FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) -Nick Punto parlayed a dream season in 2006 into a new contract and the starting spot at third base for the Minnesota Twins.
This spring, after a horrendous showing at the plate in 2007, Punto has been moved over to second base and is fighting for a job.
“I’ve already put last season behind me. I’m really done talking about it,” Punto said. “I’ll give you this: You can’t get too wrapped up in the negative and that’s what I did last year.”
It’s hard to blame Punto for wanting to forget about 2007.
He had a career year in 2006, hitting .290 with 73 runs, 21 doubles and 17 steals, emerging as a key performer on a team that rallied to win the AL Central title.
Punto agreed to a $4.2 million, two-year deal that offseason to be the everyday third baseman, giving him a little financial security and a full-time job in spring training for the first time in his career.
Then the bottom fell out.
He hit just .220 in April and never was able to mentally pull himself out of the ditch. He hit .150 in June and .127 in August and finished with a .210 average, 90 strikeouts and a .271 on-base percentage.
“Offensively, he’s a lot better than he showed last year,” Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said. “I think he just got into a little bit of a funk. He’s going to battle for the job and we’ll see.”
Funk is putting it kindly, and now Punto is by no means guaranteed a job this spring.
The Twins signed Mike Lamb from Houston to be the starting third baseman. They also acquired Brendan Harris in a trade with Tampa Bay and have prospect Alexi Casilla, a physically gifted but erratic player entering his third season with the club, vying for the spot at second.
“They are going to go out there and see them mix it up and see how it turns out,” Gardenhire said.
Casilla is a 23-year-old Dominican who may need another year of seasoning before he is ready for the job. That means the race could come down to Punto and Harris, who is considered to have a better bat and a weaker glove.
Harris hit .286 with 12 homers and 59 RBIs in 137 games with the Rays last year in his first full major league season.
“When I saw the trade go down, once the dust settled, I was really looking forward to it,” Harris said. “I think it’s going to be a great opportunity. I’m just looking forward to it.”
Last season, Punto and shortstop Jason Bartlett (who was part of the trade with Tampa that brought Harris and Delmon Young to the Twins) were anchors at the bottom of the order, rarely able to sustain rallies or spark some offense.
Harris gives the Twins an option with a little more pop, and they like the idea of having a more capable hitter in the bottom third of the order.
“He’s a good player. We knew that coming in,” Gardenhire said. “We’ll see where he’s at defensively. Looking at all those things, we think he’s going to be a very serviceable player.”
Defense always has come first for the Twins, especially when it comes to middle infielders. That’s why they signed light-hitting shortstop Adam Everett in the offseason.
Whether he’s playing third base, second base or shortstop, defense has never been a problem for Punto. Even when he was slumping at the plate last season, he still managed to play like a Gold Glover in the field.
“He’s been a good player for us,” general manager Bill Smith said. “Two years ago he had a phenomenal season. Last year his offense suffered a little bit, but his defense was better than the year before.”
In his fifth season with the Twins, Punto is a valued member of the clubhouse, so he is trying to handle the situation as smoothly as possible.
“They’re both good kids,” the 30-year-old Punto said of Casilla and Harris. “I don’t think it has anything to do with that. I’m competing with myself. At the end of the day, if I feel like I’m competing, it’ll be easy to look in the mirror.”
Gardenhire has always been fond of Punto. The manager likes his hustle, determination and sticky glove. That said, if Punto doesn’t win the starting second baseman job, he still could be a valuable utilityman because of his versatility in the field.
“Ron Gardenhire loves having Nick Punto on this team,” Smith said. “There are plenty of at-bats, plenty of games. I think they’ll all have plenty of time.”
—
AP Sports Writer Dave Campbell contributed to this story.
Add A Comment