In the dead of the night, the Colorado Rockies sent their All-Star shortstop, and the face of their franchise, Troy Tulowitzki, to the Toronto Blue Jays. The deal involved another high profile shortstop, Jose Reyes, heading back to the Rockies. While the Twins were linked to Tulo at different points leading up to the trade, passing on him was always the best move. Reyes will likely become available now as well, and the Twins should once again look the other way. Despite neither of those names being fits, the Twins need to find something, and it may not come from within.Right now, the Twins have allowed a grouping of Danny Santana, Eduardo Escobar and Eduardo Nunez to hold down what is arguably the most important position in the infield. Santana was the Twins Opening Day starter and he had the uphill battle of substantiating a smoke and mirrors offense in 2014. The .405 BABIP had Santana stacked against regression, and it has hit hard. He's batted just .219/.243/.300 in 72 games, still doesn't take walks (66/5 K/BB) and has yet to hit a home run after having seven last season.

 

On the defensive side, Santana hasn't been any good either. He's made 16 errors and is sixth in the majors in that category despite playing significantly fewer games than his peers. He's been worth -14 DRS (defensive runs saved) to this point and owns a -4.8 UZR (ultimate zone rating). To put it simply, it hasn't been pretty and a second demotion should come soon.

 

Probably most deserving of being the Twins current shortstop, comes in the form of a Band-Aid. Eduardo Escobar flashed promise a season ago, but remains best suited as a utility type. He owns a .246/.280/.389 slash line on the season, and that's right about what his career averages look like. He's started 19 games at short, made two errors, been worth -1 DRS, and owns a -1.6 UZR.

 

Rounding out the 25 man roster options is former Derek Jeter replacement, Edaurdo Nunez. His .277/.31`5/.445 slash line is buoyed by a lack of at-bats, and a very strong start. He's played 14 games at shortstop for the Twins, making no errors, being worth 0 DRS, and owning a 1.2 UZR. As a replacement player, you could probably do worse. However, the 14 game sample size also hides a guy that was worth -28 DRS in just 75 games at short for the Yankees in 2013.

 

So if the answer isn't on the active roster, it has to be on the farm right? The answer to that queston is somewhat difficult to come up with. Most ready would appear to be Triple-A shortstop Jorge Polanco. His bat appears major league ready, but his fielding has some significant issues. Slashing .284/.309/.352 for Rochester, Polanco's bat has cooled since his initial promotion. His 26 extra base hits on the season are nice to see however. In the field, Polanco faces his demons. He's made eight errors in 19 games at the Triple-A level, and he has another 16 in 64 Double-A games this season. He probably would hit right away for the Twins, but there's little doubt he'd be a defensive liability.

 

Down another level, and taking Polanco's place for the Lookouts, is Niko Goodrum. In 464 minor league games, Goodrum owns a .242/.336/.352 slash line, and he's below all of those marks this season. The Twins took Goodrum out of high school in the second round of the 2010 Major League Baseball draft. He's played all over the place in the Twins system, but the infield seems to be his best fit. He too has struggled with errors, and the upside has yet to rear it's head.

 

Fort Myers, the Twins High-A affiliate, has had a rotation through the shortstop position as well. Goodrum spent time there prior to his promotion, and now Engelb Vielma and Ryan Walker have taken over. Vielma is a 21 year old who has gotten better as he's risen through the Twins farm (.266/.309/.308 in 2015), and Walker was an 18th round pick in 2013 by the Twins (.272/.310/.293 in 2015). Neither posses the peripherals of a major league quality shortstop at this point.

 

The next level down is where things get interesting. At Low-A Cedar Rapids, the Twins first-round pick in 2014 resides. Gordon is looked at as a potential Gold Glove defender and a lacking bat. He's hit just .267/.334/.334 this season, but he owned a 17 game hit streak and has been on fire since the end of June (.316/.358/.429). Just 19 years old, Gordon doesn't figure to factor into the Twins plans for at least the next three years. He has a slight frame (6'0" 160lbs) and needs to fill out. He also needs the seasoning that comes with rising through the system.

 

Then there's Wander Javier, the 16-year-old Dominican shortstop the Twins just signed to a $4 million bonus. Javier is also looked upon favorably, but won't be ready for the big leagues for at least six years. He's got plenty of projectability, but it's also on the twins to help him develop into the player they spent big money on.

Looking through the options, it's in the combined $8 million the Twins spent (Gordon got a $4 million draft bonus) that the shortstop future seems to lie. Unfortunately that money is invested in teenagers a long way from helping at the highest level. Both Gordon and Javier could work out, and both could fail. Rght now though neither helps the Twins.

 

For a team looking to compete in the upcoming season, addressing the hole at shortstop seems necessary. Escobar should probably have already taken over for Santana, and the Twins should be determining if Polanco could stick at the spot. After determining what they have in those two scenarios, Minnesota would find itself in position to make a move. Going out and getting a big fish before making those decisions would be short-sighted, but there's no denying that it's very likely that within the organization the Twins don't have a shortstop who can help them in the immediate future.

 

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Glad to see Errors and Fielding Percentage used to determine whether someone is a good fielding shortstop or not

 

And about those sample sizes:

 

You forgot to mention that Polanco owns a +6.7 UZR/150 and and 1.167 OPS in the majors

 

Polanco should be the starting shortstop.  E's do not tell the story and lots of his AAA situation had to do with getting familiar with the rest of the infielders, plus having butcher first basemen (both Rodriguez and Martinez are bad).

 

 

Fort Myers, the Twins High-A affiliate, has had a rotation through the shortstop position as well. Goodrum spent time there prior to his promotion, and now Engelb Vielma and Ryan Walker have taken over. Vielma is a 21 year old who has gotten better as he's risen through the Twins farm (.266/.309/.308 in 2015), and Walker was an 18th round pick in 2013 by the Twins (.272/.310/.293 in 2015). Neither posses the peripherals of a major league quality shortstop at this point.

 

You're selling Vielma extremely short.  He just turned 21 a month ago and is posting his second consecutive very solid year in full season ball.  He has started 84 of the Miracles 102 games at SS and has maintained his .266 BA from last season despite stepping up a level.  There is no doubt he has the chops to stick at SS as he progresses.   

 

You are quite correct that he is not ready for a big league role at this time.  But that is more on account of his bat than his glove.  He may be the best defensive option, right now. 

 

Bottom line, it would be a waste of resources to target a SS from outside the organization.  We won't find one for the middle of the order now that Tulo is gone.  It would be best just to decide which of the internal candidates is most capable, bat him 9th and concentrate on getting a productive catcher and bullpen help.

 

If Jorge Polanco's bat appears to be major league ready, what does it say about Eduardo Escobar's bat that he has a better OPS in the bigs than Polanco does in AAA?  I would also argue that consistent playing time is a necessity to determine if last year was a fluke for Esco.  As for the defensive side of the ball, this is the first year that Esco's UZR has been negative--he has been a positive defender every year until now, which I think has a lot to do with sample size too.  The Twins should not be trying to acquire a shortstop, but playing the guy they already have who is in all likelihood, league average at worst.

I agree that Escobar should become the regular SS and Santana has to go down for seasoning and confidence. Escobar has some pop and is young enough to become the SS of the future.