Andrelton Simmons Gives Minnesota Baseball’s Best Infield

During the weird year that was 2020, Simmons played just 30 games. Going back to 2019 he played in 103 of the Angels games, and still posted 16 OAA (outs above average), good enough for second in baseball among shortstops. To date, Simmons has been the equivalent of an Ozzie Smith-caliber defender, and a step up with the bat.

https://twitter.com/tlschwerz/status/1281667645369126914

Last offseason when the Twins signed Josh Donaldson, I sent out a tweet highlighting the overall impact of his defense in their infield. Fast forward to 2021 and moving Jorge Polanco to second base makes that grouping even better.

With the Angels Simmons saw his greatest impact coming in on the baseball and going up the middle. That’s notable because going left he’ll now have a defensive stalwart in Donaldson, and his two greatest strengths were the weaknesses of Minnesota former shortstop. Also, going to the second base side of his position, Simmons can provide defensive help to Polanco.

https://twitter.com/tlschwerz/status/1354826140221726722

Jorge Polanco hasn’t played second base in the big-leagues since 2016, and he has just 43 total innings there in his Major League career. On the farm however, he logged over 1,600, and it should be a breath of fresh air having played the much more demanding shortstop role for his first 490-plus games at the highest level.

It’s not that Simmons brings a defensive prowess to the Twins that is most notable, it’s actually how much he raises the water level of the entire infield, and does so while meshing perfectly with what’s already in place. The Twins didn’t need a shortstop that could go to their right, and they shouldn’t see the lackluster defensive performance that Luis Arraez provided at second base anymore. Yes, Miguel Sano is still less than ideal at first, but that could soon become Alex Kirilloff’s role when the DH isn’t locked into a single player.

The knock on Simmons has always been his bat, but he’s received MVP votes three times and posted OPS tallies of .692, .752, and .754 in those seasons. He’s not a power hitter and the on-base skills are nothing to write home about, but a .281 average and .329 OBP dating back to 2017 are nothing to scoff at. A lineup with this much power needs less swing and miss and bringing in a guy with just 164 strikeouts over his last 1,659 at bats accomplishes just that.

There’s no denying what Simmons brings to the table with instincts and ability at the shortstop position, but what he’ll do for the Twins specifically is beyond a perfect fit. Maybe Thad Levine and Derek Falvey pivoted into this position, but ultimately, they made the right choice. Right now, the agreement is just for one year, and maybe Simmons paves the way for Royce Lewis in the near future. If there’s another commitment after this one though, it’ll be hard to call it anything but exciting.

MORE FROM TWINS DAILY

— Latest Twins coverage from our writers

— Recent Twins discussion in our forums

— Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook or email