Why the second base is the new right field

Four of Boston's most valuable assets are playing in the field. In the absence of a designated hitter on the Dodger Stadium, conventional wisdom suggests that one of them must sit down this weekend, removing a key contributor from the training at most. bad time possible.

But manager Alex Cora rarely chooses the traditional way to solve a problem when a more creative option exists. This explains why he recently debated the possibility of taking a more radical approach: using Mookie Betts, one of the best MVP candidates and arguably the best defensive player of the majors, to second base.

The idea seems crazy on the surface, especially if you consider the value of Betts in the right field. Most teams would not dare to attempt such a bold strategy at such a crucial time, with an online championship.

After a more in-depth analysis, the concept not only makes sense, but it also reveals a counterintuitive truth about modern baseball: the second goal, a position long regarded as the domain of a defensive player given his place in the middle Diamond, now looks like the Little League right field – the easiest place to hide a glove that you want to hide.

"You stay there and wait until the ball is hit in your area and you run to get it and throw it to any base," said Ian Kinsler, former Boston second baseman, former glove winner d & # 39; gold. "It's simple, man."

Kinsler does not want to underestimate the subtleties of the second base nor imply that anyone can excel at it. No one will say that the position is not challenging for inexperienced practitioners, especially in trying to double play with the back facing the slippery runner.

Betts actually has experience there. He played as a baseball player, playing 230 games and then rookies for Boston as a rookie in 2014. The Red Sox converted him into a full-time player at the time. to welcome their long-time second baseman, Dustin Pedroia. Betts has won the Gold Glove Award in the field in the past two years and will almost certainly win his third this winter.

Although Betts has only played six innings at second base in the last four seasons (he went there in case of an emergency on August 3rd), he still trains in the field almost every day. . Not because he expects to play in second place, but because he believes that ground tests help him to prepare for the speed of bouncing balls in the outside field during the matches. He does it, he says, "so I do not become lazy."

Betts intensified its intensity this week by working closely with Pedroia on the pivot around the bag.

"I just told him," Hey guy, grab him and throw him over there, "said Pedroia." You have to get outs. Do not try to do something you can not do. "

It seems that teams are feeling more and more comfortable with second-base players with far less history than Betts. After trading against third baseman Mike Moustakas in July, the Milwaukee Brewers placed Travis Shaw in second place, although he had never played. He started in second place throughout the playoffs and held on as the Brewers reached a victory less than a World Series win.

The New York Mets auditioned Daniel Murphy on the field to find a home for his prodigious bat. After failing to score third, first, or left, he moved to second base in 2012. He continues to play today at a usable level.

Max Muncy, of the Dodgers, did not spend a second in his first four years as a professional, before moving there occasionally in 2016. There were two games in the National League series.

"It's clear that the landscape of second-tier players has changed," said Mark DeRosa, an MLB analyst who played 343 second-base games in a 16-year career, which ended in 2013. "We can see different types playing the post. "

The reason is related to significant changes in the game that led to a general reassessment of required skills. The teams have become so sophisticated in how to position their defenders for individual hitters that they are able to compensate for the shortcomings of the range of players. Once done well, coaches can place a second base player with such precision that he will often not have to do more than one step and that the shortest throw at first offers a margin of error.

Teams deploy defense teams often so frequently that other players, such as the third baseman, often end up receiving double the opportunities, which alleviates the burden of a weak player. At the same time, the MLB has put in place stricter rules to protect infielders from tough take-out slips, dramatically reducing the risk of serious injury to the second base player around the base.

Someone as talented as Betts probably does not even need the extra help.

"I did not get past Mookie," said Kinsler. "He is a great athlete."

Cora will not reveal all plans to set up his lineup against the Dodgers in Friday's third game, although he has confirmed that Martinez, the typical DH from Boston, would play. Martinez hit .330 with 43 home runs and 130 RBIs this season, and Cora determined he could not afford to lose his stick. If Betts does not play second, Jackie Bradley Jr. or Andrew Benintendi will head to the bench, at least early in the evening.

For the moment, Cora downplayed the probability of Boston starting the Betts on second base. Whether it's really or simply as a tactic to chase the Dodgers out of the smell, it will probably remain unknown until Friday. Anyway, Cora certainly did not rule out playing Betts in second place – and more likely she was not, Betts would not miss a minute.

"He's fine," said Pedroia. "It's not like we're throwing it out and it's a handicap."

Write to Jared Diamond at [email protected]