There are phrases that get repeated in the BP Annual that we do our best as editors to avoid, like "at the highest level" or "advanced approach" or "command and control." Then there are the phrases that get repeated because they're so crucial to analysis that you simply can't avoid mentioning them often. Like whether the player who is manning shortstop in A-Ball is going to be able to man shortstop at the highest level in the majors. So I'd argue that this repetition is justified:
- Stick at shortstop: 11 instances in 2015 annual
- Stay at shortstop: Twice
- Remain at shortstop: Twice
- Stick at short: Once
- Stick at the position: Once
- Stick at the six-sport: Once
- Handle shortstop: Twice
Similar phrasing gets used to describe third basemen (who tend to end up at first) or center fielders (who gets filtered out and shipped to a corner) or catchers (who disappear in the bowels of the minors if found unable to stick at catcher/remain at catcher/handle catcher/stick at the position). But mostly, shortstops, and for a simple reason: Few can handle shortstop, but becuase the payoff is so great when it works, many, many, many, many are given the chance. How many? A brief rundown of the players who played shortstop in the minors:
The Guys Who You'd Forgotten Were Originally Shortstops But, Yeah, Okay, Makes Sense
- Roberto Alomar, 121 minor-league games
- Dustin Pedroia: 132
- Ian Kinsler: 184
- Robinson Cano: 80
- Chipper Jones: 442 minor-league games
- Jeff Kent: 38
- Matt Williams: 84
- Michael Cuddyer: 122
- Alfonso Soriano: 176
- Dan Uggla: 18
- Wade Boggs: 33
- Todd Frazier: 121
- Dean Palmer: 4
- Miguel Cabrera (!): 168 (!) minor-league games
- Edwin Encarnacion (!!): 19 (!!) minor-league games
- Jim Thome (!!!): 40 (!!!) minor-league games
- Matt Stairs (!!!!): 29 (!!!!) minor-league games
- Gary Sheffield: 94 major-league games
- Vinny Castilla: 147
- Mike Morse: 57
- Aaron Boone: 30
- Eric Davis: 18 minor-league games
- Reggie Sanders: 89
- Adam Jones: 275
- Carlos Santana: 3
- Josh Willingham: 2
- Scott Spiezio: 2
- Jose Bautista: 2
- Jason Giambi
- Bobby Abreu
- Luis Gonzalez
- Tim Raines
- Shane Victorino
- ​Russell Martin
- Mickey Tettleton
- ​Gregg Zaun
- John Jaha
- Raul Ibanez
- Edgar Martinez: 12 minor-league games at second base
- Jorge Posada: 64 minor-league games at second base
- Coco Crisp: 68 minor-league games at second base
- Jeff Bagwell: 2 minor-league games at second base
- Kevin Youkilis: 2 minor-league games at second base
- Jose Canseco: 19 minor-league games at third base
- Travis Hafner: 47 minor-league games at third base
- Billy Butler: 90 minor-league games at third
- Justin Morneau: 22 minor-league games at catcher
- Paul Goldschmidt: 1 minor-league game in center field
Of course, everybody didn't play shortstop. All the people who aren't named above, for instance. Like Chris Hoiles, and Richard Hidalgo, and Carlos Gomez, and Mike Sweeney, and Stan Javier, and so on. That list is less interesting.
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2. I'm not convinced Coco Crisp isn't still an actual second baseman who's been masquerading as an outfielder for a decade.
As an aside, probably the most noteworthy baseball thing to happen on the day I was born was Don Mattingly's lone big-league appearance in center field.
Speaking of former Cardinals, another player with ... well ... an "improbable" body type who appeared at shortstop in the minors was The Walrus himself, Brett Wallace, he of the 6'1", 240# proportions and thighs larger in diameter than some players' waists. To his credit, he volunteered to fill in there for Houston's AAA team in Oklahoma City, when injuries and promotions left the team without a regular SS. The conversion didn't exactly take, however, as his .912 fielding percentage attests.
But why the hate on Aaron Boone? B-R lists him as 6'2 and 190. I always thought he was pretty rangy at 3B. B-R has him listed as the 44th highest 3B ever in terms of RF/9.
Now excuse me while I try to go convince my fellow roto-owners to change the positional eligibility rules so I can get Miggy at SS.
Ryne Sandberg was originally a shortstop, too. (he played SS all through the minors and five games there in 1981 for the Phillies.) Became a Gold Glover at 2B.
Darwin Barney was a SS in college and all through the minors, and has won a Gold Glove at 2B and will win others if he can hit enough to stay in the lineup.