Minnesota Twins: Fixing Third Base

First off, a hearty congratulations to Justin Morneau for winning the Home Run Derby. I normally do not watch things like this, but I was forced to check up on it every once in a while.

The obvious storyline is Josh Hamilton and his record-breaking 28 home runs in the first round, but Morneau showed great consistency and eventually beat out the slugger.  

While I do think Morneau deserves the honor of the award, I think the story of the night belongs to Hamilton.  

In this third and final installment of how I would go about "fixing" the Twins, I will address the hole at third base.

Fixing the Twins No. 3: Sign Adrian Beltre, Whatever the Cost 

Mike Lamb was signed this past offseason to fill the hole at third base and provide some much needed punch in this lineup. The previous year, with the Houston Astros, he hit a solid .289/.366/.453 with 11 home runs and 40 RBI.  

That move seemed like a major improvement over the inept Nick Punto. He started 108 games at third base for the Twins in 2007 and recorded a pathetic line of .210/.291/.271.

I think it would be safe to say that the majority of Minnesota fans were pleasantly surprised when they found out that Lamb would start at third base in 2008. As it turns out, Lamb isn't doing much better than Punto did in 2008. In fact, with a line of .220/.257/.292, he is almost doing worse.  

The good news is that Brian Buscher has emerged as a potential third baseman for the Twins this year. Buscher had a brief tryout with the major-league club in 2007, but made his first extended start in 2008. Through 24 games, Buscher has a line of .313/.337/.410.  

While better than both Lamb and Punto, Buscher certainly lacks in the power department. He only has one home run on the year, and has a total of three in his major-league career.  

A slugger at third base may be just the addition the Twins need to get over the hump and beat out the White Sox for the AL Central.  

With the need for offense at the left corner established, let's discuss defense.  

Lamb, in his 54 third-base starts this year, has only four errors, taking his fielding percentage to .970. The fielding percentage of an average player in the same number of opportunities is only .960, so Lamb is above average in that category.  

However, Lamb is below the league average in the same number of opportunities in range factor. Punto is also below average, but Buscher is 21 points ahead.  

Punto has only eight starts at third this year. He hasn't given up an error, but his small sample size is deceptive. Buscher, on the other hand, has 23 starts at third in 2008, and has three errors. The fielding percentage of an average player with the same opportunities is seven points higher than Buscher.  

While not as big of a need as offense, the defense could always stand to be upgraded.  Enter: Adrian Beltre.  

It is common knowledge now that Minnesota has inquired to Seattle regarding Beltre. The Mariner third baseman is an obvious upgrade at the plate, as Beltre is hitting .259/.329/.440 through 92 games. He also has 16 home runs and 46 RBI.  

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