Cuddyer will keep his feet in one place

Joe Christensen
Star Tribune

BRADENTON, FLA. -- Michael Cuddyer has become so entrenched at third base for the Twins, they haven't even tried him at another position this spring.

With spring training ending today, that's saying something because Cuddyer came to camp as somewhat of a question mark.

The Twins originally had him battling Eric Munson for the starting third base job.

They knew Cuddyer could also serve in a utility role, as he did last year when he played 43 games at third base, 48 at second, 10 at first and 15 in the outfield.

But Cuddyer not only dominated the third base competition, he also shed the utility label.

"I don't want to mess with Michael Cuddyer," Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. "My goal is to try to keep him at third base as much as we possibly can because we want to make him a third baseman. ... He's doing great."

The Twins released Munson last weekend, and when they finalized their 25-man roster -Thursday, Gardenhire said one reason for keeping Nick Punto over Augie Ojeda was to prevent from having to move Cuddyer to the outfield in an emergency.

Gardenhire said he won't hesitate to use Punto in the outfield or the infield. That way, he can keep Cuddyer comfortable at third base.

That comfort level showed for much of Friday's 5-4 loss to the Pittsburgh Pirates during the Twins' second-to-last exhibition game.

Cuddyer handled five ground balls flawlessly, and two of those were especially tough plays. In the fourth inning, he made a diving backhanded stab to rob a hit from Daryle Ward and made a strong throw across the infield for the out.

It wasn't a perfect day for Cuddyer. He let the last ground ball hit to him roll through his legs, his second error of the spring.

At the plate, he went 0-for-4 and twice failed to get a runner home from third base with one out. But he's still batting .314 for the spring, and he's just happy to finally have a position he can call his own.

"It's nice to know that Gardy feels I can go out there and get the job done every day at that one position," Cuddyer said.

Especially that position. Third base is one of the trickiest spots on the diamond, and a player not used to the short reaction time can easily feel handcuffed. Then, when a player struggles defensively, there might be a carryover effect at the plate.

Last year, the Baltimore Orioles converted Melvin Mora from a utility player to full-time third baseman in spring training. Mora had been known for his versatility, but the Orioles remained firm about keeping him strictly at third base.

Mora's hitting didn't suffer; he went from hitting .317 in 2003 to .340 last year. After struggling defensively at third base, Mora eventually became a smooth fielder.

The Twins drafted Cuddyer as a shortstop in the first round of the 1997 draft. He played third base for three years in the minors before they started experimenting with him in the outfield.

Now that he's back at third base, Cuddyer seems to be at home.

"It's definitely a position that if you leave it, even for a couple days, it's tough to come back and get used to it again," he said. "It's a position where you need that consistent playing time, to see all the hops on a consistent basis and things like that. It puts you at ease mentally."