I looked at how much it hurt the Twins' offense when Plouffe was on the DL and discovered he's been somewhat underappreciated even though he's been the Twins' second-best hitter to Mauer.

 

During Plouffe's absence, the Twins scored just 3.5 runs per game. His replacements at third base, Jamey Carroll and Eduardo Escobar, struggled mightily during this time as well.

 

Carroll batted .136/.208/.152 while Plouffe was on the disabled list. Escobar batted .167/.255/.208.

 

You can read the rest of Minnesota Twins: Trevor Plouffe’s Value Emphasized with Time on DL at Yahoo! Sports.

 

Is Plouffe undervalued? Does he switch positions in Sano is called up?

I've been suggesting he move to 1B, to split time with Mauer. Mauer plays 1B/C/DH; Plouffe plays 1B/DH/occassional 3B.

Sano's ETA? I'm pegging 2015, with a chance at midseason 2014. I think another year with Plouffe at third may show us more conclusively what his value really is. Of those I thought needed to establish themselves, he was closest to established and if he has a rest of the season in line with what he has done (and avoids further injury), we will then know whether Trevor is a mainstay or not. He could be a mainstay as a "tenth" regular or a regular at any of the infield or outfield corners (plus DH).

Still think he ends up in LF.

I like the lineup a lot more with Plouffe in it than without. My hope is, the next manager will institute a more advanced shifting scheme so that the defensive weaknesses are minimized and guys like Plouffe and Sano can continue to hold jobs somewhere in the infield.

I like the lineup a lot more with Plouffe in it than without. My hope is, the next manager will institute a more advanced shifting scheme so that the defensive weaknesses are minimized and guys like Plouffe and Sano can continue to hold jobs somewhere in the infield.

By the time we have a next manager, Plouffe will be long forgotten.