Minnesota has no shortage of hopefuls at short

Four candidates vying for starting position

By David Dorsey
Fort Myers News Press

As the classic Abbott and Costello comedy routine goes, who’s on first, what’s on second and I don’t know is on third.

The Minnesota Twins project to have Justin Morneau at first, Luis Rivas at second and Michael Cuddyer at third, barring an injury or sudden collapse.

But how about shortstop?

Ask the Twins who the starter will be when the regular season begins, and the answer gets more confusing than the comedy routine.

“I’m not sure we’ll have an answer until we get to April,” Minnesota general manager Terry Ryan said. “We’ve got some depth there.”

The Twins may have depth, but they have little major-league experience at shortstop following the departure of Cristian Guzman, who had started there for the previous five seasons and will now play that role for the Washington Nationals.

Of the four Minnesota shortstop candidates, two of them — Augie Ojeda and Nick Punto — have less than two full seasons of big-league experience between them as utility infielders.

Juan Castro, who started at shortstop Friday as the Twins held their Grapefruit League home-opener at the Lee County Sports Complex, has 668 games of major-league experience, mostly with the Cincinnati Reds.

But the 32-year-old spent those years as a utility infielder or as a backup to Barry Larkin.

Jason Bartlett, perhaps the favorite to win the job — most preseason publications predict him to take it — will be considered a rookie if he makes the team. The 25-year-old has just eight big-league appearances, all last season, on his resume.

“I would love to get it solidified,” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. “I would love for someone to take it over.

“Bartlett is the one guy who has done it through the minor leagues. He’s been productive as an everyday shortstop. The other guys have been more in utility roles.”

Gardenhire said he would prefer an everyday shortstop to a platoon system.

“You have to be able to catch the ball up the middle,” Gardenhire said. “Because so many things can happen out there.”

In the past 42 years, only one team has won the World Series with a rookie at shortstop. The 1996 New York Yankees did it with Derek Jeter, who has gone on to be a perennial All-Star.

That means the Twins and their shortstop candidates cannot afford to take the auditions lightly.

“We all have a shot,” said Ojeda, 30, who played 178 big-league games with the Chicago Cubs. “It might come down to the last day. Who knows?”

When asked about his strengths and weaknesses, Ojeda said he feels confident on defense, but that “I haven’t played every day in the big leagues. But we’re all in that same boat. You just have to try and be consistent. Then again, it’s hard to be consistent when you’re not playing every day.”

Punto, 27, who spent most of last season on the disabled list with a broken right clavicle, suffered another setback this spring with a strained lower back.

Punto recently had an MRI examination to see if the injury would require surgery. It won’t.

“The piece of mind is huge,” said Punto, who so far has been limited to bunting. “Until I got the results back, I was a nervous wreck. The next couple of days, I’m going to start hitting off the tee.”

Punto said the last thing he wants to do is put pressure on himself to win the job.

“I’ll just ease into things,” he said.

Although the four players are all competing for the same spot, there appears to be no animosity between them.

“Most of the infielders all hang with the infielders,” Ojeda said. “We spend so much time together, we become friends. You just separate that from the baseball and just play within yourself.

“You play for each other. We’re one team. The goal is to win.”

SORTING OUT SHORTSTOPS

The Minnesota Twins have an opening at shortstop. The four candidates have little experience as starters.

Here’s a look at how each player did last season:

Jason Bartlett, 25: Hit .331, with three homers and 29 RBI, at Triple-A Rochester

Juan Castro, 32: Hit .244, with five homers and 26 RBI, in 111 games for the Cincinnati Reds

Augie Ojeda, 30: Hit .339, with two homers and seven RBI, in 30 games for the Twins; hit .242, with two homers and 21 RBI, at Triple-A Rochester

Nick Punto, 27: Hit .253, with two homers and 12 RBI, in 38 games for the Twins