Plouffe... for real?

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Originally Posted by sbknudson

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Originally Posted by stringer bell

Interesting that Ryan wasn't afraid to be critical of Plouffe during the in-game interview by DickBert during the final game. He pretty much dismissed Trevor from the outfield (fine) and pointed out his inconsistent play at third and highlighted his "lateral mobility" issue as well.Plouffe played better than I ever expected in the field (the bar was set pretty low) and produced power, a commodity that the Twins really lack. If he can pick up the "D" and OPS in the .700s, I don't think the Twins have a real problem at third base.

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I agree - if he can improve both offensively and defensively, he'll be a better player.;)

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Since Plouffe had played very little at third, I think it is reasonable that he will improve defensively. Ryan mentioned lateral mobility issues, which might be tough to fix, but Plouffe's arm was more accurate than I thought it would be while he didn't boot an inordinate number of balls either. Offensively, he's made strides two consecutive years. I think he'll OPS in the mid .700s, with a chance to be better.

How much improvement on the defensive side of his game can we expect from a player that is 27ish? It seems to be a lack of focus at times with him and our former guy, DValencia.

He'll get a fair shot at 3B and unless the Twins can upgrade significantly this offseason he'll more then likely be the front runner. The more reasonable approach will be to get a defensive 3B type who can back him up but I'd think the Twins want his power potential in the lineup and if he can hit .250 ish and 30 HR's which is possible over a full season then I would take that and so would the Twins. I just really think the thumb injury really derailed his season.

.250 with 30HR would be awesome IMO. The Twins could have a pretty potent line-up next year... even if they have a black hole in one of the MI spots (Carroll finished the season very well and I'd be fine with him next year). At least Plouffesie finished the season strong. Hopefully an offseason of rest and strengthening can help him.

KLAW is not a believer in him or parmalee, BTW. Mentioned in today's chat.