Hanley Ramirez has made his decision on where he will play in 2015, the Dodgers will now need to make a decision on who will be manning shortstop in 2015. They have a multitude of internal options; Miguel Rojas, Erisbel Arruebarrena, Alex Guerrero, Justin Turner, and possibly Corey Seager. There are also a few rumored external options that could come via free agency, ie. Stephen Drew, Asdrubal Cabrera and Jed Lowrie, or via trade, ie; Jimmy Rollins, Alexei Ramirez. There have been rumblings of Elvis Andrus being a possibility as a pick up as well.
Miguel Rojas is a wonderful defender, and his ability to play multiple infield positions makes him a great guy to have as a defensive replacement. His bat simply isn’t well enough to hit on a daily basis at the major league level.
Justin Turner is another lifelong utility player, who had an absolutely great 2014. Who knows where the Dodgers would have been last season, had he not been able to fill in the way he did for Uribe at third, and spell Dee Gordon against the tough lefties, and occasionally fill in for Hanley when he was banged up. His glove was very solid, especially when he filled in at third, but his offensive numbers were what made him so valuable for the Dodgers in 2014. His clubhouse presence was also something the Dodgers needed to balance out the personality of the team, he was after all, the player who introduced the famous dugout bubble machine that was on display whenever the team hit a home run. He always hustles, and he plays the game the right way. His fellow teammates know and recognize that, and that is why he is respected by everyone. I love Justin Turner, and I think he is very valuable to the Dodgers as a utility player/clutch pinch hitter, but I do not believe he is an everyday shortstop.
Last off season, the Dodgers signed Cuban shortstop Alex Guerrero to a four year 28 million dollar contract. Alex Guerrero was labeled as a right handed version of Robinson Cano. A bold statement, yes, but in his last season in Cuba, he hit .290 with 21 HR’s, in 328 plate appearances (the average number of plate appearances for a major leaguer is around 600). At the time, it was believed he was a better fit for second base, rather than shortstop, because of his lack of first step quickness and also because some scouts believe he is a little stiff defensively. Just when it appeared he would be the Dodgers opening day second baseman in 2014, Dee Gordon showed up to spring training a new player, determined, more mature, and beat out Guerrero for the starting job. After the season Dee had last season, and a work ethic that appears to be pushing him to want to do even better this season, Alex Guerrero would certainly not be in line to play second base for the Dodgers in 2015. So does he move back to shortstop? That would seem the logical choice, but then the Dodgers went and signed another Cuban infielder.
Last February, the Dodgers signed Erisbel Arruebarrena to a 5 year 25 million dollar contract. While he didn’t have the reputation Guerrero had, as an offensive player, Arruebarrena is labeled by scouts as a defensive magician. Scouts love his hands, footwork, and ability to make tough plays look smooth. Many think if he plays every day, he is a potential gold glove candidate. Offensively, there isn’t much to speak of, he has virtually no power, and he doesn’t project to be anything but a below average major league hitter. When I see Arruebarrena play defense, he reminds me of Omar Vizquel. A pitching staff like the Dodgers have could do a great deal with a gold glove caliber shortstop up the middle. It would give the pitchers more confidence knowing a ground ball up the middle is almost certainly an out, and that goes a very long way with pitch selection and game plan execution. Gordon gets to balls most second baseman can’t, and with a gold glove shortstop that would be a joy for the pitching staff. Yes, he needs to work on his offense, but that is something many defensive minded shortstops have done in the past. Ozzie Smith, and Omar Vizquel were not very good hitters when they came up to the major leagues, and over time they turned themselves into good offensive players. Traditionally, shortstop isn’t supposed to be an offense first position anyway. What’s the difference between Rojas who can’t hit, and Arruebarrena? Rojas is really good defensively, and Arruebarrena is amazing defensively. Also, Arruebarrena is a little bit bigger than Rojas, so he could eventually “fill-in” to his body, and become a better hitter.
There are only a handful of really good offensive shortstops in the league these days, anyway. Hanley was one of the best hitting shortstops. Alexei Ramirez has good power for a shortstop and Jimmy Rollins has been a staple at the top of the Phillies order. Peralta has decent numbers, but nothing mind blowing. I think the Dodgers could get by pretty well with Arruebarrena getting most of the starts at shortstop, with Miguel Rojas spelling him every once in a while, and even giving Justin Turner a start here and there. The lack of offense he would provide would almost certainly be offset by the number of runs his defense would save, and on a team with a pitching staff like the Dodgers, I believe that would be a very important factor.
The dark horse to win the shortstop job, within the Dodgers system is top prospect Corey Seager. Seager is one of the top prospects in all of baseball, not to mention he was named as the Dodgers co-minor league player of the year last year with fellow top prospect Joc Pederson. Because of his height, he’s 6’4’’, it was thought he would eventually move over to third base, but new Dodgers PBO Andrew Friedman doesn’t think that will be the case. After watching Seager play in the AFL, Friedman gave him a great vote of confidence as a shortstop. He’s said to have made all the plays with the smoothness of a shortstop and looked very impressive. What also doesn’t hurt is the offense he provides, Seager put up very good numbers this year in the minor leagues. He hit .352 at Single A, then hit .345 when he got promoted to AA. He also stood out as one of the top prospects in the AFL this season. It is clear the organization doesn’t want to rush him to the big leagues, as with Pederson, but he will definitely figure into the Dodgers future. There does raise the question of if he will be a third baseman, or a shortstop when he finally reaches the majors. Even though Friedman has given him a vote of confidence, there aren’t really any third base prospects coming up through the farm system.
It wouldn’t make sense for the Dodgers to sign two Cuban shortstops to multi-million dollar deals, if they were simply going to be career minor leaguers. What they could be is trade pieces, and that could be intriguing. It was clear last season, the Dodgers were not willing to trade Pederson or Seager, so they will be key factors for the Dodgers in the future. Maybe a position change could be in the works for Guerrero, or maybe another organization might be interested. Because they already have so much money committed to Guerrero and Arruebarrena, I can’t see the Dodgers signing a free agent shortstop, even if it is just for one season. A trade for Rollins or Alexei Ramirez could be possible, but my guess is the White Sox would want a top prospect for Ramirez, and Rollins wants to stay in Philadelphia.
Spring Training will be very interesting this spring, as the Dodgers shortstop battle plays out. There is nothing wrong with a little friendly competition, and I’m excited about the future possibilities for the Dodgers. My vote is for Arruebarrena, because he can really help the pitching staff, but anything can happen over the course of spring training, and the course of a major league season, so only time will tell.
