Filling the Hot Corner 

As Minnesota looked toward this season and made moves to fill or improve many positions, one of their largest holes was at 3B.

Steady Gardening...

From the inaugural season until the the end of 2016, Bryan Gardner appeared in 675 games and took 2550 ABs as the Starting 3B for the Berserkers. 

Now with Seattle, he struggled his last two seasons in the frigid north, but Gardner still managed to leave Minnesota with a .793 OPS and an OPS+ of 101 and managed over 25 HR a season on average, with a high of 31.  

His plus glove helped him finish with a total of 26.6 ZR over the course of 2012-2016.

Add it all up and Gardner was an 11.5 WAR player over five seasons, or 2.3 WAR p/season, the definition of a solid starter.

Minnesota's GM brokered a couple of deals this offseason, but there wasn't much out there in terms of 3B, and the FA market was equally of any decent long term solution.

This meant the front office would have to turn to in-house options, or perhaps find value in a journeyman signing.

Bring on the Hurt

As Minnesota looked at possible replacements this offseason, the two main in-house options were Matt Reynolds or Alan Hurt, both very similar players.  Low contact bats, average defense, but big potential power.   They were less than ideal replacements for multiple reasons, but one thing Minnesota often tries to do is keep decent prospects out of the majors at the start of the season to maximize team control.  

It might have been possible to avoid calling one up, but in the end because of the lack of available options, that strategy looked like it would hurt the team and their goal to make the playoffs this season.

There was also the option of Chip Render or Sam Harper, but the front office was hoping to keep one of them as a utility infielder while the other started at SS.   So, the organization sat back and waited to see what improvements Hurt or Reynolds might make and had their head scout, Craig, keep a close eye on both.

In the meantime, 3B/1B Lou Gibson and 3B Andy Miller were signed as depth options.  Gibson would be the better option at the plate, but Miller was a gold glove caliber fielder with a decent eye.  As it turned out, Gibson ended up starting the season in AAA and Miller is the platoon option vs. LHP.

As the offseason progressed, Craig's reports about Hurt continued to improve.  It seemed in the Arizona Fall League his bat looked quicker and he improved at third base, extending his range a bit and fielding the ball more cleanly.   These two clear advances made him the obvious choice, especially when paired with his ability to play some second base and switch hit.

As Minnesota rarely makes any decisions based on spring training numbers, this meant that Hurt got the invite and Reynolds would stay in AAA.  Hurt's numbers weren't all that impressive: .222/.246/.492.  He was still given the starting job at 3B against RHP, with the plan to utilize their veteran acquisitions, Miller or Gibson, if Hurt struggled.

So far, their faith in him has been rewarded, even if it has been just three short weeks.  Hurt has hit .314/.375/.627 overall with three HR in 51 PAs.   It's a bit above expectations for the 23 year-old who moved quickly through the minors and pitchers will likely adjust to him soon, but it's an encouraging start.