I know spring training is going to determine a lot, but what's everyone's thoughts on the 2nd/3rd base battles?

2nd base candidates - Weeks, Green, Sizemore

3rd base candidates - Donaldson, Sizemore

With the way Donaldson played down the stretch last year, the job is obviously his to lose, but Sizemore could replace him if he struggles early on.

As for 2nd, is it possible that Weeks was simply experiencing a sophomore slump last year, and could return to his rookie year form (or at the very least something decent)? I think it's way too premature to write him at this point.

I'd like to see Grant Green get a serious shot. If his defense is at least average at 2nd, I think he could be a Michael Young type of hitter.

As for Sizemore, he may need some conditioning at AAA to get his bat speed and timing back in swing.

Things can change fast, and there's a lot of variables. If everybody on that list is 100%, I'd probably make Donaldson the everyday 3b, and platoon Weeks and Sizemore at 2b.

If Weeks or Sizemore struggle I wouldn't wait to long to look for help in AAA, or to start getting Parrino some everyday AB's. Whoever is performing better out of Green/Sogard in AAA would get the first shot if plan A isn't working.

One thing I know for sure is that I'd like to see Donaldson get the everyday 3b job, with a fairly long leash as well. He really made me a believer down the stretch last season, looks like a plus defender at 3b with 15-20 HR pop and a sound plate approach, with the ability to hit for a fairly high average. He was one of the best 3b in baseball over the last couple months last season, and never looked overmatched. I feel better about the 3b position with Donaldson aboard than I have in quite a while.

BanditoB wrote: Things can change fast, and there's a lot of variables. If everybody on that list is 100%, I'd probably make Donaldson the everyday 3b, and platoon Weeks and Sizemore at 2b.

If Weeks or Sizemore struggle I wouldn't wait to long to look for help in AAA, or to start getting Parrino some everyday AB's. Whoever is performing better out of Green/Sogard in AAA would get the first shot if plan A isn't working.

One thing I know for sure is that I'd like to see Donaldson get the everyday 3b job, with a fairly long leash as well. He really made me a believer down the stretch last season, looks like a plus defender at 3b with 15-20 HR pop and a sound plate approach, with the ability to hit for a fairly high average. He was one of the best 3b in baseball over the last couple months last season, and never looked overmatched. I feel better about the 3b position with Donaldson aboard than I have in quite a while.

I agree about Donaldson.  3b is his to lose.  After a rugged start there, when he returned from AAA he was a different guy at the position and with the bat.  He played solid D upon his return through the rest of the season, as well as looking pretty good at the plate, and he has power.  If last year for Weeks was indeed the "sophomore jinx" and he becomes the guy he was in his first year, likewise, I think 
2b  will become his to lose.  Sizemore, probably then becomes the super sub.  And since Donaldson and Sizemore both hit from the right side, I don't see where 3b becomes a platoon situation.  They've also got Rosales who could be the odd man out, especially if Hiro looks solid there.  I'm hoping they can find a spot in a utility/bench role for Brandon Inge.  This team lost their top leaders (except I think Balfour is proving to be one); they could really use Inge.  But right now making a spot for him almost seems impossible, as it does for Green, IMO.  To my knowledge he still hasn' shown he can turn the DP with any kind of consistency.  But of course, I don't think he's played much 2b.  He's still an unknown with where he fits and whether that's anywhere in the organization.

oaklady, my thoughts exactly. I hope the A's find a way to get Inge back on the team.

I never have understood why Green wasn't shifted to 3rd base. He has the size and power potential. Anyone care to enlighten me?

What about Scott Moore for 3B and move Donaldson to C?
I think Grant Green doesn't have the arm for 3B.

all things going the way they should with the current roster, barring injury it's pretty much a done deal...Donaldson at 3b and Sizemore at 2b...the idea of a weeks platoon is not a good idea...the platoon position needs to be a vet type or specific skill set with know quanities...Weeks has been consitently inconsistent and should not be in a platoon....Inge or Rosales would be my choice for the super sub ....they have enough experience to know how to handle the non consistnet schedule required

TheShef wrote: What about Scott Moore for 3B and move Donaldson to C?
I think Grant Green doesn't have the arm for 3B.

This is one of many in the long line of "Move Donaldson back to catcher" posts over the last 5 months trying to get a better bat there than Norris.

I don't know the answer to this. Has anyone ever been moved off of catcher then come back and become a MLB regular behind the plate? I am not talking about someone that was injured and needed to play 1B/DH for part of a season, or someone that was spitting time with another catching prospect in minors for a season.

I think Green is too good a hitter to waste away in AAA or use just as a utility IF, not to mention he's another former #1 pick that I don't want to see fade away. Scouting reports said that he was playing a decent 2nd base as compared to shortstop (despite a small sampling size).

Donaldson shocked the hell out of me with the way he performed those last two months of the season after Inge went down with his shoulder injury, could say Inge getting hurt was a blessing as Inge was starting to fade and Donaldson came in at the right moment and was one of the A's better hitters late in the season. He had some huge "clutch" hits those finals weeks too most notably the game tying hr against SEA on the last weekend of the regular season and then the 2b off the wall in the 9th in game 4 of the ALDS against DET. Defensively he looked very good. As a hitter, he looked completely lost that first time up. He had that one huge game in the bay bridge series but stunk pretty much before being sent back down. When he then continued to light up AAA, thought he was the classic 4A player, ala Moss but like Moss in his second call up he looked like a totally different hitter. Last two months he had a .290/.356/.489 line with 8 hrs in 47 games. The one huge improvement Donaldson made was his ability to draw a hell of a lot more walks. In his first stint in 2012 he had 1 single BB in 98 at bats, his second stint those last two months he had 13 BB in 176 at bats.

Now there were a lot of A's hitters who got really hot the last two months other than Donaldson. Post all star break Donaldson had an .844 OPS, Coco .859 OPS, and Moss .951 OPS. Not likely they all could put those types of #s in a full 2013 season. Still even if all show to be average at their positions offensively, although if Coco is moved to DH with the acquisition of Young it's unlikely he'll accomplish that, but you'd take that from the other two. No doubt in my mind he's the front runner for 3b, he's clearly the best option at this time.

As for 2b, offensively if you could get what Sizemore produced in 2011 for a full season at the 2b spot. About 15 hr/70 rbi with a .750 OPS, he'd a very good offensive 2b, in terms of OPS in 2012 for all MLB 2b he'd be in the top ten. Don't know how the knee injury will effect Sizemore and defensively moving back to 2b will be also a huge question mark. As for Weeks, wow if you would've told me last year at this time when Weeks was seen as the most untouchable player in the A's org that now he could be in a fight to remain in the A's org I wouldn't have believed it. Weeks does give the A's something that many others in the org at this time would give them which is a possible speedy leadoff man if he rebounds and closer and more like the 2011 version of himself than what we saw out of him last season. But heard on radio maybe last week where an interview with Beane he mentioned Sizemore a lot more than Weeks when it dealt with the 2b position so who knows if Beane himself doesn't rate Sizemore a better option at 2b than Weeks.

At this time I would believe Donaldson will be the starting 3b and Sizemore the 2b to begin 2013 though I wouldn't be shocked if Sizemore starts the year as the utility IF as who knows if he'll be all the way back to his 2011 form after being one and a half years removed from playing in any real game and if Weeks has a good ST. Easier to have Sizemore on the bench than I think if Weeks was.

jbear wrote: I never have understood why Green wasn't shifted to 3rd base. He has the size and power potential. Anyone care to enlighten me?

My recollection is 3b for Green was given a whirl and evidently they didn't like what they saw.  So it was on to 2b as well as the outfield.  I have no idea where he would fit.

Frankly, I don't understand the business about moving Donaldson back to catcher, right now they have no better replacement at 3b.  I thought Sizemore was impressive there ... especially since he hadn't played it before.  However, I truly doubt his D will be as good as Donaldson's has been over there, much less better.  Also, while he has some, he does not have as much pop as Donaldson and I know from comments Donaldson wants absolutely nothing to do with catching in his future.  I know, I know, it's the majors and if that's the position they want for him, he'll make the move.  Personally, I think the idea (at this point, anyway) of moving him to catcher in order to make room for Sizemore, makes no sense.  I'm fine with Norris behind the plate, assuming he grows even more this next season.  If they find they need to make a move at catcher, it seems to me, they will dip into their system before even thinking about moving Donaldson there, especially as long as he continues to do what he did subsequent to the time he returned.

I agree  with the Shef.. Non roster Scott Moore may be a dark horse candidate for third base, if Donaldson gets hurt or falters..

athleticpride wrote: At this time I would believe Donaldson will be the starting 3b and Sizemore the 2b to begin 2013 though I wouldn't be shocked if Sizemore starts the year as the utility IF as who knows if he'll be all the way back to his 2011 form after being one and a half years removed from playing in any real game and if Weeks has a good ST. Easier to have Sizemore on the bench than I think if Weeks was.

I basically agree with this.  

Donaldson will be given a long leash as the starter at 3B into the first couple months of the 2013 regular season.

Going into Spring Training, the pecking order at 2B is, loosely, Sizemore > Weeks > Parrino/Sogard/Rosales/Green.  A lot of room for things to shift during ST.  If Weeks plays very well, I'd think management would prefer him to get the bulk of playing time, but they'd be happy with Sizemore as the starter if he looks to be back strong from the injury.

sizemore is a platoon player.

the way the a's just abandoned weeks was pathetic.

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--- zitoforpres wrote:

sizemore is a platoon player.

the way the a's just abandoned weeks was pathetic.

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Weeks' play was pathetic, they gave him 4 months to work through it. He didn't. Got demoted.

Then they cleared his path back to the big leagues again this offseason by dealing Pennington. All he has to do now is make plays.

I think it was more than just a coincidence that Donaldson started hitting the ball in AAA much, much better when he was primarily a 3B and not a catcher...as if being freed from the rigors of catching allowed him to focus more on his hitting. I would worry that moving him back behind the plate will diminish his hitting in some way. He's good for an emergency catcher, though.

Donaldson's last two months also made a believer out of me. He actually might be a long term solution at 3B.

All SS and 2b were awful. A's kept rosales over weeks. Weeks got singled out.

jclay09 wrote:

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--- zitoforpres wrote:

sizemore is a platoon player.

the way the a's just abandoned weeks was pathetic.

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Weeks' play was pathetic, they gave him 4 months to work through it. He didn't. Got demoted.

Then they cleared his path back to the big leagues again this offseason by dealing Pennington. All he has to do now is make plays.

zitoforpres wrote: sizemore is a platoon player.

the way the a's just abandoned weeks was pathetic.

Whether the A's abandoned him or whether he simply played his way out of the lineup, it worked out pretty well for the A's last year. Do they win the AL west by keeping Weeks as a starter? Not sure, I thought the combination of Drew at SS and Penny at 2B was awfully good defensively, and Penny hit much better the last month of the season.

As someone else said, Weeks has every chance to reclaim the position this year by earning it. I'd like to see him do it.

APlus100 wrote: I think it was more than just a coincidence that Donaldson started hitting the ball in AAA much, much better when he was primarily a 3B and not a catcher...as if being freed from the rigors of catching allowed him to focus more on his hitting. I would worry that moving him back behind the plate will diminish his hitting in some way. He's good for an emergency catcher, though.

Donaldson's last two months also made a believer out of me. He actually might be a long term solution at 3B.

I think management is likely viewing the move away from C as a important factor in his improvement at the plate.  It could simply be confirmation bias, but the results in last season's 2nd half, coupled with his outstanding defense at 3B, is good enough reason to allow him to get comfortable in his new position as an everyday player.  

Donaldson's glove could also allow Nakajima to shade towards the bag away from the hole to help compensate for some of his limitations in the field.

jclay09 wrote:

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--- zitoforpres wrote:

sizemore is a platoon player.

the way the a's just abandoned weeks was pathetic.

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Weeks' play was pathetic, they gave him 4 months to work through it. He didn't. Got demoted.

Then they cleared his path back to the big leagues again this offseason by dealing Pennington. All he has to do now is make plays.

I pretty much agree with zfp on this one.  I've felt the A's have all too quickly "abandoned" Weeks.  Just seems to me they could have been a little classier in the way they've handled this so far.  I admit I am partial to Weeks.  But one good season for a rookie then a bad sophomore season and they've all but jettisoned him, already?  Lots of players over the years have come out with a poor sophomore season following a very good rookie season, then gone on to have very good careers.  ST hasn't even started, and already we're seeing posted lineups with Sizemore in there and no mention of Weeks.  By the way, it seemed to me the Tigers didn't waste a lot of time making Sizemore available even at a time when they needed a second baseman.  That may also speak volumes.  Seems to me, also, that Sizemore is closer to a platoon player or more likely their super sub.